Pellet sampling on a broad scale. Multiple burners=entertaining???

[smwilliamson]

Sorry, I cannot test either. My work just gets WAY to busy from about next week until April. That said, any official tester who's stove breaks down, I will get replacement parts to ya for cost. :lol:

If your serious that is very generous of you!

The bags should also be weighed. I plopped a 40lb bag on a scale once and it was 43.73 thinking it was a fluke I grabbed another bag, it was 42.81...that's 8% more

I was checking bag weights last year and didn't find any out more than 2%. Pretty easy to do with a bath scale. I will add it to the list.

When the list is official, please PM me the list of testers, once I have the list, testers can contact me directly with part orders. This ought to get people motivated. There are some parts however I cannot access but there should be few.

 

[coobie]

I'd sure like to know who voted go test somewhere else! Your wish maybe granted!

BTU, I was thinking big picture with many many users comparing. With the stove variables it would be hard to compare temps. But the othere things like ash and fines have little to do with the stove. If we had say 3 users with a Quad CB1200 and they all tested MWP. We might be able get an average. Or for that matter just average all the stove temps and Instead of a temp listing in ºF, Maybe a scale of some sort. Or just ignore the temp all together? IDK. Just throwing it out there. Looking for feedback tis all.

Don,t let a few SOUR APPLES ruin the whole bunch.I for one want to personally thank your for hard work and time,you did a great job.I look forward to more tests.coobie

 

[schoondog]

Jay,
I voted yes. And I will try to help out this year. I leaned heavily on your testing last year and sorta put your numbers up against my numbers on the few products we both burned and I agreed with your findings every time. The little bit of reporting I did with the grass pellets gave me an appretiation for all the work you did last year. Don't let em get ya mad. Keep it real and call em as you see em. Let me know if I can help. I think we should be able to repeatedly report 1.)wt. of bags 2.) Heat from stove on medium. 3.) ash wt. 4.) bagwt. at start. minus fines.

Schoondog

 

[imacman]

......4.) bagwt. at start. minus fines. Schoondog

Schoon, to measure the exact amount of fines in any given bag, a pellet "vacuum" system like myself and others have made will be necessary.

 

[jtakeman]

Jay,
I voted yes. And I will try to help out this year. I leaned heavily on your testing last year and sorta put your numbers up against my numbers on the few products we both burned and I agreed with your findings every time. The little bit of reporting I did with the grass pellets gave me an appretiation for all the work you did last year. Don't let em get ya mad. Keep it real and call em as you see em. Let me know if I can help. I think we should be able to repeatedly report 1.)wt. of bags 2.) Heat from stove on medium. 3.) ash wt. 4.) bagwt. at start. minus fines.

Schoondog

Great, I will add you to the list. Seeing I haven't seen Hardwwod Heat near me. Could you test those for use???

 

[schoondog]

Ya that would be good but perhaps a simpler screen method could be used? I don't care to much about the fines and don't vacuum them, but I know some folks stoves won't tolerate them. If we all use the same sized screen then would that work?

Schoondog

 

[schoondog]

Jay,
I voted yes. And I will try to help out this year. I leaned heavily on your testing last year and sorta put your numbers up against my numbers on the few products we both burned and I agreed with your findings every time. The little bit of reporting I did with the grass pellets gave me an appretiation for all the work you did last year. Don't let em get ya mad. Keep it real and call em as you see em. Let me know if I can help. I think we should be able to repeatedly report 1.)wt. of bags 2.) Heat from stove on medium. 3.) ash wt. 4.) bagwt. at start. minus fines.

Schoondog

Great, I will add you to the list. Seeing I haven't seen Hardwwod Heat near me. Could you test those for use???

I think I can. I may buy a ton at $220

 

[imacman]

I was curious about whether or not Hamers really are still making the Hardwood Heat pellets you saw at TSC, so I sent Lori Hamer an email and asked a few questions. I'll post back about an answer if I get one.

I also invited her or a Hamers rep to "join in the fun" like BTU and the woman from NEWP have done here on the forum.

 

[Meneillys]

Any one willing to come out to Bernhards Bay, NY I will give them 5 free bags of NEWP or Cubex for testing purpose. I would test but being a dealer people might think I was biased so I will contribute with product. PM me if interested. Just so it doesn't get crazy and I lose 50 tons off this I will limit it to only 5 people.

 

[jtakeman]

Any one willing to come out to Bernhards Bay, NY I will give them 5 free bags of NEWP or Cubex for testing purpose. I would test but being a dealer people might think I was biased so I will contribute with product. PM me if interested. Just so it doesn't get crazy and I lose 50 tons off this I will limit it to only 5 people.

Personally I would like to see more of the pellets that Jay didn't get tested last year used. Some examples would be Freedom Fuels, Vermont Wood Pellets, Potomac, Country Pine, PWI, and Western Pellet. I bet there are more and that would be helpful if we could see results of that. I think it would be good to see some of the pellets re-tested also. Inferno, Tree Cycle and maybe even NEWP from NY who all had some issues last year and I know have made changes this year would be good.

Retesting Cubex/Northern/Comfort probably wouldn't really show any difference from last year. They are a very good pellet. Always have been and always will be, simply because of the source of their fiber.

Testing these pellets is a HUGE undertaking for one or even two people to do, but getting results that are consistant and useable are very helpful to the buying public. Hopefully we can add some brands to the list this year and maybe even expand on some of the brands that are sold else where and not just the NE too.

Actually I did test the Vermont Wood Pellet Co's last year. I tested them for Bt Ent as a mystery pellet. Results were never put on my testing list as it was late in the season. I will try to do them this year.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/51871/

Temp average 242ºF

Ash volume was at 12 ounce mark on jar.

Ash weight 3.52 ounces

Ash Percentage 0.275%

Fines 3 ounces total

Diameter .255”

Length 1/4 to 1”

 

[Meneillys]

I dont think retesting pellets from last year would be a bad thing. It would show that the company is consistant with there products from year to year or that they have taken steps to improve/degrade. It could also show how some stoves love softwood over hardwood!

 

[smwilliamson]

I burnt 240lbs of Spruce Pointe this weekend...I looked in the ash drawer but there was no ash...hmmm.

 

[WoodPorn]

J,
I just talked to my local Aubuchon and they are carrying Cubex Canadian and Infernos RI (I can barely type that w/out laughing) this year, I'll pick up a couple bags of each for testing, hopefully the Inferno's don't fall apart in my arms while moving!

 

[jtakeman]

In order to graph out our results, I am wondering if each tester needs to burn a set brand for a baseline? Or should we just skip it and consider each testers results individually??

Thoughts please.

 

[jtakeman]

In order to graph out our results, I am wondering if each tester needs to burn a set brand for a baseline? Or should we just skip it and consider each testers results individually??

Thoughts please.

i think ure silly but cute! use a placebo for a baseline?

%-P

 

[fidiro]

I can get the ash content from the TreeCycle some still laugh about. I purchased three tons gave one ton to my Brother-in-law. So I'll be burning TC most of the winter. I could pick up a couple bags of Greeneteam if lowes will carry them through the winter. Lowes may also have Clean Energy(blue/white bag made in N.Carolina)

I could also use a laser thermometer but don't think I'll get an accurate temp like the probe thermometers.

I would have to wait till I finish about 10lbs left in the hopper from last season to clean everything and start testing with fresh bags.

I have a Profile 20 FreeStanding.

BTW, I think any testing is definatelly worth looking over. One year to another things may change. If Jay didn't try the TC that was being made last year, I don't think that TC would ever change the way they were making pellets. I hope that TC continued making them the same as the ones from Jay's last test because they looked promising.

 

[jtakeman]

I can get the ash content from the TreeCycle some still laugh about. I purchased three tons gave one ton to my Brother-in-law. So I'll be burning TC most of the winter. I could pick up a couple bags of Greeneteam if lowes will carry them through the winter. Lowes may also have Clean Energy(blue/white bag made in N.Carolina)

I could also use a laser thermometer but don't think I'll get an accurate temp like the probe thermometers.

I would have to wait till I finish about 10lbs left in the hopper from last season to clean everything and start testing with fresh bags.

I have a Profile 20 FreeStanding.

BTW, I think any testing is definatelly worth looking over. One year to another things may change. If Jay didn't try the TC that was being made last year, I don't think that TC would ever change the way they were making pellets. I hope that TC continued making them the same as the ones from Jay's last test because they looked promising.

You would be more than welcome to test with us. TC, Greenteam and Clean Energy would be fine. I am hoping we get a couple members each to sample the same brands. A little overlap might be good. And how they perform in different stove should be interesting!

I found with the laser to clip a piece of small tin to the heat exchanger outlet. Let the air warm the tin and check the tin with the laser. It will do just as good as a probe does.

Mike at Tree Cycle did all the work and had idea's before I even burned the sample for him. I really didn't do much except show him what we were seeing on our end. Mike already knew if he didn't improve them there sales would suffer. Mike just kept looking up towards a better pellet.

 

[schmeg]

This forum is much like the others I visit for my Harley and my snowmobiles.
Very informative most of the time, but there always seems to be someone out
there willing to slice and dice others that have an opinion that differs from their own.
I personally have found the past pellet testing informative enough to make an informed
buying decision, or at least the ones I want to stay away from. Keep up the good work Jay.

 

[smwilliamson]

Just to throw it out there, today I measured the heat from spruce pointe in a XXV...326 °F out of the exchanger. Smokin. This was a laser measure off the X

I was grimacing at the thought of having to read through 3 pages of this thread....then I found that BLIMP had hijacked it. So, I guess I haven't missed anything. ;-)

 

[WoodPorn]

Did Blimp get booted again? I don't see his posts anymore.

 

[jtakeman]

His profile is still up. Maybe they just clean up a few things???

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/that/20348/

 

[WoodPorn]

If you look between posts 43/44 his is no longer there

 

[jtakeman]

The mods will clean stuff up sometims to get rid of the BS. They pulled one of my posts too.

He just posted to this thread, so he's still with us. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/663650/

 

[fidiro]

I found with the laser to clip a piece of small tin to the heat exchanger outlet. Let the air warm the tin and check the tin with the laser. It will do just as good as a probe does.

Jay I have a Digital Probe Meat Thermometer that I can use instead of the laser. It's capable of reading to almost 600 degrees but would it give me an accurate enough reading if I stuck the probe into the outlet.

I'm going to try it soon to see what kind of reading I get but don't know if it's accurate reading dry heat. Should work the same meat or dry.

 

[smwilliamson]

I found with the laser to clip a piece of small tin to the heat exchanger outlet. Let the air warm the tin and check the tin with the laser. It will do just as good as a probe does.

Jay I have a Digital Probe Meat Thermometer that I can use instead of the laser. It's capable of reading to almost 600 degrees but would it give me an accurate enough reading if I stuck the probe into the outlet.

I'm going to try it soon to see what kind of reading I get but don't know if it's accurate reading dry heat. Should work the same meat or dry.

It cannot touch any metal. Somehow it needs to be suspended.