Have leftover ton of pellets from last season, stored in barn and covered. Still decent to use this heating season?
pellet shelf life??
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Take a bite. If they taste stale I would throw them out. 
Sorry I was thinking of the cereal bar left in my office desk over the weekend.
But seriously, do a test burn and see how they do.
Sorry I was thinking of the cereal bar left in my office desk over the weekend.But seriously, do a test burn and see how they do.
Pellet shelf life really depends on many variables:
1. Who made them.
2. How they were transported and stored prior to selling.
3. Where they were stored at your house inside or outside.
4. Temperature extremes where stored.
5. Humidity extremes where stored.
6. How well covered/ventilated when stored.
7. Etc.
If it were me, I would probably take a handful of the old pellets and a handful of newly bought pellets and compare them. Put some on a piece of paper on a table and mash them easy with a spoon, see if the crushed pellets stick to the spoon/paper and if there's any noticeable moisture on the paper. Does the pellet dust from both feel the same or similar. Go outside and put a handful of each on a hard surface like a driveway/concrete walk, put a little lighter fluid or rubbing alcohol on both and light 'em up to see how they burn. Just compare the two samples any way you can think of.
I would say that as long as they've been kept out of the rain and appear/feel fine to you then they should be ok. In the end, it's how well they seem/appear to burn now compared to how they burned last season.
Steve
1. Who made them.
2. How they were transported and stored prior to selling.
3. Where they were stored at your house inside or outside.
4. Temperature extremes where stored.
5. Humidity extremes where stored.
6. How well covered/ventilated when stored.
7. Etc.
If it were me, I would probably take a handful of the old pellets and a handful of newly bought pellets and compare them. Put some on a piece of paper on a table and mash them easy with a spoon, see if the crushed pellets stick to the spoon/paper and if there's any noticeable moisture on the paper. Does the pellet dust from both feel the same or similar. Go outside and put a handful of each on a hard surface like a driveway/concrete walk, put a little lighter fluid or rubbing alcohol on both and light 'em up to see how they burn. Just compare the two samples any way you can think of.
I would say that as long as they've been kept out of the rain and appear/feel fine to you then they should be ok. In the end, it's how well they seem/appear to burn now compared to how they burned last season.
Steve
Don't use them, i'm sure they are no good. Give me your address and I'll come pick them up for you so you don't have to mess with disposal. ;-P
Just kiddin obviously...burn em and call it good. Its a whole ton so you don't want to toss em out unless they have gotten wet and turned to dust. If you expect they absorbed some humidity, store several bags in a dry environment and allow to sit for a week or so before dumping them in the stove.
Just kiddin obviously...burn em and call it good. Its a whole ton so you don't want to toss em out unless they have gotten wet and turned to dust. If you expect they absorbed some humidity, store several bags in a dry environment and allow to sit for a week or so before dumping them in the stove.
stillersnut said:
If they were stored off the ground (on a pallet), and were covered, they should be fine....burn 'em!.
OK so all kidding aside...
We know pretty well that pellets properly stored can easily last through 1 year of storage.
Has anybody ever burned pellets stored for 2 years ? 3 years ? 10 years ?
Any noticeable difference ?
Do they absorb too much moisture at some point and turn back into dust ?
We know pretty well that pellets properly stored can easily last through 1 year of storage.
Has anybody ever burned pellets stored for 2 years ? 3 years ? 10 years ?
Any noticeable difference ?
Do they absorb too much moisture at some point and turn back into dust ?
I don't think that 1 year old pellets is an issue. How long do you think that they were in the bag before you purchased them? I have burned pellets that I had purchased the spring of the prior year and have had no problems. If they would have had an packaged date, they probably would have been 2 years old. Keep them dry and they should be fine.
Maybe they should start putting expiration dates on the bags
Maybe they should start putting expiration dates on the bags
cncpro said:
Last season I burned about a dozen bags that were three years old
and stored on a pallet in my unheated garage.
No noticeable difference in the appearance of the pellets or the
way they burned.
Thanks for all the great info. I will begin my pellet experiment. Pull a few bags from pallet,cover and leave in barn for 5 years, burn a bag every year and record results. Will post in 5 years. I seriously don't think that if stored properly a pellet can break down. My dealer has tonnage left from a couple years back, and still sellin em.
I have never had any trouble with leftover pellets or corn other than a couple small holes drilled in a bag by a curious mouse. Mice seem more prone to eat pellets than corn by my experience, go figure. Don't worry they don't eat enough to cost you anything. If they don't bure as well as you like but aren't crumbling remember you can mix them. Toss em in with nice new ones to get most of the bang for your buck at least. Thats what I do with corn that is too wet, mix it with pellets or really dry stuff.
daydreamer said:
LOL, Yeah, I guess not, but I will never order pellets I don't intend to use. If I can't burn them within a year, I won't order them. If I have leftovers, They will be burnt next season or I will never make that mistake again. I understand the OP must have ordered more than he needed unintentionally without meaning to waste them. However, it is really stupid to INTENTIONALLY(and I know this isn't the case) order pellets you may throw away.
Not only is it a waste of money, it is a waste of valuable resources for the rest of us.
Mark
I have 2 tons left over from last year and certainly hope their alright...so far only bought 1 more and I'm thinking I might not need anymore
Just for your info, I did not purchase extra pellets, only to keep a natural resource away from you. However, it is a left over resource from a prior mild winter that I intend to use this heating season, and was simply inquiring about the storage life of this natural resource.
Just for your info, I did not purchase extra pellets, only to keep a natural resource away from you. However, it is a left over resource from a prior mild winter that I intend to use this heating season, and was simply inquiring about the storage life of this natural resource.
stillersnut said:
It's ok man. I did make it clear that I didn't think that is what you did.
There was some Jackass last year that told us he bought 25 tons. There was no way he was going to burn through 25 tons. Yes, it would piss me off if someone threw away a ton of pellets, because of poor management.
I have however heard cases of people who have been unlucky enough to by crap pellets that wouldn't burn.
Yes, I feel very strongly about this. There are plenty of people that buy more than they need, but they end up being burned the following year. No problem with that.
Mark
Driz said:
It's be chipmunks at my place. They seem to love burrowing into bags on the bottom of the stack and hauling pellets off somewhere...who knows, maybe they have tiny little stoves in their homes. Because of the way my pallets are stacked, I can't really tell how much damage they're doing so I'm hoping it's only a bag there and there. Time will tell.
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