Storing and Moving Pellets

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offingmoot

Member
Hearth Supporter
Jul 15, 2008
171
Central/South Jersey
I am a newb here and trying to figure out the best possible storage/moving solution. Over on iburncorn they are really hard core about screening and moving corn....i have researched here as well

i will store the pellets 2-3 tons in my basement, i cant get bulk delivery so it will be 40# bags, and there is no forklift delivery either so i have to deal with 100 bags in my backyard off a pallet
there is easy access to my bilco doors via the driveway that wraps around the back of the house
i need to get the bags down the steps for storage and then ultimately upstairs at the opposite side of the house to my quad santa fe insert
i want to keep handling the pellets to a minimum to prevent breaking etc. i also want to minimize dust cause my girl is allergic to everything, and loading into the stove has to be easy for her as well she's not strong enough to lift a 40#bag

i am considering setting up a pipe system into a hopper in the basement, so i can dump each bag outside and use the cornvac to vacuum them down, then all i need is a 5 gallon bucket and i can haul the pellets upstairs and into a storage container near the stove that my girl can use a scooper with. do i need an airtight hopper to keep moisture out?

the simpler option is to make a plank out of plywood and sheathing to slide the bags down my stairs and just empty them as needed into a bucket and haul upstairs but not sucking any dust

what do you all do? any suggestions??
 
i'd like to make a collection of storage threads, cause i cant find one on this site

this is a cool one, i got part of my idea from
has pics too....would be good for 1/2 my problem but i still need to get the pellets back upstairs to the stove
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/20068/
 
the hopper
(broken link removed to http://woodheatstoves.com/the-hopper-pellet-dispenser-p-2174.html?zenid=06c98f4b9cbd0c68814ec56fadf4360d)

the cornvac with bucket
http://www.cornvac.com/Cleaner.html

the pelleduster
(broken link removed to http://home.new.rr.com/pelleduster/index.html)
 
the kan burn is cool saw it on iburncorn, but will it move the pellets upstairs a few feet up?
 
yep

no problem from reports I have read ---
 
I'd borrow (it's not stealing if you return it, right ?) the slide from the swing set next door and slide them down the bulkhead stairs .

A block and tackle in the doorway at the top of the stairs to haul a bucketful back up.

If you don't return the slide you could put it on these stairs to haul the bucket up a little more quietly.
 
well if i can use the cornvac then i have plenty more solutions to think of.....i need to go up a few feet but also down the basement 20 feet, and then think of a clever way to go through the floor w/o ruining the look of the room with the stove, i dont need to get the pellets right into the stove just upstairs into a tote/bin
 
wait that doesnt make sense
the cornvac pulls the pellets from a bin through the cornvac and then dumps them into an airtight container......i want to do the cleaning downsatirs and transport the clean product up stairs near the stove, how ill that work??
 
Do the pellets need to be stored indoors? I was thinking about one of those Plastic garden sheds made by Rubbermaid.??????
 
I can't see much sense in breakin open those bags to bulk store it if it can be avoided. Been there done that bulk stuff with corn back when it was cheap. Yea I did it all including screening down the back end of the truck. Yucch but it was about a hundred bucks a ton. Today pellets in that nice convenient bag are one hell of a lot more convenient and cheaper to boot. I just put 3 tons in my basement last week and it took about 2 days to pick it up and carry it bag by bag into the basement. It really didn't take all that long to carry them inside. Just toss a pallet on the basement floor and start loading just like you unloaded them. I just put `15 or so bags on and around the tailgate then grabbed them off there and walked them in one by one. All in all it seems to me lots easier than going to all the automated headache or sliding them down a ramp and picking them up again. The more you toss those bags around the more dust and fines they grind off so handle with a bit of care. Just one bag up on the shoulder and down the stairs till its done, no hurry until its done, just like an ant. I stack mine about shoulder high which means about a ton and a half which is how they are often shipped in trucks. By that measure I guess its not too heavy on the bottom bags.
My big advice on dust is to dump the bags the easy way. Set the bag into the hopper bottom end down. Reach down and slit the bag along the bottom side to side and just let the pellets and dust slide out. You won't get much if any airborne dust that way. Then I lay the bags in a box flat and use them for recycling plastic junk. Thats a good way to get rid of them.
 
I slide mine down the bulkhead, but onto a table instead of the floor. The table holds 2 or 3 bags, the ramp 2 or 3 more, and if 1 manages to slide off the back of the table it's moving so slow there's no damage. This way here I slide 5 or 6 down, then go in the cellar and stack them off the table. As the bags come off the table those left on the ramp slide down to the table. Takes about one beer to do a ton. I'm getting a six pack's worth this year, so I might take a couple of days to do it. This year I plan on silicone spraying the ramp to see if it helps.
 
i agree i think simpler is better, but since i am starting from scratch and i have several goals in mind i thought i would pick some brains for ideas....dont forget once i stack the bags in the basement, i need to bring them back upstairs to the opposite side of the house to the stove
my girl is not strong and will now be able to do this on her own, i will still need a small storage solution like a plastic tote with a scooper so she can load the stove quick
she is so allergic to dust and things that any more in the house might give her trouble, i could wait and see how she reacts but then i will already have two ton in the basement

i need to add another central air register to the room with the stove, so i need to cut a whole in the floor anyway, what if i put the register on a hinge so that during the winter the whole will be open to the basement, then i place a bin downstairs big enough for several bags and the shopvac next to it, run two hoses up through the whole with a cornvac on a 5 gallon bucket and a remote switch.......when we are ready for pellets we flip the remote switch the bucket fills up, then if i am not there she can remove the top and scoop into the stove, simple dust free pellets w/o any lifting
question is will a 5.5hp shop vac move pellets through a 1 1/2' hose straight up about 8-10 feet??
 
bump to get some feedback on my last post.....does anyone thing that wil work??
 
bumping again, need advise on my last idea..thanx!!
i thought with so many newbs on here like myself that this thread might be useful to some

here is my last idea
i agree i think simpler is better, but since i am starting from scratch and i have several goals in mind i thought i would pick some brains for ideas....dont forget once i stack the bags in the basement, i need to bring them back upstairs to the opposite side of the house to the stove
my girl is not strong and will now be able to do this on her own, i will still need a small storage solution like a plastic tote with a scooper so she can load the stove quick
she is so allergic to dust and things that any more in the house might give her trouble, i could wait and see how she reacts but then i will already have two ton in the basement

i need to add another central air register to the room with the stove, so i need to cut a whole in the floor anyway, what if i put the register on a hinge so that during the winter the whole will be open to the basement, then i place a bin downstairs big enough for several bags and the shopvac next to it, run two hoses up through the whole with a cornvac on a 5 gallon bucket and a remote switch.......when we are ready for pellets we flip the remote switch the bucket fills up, then if i am not there she can remove the top and scoop into the stove, simple dust free pellets w/o any lifting
question is will a 5.5hp shop vac move pellets through a 1 1/2’ hose straight up about 8-10 feet??
 
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