So basically this thread has convinced everyone that burns overpriced hardwood pellets, that softwood ones work just as good!
TSC equine pellet bedding
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F4jock
Minister of Fire
Are these really equivalent to softwood pellets made for a stove? Show me an analysis. Has anyone burned several tons or gone a full season using them with no problem? I can burn coal in my pellet stove too - for a while . . . .
Come tell me your experience after several tons and I'll listen.
Come tell me your experience after several tons and I'll listen.
Bioburner
Moderator
A friend of mine that lives in Simcoe Ontario used to get his pellets for $75 ton in his dump trailer straight from the mill. He would drive under a silo and they would fill him up. Now he buys them from a guy down the road baged for $100 ton! He says hardware stores in the area don't even bother to try and sell pellets.
They do smell good, I'll give them that. I tossed in a bag but I had to go to work. The wife said they didn't appear to make any more nor any less heat than the sommerset's do.
Between the straw and the wood shavings, I don't believe there will be a shortage of horse bedding materials.
No tax here in Michigan, it's ag exempt.
Between the straw and the wood shavings, I don't believe there will be a shortage of horse bedding materials.
No tax here in Michigan, it's ag exempt.
I know where Simcoe is. Thats a bit of a drive for me for pellets and I'd have the customs crap to deal with too.
Tried them few years ago, very ashy, little heat, what you might get and others around the country get will be different, so If you got a good batch....your lucky!
Johnny_Fiv3
Feeling the Heat
I have so far used 15 bags of these. 10 mixed 50/50 with Green Supreme. 5 straight.
Mixed with GS, it seems like I get a better burn of the GS. Definitely more heat output. Good down to about -10°F with this mix. By good I mean I can keep my stove at HR-3 to HR-4 and the house stays at or above 72°F. Once below -10°F I would have to set HR-5 aka raging inferno mode to keep the house at 70°F. Chews up pellets like crazy on 5, which is why I try to avoid using it. But hey, sometimes you just have to because mother nature said so. No unusual ash amounts either high or low, no blackening of anything and the glass clouded up like usual with the white haze. All in all these make for a great booster to an average quality pellet. So, if you're stuck buying GS or any other big box store average pellet, grab a few bags of these as well if you want to boost up the BTU on the cold nights.
Ran straight these pellets are hot. Like really hot. The other night at -18°F I was running on HR-4 and the house was 75°F! Very bright white flame that is tall. One thing I noticed is that when run by themselves they seem to "gas off" when some fresh pellets drop into the pot. Small wisps of smoke riding the flame. I used to burn wood, so gas off is the only term I am familiar with. I don't think that's what going on as the glass is not black, the stove internals are the typical white color and my vent pipe is clean. Also no smoke is seen leaving the pipe. Not sure what it is, perhaps someone else can explain it better. I have to get a meat thermometer or something so I can get good temp difference readings. Ash off of these is really low, very impressive actually. Well, I might find it impressively low because I'm used to burning average pellets that generate some ash. No blackening of the glass, just typical hazing as expected.
I never seem to get bad clinkers. Not sure why. Every evening when I get home from work, I set the draft fan to 9 for about 15-20 minutes to "clear out" the burnpot. Not sure if that makes a difference, just providing the data.
Here in NY, these are not taxed as they are an Ag product. That may depend on county though since NY is a weird state when it comes to stuff like this.
Mixed with GS, it seems like I get a better burn of the GS. Definitely more heat output. Good down to about -10°F with this mix. By good I mean I can keep my stove at HR-3 to HR-4 and the house stays at or above 72°F. Once below -10°F I would have to set HR-5 aka raging inferno mode to keep the house at 70°F. Chews up pellets like crazy on 5, which is why I try to avoid using it. But hey, sometimes you just have to because mother nature said so. No unusual ash amounts either high or low, no blackening of anything and the glass clouded up like usual with the white haze. All in all these make for a great booster to an average quality pellet. So, if you're stuck buying GS or any other big box store average pellet, grab a few bags of these as well if you want to boost up the BTU on the cold nights.
Ran straight these pellets are hot. Like really hot. The other night at -18°F I was running on HR-4 and the house was 75°F! Very bright white flame that is tall. One thing I noticed is that when run by themselves they seem to "gas off" when some fresh pellets drop into the pot. Small wisps of smoke riding the flame. I used to burn wood, so gas off is the only term I am familiar with. I don't think that's what going on as the glass is not black, the stove internals are the typical white color and my vent pipe is clean. Also no smoke is seen leaving the pipe. Not sure what it is, perhaps someone else can explain it better. I have to get a meat thermometer or something so I can get good temp difference readings. Ash off of these is really low, very impressive actually. Well, I might find it impressively low because I'm used to burning average pellets that generate some ash. No blackening of the glass, just typical hazing as expected.
I never seem to get bad clinkers. Not sure why. Every evening when I get home from work, I set the draft fan to 9 for about 15-20 minutes to "clear out" the burnpot. Not sure if that makes a difference, just providing the data.
Here in NY, these are not taxed as they are an Ag product. That may depend on county though since NY is a weird state when it comes to stuff like this.
.
The term is Gasification. It's actually what you want to have happen. The fuel bed isn't burning, the byproducts of the heated fuel bed are. If you look close, the falmes will appear above the fuel itself a ways, with a blue base, almost magically appearing. Gasification is the most efficient means of rapid oxidation and the most desireable...Softwood or hardwood makes no difference.
Peterfield
Minister of Fire
I am thinking this might not be a bad way to extend your pellet supply toward the end of the season if wood pellets aren't readily available in the spring.
Any findings aside, I've consumed 4 bags, they burn just fine. Would I buy them, not really but I have numerous tons of Somerset's in the barn. I'm not paying $4.99 a bag when my pellets are cheaper and corn is cheaper yet.
clifftax
Member
Just went through 2 bags. Not impressed. I dont think they burn any hotter then anything else I have burned. They cost more too then wood pellets so not worth it. BUT if your in a pinch and need pellets then these will do the trick. My glass was clean after a 12 hour burn I'll give ya that.
Propane and NG are good in a pinch too and both are cheaper than 5 buck a bag horse bedding pellets. Ambiance, surely at a price.
Buy all you want. It won't cause a bedding shortage for me. The pellets are horrible for bedding.
I got 5 bags free one year to try. Putting these on a concrete stall floor is the equivalent of marbles.
You have to wet them down first and they give no padding for the horses to lay on. I ended up using shavings and just putting these down where they would pee
Of course this was re pellet stove or I would have just burned them
I got 5 bags free one year to try. Putting these on a concrete stall floor is the equivalent of marbles.
You have to wet them down first and they give no padding for the horses to lay on. I ended up using shavings and just putting these down where they would pee
Of course this was re pellet stove or I would have just burned them
millerized
Member
Still on sale yesterday when I went in. Picked up 10 bags to mix with the HW pellets they sell. $5.00 vs $5.19 bag.
Cashier thought I was going to spend my afternoon mucking stalls. I told him what they were for, he (immediately) mentally calculated the cost difference and asked if they work. I'm sure the price will go up now that someone knows what they can be used as an "emergency, we're out of HW pellets and we need heat" scenario.
What I have noticed is that the pellets are much smaller in length than what normally comes out of the HW bags. The longest pine pellet is about 1/2"...the HW pellets pushing 1.5"-2". Much less bridging in my hopper feed than most hardwood pellets...
BUT....they feed through my basket design so much faster than the HW pellets....need to make a smaller width basket as the stove pushes 600-650F stack temp on low.
Cashier thought I was going to spend my afternoon mucking stalls. I told him what they were for, he (immediately) mentally calculated the cost difference and asked if they work. I'm sure the price will go up now that someone knows what they can be used as an "emergency, we're out of HW pellets and we need heat" scenario.
What I have noticed is that the pellets are much smaller in length than what normally comes out of the HW bags. The longest pine pellet is about 1/2"...the HW pellets pushing 1.5"-2". Much less bridging in my hopper feed than most hardwood pellets...
BUT....they feed through my basket design so much faster than the HW pellets....need to make a smaller width basket as the stove pushes 600-650F stack temp on low.
Bioburner
Moderator
F4jock
Minister of Fire
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