Wet Pellets

[jonw440]

I picked up a ton of New England from a place in NH that keeps their pellets under cover in a steel building.
We unloaded them and all was well. Not a single wet or broken bag. The next day (yesterday) we helped our Son load 3 tons of pellets from TSC and his were nice and dry and no broken bags. Since we were in the area of a local big dealer of Harman stoves and New England pellet dealer we called and asked for a price. They were $40.00 a ton cheaper then the ton we got from NH dealer(also a Harman Dealer)
Webought them and brought them home.We had kids to help unload thebags into the basement. So we start to unload the ton of pellets and open the cover and see 5 wet bags about 4 or 5 rows towards the bottom. Then we called them and said bring them back and we will exchange them.
Ok, I thought so we pulled the first layer off the pallet and damn all 5 bags were wet and had swollen pellets in the bags.
That's it the whole ton is going back for a new one.

This place stores their pellets outside and double stacked. I noticed our pallet had the bag ripped from the pallet that was sitting on top had ripped it and soaked the bags.
Drove 40 miles one way to exchange and the office people were like fine no problem. (Like they do this all the time)
The fork truck driver had a bad attitude and dragged the pallet off the truck (2018 Ram 2500 CTD) almost ripping the tailgate plastic cover off.
Now Im pissed! I was telling him to raise the forks higher but kept dragging the pallet off the truck. (The truck has a spray in bed liner so you have to lift the pallet way up to drag it.
I said if you can drive get off and I will!
He then loads the new pallet of New England pellets on the truck delicately and I head home.
Unload them and find 4 bags have about a loaf of bread size of clumped wet pellets!!
Just venting a little on non caring fork truck drivers and company's who store there pellets outside.
This particular dealer is a huge dealer. Their lot must have 250 tons of pellets. They carry 8 different brands and the lot can be seen from the road.

 

[tlc1976]

Pretty much the exact same story at the local Family Farm and Home. Except the fork driver wasn’t a jerk just clueless. They got so many wet pellet returns that they blamed the manufacturer and changed brands. They told me this. I told them what I saw with the poor handling practices and I never saw that guy running the fork truck again. Turned out the pellets they switched to burned way better in my stove anyway.

 

[miteclipse]

For this reason, I manually load the truck with the bags instead of having the pallet put on the truck and driving off. I can exchange for new bags if any are damaged.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I don't get the rant at all. Every retailer I know of will exchange wet pellets for dry. At TSc, all they want is the empty bag and you get a new. dry full bag. They make pretty good flower bed mulch.

I can tell if any bags are wet on a full skid as a wet bag will expand and looking at a skid, that bag(s) will appear 'bloated' compared to the rest of the dry bags.

Most extruders ( except the very small ones) use automated stacking machines to load skids so no human intervention is required and any quality extruder will apply a plastic overcover, then shrink wrap the skid and then apply another plastic overcover bag which insures no moisture will impact the bags. I have to ask, when you bought them, was the overcover in place or were the skids devoid of any covering.

Almost thinking that the skid(s) you bought were restacked and the wet bags put in the restacked bags intentionally by the seller. Myself, I never buy pellets that are not shrouded and shrink wrapped. Ever, and my TSC stores outside, never an issue.

The only issue I've had is when some idiot hi-lo driver has their forks too high and stabs the bottom layer of bags and at that point I just ell them I want a different skid and I watch the loader and his forks carefully to insure they don't have their forks too high.

Something is missing in your rant I believe.

 

[jonw440]

"Sidecarflip"
This their storage yard for the pellets.
https://goo.gl/maps/1r7boP32cp8tRPeK7
The only thing missing is the 90 mile round trip to return wet bags for that one dealer. The first ton was actually 2 hrs away from us but had no wet bags because they store theirs in a huge steel building. As you can see by the google map picture the wetbag dealer double stacks their pellets wich causes damage to the bottom pallet when the driver haphazardly places the top pallet down ripping the plastic that protects the pellets from rain. Also they stack them so close to each other the pallet can rip the protective plastic on the pallets next to the pallet they are dropping it.

 

[joescho]

"Sidecarflip"
This their storage yard for the pellets.
https://goo.gl/maps/1r7boP32cp8tRPeK7
The only thing missing is the 90 mile round trip to return wet bags for that one dealer. The first ton was actually 2 hrs away from us but had no wet bags because they store theirs in a huge steel building. As you can see by the google map picture the wetbag dealer double stacks their pellets wich causes damage to the bottom pallet when the driver haphazardly places the top pallet down ripping the plastic that protects the pellets from rain. Also they stack them so close to each other the pallet can rip the protective plastic on the pallets next to the pallet they are dropping it.

This has been my experience also. The dealer I bought from also keeps theirs outside. Bought year and half old pellets over the summer and not a single wet bag. On the other hand, I buy 30 bags from Home Depot and get 6 wet bags. Luckily HD is so short on help they didn't bother to help or watch me load my pellets so I was able to open another ton to get dry ones. After I got done I went back in and told them there's a few ruined bags in the pellets I took and they just said stack them next to the pallet I was picking from.

IMO HD is in rough shape with help. They don't have enough people to help you on this kind of stuff. I wouldn't take extra bags just because its not my style and karama will always get you, but I'm pretty sure there's lots of people who wold.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Far as I can see, everyone is short on help, Blame that on Covid or on Biden or whatever you want to, it's that way here, just like everywhere else in this country, nothing new,
Help Wanted' signs are everywhere. In fact was at Menards today and the manager asked me if I was retired to which I replied yes and he offered me a part time job at 15 bucks an hour to start with benefits (that I don't need anyway). 15-20 hours a week on a flexible schedule. I said, I'd consider it. I think I'd rather sell biomass stoves actually.

Far as pellets go, the TSC I buy from stores there exactly like in the picture on Goggle maps. No difference what so ever excepting not that a large of quantity. My personal feeling is (about storage damage) is, unskilled hi-lo drivers are contributing to the wet damage more that any other single cause.
If course I don't drive but 8 miles each way to pick them up and my corn is less than a mile down the road to fetch it.

Interestingly, I live in a pretty remote agricultural area too. On a dirt road at the end of the power line. Just so happens that suburbia is but 6 miles away (and it can stay there for all I care.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I am kind of surprised the lot isn't fenced. Would be real easy to drive in in the dark and load up on bags. Even around here in rural America, retailers keep their stock under lock and key. That discourages those less than honest about stealing them.

 

[Former Farmer]

That is why you see security cameras all over the place. I think that they would be cheaper than a fence.

 

[Dataman]

Few clumps don't matter to the Harmon XXV I have. they go thru and burn just fine if dry. Any ripped bags on last delivery they gave me extra bags (ACE HW).

 

[SidecarFlip]

Security cams are only good if someone is watching them. Like the place I worked at, we had literally millions of dollars in inventory and was festooned with cameras. Problem was, most times they weren't watched but were recording everything anyway. If some thing happened, they would have to 'review' the footage which might be a week later. Now, the other option is a central station hookup where if there is an intruder / thief, it alerts the local LE, but that is very expensive.

What I'm saying is, if you went in at night with dark clothing on and your license plate covered, you'd probably never get caught unless it's a central station alarm, but that is highly doubtful.

Not that I'm looking to burgle the place, just how it works.

IMO, the owner would be better off with a cyclone fence with razor wire on top and a padlocked entrance gate.

Cameras are more about a 'scare' tactic that anything else.

Like my local TSC. I know they don't have any camera security and the skids of pellets are out back and easy to get to but I don't play that stuff, I pay for what I get, always have.

 

[Former Farmer]

Cameras are more about a 'scare' tactic that anything else.

I know of a few places that have just dummy cameras mounted. Just for that reason.

 

[SidecarFlip]

So do I. Right here actually. I have one mounted near the man door on my equipment barn. Even has a flashing red LED.....lol

 

[tlc1976]

One of the drive offs at a local gas station, they posted the pic of the vehicle on the counter asking for help. Camera wasn’t good enough to read the plate.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Probably be more of that with gas prices what they are....

 

[SidecarFlip]

Unless the cam is at ground lever they usually don't have enough resolution.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Few clumps don't matter to the Harmon XXV I have. they go thru and burn just fine if dry. Any ripped bags on last delivery they gave me extra bags (ACE HW).

Kind of makes one wonder what the markup is on pellets....