Wood Pellet Plant being built to ship pellets to Europe

[sinnian]

Glad to see J talked you into coming on the board, Scott.

Actually ScotL has been here since February, I have only been bugging him for a month or so(I want some of his softwoods to review). I did a little detective work and figured it out! He's been very pleasent to deal with(I think we call this buttering up a little?).

One of these days got to make a road trip to see his stash! Yes I drooled alot! :red:

I'll give you a few bags if we can find some place to meet in the middle sometime, if you don't make it up here.

From what I hear they use the same die-cutter from Vermont Wood Pellet which you gave very good reviews. So far so good for me, but it does seem that I get the same amount of ash from my boiler no matter what I burn (don't know if that is actually the case though).

Thanks for the offer, Much appreciated, But thats a heck a lot of gas for my hog. I have a local guy I can buy them from. YA see the wife has cut off my pellet spending for a bit. I'll find a couple a bucks to get them, But got to wait till momma isn't looking! We will get some.

I can wait to try his softiez! I have heard rumors of less than 0.29% ash and ecellent heat! ;-) Might just give them Okies a run?

Be warned! They are dark like a hardwood ~ something with the process. I never understood why any pellet is dark, unless it had bark in it. Ever see a dark 2X4?

They do seem to burn on par with the Okies, and have a different kind of ash (my Okies' ash was very strange, and in fact STILL has not broken completely down on the lawn where it was spread last winter).

You can age the softwood fiber, Same as seasoning hardwood. It will get darker as it ages, Pretty sure its due to the suns UV rays. 2x4's aren't aged, They just send them to the kiln to dry them. So they will be the same color as the day they were cut.

How'd I do ScotL?

So other softwood fiber is not aged?

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Have to say that the pallets have the best protection on them out of any other pellets that I have got in the past. No top seam on the pellet 'bag', and instead of moisture absorbing cardboard on the bottom, they use a recycled plastic sheet ~ very impressed with it.

Most other softwood fiber is right from the millings. Sawing and planner chips mostly. Because the logs come in and get debarked and go straight to the mill process. They don't have a chance to age. The mills work fast to make as many as possible(quota)!

I don't know for sure but I am thinking(assuming again) the logs sat around for some time or once chipped, The chips could have sat around. Will not hurt or degrade them. It's just they don't have the speedy process you see at the lumber mills. So while out in the yard the fiber had a chance to darken. Worst case would be they lost some of the sap from the log.

Makes sense. I believe for their softies they are buying the saw dust, and have to re-tool from doing the hardwoods before they can make them, ie. the saw dust is sitting around aging (also why there is a shortage of their softies).

 

[ScotL]

Our softwood is dark colored because it's made from 100% Maine pine. Not the beetle killed spruce and fir they have out west. The pine has more resin in it and the heat involved in pelletizing makes it dark. The increase in BTU/lb is because resin burns hotter than cellulose. Spruce and fir will make a whiter pellet. They also have more resin than hardwood, but it doesn't turn dark like pine does.

It does take us more energy to dry the softwood and more volume of wood to compress it to 40 lbs/ft^3. That's why we have to set the price higher than the blended pellet.

I think someone said the ash was <0.05% and moisture too. That isn't right. No pellet is like that. (Though I do have a sample from Brazil that says "Virtually fines free > 0.5%" on the bag - I thought the ">" was pretty funny.) The softwood pellets test results were 5.5% to 5.9% moisture and 0.29% to 0.39% ash. Which is nearly identical to our blended pellet. We've worked a long time to get our blend to that point.

It will be a while before we can make more softwood pellets. We can't keep up with the orders for our blended pellet right now and it takes a while to store up enough pine to last a couple weeks. We need to get a stockpile ahead of our regular pellets and stockpile of pine and empty out a silo and shut down to change all of the pellet dies. So it will be a while before we can make more softwood, but I like the blend better myself in my own stove. It's like any other product. Some people want 100% softwood, some people want 100% hardwood. It's kind of like Ford vs Chevy.

Say, while I'm here. I may know a lot about making pellets but I'm not a professional on the stoves. I have a Harman PB105 and I see you guys know a lot about OAKs. Being a pellet boiler, it's in my basement. It has a 3" OAK connection which I hooked up but it didn't get enough air. You could hear the air fluttering. I added a 3" to 4" adapter on the stove connection and changed the 3" to a 4" hose out and up to the wall. So everything is 4" from the boiler to outside. It's much better but it still can get the fluttering if the feed rate is high enough - which it will be when the extreme cold hits. I have to use a flexible hose (like dryer vent) because the connection is in the door that swings open on the PB105. I suspect the length (about 16') is the problem but there's nothing I can do about that with a basement installation - up to ground level and over to the wall. Any suggestions?

 

[mepellet]

Our softwood is dark colored because it's made from 100% Maine pine. Not the beetle killed spruce and fir they have out west. The pine has more resin in it and the heat involved in pelletizing makes it dark. The increase in BTU/lb is because resin burns hotter than cellulose. Spruce and fir will make a whiter pellet. They also have more resin than hardwood, but it doesn't turn dark like pine does.

It does take us more energy to dry the softwood and more volume of wood to compress it to 40 lbs/ft^3. That's why we have to set the price higher than the blended pellet.

I think someone said the ash was <0.05% and moisture too. That isn't right. No pellet is like that. (Though I do have a sample from Brazil that says "Virtually fines free > 0.5%" on the bag - I thought the ">" was pretty funny.) The softwood pellets test results were 5.5% to 5.9% moisture and 0.29% to 0.39% ash. Which is nearly identical to our blended pellet. We've worked a long time to get our blend to that point.

It will be a while before we can make more softwood pellets. We can't keep up with the orders for our blended pellet right now and it takes a while to store up enough pine to last a couple weeks. We need to get a stockpile ahead of our regular pellets and stockpile of pine and empty out a silo and shut down to change all of the pellet dies. So it will be a while before we can make more softwood, but I like the blend better myself in my own stove. It's like any other product. Some people want 100% softwood, some people want 100% hardwood. It's kind of like Ford vs Chevy.

Say, while I'm here. I may know a lot about making pellets but I'm not a professional on the stoves. I have a Harman PB105 and I see you guys know a lot about OAKs. Being a pellet boiler, it's in my basement. It has a 3" OAK connection which I hooked up but it didn't get enough air. You could hear the air fluttering. I added a 3" to 4" adapter on the stove connection and changed the 3" to a 4" hose out and up to the wall. So everything is 4" from the boiler to outside. It's much better but it still can get the fluttering if the feed rate is high enough - which it will be when the extreme cold hits. I have to use a flexible hose (like dryer vent) because the connection is in the door that swings open on the PB105. I suspect the length (about 16') is the problem but there's nothing I can do about that with a basement installation - up to ground level and over to the wall. Any suggestions?

I was the one that mentioned the .05% ash and moisture. The pellet warehouse in Jay has it on their sell sheet. I am new to pellets but I didn't believe it for one minute. That's why I also included the :/ after the comment. Looking forward to trying your pellets out and hoping to buy a ton or two sometime soon!

 

[jtakeman]

Our softwood is dark colored because it's made from 100% Maine pine. Not the beetle killed spruce and fir they have out west. The pine has more resin in it and the heat involved in pelletizing makes it dark. The increase in BTU/lb is because resin burns hotter than cellulose. Spruce and fir will make a whiter pellet. They also have more resin than hardwood, but it doesn't turn dark like pine does.

It does take us more energy to dry the softwood and more volume of wood to compress it to 40 lbs/ft^3. That's why we have to set the price higher than the blended pellet.

I think someone said the ash was <0.05% and moisture too. That isn't right. No pellet is like that. (Though I do have a sample from Brazil that says "Virtually fines free > 0.5%" on the bag - I thought the ">" was pretty funny.) The softwood pellets test results were 5.5% to 5.9% moisture and 0.29% to 0.39% ash. Which is nearly identical to our blended pellet. We've worked a long time to get our blend to that point.

It will be a while before we can make more softwood pellets. We can't keep up with the orders for our blended pellet right now and it takes a while to store up enough pine to last a couple weeks. We need to get a stockpile ahead of our regular pellets and stockpile of pine and empty out a silo and shut down to change all of the pellet dies. So it will be a while before we can make more softwood, but I like the blend better myself in my own stove. It's like any other product. Some people want 100% softwood, some people want 100% hardwood. It's kind of like Ford vs Chevy.

Well, I missed adding wood species will have different colors! . Great post, Love the straight scoops and thanks for sharing! I drive a ford, and love to burn softies!

I'm one of the people that has been working to change the minds of the hardwood pellet only burners(just like the NE wood stove users). I have used the softies for many seasons. While others passed them by. So they were usually cheaper and better overall quality than the average hardwood. I still get the "I only burn hardwoods" on accausion. But much less than before.

Interesting your getting the same ash values from the blend. Can you pass on what species of wood the hardwood part is? Do you have any BTU ratings to compare between them(softwood vs blend)?

I'll burn some of yours for a review sometime this season. If I can find some?

Say, while I'm here. I may know a lot about making pellets but I'm not a professional on the stoves. I have a Harman PB105 and I see you guys know a lot about OAKs. Being a pellet boiler, it's in my basement. It has a 3" OAK connection which I hooked up but it didn't get enough air. You could hear the air fluttering. I added a 3" to 4" adapter on the stove connection and changed the 3" to a 4" hose out and up to the wall. So everything is 4" from the boiler to outside. It's much better but it still can get the fluttering if the feed rate is high enough - which it will be when the extreme cold hits. I have to use a flexible hose (like dryer vent) because the connection is in the door that swings open on the PB105. I suspect the length (about 16') is the problem but there's nothing I can do about that with a basement installation - up to ground level and over to the wall. Any suggestions?

You would get better results and comments if you started your own thread, We have a few members that have this unit, But they might not stop by this thread. If you want fast service PM a member named wil. Pm him below.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/that/messages/pm/7499/

 

[ScotL]

... Can you pass on what species of wood the hardwood part is? Do you have any BTU ratings to compare between them(softwood vs blend)?

There are a lot of species in the hardwood blend. A good percentage of it is white birch which helps a lot on ash content.
The blend BTU/lb has been between 8214 to 8367 and the softwood was 8502 to 8516 (all results "as received" - "moisture and ash free" results are disingenuous). The softwood doesn't have much of a range because we only made it for 1½ weeks. I don't have any burn time information but it seemed to me that the softwood burned faster when I tested it at home - had to refill sooner. I was just using the pellet boiler to heat my hot water in the summer. Maybe the kids took more showers or something. It wasn't a scientific test at all so it's hard to say. It's at the same density and almost the same moisture (the blend is a little drier) so it really should be the same.

 

[jtakeman]

... Can you pass on what species of wood the hardwood part is? Do you have any BTU ratings to compare between them(softwood vs blend)?

There are a lot of species in the hardwood blend. A good percentage of it is white birch which helps a lot on ash content.
The blend BTU/lb has been between 8214 to 8367 and the softwood was 8502 to 8516 (all results "as received" - "moisture and ash free" results are disingenuous). The softwood doesn't have much of a range because we only made it for 1½ weeks. I don't have any burn time information but it seemed to me that the softwood burned faster when I tested it at home - had to refill sooner. I was just using the pellet boiler to heat my hot water in the summer. Maybe the kids took more showers or something. It wasn't a scientific test at all so it's hard to say. It's at the same density and almost the same moisture (the blend is a little drier) so it really should be the same.

Thank you for passing this on. Great stuff for the readers here(and me too)!

I'll do my little review on your softies if their available(and the Mrs. lets me buy anymore pellet samples). I have 2 bags of your blend I just picked up. I can do a length of burn on them as well. Hopefully you have seen some of my tinkering(not scientific either)?

IMHO, your one of the most improved and very impressed with what you and your crew are doing there! Keep up the good work!

 

[slls]

I burned my first bag of MWP and like them, for $3.96 a bag can't go wrong.

 

[sinnian]

... Can you pass on what species of wood the hardwood part is? Do you have any BTU ratings to compare between them(softwood vs blend)?

There are a lot of species in the hardwood blend. A good percentage of it is white birch which helps a lot on ash content.
The blend BTU/lb has been between 8214 to 8367 and the softwood was 8502 to 8516 (all results "as received" - "moisture and ash free" results are disingenuous). The softwood doesn't have much of a range because we only made it for 1½ weeks. I don't have any burn time information but it seemed to me that the softwood burned faster when I tested it at home - had to refill sooner. I was just using the pellet boiler to heat my hot water in the summer. Maybe the kids took more showers or something. It wasn't a scientific test at all so it's hard to say. It's at the same density and almost the same moisture (the blend is a little drier) so it really should be the same.

Softwood burn quicker, but hotter.

Hardwood burn slower, but cooler.

Blend is probably the way to go.

 

[jtakeman]

... Can you pass on what species of wood the hardwood part is? Do you have any BTU ratings to compare between them(softwood vs blend)?

There are a lot of species in the hardwood blend. A good percentage of it is white birch which helps a lot on ash content.
The blend BTU/lb has been between 8214 to 8367 and the softwood was 8502 to 8516 (all results "as received" - "moisture and ash free" results are disingenuous). The softwood doesn't have much of a range because we only made it for 1½ weeks. I don't have any burn time information but it seemed to me that the softwood burned faster when I tested it at home - had to refill sooner. I was just using the pellet boiler to heat my hot water in the summer. Maybe the kids took more showers or something. It wasn't a scientific test at all so it's hard to say. It's at the same density and almost the same moisture (the blend is a little drier) so it really should be the same.

Softwood burn quicker, but hotter.

Hardwood burn slower, but cooler.

Blend is probably the way to go.

I used to believe this, But since I put the hour meter on my stove. The fastest pellets that emptied my hopper were hardwoods. Seemed to be more size density that mattered than the fiber. But its a though one to prove! I thought the hour meter would, Guess not?

Even if they do burn hotter/faster? With a stat on the stove it equals out. Once the room is hot enough the stat will shutdown the stove. Hardwoods the stove would run longer because there cooler. Softwoods the stove would run shorter because there hotter. Just need to raise room temp to satisfy the stat!

I honestly don't let the fiber species steer me to the next purchase. Its heat, ash and dollars for me. Start throwing burn length in there it gets confusing. Use a stat and it all balances out. I thinx.

 

[PJPellet]

[/quote] Its heat, ash and dollars for me. Start throwing burn length in there it gets confusing. Use a stat and it all balances out. I thinx.[/quote]



I agree, I tried adding in burn length and it was not only confusing but seemed like I was spending more time watching pellets than enjoying the stove.