Wood & Sons 23-24 Experiences?

[js312]

I've been burning Vermont Pellets for years, but last year I found they were harder to get, so I figured I should test others to see what else burns well in my Quad 1200i.

I ended up picking up four bags each of 7 different brands and burning each one to see how they did. I mostly compared heat and ash. Long story short:
#1 was Northern Warmth Supreme Doug Firs, - super hot, virtually no ash, excellent bags, but at ~$500/ton, there's no way I can justify them.
#2 was Wood & Sons - Very minimal ash, excellent bag quality, not much dust/fines in the bags.
#3 was Vermonts - little more ash than the Wood & Sons, bags aren't as nice, but burned a little hotter.
#4 was Lauzon Northern Max (Cubex) - These were outstanding for hardwood pellets and are easy to find, so I figured they're a great backup plan if I couldn't get #2 or 3. I also loved the fact that there was virtually no dust in the bags.

This year I went all in on Wood & Sons and got 4 tons. I've burned a few bags now and am seeing a pattern. They burn great to start, but after 24 hours, I'll see the flame height getting kind of high - then I shut down the stove and find a massive clinker occupying the bottom of the burn pot. Ash otherwise is super minimal and the glass stays clean, but the clinker is obviously not ideal.

Is anyone else seeing the same thing? I didn't have this experience with these pellets last year! From what I'm reading, it probably isn't a stove issue and is caused by dirt or other contaminants in the pellets.

 

[jackhammer]

I Bought wood and sons this year as well, for me the price of the Vermonts I had been buying was too high. I have not tried the wood and sons yet but will try to burn a few bags this week and report back!

 

[js312]

I am now thinking this may be the result of a weak combustion blower. I ran it on medium to test that theory and I did not get a clinker then.

 

[doneill127]

Second year burning them in a harman, really like them, do get some build up and glass gets a little dirty during long periods of low fire burns.

 

[sandpipe]

I have burned about 7 bags of Wood & Sons so far this year and haven't seen any clinkers. They've been my go-to pellet for the past two years. Low ash and good heat. I do find that the pellet slide in my Harman insert does get clogged up about once per winter and I have to pull the stove and clean out the fines.

 

[jackhammer]

we have had mild temps the last couple weeks, but I finally got through two bags of pellets. No issues with clinkers. Hopefully your issue is solved!

 

[js312]

New exhaust blower comes today. I plan to swap it out and do another cleaning, then I'll see where I'm at. It does seem like the stove is short on air - I have the feed gate closed as much as it can be and it still seems to be a little rich.

 

[js312]

I swapped the blower and housing and it's definitely better. I get a little solid stuff, but nothing like before - and that might just be because I haven't spent time properly adjusting the feed rate again yet.

The old housing was rough - really rusted and the gasket was barely there, so that wasn't helping things either.

 

[HankB]

Combination update and query. We have gone from Northern Warmth Douglas Fir to Vermonts and then to the Wood & Sons. In our Ravelli RV100 the Woods seem to work the best. And their proximity was also a benefit from the lower built in delivery cost reflected in the cost. Unfortunately when I went to pickup our first load I was told Wood & Sons was having supply issues and deliveries were probably going to be sketchy for the coming heating seasons. Has anyone else heard this, or have any additional info?

Hank

 

[elizabethp]

Combination update and query. We have gone from Northern Warmth Douglas Fir to Vermonts and then to the Wood & Sons. In our Ravelli RV100 the Woods seem to work the best. And their proximity was also a benefit from the lower built in delivery cost reflected in the cost. Unfortunately when I went to pickup our first load I was told Wood & Sons was having supply issues and deliveries were probably going to be sketchy for the coming heating seasons. Has anyone else heard this, or have any additional info?

Hank

Hank, we have the same stove and just bought logik-e. (Canadian softwood) We've been using Woods for years and last year had problems with tons of ash and black smoke. Darker pellets. Stove guy thought bark in pellets or wood grown near salt water.
Liz

 

[HankB]

Hank, we have the same stove and just bought logik-e. (Canadian softwood) We've been using Woods for years and last year had problems with tons of ash and black smoke. Darker pellets. Stove guy thought bark in pellets or wood grown near salt water.
Liz

Liz,
Our experience has been very positive with the Woods pellets. The amount of ash & soot buildup on the interior walls and glass that needs to be cleaned up seems to be less than the others we have tried (with one exception). That exception is the Northern Warmth Douglas Fir. The BTU specs are the same, but the ash content spec is higher with the Woods. Given the price differential the little extra cleaning seemed worth it.

On the wood grown in salt air theory, Woods sources (or advertises they do) their raw material from Maine grown trees. Northern Warmth which has a lower ash rating, advertises their Douglas Fir pellets come exclusively from Coastal Oregon. I would guess the potential exposure to salt air is probably pretty equal for both. If your stove is getting poor burning performance it may be an adjustment issue with the fuel to oxygen ratio with too much fuel for the available air..

Hank

 

[sandpipe]

This is my third year using Wood and Sons. They look and smell the same. I may be imagining things but they seem to burn through a bag a lot faster this year than in the past. Still low ash which is always a big plus.

 

[elizabethp]

Liz,
Our experience has been very positive with the Woods pellets. The amount of ash & soot buildup on the interior walls and glass that needs to be cleaned up seems to be less than the others we have tried (with one exception). That exception is the Northern Warmth Douglas Fir. The BTU specs are the same, but the ash content spec is higher with the Woods. Given the price differential the little extra cleaning seemed worth it.

On the wood grown in salt air theory, Woods sources (or advertises they do) their raw material from Maine grown trees. Northern Warmth which has a lower ash rating, advertises their Douglas Fir pellets come exclusively from Coastal Oregon. I would guess the potential exposure to salt air is probably pretty equal for both. If your stove is getting poor burning performance it may be an adjustment issue with the fuel to oxygen ratio with too much fuel for the available air..

Hank

Nope our fuel adjustment is fine. The new brand is working fine. We got a lot of dark pellets in our last batch. Trying to help with the recommendation because you're having trouble getting Woods.

 

[BigBassMaine]

Combination update and query. We have gone from Northern Warmth Douglas Fir to Vermonts and then to the Wood & Sons. In our Ravelli RV100 the Woods seem to work the best. And their proximity was also a benefit from the lower built in delivery cost reflected in the cost. Unfortunately when I went to pickup our first load I was told Wood & Sons was having supply issues and deliveries were probably going to be sketchy for the coming heating seasons. Has anyone else heard this, or have any additional info?

Hank

Glad to have found this thread…. owned this pesky Ravelli RV100 7 years now. been through a ton of pellets by different makers, settled on Wood & Sons three years back and we have been super pleased with their pellets. They by far burn cleanest in this stove and, I haven’t had any supply issues. I order from Jim at Wood Pellet Warehouse = bringthepellets.com = free delivery (Maine) without much mark up if any. The pellets themselves have increased like every other thing has but not much to do about that. Anyway, this company‘s pellets leave this finicky stove in a rather clean state after 24 to 36 hours of continuous burn.

about the stove, I have changed so many settings over the years to find the best running options and it always comes back to pellets. Of course, the farther you take the stove apart and clean the better off you are. I wish it was a Harmon, big bold, and black tank sitting in the corner, but my wife prefers this rather good looking unit. I have moved on from pellet stove, cleaning technicians, I clean my stove pipe every six months, I clean the interior main components every day and a half or so, I take off the side panels and clean those upper and lower chambers out every couple months. They’re always packed by the way.

Finally, what is the source of my 08 – depression code?… filling the pellet hopper while the stove is running and taking way too long to do it without pushing the button or closing the lid. as some may know, or have reported the door, and hopper switches are all interconnected.

good luck everyone. I hope this is helpful. I’m open to any questions. Without the help of the super Mario Brothers, we have to figure out this finicky stove on our own. I have been most dissatisfied with the level of available customer support/parts available to the end user. Nothing is more frustrating than calling a pellet stove supplier and hearing “oh, we don’t deal with those“. Ravelli could pay me to service their stoves here in Maine after all I’ve learned the hard way but I’m not for hire.

Oh, if anyone knows where I can order, those felt gaskets that were behind the upper and lower chamber doors and ripped the first time I opened those, It would be greatly appreciated…