Wood Pellet 101 How to choose wood pellets to save $$$$(money) (The best for YOU in YOUR stove)

[@johnsmithfakename8422]

I did a little research into the rabbit hole that is wood pellets. There is a lot to look into and my rule of thumb is simple. Softwood pellets for fuel, hardwood pellets for food. Softwood pellets have more BTU's than hardwood pellets. Both are ground up and compressed which makes them similar density. The real difference is that softwood pellets have more resins than hardwood pellets, and those resins contribute to the BTU's. Adding oil to the wood pellets in my subjective opinion is a good thing for fuel wood pellets because the oil helps keep moisture out of the finished product and contributes to the BTU's. It is not often used because it is an additional expense. In an electronically controlled stove, softwood pellets might be the better option over hardwood pellets because there are more BTU's in the fuel. In a grill hardwood pellets are necessary because they inject flavor into the food. As he said, it is best to know what you are buying, what it is good for, and maybe experiment with your setup.

[@ecophage]

Yeah Density here becomes a bit of a misnomer, i think if you look at it as "original wood density/current lignin content" it clears it up. Im thinking of experimenting with pellet smoke meats, love jerky dont care for smoke flavor.

[@24revealer]

I burn softwood pellets in my Drolet. I find we use less bags than when using hardwood pellets.

[@brandonmason5822]

Information helped for making pellets in my machine

[@ecophage]

@@brandonmason5822 you have a pellet machine?!!!

[@carolferguson]

Wow. That made me really think. I appreciate you. I came looking to learn more about what I did to my grill and learned far more. Now I wonder what type of pellets I should get for my grill? I will look up what apple and pecan and mesquite wood are. Thank you for your time & work! Wow

[@ecophage]

No problem. I do believe grills are a bit less demanding on wood types variances. (the smoker pellet manufacturers I think try to moderate the pellet densities I bet)

[@beanoneya]

Thanks, I am about to move where these are common, so this was great to learn

[@ecophage]

NP glad I could help

[@ketolifestyle68]

i live in so cal so the lowest it has gotten is 39. ill get the darker wood, thanks

[@pepperroni4016]

Why dont you talk about the resin inside of softwood ? Providing additional btus

[@ecophage]

1:12 “light woods burn fairly fast and hot” I’d also point out there’s already keyboard warriors saying there’s NO DIFFERENCE between hard and soft wood pellets. . . So at least we’re on the same side haha

[@pepperroni4016]

@ecophage good point. Coke vs pepsi people. Yes agree. After you compress the pulp/sawdust , there is no air left linside and the hot die dries the pellet rapidly. The difference is the Resins from the pine cellulose, this is where the extra heat comes from. It's resin , oil. Otherwise Excellent video!

[@victoryfirst2878]

Why does douglas fur burn at such high heat output and lasts as long as hardwoods ??? Can you tell me what is the best burn pot to use when the stove I bought did not have a pot from purchase ??? Peace....

[@furanduron4926]

Planning opening up pellet factory this year.

[@ecophage]

Are you serious? Where? Send me some to test!

[@adeleclark9337]

I really liked your video. Thanks for the valuable advice.

[@ecophage]

Happy to help

[@HealthnWellness101]

YES,,Thank you for the tips.

[@mikefiatx19]

Have you thought about extending the burn tube like a rocket stove to eliminate creosote and ash?

[@ecophage]

I thought I had. Have you seen my design video on this? Maybe I need more explanation to understand exactly what you mean

[@mikefiatx19]

@@ecophage I mean extending it further into the burning side so the flame is trapped in the tube for longer to burn the smoke, ash, gasses and creosote.

[@frank7131989]

Idk what auger motors you are buying but i got a brand new one for 20$ and tool five mins to install could be different brand to brand though.. but parts for my stove are usually pretty cheap

[@ecophage]

I was more talking off a service truck with installation.

[@frank7131989]

Ahhh yes probably ​@@ecophage

[@arubanjames]

Great video!

[@ecophage]

Thank you!

[@robertc.6441]

Can a home owner buy discounted pellets like a pellet factory verses a big box store?

[@ecophage]

Yes I believe so, especially if you set up reoccurring deliveries or order by the pallet full

[@OndreaS123]

is there a time of year that most pellet manufacturers drop prices to move volume? spring? summer?

[@ecophage]

Good question, my assumption was this. Since pellets stored correctly have a looong shelf life I dont think suppliers are needing to off over stock. I believe they want as much PRE orders in just before rush season to help ease the load during rush season and usually THAT is the primary goal with the pellet chain, Plus it coinsides with the time people are thinking about it. Like black friday but for pelllets. I did a bit of research and confirmed my hypothesis exactly with this statement here from houseofwarmth.com "When to purchase? All pellet manufacturers offer pre-season pricing. The best time to purchase pellets is in the heat of the season in July or August when prices are at the lowest of the year. Starting in September, prices tend to creep up about $5-$10 a ton. They continue to increase about once a month." Again great question & Thanks for the opportunity to answer and for watching!

[@wildmanofborneo]

Why are some pellets claiming they are softwood yet are dark brown in color? Are they including bark in the mix? Does bark have more ash than wood?

[@ecophage]

Great question, soft woods other than pine can have darker lignin than others. Its basically the plant oils from the wood.

[@coltknight3945]

Yes, some will take whole birch trees and grind them up, and they don't burn worth a damn.

[@wildmanofborneo]

Some pellets make an ash that almost acts like there's sugar in it!

[@JeremySharpSMSG]

This video was excellent thank you!

[@ecophage]

NP! Glad it was helpful!

[@chastitytaylor8349]

Thanks for the information😉

[@ecophage]

Welcome 😊

[@ptmmatssc13]

You forgot...how clean do they burn. Those Maine woods are the dirtiest I have burnt creating more ash and more times shutting down and cleaning.

[@ecophage]

Interesting! I never really noticed, probably because I would go as long as possible with out cleaning so I had no idea how much pellets I had run through by then. I noticed they all say 99.9% ash free which on a 50 lb bag of pellets still accounts to like .05 lbs which is actually a lot of ash haha so I never noticed if it was .2 lbs. but always assumed it varied slightly

[@ptmmatssc13]

@Fred Wills Last year I tried a few brands and from that I have been burning Okanagan 100% softwoods. Been liking them. But, I did try Tractor Supplies pellets and was pretty surprised how good they were for $50 less.

[@ptmmatssc13]

@Fred Wills Only one type of pellets at my Tractor Supply. I guess it depends where you are.

[@c.r.angeconeb6009]

Do you recommend mixing gravity fed pellets

[@ecophage]

Like hardwood and softwood?

[@c.r.angeconeb6009]

Yes , I bought I wiseway on Wednesday , I’m going with softwood(heat)

[@ecophage]

@@c.r.angeconeb6009 yeah exactly, those like to run hot

[@joyceryan5360]

Well my pellet stoves blowvup on me when I ck my pressure switch out

[@ecophage]

yikes

[@davekohler5957]

In the west we don't have hard wood, so yeah.

[@clint4004]

They have the same density as a pellet. So traditional wood heat knowledge doesn't apply.

[@ecophage]

“While the densities for hardwood and softwood pellets are the same, the key difference between the two is the British thermal unit (BTU) measurement. Softwood has a higher BTU output, meaning it burns hotter than hardwood pellets due to the higher concentration of lignins.” energex.com/resources/hardwood-vs-softwood/

[@johnsuprono9780]

You’re correct…. All of them start out as sawdust, therefore, traditional thinking is going to be tossed out the window….

[@oneangrycanadian6205]

@@ecophageyour correct my friend

[@thefitzwater4805]

3 places to buy in ohio. Tractor Supply Tru value hardware Rural King

[@ecophage]

I looove tractor supply pellets, good blend and consistent brand. I also like lowes, but for no good reason I like their “green” stuff though surely it’s a gimmick. Just convenient when I’m there already

[@yeliab67]

Balsa wood is a hardwood that happens to be light weight and weak.

[@ecophage]

That’s weird, it’s fast growing, which justifies the lightweight and weak structure. I don’t see anything explaining why it’s technically a hardwood. Weird!

[@ecophage]

Interesting: A wood will be classified as a hardwood if the seeds that the tree produces have a coating. These coatings can either take the shape of a fruit or a shell. A wood will be classified as a softwood if the seeds don't have any type of coating and are instead dropped to the ground and left to the elements.

[@yeliab67]

@@ecophageLeaves fall in the fall - "hardwood". Keep the leaves/needles all winter - "Softwood". Silly but true.

[@ecophage]

Visit ecophagefabrication.com/wood-stoves-1 for more info! Here's my TOP THREE!! #3- The number 2 #2 - Number 1 #1 - The letter B!!! Thanks for watching everybody!!

[@ddomer5616]

2 more places in ohio menards and coalway in applecreek ohio

[@dlux703]

Mallard Creek pellets have nails in them. I know cause I just took my stove apart to remove one jammed in the feeder. Won't be buying them !

[@ecophage]

OMG that’s crazy

[@mikebrouillette6087]

Ash content?? Always stay with Wood & Son.

[@ecophage]

@@mikebrouillette6087 I never noticed enough of a difference but I’m sure there is

[@mikebrouillette6087]

@@ecophage In my Harmon stove when I burn Wood & son I can go a month with out touching the ash pan. Maine Wood Pellets keep the vacuum close by. Clean every 3 days

[@Pipes212121]

Funny.. I 've had much better heat and longer lasting burn from soft pellets than hard pellets.. Also, soft pellets burn cleaner...

[@ecophage]

Interesting, I suppose pine WOULD burn more completely than say oak. I’m not sure what science is behind the theory of soft woods LASTING longer though

[@Pipes212121]

@@ecophage I guess each pellet is different. I used both and notice when I burn on high fan, medium heat, the soft pellets last all night with much room to spare whilst the hard pellets are pretty much all used up in the morning and I need to refill the hopper more often than not. I really don't notice which one burn hotter than the other either. The soft pellet I am using is Timberland FYI...

[@ecophage]

@@Pipes212121 hmm interesting, probably has to do with being digitally controlled maybe it can sense the higher heat and spreads it out. Mines totally gravity fed so I can only control airflow basically. Probably means mines more susceptible to the idiosyncrasies of the pellet itself Where a electric stove probably can change settings to run different pellets differently Interesting

[@coopermini420]

I just went shopping for pellets. I was told by the salesman the softer pellet wood burns hotter and clean. And are more expensive. I thought it was the other way around. I’m confused

[@Hpontes]

@@coopermini420 from the Hearth forum: Q: What is better Hardwood Pellets or Softwood Pellets? A: Most people jump to the conclusion that "we have always burned hardwood in our woodstove so hardwood must be better" - Not true with pellets. The first and most important thing to remember is that you are buying pellets by weight NOT volume. A cord of dry hardwood vs. dry softwood weighs about 2-3 times as much. However, a pound of dry hardwood weighs the same as a pound of dry softwood. So what counts is the heat output of each. This is where softwood wins. Below is information from a study done by the wood industry. A softwood pellet will produce 10-20% more BTU's per pound than hardwood depending on the species and create a lighter ash. White Oak 8810 BTU/pound Yellow Pine 9610 BTU/pound

[@ВасилийЧучалин]

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