Frequently asked questions about pellet and new heating system

We receive a lot of questions about pellet and pellet stoves regularly, and we wanted to provide valid and helpful answers to those questions answered in one location. If you have more questions that aren’t listed here, please contact us, so we can add to this as more come up. Hopefully, you will find the answer you are looking for here. This article provides insight into the operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and general information about pellet as fuel, pellet stoves through some of the most frequently asked pellet stove questions and answers.

Pellet stoves pros, cons, and questions about pellet.

Questions about pellet

What is a pellet?
Pellet is a revolutionary, high-calorie, renewable biofuel that is obtained by sawdust. Any leftovers after wood processing are ground, dried, and pressed. The humidity has to be reduced to 8-12%. The wood, which is dried and sufficiently chopped, then passes through a pellet mill, which completely grinds parts of the wood and pushes it into the matrix. Under the impact of temperature and pressure, lignin is released, which is a natural binder, and it forms a recognizable form of pellets.

How much does one ton of pellets change cubic meters of wood?
One ton (1000 kg) of pellets changes 3 or 4 meters of wood.

Of which material are pellets made?
Wood pellets are compacted sawdust and other biomass by-products of sawmilling. It is environmentally friendly because it is a wood transformation due to furniture stores, recycling hubs, roadside cuttings, lumbering residue, and paper packing plants.

Where can I find pellets?
You can find pellets in local lumber companies or home improvement stores for wood pellets. In addition to local resources, there are a significant amount of online lumber companies that sell pellets. For example, Energe.

What kind of pellets is the best to use?
There are two classes of wood pellets: standard and premium. The difference is, premium wood pellets have less artificial ash. Softwood types are not good for your pellet stove because they are soft. Hardwood types are better for maximum performance and efficiency.

How should the pellet be stored?
Any dry place would be fine, such as a garage, basement, or shed. If you store them outside, be sure to protect them from the rain or snow. The pellets should be off of the ground. Pellets should be covered to protect them from precipitation.

Can wood pellets go bad?
Yes, if they get soaked. As long as your wood pellets are stored properly and keep them dry, they could last for a few years.

Questions about pellet stoves

What are pellet stoves?
Pellet stoves are specially design burning stoves that as a fuel use pellet. They are one of the most convenient wood-burning appliances to work. Pellet stoves need to be loaded with wood pellets once a day with one or two bags. Loading the pellets means taking them from the bag and putting them into the hopper. No splitting, stacking, and hauling firewood. There are a lot of different types of pellets using the heating system. For example, there are pellet stoves more appropriate for the living room. And Pellet boilers designed for the boiler room. 

What is the working principle of a pellet stove?
The control panel on the back of the upper hob consists of an LCD and six buttons. The display shows all the important information about the current condition of the oven. The control panel allows communication with the electronic controller by pressing certain buttons. Access to various menus shows operating mode is easily programmed. You can program on a daily or weekly basis, and a WIFI controller can be an extra feather. It provides additional comfort in the use of the stove and maximum fuel savings throughout the heating season.

What is the burning rate of pellets?
Pellet consumption depends on many factors and directly depends on how many hours the stove will work during the day. Average consumption is 2 kg of pellets at the minimum working level and 5 kg of pellets per hour at the maximum level. The stove can operate on 5 levels of power, where level one is the lowest. Depending on which electronics automatically selects based on the system parameters, the pellet consumption is different. You can find the consumption for each furnace in the technical characteristics.

What is the thermal power of pellets, and how does the quality of pellets affect the operation of the stove?
The thermal power ranges from 4 to 5 KWh / kg depending on the company and the quality of pellets. Proper operation of the stove depends on the choice of pellets. Poor quality leads to problems obtaining the desired energy and directly affects the quality of heating. Also, it makes it difficult to ignite and burn and to clean the furnace. That can lead to errors and reduces the life of the furnace. The pellets must in a dry place. It is not recommendable to store pellets exposed to atmospheric conditions. Too wet pellets lead to poor combustion.

Can other combustible materials be used in the pellet stove other than wood pellets?
Can other combustible materials be used in the pellet stove other than wood pellets? It not recommendable because it affects on life of the pellet stove. This is one of the most asked questions about pellet. People use dry bones from cherries which is not advisable. we recommend wooden pellets only from a legitimate supplier. Any other fuel jeopardizes the normal operation of the stove and can shorten the life of your stove.

Can pellet stoves work without chimneys and electricity?
It is not allowed to install pellet stoves without chimneys. All pellet stoves require a chimney with a diameter of 80 -120 mm for air stoves or 120-140 mm for furnace and boilers. Chimney draft must be from 12 – 14 Pa. Also, electricity is needed for the operation of the furnace because, in addition to electronics, it has a pair of motors, an electric lighter, and a furnace with a boiler, a pump. The average power consumption is about 100W per hour.

Is it necessary to clean the pellet stove daily? 
Yes, it is highly recommendable to clean your pellet stove every day. It is obligatory and must be cleaned regularly according to the instructions given by the furnace manufacturer. It is ideal to clean the chamber before starting a boiler/furnace while it is cold. Maintenance of the pellet stove is one of the most important things for the correct and uninterrupted functioning of the stove. It can be divided into daily, weekly, cleaning as needed, and at the end of the season (once a year). 

Daily cleaning includes cleaning vacuuming: fireboxes and combustion chambers, upper ashtrays, upper smoke chambers (pulling the button with the mechanism), and the turbulator (remove the circular plates from the hob, hook the turbulator holders with a key and shake several times).

 Weekly cleaning includes cleaning: smoke pipes in the chamber (steel brush), lower ashtrays, pellet storage. Cleaning, if necessary, includes cleaning: glass (cold), pellet warehouse (suction). The annual service is by an authorized service technician. 

Does condensation form in the flue due to the low temperature of the exhaust gases? What are the expected flue gas temperatures?
Condensation may occur. To prevent condensation it is necessary to insulate the chimneys well, especially where they come out, outside the building, and where the flue gases are intensively cooled. Operating temperature at maximum power, depending on the model, ranges from 80ºC to 150ºC in boiler furnaces and from 150ºC – 220ºC in pellet air furnaces. All numbers depend on the manufacturers, and you should read the specific details in the stove technical characteristics.

Hopefully, you find what you were looking for in the frequently asked questions about pellet. If you have any additional questions about pellet or pellet stove, feel free to contact us. Follow Only green tech on Twitter.