[AT] Pellets

[Francis Robinson]

--On Friday, February 22, 2008 10:12 PM -0500 Greg Hass <gkhass at avci.net> 
wrote:

> I also attended the National Machinery Show Friday.  (More on that
> later.)  While I was looking at the display for Drill Bit City (we have
> bought drill  bits from them in the past), I noticed the display for the
> pellet-making  machine.  I remembered Farmer mentioning he was going to
> see one, but I did  not know until tonight that it was the same one he
> had mentioned.  I started  burning corn this year, but am keenly
> interested in things such as these  pellet-making machines, and I spent
> 20 minutes or so talking to the vendor  about them.  I came away feeling
> a little discouraged about whta I found  out.  I do believe his machines
> are extremely rugged.  However, if I  understood him correctly, (and I
> think I did) he said they did not work that  great for wood pellets.  he
> also said that commercial wood-pelleters run at  higher pressures using
> 50 hp or larger electric motors.  His only uses  single phase motors.  He
> talked more of making pellets out of things like  alfalfa, cornstalks,
> certain types of grasses, etc.  He also said that all  of the material
> they put in the pellet maker was first run through a  hammermill with a
> very fine screen, all of which seems to me like it would  take a lot of
> power.  As I said, I'd hoped it would do good with wood, but  he did not
> make it sound that way.  Not trying to rain on anyone's parade,  it is
> just what I understood the vendor to say.
>
> On a side note, I talked to a cousin of mine a couple of days ago who
> used  to get several semi-trailer loads of sawdust a year to use as
> cattle  bedding.  He said he is no longer able to get it, as it is being
> bought up  by the wood-pelleting businesses.
>
> Greg Hass
> Michigan's Thumb

=============================================




	Hi Greg:
	
	I was originally going on Thursday but changed days due to weather 
concerns. It occurred to me early Friday morning that I should have emailed 
you Thursday and maybe we could have met for a Coke (I don't drink coffee) 
but by the time I thought of it early Friday I knew you were already on the 
road.
	I did talk with one guy that was sort of a pessimist. but I think they had 
been talking to a lot of people that think a pellet stove should not need 
any tending and want only perfect pellets. All that really matters is that 
the pellets hold together. I have one pellet stove that has an adjustable 
air intake that allows burning lower quality pellets. I have two pellet 
stoves from England's Stove Works (I don't care for them and will be 
selling them) and they do not have adjustable air intake. I am going to 
replace the pellet stove in my basement with one of these:
<http://www.amazon.com/USSC-Pellet-Multifuel-Furnace-Model/dp/B000FDTZCQ/ref=sr_1_1/104-1666970-2347936?ie=UTF8&m=AF8EGQ3KRZQB6&s=hi&qid=1203784060&sr=1-1>
	The combination of the adjustable air intake along with the agitator and a 
250 pound capacity hopper should handle lower grade pellets fine. The stove 
from the basement will move to the shop. Their hammermill is pretty pricy 
but I am thinking of picking up a used mixer mill. They sell very cheaply 
here. One should work fine both for grinding and mixing in other materials 
through the supplement hopper. I'm thinking that I can use both the mixer 
mill and the pellet mill for making fuel and also pelleted feed. If I can't 
get the tons and tons of wood chips I get now I can always grow some stuff 
for my use.
	I have tried burning a lot of different stuff (even a left over part bag 
of rabbit feed) and I think many of the folks on this list could could 
adapt and adjust a proper stove to burn about anything. Some folks should 
stay with gas or electric...   :-)   I am on a pellet stove email list and 
a fellow joined this week who was concerned that his pellet stove's burn 
pot needed cleaning every few days I guess he thought that you just filled 
it and let it go.
	The stove I like is the one I have in the basement now and it is a 
Breckwell "Big E" with a glass door. I hate to brag on it for fear of 
waking Murphy and his jinxing laws but it runs 100% trouble free and has 
for about 5 years. I clean the burn pot about every 10 days to two weeks 
and the ash storage areas about once a month. Now that I said that it 
probably just burst into flames and melted down...   :-)
	One fellow I talked with and I talked a lot about possible binders and 
other "substances" that can make the pellets harder and hotter. He almost 
whispered that he knew of a case or two where someone was mixing their used 
motor oil in  tiny amounts. I had thought of blending in some soft coal 
dust with wood chips... One big advantage of corn/pellet stoves (as you 
know by now) is that since a controlled amount of fuel is introduced into a 
constant airstream instead of letting air leak into a fire pile that they 
burn much cleaner than a wood stove. Combustion is very thorough which is 
why creosoting is pretty much a non problem. If you burn wood pellets in a 
regular stove (and you can but not efficiently) The creosote problem at low 
fire is still the same problem.

	I still have not committed to this pellet production but so far I have not 
seen any large problems. I'll keep studying it all. I have 3 grown children 
living nearby and if they were involved in the labor and use of the pellets 
it might all workout well.
	I don't think it is a system to go to to sell to the general public...




--
"farmer"


Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
Robinson at svs.net