What are the best Wood Stove pellets ?
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Any wood pellets are fine provided there isn't added accelerant. [I've read the caution against accelerant added to wood stove pellets, but I honestly have never seen any wood stove pellets that have accelerant added.]
In my area, the type and brand of wood pellets available seems to be constantly changing. I've used a number of these and haven't noticed any difference in their efficacy. Any wood pellets seemed to be just as good at absorbing odor.
In my area, the type and brand of wood pellets available seems to be constantly changing. I've used a number of these and haven't noticed any difference in their efficacy. Any wood pellets seemed to be just as good at absorbing odor.
Just a side question here, if the package of the stove pellets have no ingredients list whatsoever (save for the name ´´compressed wood´´) on them, would they still be safe to use? We have no big bags of horse bedding or anything like that here, and buying 7 litre bags for 3,95eur every week is not the most cost efficient way.
Probably, but can you provide a link? Different Home Depot's carry different types.
The use of accelerants in wood stove pellets is a myth. No binders are used in the manufacture of wood pellets. Accelerants are prohibited by the stove manufacturers and the pellet standards. You can look at the US standard at the Pellet Fuel Institute's website pelletheat.org. For the EU, OZ/NZ it is harder to fine the same information, but you can find it in the ISO standards.
For animal bedding you should look for the cheapest pellets. In the US that will be "standard" grade. In the EU/OZ/NZ it think it may be called "industrial".
Once the bunnies pee on the pellets they will expand and fall apart.
If anyone is interested I , as a Master Chimney Sweep, can explain the process for manufacture of wood pellets.
For animal bedding you should look for the cheapest pellets. In the US that will be "standard" grade. In the EU/OZ/NZ it think it may be called "industrial".
Once the bunnies pee on the pellets they will expand and fall apart.
If anyone is interested I , as a Master Chimney Sweep, can explain the process for manufacture of wood pellets.
I would be interested!
Looks great!
Absolutely interested!
A lot of stuff is communicated & recommunicated on the internet, often with best intentions, without individuals knowing why something is so. I always enjoy hearing from those with actual expertise.
This is good to know! As I mentioned earlier, I had often seen the cautions against it but had never actually seen any pellets that stated that accelerants were added. Now I know why.
Juste
Well-Known Member
Could someone recommend any from uk?
Diane R
Well-Known Member
Hi, I'm in the UK. I used wood pellets for many years. Then switched to 100% straw pellets which are very similar, I got them here: Porta Pellis Straw Pellets. I now use Fitch paper bedding which is very soft - from here: Fitch First - Pet BeddingCould someone recommend any from uk?
Juste
Well-Known Member
I wonder which are best for odour control? Because i used paper pellets and if i don't change it everyday it stinks. Now i am trying some nameless wood pellets and the odour ir way better than using paper.
Diane R
Well-Known Member
I pick up poop and wet litter twice a day. Never any odour here.
Wood pellets (and suppose straw and paper) rely on their own natural fibers to bind the material together. The feed stock can be any source of wood, scrap from sawmills, waste from landscaping, plants grown specifically for fuel. Initially the feed stock will be shredded. Imagine the consistency of hardwood mulch.
It then gets wetted and heated. The moist heat causes the lignins to expand. If you were to look at the fibers under magnification they are covered with "feathers" sticking out at all angles. Under a microscope you would see them as tubes. Indeed, they are the hardened form of the plants vascular system. Expanding lignins are what cause boards to warp and hardwood floors to cup.
Next it goes into the pellet mill. There are two types, a hammer mill and a roller mill. The floor of the mill is a die. Imagine the plate full of holes in a meat grinder, but thicker. The standard for pellets describes the hole size and length. The hammer mill has a bunch of pins that ram the feed stock into the die. The roller mill has a roller that mashes the feed stock into the die. As the feed stock is compressed through the die all those "feathers" sort of knit together.
As the pellets dry and cool, they become stronger and more resilient to travel. Let them get wet, though, and the lignins expand again letting the material fall apart.
Pellets having a relatively uniform shape and size yield a lot of surface area to absorb heat. The large amount of interstitial space allows a good mix of oxygen. Thus the pellets are easy to ignite and burn fairly evenly.
So, you can see, the is no need for glues or accelarants. They would only add unwanted cost for no benefit.
