Pellet Stove Pellets

The best time to buy pellet stove pellets is to buy them in the spring or summer months when deals are more readily available and supply is at its peak. Not unlike any other commodity, the price will depend on supply and demand.

Also, if the stove you own is particular to a certain kind of ash, it's best to go with a trusted recommendation or purchase a few bags to test the pellets before buying in bulk. Pellets not your suited to your stove can lead to more than usual cleaning of the burn pot. You may find yourself cleaning it a few times a day, if this happens. And if you bought your pellets in bulk, this can lead to quite a bit of needless work.

Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Agway, Ace Hardware, and Sam's Club are a few United States hardware retailers that typically keep a supply of pellet stove pellets available, but stocking policies will vary by store and the region the store is located. Grain suppliers and local feed merchants are other places you may find pellets.

But, if you are looking for the best deals available, the best route is to deal directly with a pellet manufacturer, thereby cutting out the middleman.

Pellet Stove Pellets - Locating Them

If you live in North America, you can find a comprehensive list of pellet manufactures by visiting the Pellet Fuels Institute website. In Europe, you can get on the European Pellet Centre website.

Possibly the most comprehensive source available is by visiting PelletBase.com. This site caters to everything pertaining to biomass heating and pellet stoves. The best part about this site is that you can narrow your search down from country to state and the particular product you are searching for.

It will provide the closest location of suppliers near you with a guided map. There is no cost or registration for this service, and you can bid for your pellet needs online. When a deal is struck, the buyer pays $3 and the supplier pays 3% of the total value of the deal.

The site also has a forum.

Pellet Stove Pellets - Storage

The most preferred method of storage for pellets is in a covered storehouse. But if the pellets have to be stored outside, it's best to add extra covering over them to keep water from accumulating between the bags. Whether stored inside or outside, the pellet bags should be stored above ground and with good circulation of air available.

The pallets the pellets were shipped on are adequate for air circulation beneath the pellets, but you need to make sure the pallets are not placed flush up against a wall.

If pellets do become exposed to water, a worst case scenario is that the pellets will expand and disintegrate, rendering them unusable.

Corn Pellets

Corn is permitted by some pellet stove manufacturers to be added into pellet stove pellets. Other manufacturers will void a stove's warranty if corned is used.

The advantage of corn is that it burns a bit hotter than wood pellets. But the ashes emitted by corn are more corrosive and can develop clinkers inside the burn pot.

Corn stoves have a more heavy duty burn pot than pellets stoves and more corrosion resistant venting. In addition, many corn stoves also have an automatic burn pot agitator.

A pellet stove needs to be specially designed for the pellet stove igniter to light 100% of the corn. If you are looking to stretch out your supply of wood pellets, you may consider mixing in up to 50% corn with your wood pellets, depending on your particular stove. Just make certain you don't use seed corn because they contain additives. You want to use untreated corn kernels.