The quality of pellet fuel is crucial for the proper operation of your boiler. Low-quality pellets burn with many impurities, creating deposits in the burner, which directly affects the performance of the boiler. Recognizing high-quality pellets can be challenging, but the most important thing is to purchase from reputable manufacturers.
Heating with pellets offers many advantages over other solid fuels. However, the quality of pellets can vary significantly. The quality directly determines whether you’ll enjoy consistent warmth throughout the winter or spend more time cleaning your boiler.
In general, the wood used for making pellets should be debarked and cleaned, so the pellet consists purely of wood fibers. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as pellets may contain ground bark, dirt, sand, and other impurities.
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This poor quality affects combustion, causing deposits to accumulate in the burner. These deposits hinder combustion efficiency. When new pellets fall into a dirty burner filled with slag and unburnt material, they burn less effectively compared to a clean burner.
If the pellets are particularly poor, the burner holes can become clogged within a few hours. Ideally, pellets should burn down to fine ash particles, which can be easily cleaned from the burner.
For optimal combustion and to avoid slag buildup in the burner, the pellets must be of the highest quality. The better the quality, the fewer impurities will accumulate. For example, with medium-to-high-quality pellets sold in the U.S., it’s normal for about half an inch of slag to remain at the bottom of the burner after a day.
While this isn’t a huge issue at first, the buildup becomes a problem the next day when an additional half-inch forms, making combustion less efficient.
The Big Question – How to Recognize High-Quality Pellets?
The short answer: it’s tough. It’s much easier to spot poor-quality pellets than to identify high-quality ones. You can quickly learn what not to buy, but it’s trickier to determine the best choice. Unfortunately, color or structure is not always a reliable indicator. A darker pellet can be as good as a lighter one, which is typically better, though sometimes the reverse is true.
Here are a few general tips:
- Avoid pellets that are too small and contain a lot of dust at the bottom of the plastic bag.
- Purchase pellets from a supplier who issues a receipt, so you have someone to turn to if problems arise. Stick to well-known brands.
- Ensure the pellets come in a labeled bag with a clear product declaration, and the manufacturer has a professional website. Purchasing cheaper pellets in unmarked bags without a proper receipt is a surefire way to encounter problems with your boiler throughout the winter.
How to Test Your Pellets
If you’re buying in bulk and heating a large space, there’s a way to be certain of the pellet quality. Purchase about 440 pounds (200 kg) from your local supplier—something you can easily transport in your car. Run your boiler at full capacity for two days.
After that, open the burner and check for any deposits or dirt. If there are none or only minimal, acceptable amounts, then you’ve likely found a good pellet.
In addition to buying from trusted manufacturers, this is one of the few ways to minimize the risk of buying subpar pellets.
A Few Basic Guidelines for Spotting Quality Pellets:
- Look for certification on the packaging.
- When handling pellets, there should be little to no dust left on your fingers, and the bag itself should contain minimal dust.
- Pellets should smell like wood, not chemical substances.
- Place a pellet in water—it should sink and swell over time, but the water should remain clear, with no change in color. You may see small fragments float, but the water should stay clean.
By following these guidelines and testing small quantities, you can ensure you’re using the best quality pellets to keep your heating system running smoothly all winter long.