There’s a plethora of advantages that come with wood pellets for your wood stove.
Most have low emissions, are cheaply available, and have excellent burn qualities.
In our guide today, we’re exploring how to identify the best wood pellets for heating. Let us get started!
Appearance tests
Wood Pellets
Primarily, you can identify top-quality wood pellets by simply looking at them. So how do you know that they are good enough? Check out the following qualities.
- Smooth Appearance
First, top-quality wood pellets are smooth and bear no cracks. Wood pellets with such an appearance mean that their manufacturer has applied the right compression ratio.
Also, It implies that they have great density and thus are capable of burning hot and relatively long than those with cracks. Moreover, also indicates that the pellets have dried effectively to below 10%.
- Softwood Pellets
The best wood pellets for heating are from softwood.
Most wood pellet packages indicate if they are softwood or hardwood.
The interesting thing about wood pellets is that, unlike firewood, softwood fares better than hardwood regarding burn qualities.
Hence, the ideal wood pellets for your wood stove in winter are softwood. Hardwood pellets are the best fit for the warm months of the year.
- Ideal Pellet Size
Are you looking for a long-term wood pellets supplier? Go for one who delivers pellets whose sizes are similar. Also, it would be best to buy small-sized pellets over large ones as they easily fit into your wood stove.
Above everything, choose the wood pellet size that matches the size of your wood stove.
Burn Tests
Burning wood pellets
You may fail to catch some of the qualities of the wood pellets from the appearance tests.
But you can buy a sample of the pellets and subject them to the following burn tests.
- Flame color and scent
Burning pure wood pellets without additives.
The best wood pellets are those without additives. So check out if your pellets are yielding a colored flame.
Also, check out for unusual smells, such as burning oil or sulfur, and avoid pellets with such odors.
- Heat Quality
Test the wood pellets to gauge their heat output and ensure you set up the best wood stove setup.
Also, you must provide optimal airflow into the wood stove so that you can gauge if they are good enough.
- Ash Yield
Wood Pellets
Unscrupulous wood pellet manufacturers add dirt and bark, which will appear in the ash.
Hence, check out for the presence of clinkers in the ash, as top-quality wood pellets have limited waste.
Moreover, if your wood pellets produce less than 3% ash, they are of good quality, but if it’s more, consider changing the supplier.
A reputable supplier
Wood Pellets with a tag.
Don’t just shop for wood pellets from any supplier that pops up online. Instead, buy those with certification.
Always check if the pellets have the PFI certification on them.
The Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI) is a reputable and dependable wood pellet certifier.
Top Pellet Manufacturers
Wood Pellets and Firewood.
Consider buying wood pellets from certified and best-performing manufacturers, such as Okanagan Pellet Company and Northern Warmth.
Vermont Wood Pellet Company and Cleanfire also rank among the best, so you can contact them if they operate in your area.
Conclusion
Above, we have given you top hacks for identifying the best wooden pellets for your wood stove.
Now you’re good to go, but if you cannot still determine top-quality wood pellets from the above test, check out the PFI certification.
For more, contact us.