Since Harmans control the feed rate [ Harmans are regulated by exhaust gas temps] long as the feed is set to Optimal #3 or 4, lower feed rate is like putting a brick under your gas pedal and won't put out the most heat that u can get. Anyways, Like to know what brand pellets gave you the most hours per bag and also the least hours per bag During the coldest time of the year like past few weeks here. single digits and below.. for me it was O'Malley's ,longest time..prob due to very long pellet size 17 hrs. Energex Golden pellets 0.5 ash... Shortest burn time.. 8-9 hrs..
With all variables being equal such as weather and cleanliness of stove. You should get a very similar feed rate regardless of brand or pellet size. So long as you are not restricting the maximum feed rate, which you may have done with those longer pellets. Disclosure, I do not own a Harman.
I don't pay any attention to how long a bag lasts. There's just too many variables involved: Is it sunny, cloudy, windy, what's the temp, humidity, how clean is the stove, how many times has the outside door been opened, etc. I only worry about how the stove is burning, how warm I am, and how cold is my beer.
As mentioned, for me its not how long a bag lasts as much as how warm the house is at certain times of the year and how dirty the stove gets in a given amount of time keeping it at that temp-which also factors in to pellet usuage. Right now I have fed the stove 48 (counted this morning )bags of Lacretes during the coldest February on record without a single shutdown for cleaning. Given all the non stop snow that we have had my time for cleaning the stove has been non existent and the 20 degree below normal tempos has made a shutdown less than appealing. All of this makes the extra 30-40 dollars per ton over some of the cheaper big box brands more than worth the cost for me. Even with this severe cold this year, I have never used more than 1.5-2 bags in a day.
My dumb stove and a stat keep em pretty close. One would think that Harmone puter would adjust so the burn length's would be similar. If ya keep em outside, They get really cold fast these days! I had a few white(miller light cans) slushies last night.
I disagree. It's 12 here right now and I'm burning FSU's. If I ran the stove dry and dumped in a bag of Blazers, my feed rate is going to go down. I do, and some have been a little more than slushy.
what is your take on this conversation: reposting it.. ↑ I like the O'malley's better than my Energex premiums this year. What are your thoughts? Not the goldens Assume you mean the green bags in the pix.... I think I would agree with you... they seem to last longer although lot of ash like the Energex green...Right now in maint burn/room/Manual and could scald my hand 8 inches away from the blower which is blowing low speed at this point...so yes they are HOT!!! btw; The Goldens are super hot and minimum ash 0.5 but don't last as long as the others.. running a Harman P61A, lot of kernals/ very small pellets in with normal size so each turn of the Auger puts lot more pellets in the burnpot...doesn't matter feed rate # 3 or #4... A harman P series does what it does... Takes over and all u can do is make sure you don't have too low of a feed rate or your just never going to reach set temp//[ This is result in Room temp/Manual. Stove temp may be better.. or worse.. someone chime in if they know more? getting about 4-5 hrs less time in the super cold days than the O'Malley's and prob the Energex Greens.. soooo, the theory of the Hotter the pellet, the less you will use is being tested here with these small Golden pellets. I have timed the Auger with the goldens and it Does turn for 6 or 7 seconds each minute then Off when it is Maintaining the set temp by dribiling in pellets but I think it's quite a lot going in the burnpot even if only for a 10 second turn. I should concede that we're talking a P61 here so a large burnpot to fill.. 2nd only to the P68 Beast, ...love my Harman btw...so many pellets choices work in these stoves. The Energex Golden low ash pellets are Top shelve but maybe not for a Harman.?. jury is still out here.. Attached Files:
a lot of "stuff " there, Tully! First of all.... .5% ash isn't exactly LOW ash....compare that with a Doug fir around .25%, and you have TWICE the ash with the Goldens....bot would be classed as a premium pellet, but you can see, there's twice the ash. we also don't know how clean his/her stove is....and that would have a HUGE bearing on output I cannot comment on his scientific testing of "scalding" air 8" from the blower (no- it'd be from the grate....the blower is behind and below the bin- pretty sure he isn't checking it there).....I would rather see infrared thermometer readings, maybe on the glass? One thing he did mention is the stove isn't picky- it'll burn darn near any pellet, which is somewhat comforting in challenging pellet-finding times
actually I'm sure blower was meant as coming out of the grate/vent. still. 4- 5 hrs shorter burn time on crapy pellets could understand.. on pretty decent premium pellets not sure why... seems the ashier Energex and O'Malley's are giving lot longer burn time and same heat...
