What is everyone using to store pellets...Indoors

I updated and reworked the original plans that imacman posted a LONG time ago....anyway, this is my setup...There's a negative draft sucking from the top and positive pressure blowing from the bottom. I've dicked around with the original plans for a while and this seems to work best for me removing most fines. It's not perfect but works pretty slick.

 

I don't sift pellets and go thru way too many to be putting them in a container just to put them in the hopper. These stacks sit next to (relatively) the P61a



Then I keep a bag on the main floor under a bookshelf in the kitchen (where I used to have the dog feeding station). That is only for emergencies and I usually bring up a bag for the small stove after I've filled up the big stove. The P43 goes thru way less pellets than the P61a, so it works for me.

 

Luney you may be OCD about it, but you really don't need to screen those pellets at all. The feeder on your stoves eats them up just fine; and hey - fines burn too, you know. For the ones that don't make it to the burnpot, just clean them out of the fines box whenever you do a major cleaning (when the ash pan is full). No problem.

 

Here's another variation of the design imacman posted, sized down to 1.5 & 2.0" PVC, to use a smaller 5 gal. ShopVac:

(*please pardon the major mess in the "Keebler Elf" workshop)





the drop tube uses coat-hanger wire (vs. wooden dowels) in the drop tube, no screens, and a clear plastic "Vitamin Water" bottle as the attachment connection for the vacuum hose: which makes seeing (what) is being vac'd "fun & easy".

 

Whenever I do clean the stove I have to lay down and clean the fines just about every time when I was not screening. I hear you TT the Harman does a good job but I do enjoy pouring the pellets in the hopper or bin without very little to no dust being released. We have enough dust in the house with pets, being and old house seems you can't escape it and anything I can do to lessen the amount of dust helps the Mrs. with her Asthma. It was a great improvement switching from cord wood to pellets but just trying to keep it improving and screening does help quite a bit as I go through a crap load of pellets.

My screening device is nowhere near as elaborate as the one pictured above it consist of materials I had on had on hand 2x6 plywood and some wire lathe and a ladder very primitive. I actually get a good work out screening as well, can never get enough exercise seeing I am working most of my life not hiking and the other active things I use to do .
May be my imagination but seems the stove like to be fed clean food

Thanks though TT

 

Thanks guys for the info on the sifting rigs. So would those vacuum rigs remove the pellet chips too, or just the very fine dust?

What I'm calling "chips" is the larger stuff in the colander while the dust and fines are in the background. Would those rigs separate the chips?:

 

Harman it don't care

 

Holy crap...what is in that colander?

 

It would/should suck up small bits and pieces and fines but not what I see in the pic in the colander.

 

don't screen either..
it all burns up in the burn pot with the pellets.

 

Just the fine dust, the heavier wood flour/"saw dust" (which it does very well), and some -very- light pieces, nothing like you have there in the colander.. That's good stuff !

* Those pieces I'd toss in & mix w/ a fresh bag, and burn - if here.

FWIW, the (2) test bags of AWF White Pine we tried here back in '15 looked & behaved -exactly- the same way as you & Will describe ... At least they are consistent, I'll give Props for that.

 

All right took a few pictures did not come out so well but heh. I took 1 8' 2x6 cut it in half then ripped each 4' an 1 1/2" rip on 12* or something like that, ripped 1/2" plywood to the width of a 5 gallon bucket . Screwed the 2 angled rips to the plywood and one 3/4" ripped in the center as well and attached wire lathe to them. Then from the underside used 3" screws to screw from the bottom through the plywood into the remainder of what was left from ripping the angled pieces. I set one end in the bucket the other on the top rung of the ladder and lift the bags and set them on top of the ladder which supports most of the 40lbs dump them down the chute all the smalls and fines go through the lathe and end up on the plywood but do not slide down the chute they remain trapped. When done with a bag I pick it up and drop it on the concrete floor end first and all the dust and fines come out. Works like a charm at least up here in the hills it does dont need no fancy thingamajigs with power and all that stuff, keep it simple I always say . What would I have done different if I had the material and didn't whip it together in 20 minutes is I would have used 1x material instead of 2x. and made it a bit narrower in width so it fits better in the bucket and I would not need the piece of coil stock you see in the bucket. Dont really need it to function but the pellets fly out if I dont


Yeah I know i got some serious issues

 

Not at all - the fines screeners @ most of the pellet manufacturers after they come out of the press work -exactly- the same way.

I'll bet it's quicker vs. vacuuming.. Just don't have the room to setup a lathe screen, in the Keebler Elf workshop here.. Barely have room to sit these days. Time for cleaning.

 

I hear you man I know all to well have to do the same thing and make some room wellll just about everywhere !

 

Don't we all?

 

True that Brother just ask any of our significant others ! not sure how the heck they put up with us .

 

They partially made us this way....

 

PhilaB - just cleaned (4) bags of Satisfaction pellets, this is what the canister looks like after running through the Pellet Vac ..



all fines, some small chips/pieces, and the occasional pellet.

* These were a fresh ('17) batch - less fines & dust (vs. year's past) in the Satisfaction bags. I'm Happy with that!

 

(1) returned-home post-College student starting out, (1) currently home on break .. what's room?

 

I don't know. everything i throw in my stove burns up.
fines, dust, pellets etc....i keep my stove cleaned every 2 weeks.. that's enough.
maybe other stoves are more sensitive to the fines i assume.