Ten Wood Pellet facts
- The best quality pellets are rated as EN Plus A1. This standard relates to the content of the pellet, how robust it is and its calorific value (how much heat it gives out) per kg
- Good pellets are usually pale in colour
- Dark pellets often have a high bark content, low calorific value and high silica (sand) content
- Pellets are available loose in bulk quantities or in bags from 10kg upwards in weight
- The best price is usually available to customers with bulk stores that can take several tonnes at a time blown into their store loose by a tanker, similar to how heating oil is delivered
- If the delivery driver has his air pressure too high on a bulk delivery the high velocity can damage the pellets
- Bags of pellets can degrade through rough handling, producing damaged and dusty fuel
- Pellets give off carbon monoxide – this is in the store, unburnt. Bulk quantities in damaged bags can also give off significant amounts of carbon monoxide. Fresh pellets give off more than old. Wet pellets give off more than dry.
- A good test if you suspect poor quality pellets is to take a quantity and rub it as hard as you can between your palms. This should have little to no effect on the pellets. If they break into tiny pieces or produce a lot of dust they are substandard
- Wood pellets contain no binding agents. The heat and pressure produced during manufacture binds the sawdust into shape with natural lanolin from the wood