Myth #1: Hardwood Pellets are Better than Softwood
Preference for hardwood over softwood has its origins in the firewood burning community. It has long been considered better to burn hardwood in your wood stove or fireplace because it provides a longer burn compared to softwood. The main reason that hardwood burns better than softwood in wood stoves/fireplaces has to do with wood density (hardwood is more dense than softwood).
However, with wood pellets the advantages of hardwood are neutralized by the pelletizing process. Both hard and softwood material is dried to the same moisture level, of about 4-5%. Furthermore, regardless of the type of wood used to produce the pellets, the pelletizing process produces wood pellets with the same density. Once the moisture and density variance has been removed during the manufacturing process, softwood comes out ahead in terms of heat and performance.
But why does softwood produce hotter pellets with less ash? Biomass Magazine explains: “softwood has a higher percentage of resin content than hardwood, which will produce more heat per pound.”
The choice between hardwood and softwood pellets is entirely up to the consumer. There are some very high quality hardwood pellets available in the market that perform very well, but for the most part, softwood pellets will typically provide you with more heat for your money.
Having recently purchased a new pellet stove, I quickly found myself facing an issue that just about all pellet stove owners face – where the heck do you store all those bags of pellets?
The wooden pallet is an almost square shape, at 40 by 48 inches, which might not be ideal for your space. Sometimes it’s more practical to ditch the pallet and stack in a narrow space, as pictured. (Check out our Pinterest page to see some 
We certainly can’t organize your garage…but we can save you some space in it this summer!
