5 Things Your Stove Technician Wants You To Know

Woodpellets.com1. Read the manual that came with your stove. According to Jason Tardiff of J&L Chimney Works in NH, this is the number one thing stove technicians wish customers would take seriously. He explains; “Most of the time, the answer to the problem lies in the pages of their owner’s manual.” From proper stove maintenance, to best practices and warranty information – the manual is packed with model-specific information, and it’s very often overlooked.

2. Don’t be so quick to blame the pellets. If your stove isn’t igniting, if you have a weak flame, or your pellets won’t stay lit, the fuel shouldn’t be your first thought. When was the last time you had your stove professionally cleaned? If you do it yourself, are you really getting to all the parts that need attention? Your pellet stove works off of pressurized air which is drawn from the exhaust. Have you cleaned all those passages? Is your exhaust clear of debris? Jason describes his years of discoveries: “The exhaust pulls in anything that’s in the air – so pet hair, dander, dust and lint are constantly sucked in. And as far as the auger goes, items left on the stove can fall and work their way in. I’ve found spoons and G.I Joes crammed in there.”

To summarize – in addition to the general responsible cleaning owners should be doing, a professional cleaning twice a year is definitely a best practice. Think of it like your dental health and your dentist. You clean your own teeth every day, but it’s still good to go to the dentist every six months for professional attention.

>> Read about the most commonĀ pellet stove problems

3. Your pellet stove needs a surge protector. You should not be plugging your stove directly into the wall. Furthermore, you need to know the difference between a power strip and an actual surge protector. Most modern pellet stoves have a circuit board that can be damaged without protection from even small electrical surges caused by power outages. Be sure to check your manual for information on electrical recommendations.

4. Don’t burn low quality pellets and expect great results. Check out the specifications on the wood pellets you’re purchasing. Look at the ash content listed, and know that the higher the percentage, the more frequent your cleanings will be. Higher quality pellets will have lower ash percentages, and therefore less maintenance.

On top of research, another great way to choose a fuel is by talking to your fellow pellet-burners to see what they’re using and why. Of course, you won’t know what you like for your home and your budget until you run your own tests. But if you’re buying the cheapest pellets with lower heat and higher ash specifications – you shouldn’t expect the same results as the higher quality options available.

Woodpellets.com Blog5. Buy low-moisture firewood for your wood stove. Switching gears to wood stoves and fireplaces – the firewood you choose to burn is important. Jason explains, “No noise is good when burning your firewood. The crackling and popping you hear in a campfire is from excess moisture burning off – which you don’t want in your home.”

Too much moisture within wood doesn’t burn as hot, gives off useless steam when burning, and creates dangerous and flammable creosote buildup. A best practice when buying your firewood is to use a moisture meter to find out just how “seasoned” it is before you take it home. Wood burns the best when it’s been split, seasoned for at least 6 months, and is made up of less than 20% moisture.

Ā >> Read about wood bricks – the firewood alternative.

Just like with pellet stoves, your chimney and/or wood stove requires regular maintenance, and should be professionally cleaned at least once a year. Any special “logs” that claim to get rid of your creosote can be used, but should not take the place of a proper, extensive cleaning.

Enter your zip code at Woodpellets.com to see if Cleancare Professional Stove Cleaning is available in your area.Ā 

 

Questions? You can always call 1-800-735-5387 to speak to a Woodpellets.com representative!

What Are Wood Bricks?

Cleanfire Wood Bricks for the Wood Stove or FireplaceWood bricks are an excellent alternative, or supplement, to firewood. Much like
how wood pellets are made, wood bricks are manufactured by densely compacting bark-free wood fibers into a uniform shape. But first, the wood fiber is kiln-dried to hold less than 10% moisture. Because of this extremely low moisture rate and absence of bark and insects, the buildup of creosote is significantly lower than standard wood burning.Ā 

Wood bricks are most commonly packaged in bundles of 15-20 bricks. Ā Bundles are sold individually and also in bulk, stacked neatly on on a shrink-wrapped wood pallet.

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2015 Holiday Hearth Photo Contest

Woodpellets.comHow do you decorate around your pellet stove, wood stove and/or fireplace for the holidays?

Now is your time to show us!

Simply take a picture of your festive hearth area, and we will pick our favorite on December 22nd.

The winner will receive a $50 Darden Restaurants gift card, redeemable at any Olive GardenĀ®, LongHorn SteakhouseĀ®, Bahama BreezeĀ®, Seasons 52Ā® or any other Darden restaurant! Two runner-ups will each receive a $10 PelletBucks account credit!

How to Participate:

Send your photo(s) to sales@ woodpellets.com, or post them on our Holiday Hearth Facebook post, here:Ā http://bitly.com/HolidayHearthContest


Happy Heating Season!

Please take a look at this guide on holiday decorating hazards. Safety first!

 

All participants must submit photos by the end of day on 12/21/15 to be considered.Ā Darden Restaurants, Inc. owns (Red LobsterĀ®, Olive GardenĀ®, LongHorn SteakhouseĀ®, Bahama BreezeĀ®, Seasons 52Ā® and Yard HouseĀ®) and is not affiliated with Woodpellets.com. Darden is not a sponsor or co-sponsor of this program. Use of our restaurant names, logos or trademarks requires written approval from Darden. See backside of gift card for additional terms and conditions or visit www.darden.com/legal/legal.asp

 

Happy Customer Feedback

We read every single feedback card we receive, because we love to hear straight from our customers. We appreciate ideas, honest criticism, and of course – happy testimonials. Check out what some of our recent satisfied customers have to say!

Wood Pellet Delivery

Laconia, NH:Ā “Everyone was so helpful and easy to work with. I was nervous as this is my first time using a pellet stove and ordering. The staff on the phone were polite and very helpful. The delivery man was very helpful on choosing a spot to put the pellets. Could not have been easier.”

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Gifts Under $50 from Amazon.com

Just in time for the big shopping season – Woodpellets.com is giving away $50 Amazon gift cards with purchases of 3 or more tons before Friday, November 20th!*Ā 

Would you use the card for yourself, or a loved one? Check out our list of gift ideas that are each around $50, and all available from Amazon.com.

For the Outdoors-y Person


Amazon Outdoors GiftsGreen Valley Sleeping Bag:Ā 
Highly-rated sleeping bag for the camper (under 5″11) in your life.

Coleman Road Trip Party Grill: Collapsible and compact – this mini grill is great for tailgating, too.

Instant Screened Canopy: Beat the bugs with an easy to assemble screened room! Usually much pricier, but on sale for less than $50 often.**

Intex Inflatable Pull Out Sofa Bed: Impress fellow campers with your outdoor sofa, which can easily convert into a bed!
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How to Use Pallets for Hearthoween (Halloween) Decor

October is here! Stores are packed with an endless supply of candy, costumes are available at every turn, and many houses are starting to look festive for the 31st. (We like to refer to it as Hearthoween!) We’ve told you about some great DIY wood pallet projects before, but did you know you can use your leftover wood pallets as spooky decorations? We have compiledĀ our four favorite ideas, in no particular order below.

1. Creepy Temporary Wall

Spook Factor: 5
spook5

pallet1

Now here’s an easy way to make your house look totally different – and very eery. There are some variations on how you could do this, but the simplest way is to stack the pallets upright and zip-tie them together.

After securing your temporary wall, add your fog machines and back lighting of your choice.Ā This photo shows some extra scary pizazz with dirty netting. Now is the time to get creative with your embellishments!

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How to Make a Wood Pellet Delivery Seamless

With delivery season in full swing, we thought it might be helpful to provide a general guideline for our customers on how to make your Woodpellets.com home delivery as easy as possible.

The more information you provide, the better. Does your road have heavy construction going on? Is your driveway hard to find? Does your address not come up on GPS? If our drivers know ahead of time what to be prepared for, we can better serve you. It’s better to be up front about any tricky circumstances especially, so the delivery team can do all that’s possible to find a solution ahead of time.
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Very Common Mistakes That Could Lead to a House Fire

Woodpellets.comChimneys carry out the substances produced when firewood burns (smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles, hydrocarbon, tar fog and assorted minerals). As the hot substances flow up into the relatively cooler chimney, condensation occurs, which results in creosote residue sticking to the inner walls of the chimney.
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What Kind of Weather Will This Winter Bring?

Climate.Gov

The 2014-15 heating season in the Northeast started pretty mild – with temperatures in September averaging around 50 degrees (F). January and February temperatures plummeted, and the snow accumulation broke records in many places.Ā Most stoves weren’t switched off for the season until well into May.

Ā  Ā  Ā  >>Ā 
New England Snowfall Records BrokenĀ 

But what will this winter bring for the Northeast? More bitter temperatures? More debilitating snow levels?

Unfortunately, the Old Farmers Almanac is predicting above-normal snow and below-normal temperatures for much of New England.

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