greenheat ltd.

Barrack Road, Caherconlish,Co. Limerick, Ireland.Telephone: (061) 352156Fax: (061) 352152Email: info@greenheat.iewww.greenheat.ie

SUPPLIERS OF: WOOD PELLET STOVES & BOILERS • WOOD PELLETS

greenheat ltd.

Barrack Road, Caherconlish,Co. Limerick, Ireland.Telephone: (061) 352156Fax: (061) 352152Email: info@greenheat.iewww.greenheat.ie

SUPPLIERS OF: WOOD PELLET STOVES & BOILERS • WOOD PELLETS

HOW WOOD PELLETSARE MADEPellets can be made from a variety of materials,however, the most common residential pellet ismanufactured from wood fibre.

Typically, this fibre is in the form of sawdust orshavings, produced as a by-product of the sawmillindustry. The waste wood is dried to 8-12%moisture content then processed through a“hammer” mill which pulverises the fibres into afiner consistency. This material is then fed into thecentre of a large steel die containing thousands of1/4” diameter holes. There, a system of rollers“squeeze” the fibre against the walls of the die,forcing it through the holes.With the presence ofthe woods’s natural binder (Lignin) and underextreme heat and pressure, the pellet is formed.The pellet is cooled and filtered to remove anydust and then packaged for the consumer market.

WOOD PELLETCHARACTERISTICSFollowing is a brief description of a number ofcharacteristics which determine the quality ofyour wood pellet fuel.

ASH. Like stickwood, pellets leave behind acertain percent of unburned ash. Excessive ashmay be caused by impurities in the wood fibreand/or an imbalance (air to fuel ratio) in theappliance’s burning process. Soil, picked up by thewood through improper handling techniques, isthe worst offender. Pellets containing bark willalso burn with higher levels of residual ash. Barktends to collect contaminants and may containlevels of ash 10 times higher than pure wood fibre.

Ash is measured as a percent of weight.Typically,residual pellets range between 0.3 and 0.7 percentash, or on average, one-half of one percent of thepellet’s weight will remain unburned in the form ofash.This appears insignificant - but by burning justone bag of pellets, a quarter pound of ash may bedeposited in the stove’s fire chamber. Generally,this would require a clean-out every few days.

The Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI) the governing bodyof the industry has developed fuel standards whichclassify any pellet with less than 1% ash as“Premium Grade”.

FINES (SAWDUST). Sawdust fines do notburn efficiently and may interfere with the flow ofpellets through your stove.

The PFI standard states that a bag of pellets shouldcontain less than 0.5 percent fines, by weight.Sawdust fines may be caused by improperscreening at the manufacturer or breakdown ofpellets through rough handling.

BTU. BTU is a measure of heating value.Typicallyresidential pellets burn at over 8,000 BTU’s perpound, or over 16,000,000 BTU’s per ton. Thiscompares to a cord of hardwood which wouldgenerate approximately 14,000,000 BTU’s. Acommon misconception in the industry is thathardwood pellets burn hotter than softwoodpellets. With stickwood this, of course, is true,because of hardwood’s higher density. However,through the pelletizing process, hardwood andsoftwood fibres are brought to the same density.In fact, softwood pellets generally outperformhardwood pellets because of the high sap contentwhich burns at extremely hot temperatures.

PELLET SIZE. Pellets are approximately 6mmin diameter and generally between 12mm and32mm long. Shorter pellets may burn very quicklyand inefficiently, while very long pellets may causebridging, blocking the fuel supply.

DENSITY. Ideal pellet density is greater than 40pounds per cubic foot. Lower density pellets arenot formed properly and will not deliver optimumheat. On the other hand, very dense pellets tendnot to burn thoroughly and may also impede thefuel lead system. Density is determined by themanufacturing process.

SALT (CHLORIDE). Pellets with high chloridecontent may cause rust and deterioration withinthe stove. Chloride levels are determined by thespecies of the wood and its environment. The PFIstandard allows for chloride contents of less than300 parts per million. Most pellets in our market,however, are under 100 ppm.

COLOUR. Pellet colour ranges from “tan” to“greyish-black”. Colour can be determined byspecies of wood, presence of bark, or in somecases “scorching” of the pellet as it is extrudedthrough the die. Colour alone will not determinethe quality of the pellet, although a dark pellet,resulting from a high blend of bark, may be oflower quality.

CONSISTENCY. Pellet consistency is a majorgoal in the industry. The same brand of pellet mayburn differently at different times.

This occurs because most pellet manufacturersuse a variety of wood species to produce theirpellet, often sourced from a number of differentsawmill operations. Furthermore, even amongstthe same species, from the same location, certainwood properties may vary.

Without a consistent raw material, it is difficult toproduce a consistent finished product. Tocompensate, most mills attempt to develop a“recipe” of blended materials.

A REPUTATION FOR

QUALITYGreen Heat pellets are a Premium Grade woodpellet manufactured in Canada.

Green Heat pellets are made primarily fromspruce sawdust and shavings, sourced from anumber of sawmills in Canada. Canada softwood,and particularly spruce, produces one of the finestpellets in the market today.

ASH. Our spruce fibre is inherently low in ashwith levels typically running 0.35 percent to 0.45percent. Greenheat has devised a storage, deliveryand manufacturing process that ensures thatsubsequent ash contamination is minimised.Furthermore, our pellets are made from 100%white wood, with no bark added.

BTU. Because of the high sap content, softwoodpellets generally burn hotter than hardwoodpellets. Green Heat pellets burn consistently over8,000 BTU/lb on an “as received” basis.

CHLORIDES. Green Heat’s pellet contains saltlevels only one tenth allowed by the Pellet FuelsInstitute standard.

CONSISTENCY. Our fibre is sourced from thesame sawmills day in and day out. These millsprocess essentially the same species of wood,therefore, variances are minimal. Both in-houseand independent lab testing ensure that GreenHeat pellet is the most consistent and highestquality product available to Irish and Europeanmarket. Green Heat meet and surpass all PremiumGrade standards of the Pellet Fuels Institute.

Today pellet stoves are one of the fastest

growing segments of the wood heat

industry. Pellets, made from waste

sawdust and shavings found in timber

mills, have proven to be the most

environmentally responsible, convenient

and efficient way to heat with wood.