http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/  : Recent Topics en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:51:20 +0000 http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=4#post-4 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:48:14 +0000 admin 4@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Many of you have been very grateful for the information provided by this forum and have told me so. I appreciate the kind words.</p> <p>To help with the costs of the website and forum I ask that you click on a sponsor at the bottom of any of the pages either here in the forum or on the website itself. Each click provides about $.04-$.06 towards defraying my costs, and helps keep the forum going. </p> <p>So if you have benefitted by reading any of the information contained here, don't send your money, just CLICK! </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=55#post-978 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:03:36 +0000 MehdiTheOne 978@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I think I made everything right except this part. My raw material sawdust is of high quality (mostly beech, pine, fir etc.), and its mostly dry, about 9% moisture. </p> <p>My question is, could it be that my only problem now is moisture, and that it should be 15% and not 9%.. because with my machine of 15kw I am supposed to be able to make 200kg/h, but I can only make about 30kg.</p> <p>How should I solve my problem? Could I add water steam so the moisture would rise to 15%?</p> <p>Thank you for all the answers. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=27#post-711 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:00:12 +0000 rstohr 711@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hello every one.<br /> Glad I found this site was contemplating buying a 5hrs electric direct drive off of ebay but dint.<br /> Thinking i would be very underpowered.<br /> 3 phase is out of the question for me<br /> To far away to hook up.</p> <p>Thinking allong the lines of a pto model and mybe a WD tractor to run it.<br /> I need one for the place anways.<br /> I live on a small acreage in the country.</p> <p>What model do you suggest or had success with????????????<br /> I think the wd is around 25 hourse on the motor and 35 on the pto. </p> <p>Sounds like after reading some i need to be over powered that under powered.</p> <p>I have a good supply of hard wood for free.</p> <p>Has any one done a hard wood and corn mix not distillers grain.</p> <p>If that would work would I have to grind the corn to a cornmeal texture or mybe to a flour like mix???????????????????/</p> <p>Any and all thoughts well come. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=54#post-968 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:37:53 +0000 Woodman 968@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I am new to making pellets, and was wondering what is the best way to condition the die? What materials should I be using? Any help would be great! </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=5#post-10 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:16:24 +0000 sxviper04 10@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I need to make 5 ton for myself, then anything after that would like to sell to friends who have been hounding me. Have to get the mixture and moisture right first though. Had a free bag show up yesterday. Will try this weekend. Hope it works, will be about $260.00 cheaper to make a ton! Will post my results for you. How are you drying yours? </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=53#post-957 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:14:31 +0000 paulgeiger 957@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>My oil dipstick problem- Apparently, at some time my machine (PK200) must have over heated and the plastic dipstick actually melted off the screw! Found a motorcycle dipstick that threads perfectly and I'm guessing is close to the right length. But I would like to calibrate it to know the correct level to keep the gear box oil. Does anyone know what level the gearbox oil should be? Unfortunately, I had drained it before I took off the top casting to see the level. I filled it so that the spiral drive gear on the motor shaft in in the oil but not completely covered. I figure it splashes oil on the ring gear that way, but I'm not sure if that's actually the correct level. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=52#post-944 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:02:24 +0000 tjnamtiw 944@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hey all,<br /> I've followed this forum for a long time now and have learned a lot, although I haven't taken the plunge yet into buying the equipment. Now that we are just about through the winter, I'm curious to know how many of you have used your home made pellets exclusively for heat this winter. Also, if you have, :<br /> 1. How many tons did you use<br /> 2. What raw materials did you use for the pellets<br /> 3. What brand/model stove do you have<br /> 4. What was your experience with ash and clinkers? How often did you clean burn pot, etc.<br /> 5. What model pelletizer and hammer mill did you use? HP, etc.<br /> 6. Considering ALL your time, guesstimate the hours used to make one ton.</p> <p>I'd really appreciate the feedback as I'm sure others would also find it very informative. The big question everyone has is 'does it work and is it worth it?' Please be honest with your feedback. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=11#post-344 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:23:58 +0000 pdgjim 344@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Has anyone out there made pellets from grass hays? I made some this fall and they burn alright except high ash content. I can not seem to get them to shine. Would pellet bond help here. i bought a bag but have not tried it yet. We bought a machine from PelletPro and they say I can make 650 lbs an hour but I think they are full of it. Has anyone else bought one of these from them? </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=51#post-936 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:36:37 +0000 jro 936@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hi, I have a pellet stove and have been thinking about making my own pellets. What would the initial expenses entail. I have acccess to hardwood and softwood but not alot of saw dust. Right now we a buying hardwood pellets and it is getting expensive. Any information you can provide me with will be greatly appreciated. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=50#post-933 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:36:53 +0000 befu 933@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hello, looks like a nice forum!</p> <p>Have been looking at pellet stoves for awhile, but never committed due to the cost of the pellets. Generally, natural gas is the same or cheaper to heat with, plus I did not have to buy a stove and then haul pellets.</p> <p>But two things. Natural gas will go up in price and it would be nice to use a renewable energy source!</p> <p>I have access to wheat bran which is pretty fluffy. I have also seen a reference to wheat bran pellets as a bio fuel, but can not find any information on how they might burn or the energy content. If I can make my own fuel, it would be worth it to me to get a stove. If not it will have to wait until fuel prices justify it.</p> <p>anyone try this before or would anyone be willing to try burning some bran pellets if I made some as a test?</p> <p>The other materials I was considering was wheat middlings or paprika. Yes, paprika but it is more expensive than wheat bran or middlings.</p> <p>Brian </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=49#post-927 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:58:25 +0000 hanson-farms 927@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hello everyone!! I'm new to pellet making so please bear with me. I press oil out of my sunflowers and want to make pellets out of the leftover meal. Has anyone tried this? I'm finding it difficult to make good pellets. I've tried binders and adding moisture. I'm thinking there might be too much residual oil in the meal. Any thoughts?</p> <p>Another thing I'd like to try is pellets from wheat straw. Any thoughts on this one would also be greatly appreciated. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=19#post-526 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:14:39 +0000 Gburg 526@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I have been watching this site for several months.It has provided very good information for us begining folks, keep up the good work! I'm from pa. near Gettysburg. I was wondering if anyone was up grading from a small pellet mill.I want to start small and work my way up to a larger mill in time. I have a 35 and a 100 hp farm tractors. So i really don't have to have a motor at this time. I have access to a farm grinder/mixer[hammer mill]. I can get plenty of sawdust and hay, corn stalks.Thanks for any help you can provide. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=48#post-923 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:51:41 +0000 oldendays 923@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I know you guys were talking about this earlier in another thread, and i went poking around and found some on EBAY...</p> <p>You can go here: <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Testing-Equipment" rel="nofollow">http://stores.ebay.com/Testing-Equipment</a> and look for moisture meter.<br /> Now, his aren't cheap either, but cheaper than the ones mentioned here... $134<br /> Also, if you just do a search on ebay for "moisture meter" you will get all of the different kinds, just make sure , as mentioned elsewhere, that you look for GRAIN or SAWDUST moisture meters.</p> <p>Here is one that is listed till the end of January for $84.90 with free shipping:<br /> <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&#38;item=370314401589&#38;ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT" rel="nofollow">http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&#38;item=370314401589&#38;ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT</a></p> <p><a href="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/33000337/Images/5/16WET001-MC7821-A.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/33000337/Images/5/16WET001-MC7821-A.jpg</a></p> <p>If you look at that photo, you can see WHY those are for grain/sawdust, the probes are about 9 inches long instead of the regular wood moisture meters that have short little probes.</p> <p>I would guess you could stick them probes into a bag of pellets just the same and see the moisture content without opening a bag.</p> <p>Just my two bits guys. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=28#post-731 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:08 +0000 sabrestone 731@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hi,<br /> I am also new to this post but have been reading it for several days. I have horses and also wondered if anyone was using the manure for pellets. I am just interested in personal use. I live in New Mexico and it dries out to small chaff that seems ideal for pelleting that is odorless and burns with an odor similar to wood or straw. It is processed plant material after all. I've read that it burns hotter than wood with less ash. Admin asked if anyone was pelleting and burning it I believe and I read where jibe had pelleted and burned some. My questions are can a small pellet mill be used, what are the requirements in addition to binder ie.hammermill necessary, if a small mill would work which would you recommend, are there any used ones available, flat die versus rollers, do these pellets work well in a multi fuel stove and which mf stove is best? We are interested in purchasing a mf stove and producing our own pellets. Sorry for all the questions.<br /> Drago </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=8#post-181 Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:47:23 +0000 sxviper04 181@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>anyone had any ideas on how to dry sawdust that is too wet to pelletize? </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=41#post-883 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:04:42 +0000 Edward Johnson 883@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I am really new at this, and before I get in to deep, I would like to know a few things. What kind of pellets do cardboard make. I have a unlimited supply of cardboard. And second, I have seen lots of videos on making pellet, and they never fill the hopper on top of the mill. They only put in like a hand full at a time, is this how slow you have to fill the mill, or is this just in the video </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=46#post-918 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:23:12 +0000 nickg 918@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Brian for your info , I emailed these other places that sell the pellet mills for less and asked what you told me to ask them , here is what I wrote : </p> <p>can you give me the total cost of the mill including shipping , custom fees ,duty fees ,brokrage fee. I just want to make sure that there is no other charges.</p> <p>And guess what? They stopped emailing me! So for anyone trying to start, make sure you do your research, and you will come back to this site because honesty and quality means everything. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=45#post-911 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:01:52 +0000 henrylopez 911@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I want to konw if somebody has done any pellet with compost from cowshit. It is for fertilization of pasture. Can it be done with the pellet mills. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=44#post-901 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:04:43 +0000 nickg 901@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hi everyone I am new here and quite interested in making pellets from grass clippings. I am a groundskeeper on a 125 acre proprety ,and mow about 20 acres a week of grass .I will be purchasing a lawn vacuum to pick it all up once it is dry enough. I also have a friend that has a furniture factory so I can get all the sawdust that I want. from what I have read so far a mixture of 75% grass and 25% sawdust would make a nice pellet. Am I wright any info on this would be great before I go and purchase a pellet mill and lawn vacuum.</p> <p>Thank you and Happy New Year to everyone </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=43#post-898 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:26:52 +0000 ss0073 898@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I have a large supply of rolled paper that I am looking to turn into pellets, but before purchasing equipment, i would like to have it ran through someones hammermill first and get some feedback on how well your hammermill chopped up the paper and if there were any problems. Then, what kind of hammermill do you have so I know what to buy. I dont want to spend money on something that isnt going to work. Rolls of paper are 27' long rolled up into about 2-3" in diameter roll and between 24-30" wide. What i am interested in finding out is if you can put the rolls directly into your hammermill or have to break them down into smaller pieces first. Let me know if you are interested and I will send you some test material. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=42#post-885 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:16:26 +0000 ss0073 885@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I am very interested in the pellet manufacturing process, but have some questions for you experienced people. I have 2, free, unlimited bio supplies. First, I can have a full dump truck load of wood chips from a tree service that my brother works for on a daily basis. Second, I work for a gift wrapping paper producer, and I can get all the free paper I can use. With those 2 supplies, what do I need to grind them up before going into a pellet mill? Hammermill for the wood chips? How small do they have to be? They would come to me about 3/4" pieces (commercial chipper). Is that too big to go into the pellet mill? How about the paper? Rolls of paper on cardboard tubes like you buy in the store. How do I go about grinding the paper up? Commercial paper shredder? Confetti machine of some sort? Hammermill for this too? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am located in eastern NY, so anyone that has an operation I could look at would be great. </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=25#post-697 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:04:34 +0000 George 697@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Did anyone ever change the clutch on the mill? When remounting the friction plate (which sits on the six springs) when screwing the nuts on the forks, how much tension must be on that friction plate ?</p> <p>Thanks<br /> George </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=39#post-861 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:59:23 +0000 Duck1968 861@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>While searching for information on feed pellets I came across this site that has several articles on the pelleting process that I thought some of you might find interesting.<br /> <a href="http://www.allaboutfeed.net/article-database/processing/pelleting/page-1.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.allaboutfeed.net/article-database/processing/pelleting/page-1.html</a><br /> (click on “read more &gt;” then click on “Download PDF”)</p> <p>When making feed pellets for small animals like rabbits do you need a smaller die than you use for wood pellets?</p> <p>Have any of you found any sites with good recipes for feed pellets?</p> <p>Thanks Brian </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=24#post-691 Sat, 23 May 2009 19:11:25 +0000 Stormrunner 691@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hello, I am new to the forum and to pellet making altogether really. I am an open researcher of the net at the present time have become interested in many topics I come across. The downfall of the net, for some, is that there so much information, it can boggle the mind.</p> <p>I ran across the videos put out by the web site on YouTube and desided to pose a question to the site administrator. They still have not gotten back to me, but I think from the posts on the forum you are a pretty busy group - he is likely looking into it.</p> <p>The newest thing on the 'Save the World' front is Bio-char. I asked if the pellet machine would be able to convert bio-char into a pellet form. I do know that the bio-char can be hand pressed, or screw extruded into briquettes. This is done in many countries around the world. What I think would work the best is the small pellets that your group are making.</p> <p>I will give a little bit of back ground for my idea. Researchers who have explored the rain forests of the Amazon have come across a soil type which is man-made. They call it 'Terra-Preta' or 'Dark Earth'. I have found out that the soil of the rain forest is not particularly suited to growing vegetation (this surprised me) and the ancient civilivations in the area would treat the soils. These plots of land they are finding today are estimated to be 100's of years old (in terms of last use) and are amazingly fertile as compared to other soils in the immediate area. They only run 4-5 feet in depth and cover the know growing plot area of the period. Todays natives actily hunt out these plots and sell the fertile soil as an income.</p> <p>The keys to this fertile soil is a high carbon content and pottery chards. Both materials are are very porous in nature. What happens is the nutrients that come to the treated soil gets trapped in the pores of the material and are held there, rather then being washed straight through the soil. These nutrients are then extracted from the material be the root systems of the plants as they grow. As the spaces in the material open up again they are refilled with newly arrived nutrients. This material has proven that it can remain in the soil for 100's of years - as is found in the 'Terra-Preta' plots. </p> <p>By the way these plots are not isolated to the Amazon they are found around the World in different areas. The thing is that the way they are made - the technique was lost. These plots around the World are being used up and the farmers are running out of nutrient rich natural (organic) soil. Some feel that the burning of the fields in the way to go as it has been done that way for ages. Well, the soil is dying and it working. The soils are being depleted. Plant matter which is made of carbon, takes its building blocks from the soil and therefore the soil is lacking carbon after centuries of use. But, because we had one lazy, or work saving generation, who knows how long ago, we have lost the technique of how to care for the soils.</p> <p>Tests run in Africa are showing an amazing 500+% increase in crop yields in the first year. They are still using unorganic fertilizers as that is what they thought they needed, but that can change now. Their soil is so bad in some areas that nothing would grow. If any farmer could get a 20% increase in anual yields they would be happy.</p> <p>The reason that the use of chemicals came into large use was because of the depleted soils. If the chemicals did not wash away (trapped in the carbon for future use) there would be less need in the future. Ideally there would be none needed in the future.</p> <p>So what are we doing. At present we grow plant material, burn it, and release the carbon into the atmosphere. I don't go for the global warming thing, but do feel it is not a good thing happening. The dirt on my car every day tells me that things are changing for the worse - I didn't see that as a child.</p> <p>What we can do is grow the plat material, burn a portion of it to covert another portion of the material back into carbon, and put that carbon back into the soil. This cuts emissions to the air (from that aspect of society) to 50% of what it was. Pellets can play a big part in this.</p> <p>My idea was to convert plant matter to char and the char to pellets. The pellets would be good as they are finding in test fields that the microbes in the soils like to grow in the larger pieces. 'It makes the soil happy' - they have a community of their own. You do not want too large of chuncks as that makes the soil difficult to work with. Too small of piece (on surface soil) will be blown away on windy days. The wind blown soil is may not seem like a big thing, but the carbon has the nutrients now remember. Keep all you can on the fields instead of the forest. If you wish to recarbonize the forest soil, spread it through the forest in your spare time.</p> <p>It should be said here that the carbon upon introduction to the soil will deplete the soil of nutrients at first. This is the carbon 'charging' itself. Th pores of the carbon are filling and will have the nutrients there, it just looks like the nutrients are gone. This is why it is a good idea to pre-charge the carbon before introduction to the soil. Mix it with compost or manure for a couple of weeks and let the pores fill. the nutrients will then be added to the soil with the carbon. This where the pottery chars they find in 'Terra-Preta' come from. They are the holding vessels from the indoor urinals and toilets - charged and stinky they were broken in the fields.</p> <p>This may not work as far as making pellets from bio-char goes. What about bio-char from pellets. This would be easy to test for you people. You have the machines and the wits to do it. The market is there if you want to sell the end material. Every back-yard composter, in every city will want this stuff.</p> <p>I hope I wasn't too long winded on this. It is an important topic, especially if you are a rural resident. City dwellers with a green thumb can help, but the rural residents hold a majority of the bio-matter.</p> <p>For more information google 'bio-char' also 'making charcoal from wood' you can get into the worm castings and all that, but once the nutrients are in your soil the rest of the good things will come and live there without help.</p> <p>Good luck</p> <p>God Bless,<br /> Robert Alexander<br /> Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario<br /> Canada </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=32#post-756 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:52:59 +0000 wire guy 756@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Thanks to all the info i have made a fair amount of nice pellets. I have been making them out of used horse bedding. Mainly kiln dried pine, hay, and horse apples. I finally fired up the pellet stove and they did not work so well. I got way to much ash. About 20 - 30 times that of hard wood. I would have to empty the stove twice per day. Any thoughts? </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=37#post-789 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:55:01 +0000 Dave in MT 789@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Hi all,<br /> I'm new to this forum. We're going to pick up a pellet stove this year, and later a second for our shop. My folks had one and we really like the idea, and biomass is not a problem where we live.<br /> We'll start with commercial pellets first, but the goal is to make our own. I've been making biodiesel for about 10 years and know better than to assume that you can start making your own fuel from the get-go, and it gets cold here in western Montana.<br /> There seems to be two basic types of stoves, those that burn only "premium" pellets that I understand burn a bit hotter and cleaner, and regular stoves that seem to be less picky but require a bit more maintenance and maybe have a bit less rated BTUs.<br /> I've poked through the existing posts and have learned a bit about type of biomass used and about binders, and some of the gotcha items like moisture content.<br /> My question is: What's the difference between the so-called "premium" pellets and regular pellets? My guess would be that a premium would be pure or almost pure sawdust, perhaps of only certain species, plus a good binder to make sure they burn consistently and cleanly.<br /> Thanks!<br /> Dave in MT </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=36#post-770 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:33:28 +0000 Chuck1 770@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>Does anyone know what the valve lash should be on the 22 hp diesel? </p> http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/topic.php?id=22#post-638 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:31:27 +0000 egglebl 638@http://www.makeyourownpellets.com/forum/ <p>I have a new operation and am currently handling the output in bulk. I would like to begin bagging in the same way pellets are found at retailers. Can anyone point me to bag suppliers? I believe these are Poly bags and are sealed using impulse heat sealing units. In some cases the bags come on a roll but I don't know what the mil thickness specification should be for this product. </p>