On Sunday, August 09 firefighting crews from more than two dozen towns were called to fight flames were called to help extinguish a fire at the Jaffrey wood pellet plant in New Hampshire. Employees discovered the fire and tried to fight it with fire extinguishers, however the fire spread to the conveyor system and become out of control.
After 20 hours the fire had still been smoldering in one of the silos and officials were worried about the silo collapsing from the weight of the water pumped in.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries during the twenty-nine hour fire-suppression effort, officials said.

Steven Walker, president of New England Wood Pellet, said all the workers at the plant have been working to get it operational again. He said he expected it to be fully operational by the end of next week. WMUR 9

The plant’s employees have been working three shifts a day mopping up soggy sawdust and repairing machinery to get the plant back in operation.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed more than $135,000 in fines against the manufacturer after a worker got caught in a conveyor in January.

Authorities say the company showed indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety by allowing combustible wood dust to accumulate and for not having guards on the conveyors. Brattleboro Reformer

New Hampshire fire investigators have concluded that the wood pellet plant was accidental, and that workers responded appropriately in trying to put the fire out.

OSHA said its inspection revealed unguarded conveyors, exposure to fire and explosion hazards due to the design, construction and location of systems used to collect combustible wood dust.

New England Wood Pellet was given 15 business days from the time the citations were issued to either meet with OSHA or to contest the allegations before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Posted: August 15th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves.
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Wood pellets and wood pellet stoves have been in the news a lot lately, stating everything from how efficient they are, how they can keep the air quality around your community cleaner and how you can save yourself a lot of money by installing a wood pellet stove. But now the hype seems to be catching up with everyone as manufactures of both stoves and pellets are unable to keep with the demand from the public.

A news article from the New Hampshire Sunday News called “Pellet stoves efficient, but becoming scarce” shows that many stores in New Hampshire state have become so overwhelmed by the demand of pellet stoves that their sales have increased, in some instances, by 500%.

At Fireplace Village in Bedford, customers won’t receive their stoves until October.

June sales are up close to 500 percent compared to the previous June, and 90 percent of customers are inquiring about the pellet stoves or inserts for their fireplaces, according to store manager Jeff Taylor.

In Nashua, Al Carachio of Pellet King said he sold 100 stoves last month — 10 times the number for a typical June.

“The demand is just enormous,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this at this time of the year,” Carachio said.

Today, more than ever, with raising oil prices people have to seek alternative ways to heat their home without breaking the bank. These little pieces of compressed wood can do just that but at the same time help the environment, yet we have to remember that with any other heating source we have to take cation when using a wood pellet stove.

“I think what’s driving sales is people are getting their home heating bills,” Strimling said. “People are getting concerned about the environment and want to do the right thing, especially if it can save them some money.”Strimling is selling pellets for $269 to $279 a ton now, about $10 more than at this time last year but $60 to $70 more than in March, when prices had dropped. Home delivery will run about $35 a ton.

Raymond Fire Chief Kevin Pratt said that he is receiving “lots of calls” each day from residents who have recently installed new pellet stoves or are thinking about getting their old wood-burning stoves going again.

This trend is most likely to spread to other states at a rapid pace, if it hasn’t already. If you are wanting to heat your home cheaper this year you may not want to wait placing your order for your pellet stove. If you can’t get your wood pellet stove by the start of the heating season, at least you’ll have it for half of the season and that can really keep your oil / fuel cost from getting to high.

Posted: July 29th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves.
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The scale of the Libby changeout – 1,130 wood stoves in a little over two years – makes it the premiere example of a successful changeout program. The Libby experience demonstrates that a wood stove changeout can significantly and cost-effectively reduce harmful emissions. While Libby is in many ways the poster child for a successful changeout, many other areas can benefit from a similar program.

HPBA hopes this report and information on its website – www.woodstovechangeout.org – can help state and local leaders learn how a changeout can make their communities cleaner, safer and healthier.

What is a Wood Stove Changeout?

The wood stove changeout campaign is a voluntary program initiated at the local or regional level that provides eligible communities with a mechanism to reduce air pollution caused by wood smoke.  Residents of participating communities often receive incentives such as rebates, low/no interest loans and discounts to replace their old, conventional wood stoves and fireplace inserts with cleaner-burning, more efficient EPA-certified gas, pellet, electric or wood stoves and fireplaces.  Households that participate in changeouts must surrender their old wood stoves to be recycled.

HPBA Wins Award For Video Production

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) and Strat@comm, a Washington, D.C.-based communications firm, have won a Silver Telly Award for their video production “Clearing the Smoke - The Libby Report.”

The award-winning video details an HPBA-coordinated project in the town of Libby, Mont., where local residents replaced their outdated and polluting wood stoves with new technology woodstoves that burn more cleanly and more efficiently.

“We’re very excited that this video, highlighting the Libby, Montana, story, has been awarded the Silver Telly,” says Jack Goldman, president of the HPBA. “This was a story that needed to be told, and the video that Strat@comm produced is a remarkable retelling of the story.”

The Telly Awards pay tribute to local and regional television commercials and productions, as well as non-broadcast video productions.

SOURCE: HPBA

Posted: July 24th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves, Questions & Answers.
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After several months of waiting, the Ecoteck.us website is finally online and ready to provide you with information about the Ecoteck pellet stoves.

If you want to drastically cut your home heating costs for this coming heating season then an Ecoteck wood pellet stove may just be for you. Unlike an outdoor wood furnace these units sit inside your home, they are extremely stylish to fit in with your home decor and require less maintenance than an outdoor wood furnace. With an average efficiency rating of 84% these units surpass most units currently manufactured and sold in America.

So if saving money and doing less work to heat your home is at the top of your list, then check out the brand new Ecoteck.us website, it has all the information you need on these wonderful indoor wood pellet stoves.

Posted: July 14th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves.
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Wood pellet stoves were invented in the 1980’s and have gained in popularity in the last few years. These are small electric stoves that burn small pieces of recycled sawdust that are compressed into pellets. There are a number of advantages to using wood pellet stoves. They are extremely efficient, produce very little waste, and use inexpensive fuel.

Wood pellet stoves are fueled by tightly compressed pieces of sawdust. They have complicated machinery that adds new pellets to the fire when more fuel is needed. The user merely has to add the pellets to the hopper, and the mechanical auger moves pellets to the fire as needed.

Wood pellet stoves have average efficiency ratings of 80- to 85-percent. They heat more efficiently than bigger and more expensive gas heaters. These stoves have negative pressure systems that propel the hot air they produced outward, making the heat go farther than it would naturally. The pellets are burned so completely that they hardly give off any smoke, meaning that it is not necessary to build a large chimney to channel smoke out of the home. Wood pellet stoves only need a small pipe leading outside to dispose of excess smoke.

Since wood stoves are so efficient, they hardly produce any waste. An entire 40-pound bag of pellets produces less than a cup of ashes. People can use a wood pellet stove for months without having to empty the ashes.

The pellets used as fuel are made of sawdust from lumberyards and wood mills. The sawdust is compressed at high temperatures and is not held together by any type of chemicals or glue. A 40-pound bag of pellets sells for less than five dollars, with discounts available for people who buy in bulk.

Wood pellet stoves are a great alternative to gas or electric heating systems. They are economical and can produce enough heat to warm an entire house.

By Peter Emerson

Posted: May 5th, 2008 under Home Heating, Pellet Stoves.
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After many months we have finally been able to import 13 14 different Ecoteck wood pellet stove models, in a variety of colors, for resale in North America. finally have the ability to start testing the Ecoteck pellet stoves for UL and EPA approval.

Never before seen or sold in America or Canada, the Ecoteck Pellet Stoves will be making it’s North American debut at the 2008 HPB Expo in Atlanta, Georgia (Booth 5875). Our website and additional literature is currently in development and should be finished by the end of March or early April. To see the current site please visit http://www.ecoteck.us/

Unlike any other wood pellet stove on the market, at least from our experience, these units produce very little to no noise when running, which allows the natural sounds of the fire to be heard clearly. Colorful ceramic exteriors and stylish designs make you want to showcase these pellet stoves in your home and not hide them in a dark corner. Another feature that makes the Ecoteck stand apart from other wood pellet stoves is their FIREX 600, a vermiculite based material that stores the fires heat and slowly releases it.

For more information on the Ecoteck wood pellet stoves
call out toll free number 1-866-361-7355.

Posted: February 19th, 2008 under Pellet Stoves.
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