Are Pellet Mills For Home Use Really That Practical?

A pellet mill, also known as a pellet press or pellet machine is the essential piece of equipment in pellet production. There is a growing demand for pellet fuel, and some individuals are interested in producing pellets from home. At PelHeat we support small scale pellet production, and we promote a range of small scale pellet mills which could be for home use. Some individuals are interested in being more energy independent, and other see it more as an opportunity to start a small business producing pellets not only for them selves but for customers within the local community. It is becoming more and more common to produce pellets from home and is set to continue.

Small Pellet Mill and Wood Pellet Machine

By far the most common design of pellet mills used for home use are flat die pellet mills. Flat die pellet mills can be produced in a very compact form. However, many of the small pellet mills on sale today from many other websites are actually feed pellet mills, and are not ideal for wood pellet production. Producing feed pellets is a much easier business, as the raw material has a much lower density, putting low pressure on the equipment and flowing through the die quite easily. However wood has a much higher density, and puts much more pressure on the pellet mill. This can show in some of the pellet mills on sale that are simply not designed to take the force of producing wood pellets.

Pellet Mills and Using Wood Pellet Mills

Pellet mills are available in a variety of different designs and productivity outputs. Small productivity pellet mills for home use can produce around 100Kg/h. An average property will consume around 3-5 tons of pellets per heating season. Therefore, to make the investment of a pellet mill more affordable, it makes sense to produce more pellets to sell to friends and neighbours.

The opportunity having your own pellet mill brings, is the ability to test producing pellets from a wider variety of materials than simply sawdust. For example many people has successfully trailed producing fuel pellets from leaves. In fact one of the most successful solutions is to mix a percentage of leaves with sawdust. This way you can achieve a better burning pellet, while reducing the amount of sawdust you need and helping dispose of your leaves. Another advantage is the ash from leave pellets is very good for the garden. Mixing leaves with sawdust also helps to reduce load on the pellet mill, and achieve a higher pellet mill output, reduce energy consumption and increase the life of the pellet mill roller and die.

Pellet Mill Die and Pellet Compression

The most important component the pellet mill is the die. The die is the part of the pellet mill where pellet compression takes place. The die dictates pellet density, pellet mill productivity and pellet mill energy consumption. Different sized holes are used in the die, for example pellet stoves generally require 6mm pellets where pellet boilers can normally use 8mm pellets. The advantages of producing 8mm pellets is there is reduce resistance as the raw material passes through the die. Reducing resistance means a higher productivity is achieved and lower energy consumption. We have produced a new small pellet mill specifically for a single phase power supply of the home. The press can produce pellets from a wide range of materials for a wide range of uses. Unlike almost all other small mills this machine is highly automated.

The Wood Pellet Production Guide © PelHeat Ltd - Are Pellet Mills For Home Use Really That Practical?