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comes up from underneath the combustion area—when that kind of thing starts to happen in the stove, the new pellets push it out of the way. That is an absolutely brilliant way to solve that problem; it’s almost like a burn pot that cleans itself, and it’s really the only one that does that.� As far as the life span of a typical pellet stove goes, Williamson says most are replaced between 12 and 15 years, but that doesn’t mean the stoves couldn’t be in use longer. “It’s usually not the stove’s fault— rather, it’s a combination of things, such as selling the house, or upgrading. Very rarely do I find a stove that is so worn out, it needs to be replaced. Maybe two or three in a year, but that’s nothing when compared to how many I see during that time. But, I have seen some stoves that are three years old and have died, and it’s like, ‘How on earth did you do that?’ And it’s likely because they just ran it without cleaning it once, and everything got bent and warped in there. A pellet stove has a lot of things that can be replaced, but things integral to the stove, like the refractory back in the body of the
stove, you can’t replace that—the whole thing is done.�
Explaining the Industry
Until pellet stoves are more mainstream, Williamson says he isn’t sure if the service side of the equation can be fixed— the typical chicken-and-egg scenario. “And there is a lot of competition—it used to be that people with oil would go for pellet stoves because oil was expensive, but now it’s cheaper. Propane and electric are still very expensive, but when all of those entry points are gone, it’s going to be up to the pellet industry to find new ones. When people decide to buy a pellet stove, it’s usually a cost-cutting measure. When the stoves themselves are put in, they are put in as a hedge against something else. When those go away, then what’s going to be the trigger to want to put a pellet stove in, when there are other economical choices? Pellet boilers are a little different, but you need to get to an economy of scale to make those work.� Another issue, according to Williamson, is that some appliance manufacturers
are reluctant to share information with independent service technicians like himself. “I learned it on my own, but if the way people can access this stuff isn’t changed, I’m not sure how it can get better,� he says. “There are many more of them in the market than pellet stoves, but you can buy a Lennox furnace from a myriad of different people and get 15 to 20 technicians to come out and work on it, and on the weekends. It’s just crazy, because there are all kinds of qualified people out there, who, given the opportunity, might be able to spur some sales.� Author: Anna Simet Editor, Pellet Mill Magazine asimet@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4961
PLANNING YOUR NEXT PROJECT? Bliss Industries has the experience combined with 21st century technologies for your size-reduction or pelleting needs. Call today! Bliss Industries, LLC is a leading manufacturer of pelleting, cooling and size reduction equipment. Founded in 1981, Bliss Industries maintains a reputation of manufacturing the most efficient, reliable and well-built equipment in the industry. Developed from a design concept proven worldwide, the range of Pioneer Pellet Mills continues to expand. Overall reliability, maximum efficiency, ease of operation and maintenance combine to provide lower operating costs to each owner. With the ability to provide a wide range of die sizes, die speeds and drive power, Bliss can more than meet your requirements for high quality at a reasonable cost. Proudly Manufactured in the USA
Impacting Industries Worldwide.
Bliss Industries, LLC P.O. Box 910 • Ponca City, Oklahoma U.S.A. 74602 Phone (580) 765-7787 • Fax (580) 762-0111 Internet: http://www.bliss-industries.com E-mail: sales@bliss-industries.com MARCH/APRIL 2018 | PELLET MILL MAGAZINE 29
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