24 comments

• Comment Link Saturday, 09 March 2013 01:41 posted by Matt Johnson

  I purchased a ton of cheat river from lowes and I am totally disapointed with them, nothing but sawdust and ash. I have a milan insert for three years now. My stove is cleaned twice to three times a week... WORST PELLETS EVER DO NOT BUY...
• Comment Link Monday, 25 February 2013 16:58 posted by Tom Hevener

  I burnt 5 bags of the Cheat River pellets from Lowes thru my Ecoteck Sofia. they did ok, not as much heat on power level 1 or standby. but on power level 2 they put out good heat. They burnt well. I dumped them in they didn't require any tuning to the stove. They more ash than Hamers. It states 1% ash on the bag. Hamers states 1/2 %. so you can expect another time as much ash. It dont't make any difference to me I vacuum my stove every 2 or 3 days as recommended. for the money I wouldn't hesitate to buy them if I was getting a ton.
• Comment Link Sunday, 13 January 2013 12:50 posted by Steve C

  Sorry to here that you had problems with cheat river pellets I have a harmon p68 and they seem to burn fine in my stove.I guess Im one of the lucky few.
• Comment Link Friday, 11 January 2013 13:57 posted by jim

  Cheat river pellets stink they smelled up my down stairs by just sitting in the hopper
• Comment Link Tuesday, 08 January 2013 23:12 posted by Brian

  Cheat River pellets are the worst pellet I have ever burned. I have a 4 year old Quadrafire Mt Vernon AE, that I vacuum 2 times a week and scrape to bare metal weekly. I burned 2 bags of these pellets and my heat exchanger front and back was covered with a layer of black soot. There was so much ash, my stove was burning very erratic. My front glass had a black ring around it. I emptied them from my stove and returned 25 bags to Lowes. These are by far the worst pellet I have ever burned.
• Comment Link Sunday, 30 December 2012 19:39 posted by Lynn Wise

  I have a Harman Accentra and have been burning about five years. Tried a pellet from Lowes called Timber Heat. Good pellet so ordered two tons. They delivered Cheat River. Way too many fines and very high ash content. Don't think I'll try them again.
• Comment Link Friday, 28 December 2012 18:10 posted by Steve M

  Cheat river is the worst pellets I have ever found. Horrible burn, loads of black ash and TAR that sticks to heat transfer panels. They do burn hotter then most, BUT the trade off is I have to clean my stove every two weeks and a real mess. I have a 2 year old harman assentra insert and burns most anything. Best I have found are the greene team for my money at Lowes. New England is also ok for me, but more ash also. Stay away from the Cheat river. Just IHO.
• Comment Link Saturday, 22 December 2012 23:09 posted by Eugene

  I have a Harmen P61 just over 1 year old. After 10 bags the auger started squealing so bad I am going to have to see about a service call. It also caused my stove to shut down and error out. I will not purchase this brand again.
• Comment Link Friday, 21 December 2012 00:35 posted by kevin

  They flat out suck!! Way to much under burnt product!! Will never buy them again! Thank god I only bought 8bags!!
• Comment Link Wednesday, 28 November 2012 03:20 posted by Patty

  I just bought 3 bags of Cheat River pellets at Lowes to try. Didn't anybody notice the smell - my car smelled like charcoal briquettes on the way home and the bags weren't even opened. When you open the bags the smell was STRONG! Are they treated, or what? They burn hot but I'm concerned about health safety and would appreciate your input!
• Comment Link Monday, 19 November 2012 14:05 posted by Steve

  Harman Accentra insert... burns most anything, BUT these Cheat River were not a favorite....WAY too much ash, but did burn hot. Lots of fines, and bags are really loosely filled. last of the Lowes suppy so I had to buy 20 bags, and WILL NOT purchase again. Just my experience. Did have great results from Greene Team, New England, and Hamers, ( too expensive tho..).. Good luck.
• Comment Link Friday, 16 November 2012 16:38 posted by Chris K

  I purchased a ton of these pellets from Lowes (also purchased 2 tons of Green Supreme) and have been more than happy with them. I am using a Quadrafire Classic Bay 1200. They give off good heat and give off moderate to small amounts of ash. I would purchase them again - great price ~$4.00 per bag. The only thing I have noticed is there appears to be a lot of saw dust in the bag. So I shake the bag well before pouring in the hopper. Most saw dust settles to bottom of bag. Carefully stop pouring with only a handful of pellets left in the bag and most of the dust remains in the bag.
• Comment Link Saturday, 03 November 2012 11:58 posted by Mr. G

  By far the best pellets I have ever used they put hammers to shame. Hot burn, clean, little if any bag dust, consistent pellet size, Only issue is Lowes has a hard time keeping them in stock. I believe these should rate higher on woodpelletreviews site also, what's up with that?
• Comment Link Friday, 19 October 2012 20:13 posted by John Bracey

  Cheat River pellets are the best I've burned in my Quadrafire Mt. Vernon AE stove and that includes brands that cost more than two dollars more per bag! They produce very little ash and burn hot. The only problem I've had is them being available consistently at the local Lowes.
• Comment Link Monday, 15 October 2012 15:59 posted by Syd

  I have a Harman Accentra. Its my second year with the stove and it works very well if you maintain it properly and keep the air intakes clean. For this season I did not want to run out all winter to find pellets so I went to Lowes, Tractor Supply and Home Depot to buy a bag of each pellet and test them side by side. I live in Washington Crossing, PA (Bucks County). I had the chimney liner cleaned and I methodically cleaned out the stove for the test. I started with some left overs from last year to get the stove running and then added Stove Chow from Home Depot. After I was certain the pellets were being burned I checked the heat output with a digital thermometer. I was getting readings around 215 degrees plus or minus 5 degrees. I then cleaned out the Stove Chow and added the Cheat River. I did notice that the Cheat River were a little darker in color with very little fines or dust. The Cheat River was being carried by both Lowes and Tractor Supply. The heat output was 230 degrees plus or minus 5 degrees. I then used a 10% off coupon and bought 5 pallets of the Cheat River and am having them delivered. That type of heat output is pretty much as high as I've seen my stove go. The pellets were very uniform and like I said, low dust. I think these are a bargain at just under $200 a pallet with the 10% coupon. Need a coupon? You can buy them on Ebay or you can get a welcome kit at the local post office. There should be a 10% coupon in the kit. Delivery cost me $80 but is well worth it in my opinion.
  I don't have a lot of choices around here at the $200 per pallet range and last year the prices at Lowes went up towards the end of October as the cold set in. So if you want them, get em now or go to Tractor Supply who sells them for $219 a ton. Hope this helps folks.
• Comment Link Friday, 02 March 2012 02:01 posted by Rob

  I bought these pellets at Lowe's for a very reasonable price and have been burning them in a 20 year-old Vermont Casting Reliance. They are much better than the more expensive Hamer's Hot Ones that I bought before getting these. There are no clinkers, low ash and have had no problems at all with the stove. I would highly recommend them based on my experince with them.
• Comment Link Tuesday, 14 February 2012 19:58 posted by Sam

  The hottest pellets I've used over the last two winters and we used 20 different brands of wood pellets. Cheat River Hardwood burns 20 degrees hotter than the pellets that were 2nd hottest on my list using a Breckwell P22 pellet stove on the highest setting. Last they burn clean and have little ash. Highly recommend if your looking for the most heat your stove can pump out.
• Comment Link Sunday, 12 February 2012 06:53 posted by bobbie

  We purchased cheap river for the first n last time. To longing clogs up my stove. Keeps going out multiple times and had to keep unclogging my auger. We clean our stove every two days. 2 1/2 or longer is two longer. Dominion is the best. Burns hot less ash n perfect size.
• Comment Link Tuesday, 07 February 2012 00:31 posted by K. Reynolds

  We just discovered the Cheat River Pellets and are burning in our Harmon fireplace insert. We've been burning Lignetics from TSC but they were clunking and not putting out the heat so switched back to the hammers and their quality has been inconsistant for the $275 ton price! So far the 4 bags of Cheat Rivers we've burned have been impressive for the price $4.63 a bag. The stove likes them, low ash, good heat output and no clunkers. Planning to go back next weekend for a ton.
• Comment Link Saturday, 04 February 2012 22:41 posted by C. Sharrar

  We have an American Harvest multi fuel burning stove. This is the first year that we have use Cheat River hardwood pellets. We purchased 4 ton for the winter. Our stove is cleaned every weekend and there is alot of ash. So much in fact that there is even alot of fly ash in a pile outside under the pipe. The biggest problem is the length of the pellets. We have gotten so many bags that some of the pellets are 2 to 2 and 1/2 inches long. The stove goes out alot because the long pellets won't allow the others to fall into the auger and it runs out of fuel. That really stinks on those nights when the temperatures fall into the single digits and below. I don't think that we will be buying this brand again. So disappointed. To top it off, if natural gas prices continue to drop, I can buy a lot of reliable heat for that $200 plus a ton.
• Comment Link Sunday, 29 January 2012 15:27 posted by Drew

  Found these at Lowe's. Way too much ash in my Harman XXV. I won't purchase these pellets again.
• Comment Link Sunday, 01 January 2012 16:40 posted by Denny

  I brought 3 bags at Lowes Of Hanover Pa.for $4.18 a bag to try in my Bay 1200 Quadra Fire. For the 3 bags I had about a cup of coarse ash and 0ne small clinker. Heat output was ok. They wouldn't be first choice but I buy in a pinch ???
• Comment Link Tuesday, 08 November 2011 17:35 posted by Will.

  ::::UPDATE::::
  
  OK so 30 bags so far, the Cheat river has been the best i used to burn in my old picky Whitefield Quest stove, i have NOT had to wake up in the middle of the night to stir the pot, or wake up the next morning to see a overflow of pellets that do not burn completely and plugging up the pot, i dont have to clean my stove for about 3 to 4 days, AND i noticed that i have to turn the dampner all the way down closed Compared to having to have it 1/4 to 3/8 open with the stuff i have used in the past just get them to burn ! once before bedtime i stir the pellet pot, and i do not have to worry about it till morning, i stir it once more before i leave for work, and 12 hours later its still going great! i burned a Lot of brands, But im over half way though my first Ton, 30 bags, and its been nothing but consistant, i have yet had any other brands available in my area be consistant, i would have to chase after it and babysit each new bag to get a feel of how it would burn so i could make proper adjustments.. Cheat river i hope it stays in the stores and keeps up the good Quality I am honesly happy with these pellets, in my gumpy old stove.
• Comment Link Thursday, 06 October 2011 03:15 posted by Will.

  Found these pellets at the local Lowes, I have a Old Whitfield pelletstove (1984 year) that i use to heat a entire two story farm house (circa 1929) and it runs non stop once the weather gets to 55 degrees outside daytime, I clean the stove every year, and lube the motors, inspect and clean inside and out till no ash what so ever is in the unit,( using compressed air)and its very very picky about what it likes to burn, ive tried hamers, country boy, lignetics, potomac, freedom, and a few others that i cannot remember, i bought a couple test bags of the Cheat River to try, and noticed no funny smells, as i empty the bag into the hopper i noticed very very little fines from the bag,( impressed ), compared to most others i bought in the past, after a bag and a half i noticed no clinkering which was the biggest thing with my stove, thats two days of burning without worry to my suprise, and this is from a big box store, i noticed no smoke from the outside stack, and the heat was noticibly as hot as the premium brands i tried last year,, the price was fair, but it was on a special till OCT 13th 2011 for 3.97 per bag, $200 ton, roughly, but it would go up to another $100 a ton after that date. i have to say im pretty pleased with it as my stove is, my stove doesnt like to burn too many other brands without clinkering, Ash content For the Cheat River was fine, unlike a corse ash i usually get with others, and noticed a consistent pellet length, nothing 2 inchs long and or 1/8inch long like i found in lignetics, but a nice 3/4inch or so, i plan to buy 3 tons tomorrow, before the price goes up another $100 per ton, and before they run out, they have a trend to change brands half way through the season, i dont know why, but i plan to buy the batch that they have there now because the two test bags were exceptional and i didnt have to get up in the middle of the night to clean the grate to keep a clean burn going and without klinkers, Cheat River is a new company from West Va i believe they got thier Trade mark in april this year, i have a feeling they will do well if they keep producing this type of pellet, IMO if it burns great in my stove, i dont see anyone else having a issue in the new stoves what so ever, dont have a exact amount on the ash but its about a small cup full for two bags, i dont think i would spend the money on three tons of this if i did not feel in my heart from trying the two bags out that they were poor pellet, i could go buy Hamers for $259 a ton and thats early season price, it goes as high as 280 after jan here, but honestly the test bags did not produce any klinkers in my old old stove with two bags, compared to everything else i had, that WOULD produce some, some more then others, and thus id have to clean the grate for better sir flow, goin to spend the money on 3 tons tomorrow, if i notice anything else i will be sure to come back and post updates.