SPRING CREEK, Nev. - Ed Scott ships wood pellets throughout the United States and recently shipped pellets to Germany. But even someone with his connections in the world is still experiencing the same difficulties as everyone else when it comes to the current state of the wood pellet industry.

According to Scott, the current pellet problems trace back to Hurricane Katrina. Scott said diesel and other fuels in the east were needed along the Gulf Coast by federal mandate, so there was a changeover from fuel oil to pellet stoves for many living in the eastern U.S. But because there are no major pellet manufacturers in the east, the pellets have to come from somewhere and the West had to answer the call. Last fall, Scott was selling pellets with about a 30-bag limit, but this year has recovered and is able to handle shipments in the form of tons.

Scott, who owns The Pellet Company in Spring Creek's Ruby Mountain Industrial Park, typically deals with 12 brands of pellets fitting various styles and outfits of pellet stoves.

He's also a partner in two mills near Salt Lake City and one in Canada, but the mills don't run full-time. The pellets Scott produces himself are of a premium grade, appearing an extremely light color when compared to the typically dark brown pellets available most places.

While most mass-produced commercial pellets contain lots of bonding agents such as plastics and chemicals to keep the saw dust together, Scott uses only hardwood and pine flakes heavily compressed to naturally keep their pellet shape. Typical pellets burn at 6,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units), but Scott said his personally produced pellets burn at about 10,000 BTUs.

Right now, Scott's mills aren't running due to transit costs, and it's more profitable for Scott to do standard drop shipments of other manufacturers' pellets. While Scott can meet demands now, and offer pellets in full-ton and long- ton form (about 60 bags), Scott was experiencing last year what a lot of local retailers are currently going through when it comes to being able to keep wood pellets in stock.

Since pellets are a hot commodity, heating efficiency is crucial in the mind of the consumer. But even if one had the foresight and ability to buy a ton or more of pellets in advance of the recent cold snap, they might not be getting their money's worth.

Scott said many people are using pellet stove setups that are not appropriate for their heating needs. Some aren't using their stoves appropriately, and some people don't take care of their stoves. According Scott, when he first set up shop in Spring Creek in the 1980s, most people were using a three-inch pipe for air intake on their stoves. Since he converted some people to four-inch pipes, it's getting harder to find people still using three-inch.

"Going to four-inch is like dropping a Hemi in your Volkswagen," Scott said.

Another issue Scott deals with is stove maintenance. When a stove stops working properly, he often finds large deposits of pumice-like pellet ash which accumulates after numerous continual burnings of lower grade commercial pellets. Two bags of pellets can produce a fist-sized deposit.

The substance accumulates as a combination of the ash, plastic bonding agents, motor oil and even dirt. Scott said many manufacturers use dirt in their stoves which is why Scott tries to deal in more premium-grade pellets.

"I make more money fixing stoves than I do selling pellets," Scott said.

Many people keep their stove at a low heat if burning all day, but Scott said the stove needs to be turned up a few times a day. Also, when people see pellets popping and jumping around they think that's bad. That's actually a good thing, aiding in proper burning and therefore more efficient heat production.

But one of the things Scott wants people to take to heart, which is quite possibly the most critical, is that pellets come in a variety of moisture levels, wood content, fillers, binders and accelerants. And, much like choosing the right car, people need to pick the right pellet that works for them.

"All pellets are not the same," Scott said.