Not feeling the tension yet.

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save$

save$

Minister of Fire
Sep 22, 2008
1,903
Chelsea Maine
It had seemed that about this time there was a lot of activity from folks lining up to buy stoves and pellets. This year seems very quiet. In fact, so quiet that the sellers are contacting people who bought before from them in prior years. I finally got moving and bought my season supply, but I have to tell you I have three family members who are going out to buy them like they would groceries from week to week. I am more Old School and feel better when I am all hunkered down for the winter.
 
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We've got 7 tons due to be delivered either this week or next. At least 3 will get burned in the P43 that heats my daughter's Studio Apt over the garage.
The rest will be fed to the P61A down in the A-Frame. We'll be "hunkered."
 
We've got 7 tons due to be delivered either this week or next. At least 3 will get burned in the P43 that heats my daughter's Studio Apt over the garage.
The rest will be fed to the P61A down in the A-Frame. We'll be "hunkered."
 
this was the first year i purchased my pellets in July. I normally wait till end of Sept. Saved a few bucks by buying in July, so I'll stick with it.
 
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save$ said:
It had seemed that about this time there was a lot of activity from folks lining up to buy stoves and pellets. This year seems very quiet. In fact, so quiet that the sellers are contacting people who bought before from them in prior years. I finally got moving and bought my season supply, but I have to tell you I have three family members who are going out to buy them like they would groceries from week to week. I am more Old School and feel better when I am all hunkered down for the winter.
Click to expand...

Seeing everyone has pellets these days, I can see why they aren't stashing like we do. IMHO its comforting knowing you have a seasons worth. My first year we didn't get the stove until October. Had to buy here and there due to cash flow. Never had issues getting any. Next season was more of the same and we were OK. 3rd season we hit a wall around December and scratched to get fuel. I learned quickly to get as much as I can as soon as I could. Otherwise the pigs snag em on ya! I'm still stashing all I can when a deal seems good. We've done it so long now it like second nature. Don't feel comfy with an empty stash.

If there is a shortage or issue, Having a buffer is priceless!
 
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I have the shakes even sitting on over 7 tons but for a hog I understand that less than 10 tons on hand can do that, it started last season.

I am compensating this season by adding wine making to my list of hobbies. I have an Orange Ginger Rhubarb wine in bottles and a Blackberry (from the back lot) and an Apple/Pear wine sitting in fermenters, the Blackberry wine will be racked off of its sediment for the first time later this week. Boy was it hot while I picked the two gallons of blackberries that went into the must. The apples and pears came from the front lot, first major amount of both.
 
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I could never buy week to week. I must have a pile. The question is always, HOW BIG? I have 40 bags or so of MWP for shoulder work but am looking for a ton of FSU right now. Me thinks I am going to run through the Barefoots and Somersets that have been fermenting in my shed for the last two seasons.... If it is balls to the wall all out cold this winter, we could go through pellets like toilet paper. At 10 degrees, I go through a bit more than a bag a day, heating our small house. Does that become a bag +X if we stay around zero for a few weeks? Working on these mysteries without any clues....
 
Maybe the supply of pellets has been steady enough in the last few years that people are not as worried about getting stuck w/out?
 
Just purchased 2 tons and filled up the dreaded oil tank just in case. Also have 25 gallons of kerosene as a back up to the back up. Going to get another 2 tons then I'll be set for anything
 
i get my full year's order delivered as soon as they are available and the ice is clear of the drive so the truck can get to the bunker hatch.
i have surplus each year and am building that up to the limit of what my basement can hold in areas not used for other functions.

then i'll switch to getting a delivery every other year.
 
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This is not 10+ years ago when if you did NOT get pellets by Sept you were out!!, I have not bought any and will buy on a per ton basis, pellets are EVERYWERE....and all around me is GS!
My stove is dirty as I never clean it until i'm ready to burn, my wife cleaned the glass over the summer, I said why?, now you can see the mounds of ash inside piled up!
 
Had to go out and buy a pallet of pellets in early March because couldn't get ton # 5 out of the shed for all the snow. Only one ton available in 50 miles. Retailers had already went into spring mode and had not restocked because they got stuck with inventory the last heating season(11-12) when we had a very warm non winter with temps in the 70s in mid March. I don't want a repeat of trying to get the fuel fired van up and running and shoveling it out if it stays cold at the end of heating season (13-14)
 
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I wish I had room to store more. 3 pushes me to the ceiling. 4, is tough and takes up some of my family room (concrete slab) in the lower level.
 
boy, I dunno about not being busy....we are out 6 weeks on pellet delivery right now.....stove sales are brisk too......cant agree with the OP, Im afraid.....if folks wait, better be prepared to pick them up yourselves.......
 
Pellet-King said:
This is not 10+ years ago when if you did NOT get pellets by Sept you were out!!, I have not bought any and will buy on a per ton basis, pellets are EVERYWERE......
Click to expand...
Never forget the story of the Ant & the Grasshopper:

"In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil a ton of pellets he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"

"I am helping to lay up pellets for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of pellets at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.

When the winter came the Grasshopper had no pellets and found itself freezing to death - while it saw the ants dumping bags of pellets into their stoves from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need."
 
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I am Planning to only stash a couple tons or less, but if i find space, i will stack in some more. We pick them up. Last year i had 3.5 tons, and my garage was too tight!

My local hd was well stocked through feb.
 
I don't have a lot of storage space so I buy a ton at a time. When I am down to 8-10 bags I grab another ton. Only got sketchy one year in the 10+ yrs I've been burning.
 
SXIPro said:
I don't have a lot of storage space
Click to expand...
Same for me I can squeeze about 80 -90 bags in my garage . Going to start building up my stash this week , then during the season when I burn down 10 -15 bags I restock until I have enough to carry me till the seasons end.
 
imacman said:
Never forget the story of the Ant & the Grasshopper:

"In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil a ton of pellets he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"

"I am helping to lay up pellets for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of pellets at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.

When the winter came the Grasshopper had no pellets and found itself freezing to death - while it saw the ants dumping bags of pellets into their stoves from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need."
Click to expand...

but you know, as time goes on, and folks get smarter, I am constantly amazed that more and more people don't plan ahead and get pellets before it gets cold........kinda like a tsunami......we can see it coming, cant really do anything to stop it, and have to brace ourselves against the ire of folks who cannot ever seem to plan ahead......after all, it IS our fault that they haven't bought their pellets earlier.........
 
I for one am all about planning ahead and being prepared. Scrambling around looking for pellets In a snowstorm is not what I want to be doing. Especially when I could be riding the quad and plowing the driveway in a snowstorm. To me there's just some comfort knowing that if winter went balls out and we get slammed that I have enough heat to keep me and my Family warm and comfortable for the winter w/o needing that stinkin oil! I'm also OCD so making sure I have my stash is very important.
 
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Paul Raz said:
I for one am all about planning ahead and being prepared. Scrambling around looking for pellets In a snowstorm is not what I want to be doing. Especially when I could be riding the quad and plowing the driveway in a snowstorm. To me there's just some comfort knowing that if winter went balls out and we get slammed that I have enough heat to keep me and my Family warm and comfortable for the winter w/o needing that stinkin oil! I'm also OCD so making sure I have my stash is very important.
Click to expand...

Well, this would mean someone waited till they were down to 2-3 bags and had no other source of heat. Besides those scenarios it's really not a desperate situation.
 
Paul Raz said:
I for one am all about planning ahead and being prepared. Scrambling around looking for pellets In a snowstorm is not what I want to be doing. Especially when I could be riding the quad and plowing the driveway in a snowstorm. To me there's just some comfort knowing that if winter went balls out and we get slammed that I have enough heat to keep me and my Family warm and comfortable for the winter w/o needing that stinkin oil! I'm also OCD so making sure I have my stash is very important.
Click to expand...

OCD is good at times and not at other times,. when it comes to having winter supplies on hand it is just what this Bear ordered :).
 
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SXIPro said:
Well, this would mean someone waited till they were down to 2-3 bags and had no other source of heat. Besides those scenarios it's really not a desperate situation.
Click to expand...

oh, you'd be very surprised at how often this is exactly the case......
 
If you have the room and the funds, it never hurts to be prepared. I've lived in New England all my life and every year I'm amazed at how something so cheap and simple as say - a snow shovel - is so sought after on the day before a major winter storm, even though they've been out in the hardware stores since October.
 
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