Alternate heating

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chrisasst

chrisasst

Minister of Fire
Aug 13, 2008
1,289
cortland ny
Well, I have about maybe 2 more days worth of pellets left with no stock in site of me.
So with 3 kids and wife, old drafty house, pellets stoves my only heat source, what would be my alternative choices?
Keroscene heater is max of what 23,000 btu. One of those wont be enough, and those are out of stock locally.
very nervous right now
 
chrisasst said:
Well, I have about maybe 2 more days worth of pellets left with no stock in site of me.
So with 3 kids and wife, old drafty house, pellets stoves my only heat source, what would be my alternative choices?
Keroscene heater is max of what 23,000 btu. One of those wont be enough, and those are out of stock locally.
very nervous right now
Click to expand...

To begin with , I`d seriously consider moving in with your parents or in laws . Next I have to ask is how you got yourself into this situation.
 
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Well I am an unfortunate person that has to live paycheck to paycheck and cant shell out a $1000 at a time to buy pellets, so I have to buy 15 bags a week.
 
bob bare said:
Guess I am missing the point.If you can buy a kerosene heater,thats 1/2 ton pellets.
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That is correct, but again, no pellets to be found.
i just saw on face book that a look said his pellets should be delivered tomorrow, but I work and he has limited open hours, so..
 
OK Looks like some people just thought you were broke.If you are a church member,they would help,someone could run over for you.Salvation army may also.Also do not be afraid to call the owner,a lot of people are very understanding,and may stay after work till you can arrive.
 
chrisasst said:
Well, I have about maybe 2 more days worth of pellets left with no stock in site of me.
So with 3 kids and wife, old drafty house, pellets stoves my only heat source, what would be my alternative choices?
Keroscene heater is max of what 23,000 btu. One of those wont be enough, and those are out of stock locally.
very nervous right now
Click to expand...
This is the type of reason I always liked having two types of heat source in the house. Years ago it was oil and wood or I should say wood and oil. But with wood you can always go find some scraps someplace to burn. With pellets you are stuck with pellets. Later it was coal and the oil burner. Now pellets and the oil burner.

Raised five kids in this house, if I never learned a thing else from that episode of life, I did learn to improvise heating the house when things were tight. Got to think ahead.

That said, my gas oven or range in general may not heat the house in the really freezing weather but it will bring the temp up enough so nothing freezes. Throw in a couple of quartz heaters it might be chilly, expensive for a months billing but livable. But knowing me, I'd probably rip out a pellet stove and shove in a wood stove till this is over. The term at hand is improvise.
 
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alternativeheat said:
This is the type of reason I always liked having two types of heat source in the house. Years ago it was oil and wood or I should say wood and oil. But with wood you can always go find some scraps someplace to burn. With pellets you are stuck with pellets. Later it was coal and the oil burner. Now pellets and the oil burner.

Raised five kids in this house, if I never learned a thing else from that episode of life, I did learn to improvise heating the house when things were tight. Got to think ahead.

That said, my gas oven or range in general may not heat the house in the really freezing weather but it will bring the temp up enough so nothing freezes. Throw in a couple of quartz heaters it might be chilly, expensive for a months billing but livable. But knowing me, I'd probably rip out a pellet stove and shove in a wood stove till this is over. The term at hand is improvise.
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Yep,there are ele. baseboards in my basement,never been on,were free,hung them one weekend years ago.Just in case!
 
bob bare said:
Yep,there are ele. baseboards in my basement,never been on,were free,hung them one weekend years ago.Just in case!
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For years I had one of the kero heaters with the wick in it down in the basement, just in case also ! I'll tell you what, I wouldn't mind having another one. I used that for wood working down there, figured I might as well put it to use and it darned well took the chill out. It got rusty and old eventually and got tossed ( was well used when I got it). Now from what I hear, Ma. banned kero heaters.
 
hoverwheel said:
OP might not have a safe / suitable chimney. I don't even though I have a nice Jotul 118 I could hook up.
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Oh, I know but tell you what heat vs building inspector for a week or two till pellets show up, I'd rig a chimney, double wall, masonry, something. It's just how I am, it's not permanent and I know enough about stoves to not burn the house down. Now I didn't say the OP should do this, I just know what I would be up to !!!! And then next year I'd be rigging up something for real as backup, what ever that may be. I've been down this road, I know how the OP feels but I felt it in Aug not in Feb and went to work on it. My kids were just little, I didn't make a lot of dough but somehow we get through these things, we just do. He will too.
 
alternativeheat said:
Oh, I know but tell you what heat vs building inspector for a week or two till pellets show up, I'd rig a chimney, double wall, masonry, something. It's just how I am, it's not permanent and I know enough about stoves to not burn the house down. Now I didn't say the OP should do this, I just know what I would be up to !!!! And then next year I'd be rigging up something for real as backup, what ever that may be. I've been down this road, I know how the OP feels but I felt it in Aug not in Feb and went to work on it. My kids were just little, I didn't make a lot of dough but somehow we get through these things, we just do. He will too.
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I agree. And push come to shove I would do that too. Thankfully it did not come to that for me.
 
I would be checking with all the local hardware, feed, home improvement and stove shops. Surprisingly I have found some of the best deals (and back stock) at agricultural feed stores (Agway, Blue Seal, etc).
Also drastic times..drastic measures: consolidate into the room with the stove, put blankets over the windows and doorways, run stove on low to conserve what you have until you can get more.
I feel for you-good luck.
 
Also craigslist may have used kerosene heaters. I have one just in case I run out of pellets and 10 gallons of kerosene. Another option but not the best is a wall mounted LP gas ventless heater and some LP tanks, preferably a big one. Get on craigslist, your local freecycle and cheapcycle groups and keep looking. If the only problem is working hours for you and the supplier, like someone said, talk to him and work something out. I had a bad water leak over the weekend a while back that put me out of water. My neighbor called the Ace Hardware store owner and he came back to the store on Saturday night at midnight to let me get what I needed. Always have a backup because the day is fast approaching when we ALL will need a backup to the backup.
 
Got a small new style ventless in basement,if i cannot get home it is more effecient that propane direct vent.Thousands of times safer than kerosene.Lots of hype about vent free,but people heated with them for many years,very few deaths(since the 1800's)
 
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bob bare said:
Got a small new style ventless in basement,if i cannot get home it is more effecient that propane direct vent.Thousands of times safer than kerosene.Lots of hype about vent free,but people heated with them for many years,very few deaths(since the 1800's)
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I also have a ventless propane heater downstairs. I said LP but meant propane. :( So I can heat by electric, pellet, coal, wood, and propane! And I have 3 acres of oak out back that's mine and plenty more available AT NIGHT...... :)
 
I do have an oil fired backup boiler in case of loss of the pellet boiler or in case I want to leave the house for a week or two. I an emergency where there is no pellet or oil heat, I do have a 5kW 240 volt electric heater and a 0.5kW 120 volt electric heater that will keep the house from freezing. In fact the big electric heater will heat the main floor of the house and hold 68 degrees, 1100 sq. ft., at temps down to the teens. That 240 volt heater I bought out of the Northern Tools catalogue and use it to heat my little greenhouse on cold spring and fall days.
 
I hope the OP, chrisasst, lets us know how he makes out. We all worry about fellow pelleteers.
 
how about those equine bedding pellets from tractor supply that folks on here where burning last year,I don't know never burned them but remember some people on here burning them
 
My sympathies... I'm also paycheck to paycheck and have been there before. Paycheck to paycheck means just that: no money left over. A guy does the best he can. I suggest some electric heaters, and then talk w/ the power company, need be, to let you pay off bigger elec. bills over time.
 
Good luck keep calling places. If you dont have central heat and choose to use space heaters please only put one per circuit in your house, and use ones that have low/med/high dont run beyond medium on a 15 amp circuit.
 
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