I will not be buying a pellet stove !!

[webbie]

Are you still burning with that same stove of '91?? I can recall the Farm and Fleet store that just started selling those that same year. That was quite a concept here but really didnt take ahold until just recently.

That Mike has had his stove forever!

When (no, IF) it ever dies we will have to start the Pellet Stove Hall of Fame and put it there....detailing each and every .06 washer that was used to make it go for 25 years.

 

[mkmh]

Don't forget that the heat value of pellets adjusted for moisture is closer to 7500 BTU. That is a 10% difference. Pellets also do not burn as efficiently on a constant basis as oil or LP. I think a more realistic comparison is one of 2 gallons to a bag of pellets. Of course, mileage will vary both ways.

So roughly, would cost $6 for a bag of pellets that are $4 (assumes 200 a ton).

To be honest, more savings are often due to two other factors:
1. Space heating is often more efficient than central.
2. Many older central heating systems are inefficient (but then again, many older and even some newer pellet stove are also)

Still a terrific deal in New England right now. I'm paying less for my 2008-2009 supply then I paid for my 2006-2007 supply. This is almost exactly the price I paid for my 2005-2006 supply. This is the first year that i've been 100% certain that the time maintaining the stoves and dealing with pellets has been worth it. So many of my friends are just getting clobbered with 500+ dollar fill-ups every month this winter...and my heating costs have been stable and reasonable.

 

[ZippyPinHead]

Burning pellets at least for me requires a different mindset I buy my supply in the summer june to be exact. You have to plan you cannot count on the big box stores having them at your beckon call.

 

[Xena]

I bought an OWB and I
am now stuck trying to find wood for the 3rd year in a row!!

Wood isn't available in Canada? That one is tough to believe.
Are you trying to buy in the dead of winter and just don't
like the prices? Can you elaborate a little bit with some details?
Wood or pellets, best to purchase in the off season like everyone has mentioned.

 

[BIGISLANDHIKERS]

I have a pellet mill 3 miles from me and a lot stores around that sell pellets. Money always seems to be short with me so what I like about pellets is that I almost treat them like a grocery item. I buy them as I need them. It works well because the supply is constant.

BIH

 

[webbie]

I have a pellet mill 3 miles from me and a lot stores around that sell pellets. Money always seems to be short with me so what I like about pellets is that I almost treat them like a grocery item. I buy them as I need them. It works well because the supply is constant.

BIH

Good point!

That is similar to a lot of areas elsewhere in the world - like Europe. Packaged fuel (briquettes, peat) have always been popular there because folks bring a pack home with the milk and newspaper!

I think there is a vastly bigger market (than now) for briquettes, bio-logs etc. for this very reason. If it wasn't such a hard business, I would invest or get into it myself! But that is a lot of weight to "move". Still......I have some ideas......

 

[Philip]

It's been interesting for me to read this thread. I would never have dreamed that we southerners have something in common with Canada - a lack of pellets. I especially like BIH's idea of buying pellets like groceries and hope that someday in the next three years before I retire and move to south Florida, that I will be able to buy pellets at Home Depot, Lowe's or even Wal-Mart. Right now I just thank God for Tractor Supply, even though they stopped stocking pellets the end of December. Due to my desire to get off $3/gallon LP, I didn't listen to Craig and the other experts who advised me not to buy a pellet stove unless I had multiple sources of pellets so I got caught short this my first year. I've got two bags left. When they are gone (tomorrow) I'll have to turn on the heat pump again. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted and I know next year will be better 'cause I'm an optomist!

 

[slowzuki]

Locally (NB Canada), we have about 6 pellet mills and there are 3 I know of getting up and running. All the big ones are exporting to europe. We have a huge supply of wood, and the high Cdn dollar has us swimming in wood supply. The newest plants are chipping whole trees and drying them to make pellets. That used to be unheard of.

The most sought after pellets here sell out early and are bought up quickly all winter.

Even walmart sells pellets so I don't know how you can't find them. And as far as wood for a boiler, you can usually get some type of fuel to burn any time of the year! Of course it is nice to get it early so it can dry. My fil burned hardwood pallets all last winter because his wood supplier didn't get to him. He could have got wood elsewhere but he had a lot of pallets sitting around the yard.

 

[pete324rocket]

Locally (NB Canada), we have about 6 pellet mills and there are 3 I know of getting up and running. All the big ones are exporting to europe. We have a huge supply of wood, and the high Cdn dollar has us swimming in wood supply. The newest plants are chipping whole trees and drying them to make pellets. That used to be unheard of.

The most sought after pellets here sell out early and are bought up quickly all winter.

Even walmart sells pellets so I don't know how you can't find them. And as far as wood for a boiler, you can usually get some type of fuel to burn any time of the year! Of course it is nice to get it early so it can dry. My fil burned hardwood pallets all last winter because his wood supplier didn't get to him. He could have got wood elsewhere but he had a lot of pallets sitting around the yard.

Do you have a hardwood pellet mill in hillsborough on your list of mills to soon open? I haven't seen pellets at wal-mart here in N.B. Do they have them here,and if so,what brand?

 

[Jabberwocky]

Burning pellets at least for me requires a different mindset I buy my supply in the summer june to be exact. You have to plan you cannot count on the big box stores having them at your beckon call.

Same here, I bought 3 tons in July, bought an emergency 2 tons in December. So I'll be buying 5 tons in Mayor so at the best possible prices.

 

[PutnamJct]

While the prices are high, everybody and their uncle has tons for sale. Sam's Club is the only one under the $200 per ton mark and I have seen them as high as $289 per ton. But they are available in places I have never seen before. One of the suppliers who was frequently out in 2005/2006 has had no issues at all, if anything they seem to be over-stocked.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

It's been interesting for me to read this thread. I would never have dreamed that we southerners have something in common with Canada - a lack of pellets. I especially like BIH's idea of buying pellets like groceries and hope that someday in the next three years before I retire and move to south Florida, that I will be able to buy pellets at Home Depot, Lowe's or even Wal-Mart. Right now I just thank God for Tractor Supply, even though they stopped stocking pellets the end of December. Due to my desire to get off $3/gallon LP, I didn't listen to Craig and the other experts who advised me not to buy a pellet stove unless I had multiple sources of pellets so I got caught short this my first year. I've got two bags left. When they are gone (tomorrow) I'll have to turn on the heat pump again. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted and I know next year will be better 'cause I'm an optomist!

click this link and type in your zip code, see if you have checked with any of the retailers they list , this link is from HPBA retailer locator. hope this helps ya

http://cfd13201.cfdynamics.net/hpba1/locator.cfm

 

[Philip]

Thanks Mike for the link. I put in my zip code and got 3 dealers, two of which I have already called. The third one is about 45 miles away, but I might give them a call on Monday just out of curiosity.

 

[Nickolai]

I too would really like to know where in Canada this guy lives? In my area alone in Eastern ontario there are about 6 different places that I know of that sell pellets and it's quickly growing beyond that.

However, I did talk to a friend of mine in Cold Lake, Alberta and he says it's very hard to find pellets there, plus there are waiting lists up to 2 years to get one installed. I couldn't believe this when he was telling me, but he and a few of his friends have looked into pellet stoves and have ended up running with wood instead. But, then again, it's hard to find a lot of things in decent supply in Alberta other than oil I guess, and when you do find pellets out there, they're probably overpriced.

Like many others have said though, I would look a little harder in the off-season for them, it only makes sense.

 

[Ken45]

Interesting hearing all this talk.....being an old guy.....Maybe mike (esw) was around back when.....

We were promised unlimited supplies of pellets with dozens of plants opening up and various mixtures of everything - and that the price would be surely coming down because all this material would be so cheap (waste).

That was in 1992. The pellets were $125 to $165 a ton.

I'm not saying that it won't happen now. But having seen it dry up to virtually nothing...in fact a lot of plants closed....I will believe it when it happens. I hope it does. But I would hedge my bets and I'm not investing the webmaster fortune into these plants yet.

When the largest company in the industry goes down (Harman) and other manufacturers are hurting bad is not exactly the time to declare victory. Certainly I am a skeptic, but so far I am batting about 800 (on a scale of 1000). After all, it is ONLY past experience that I have to go by!

$200/ton in today's dollars is probably significantly less than the 1992 prices.

As for companies being unable to stay in business, that's normal shakeout for small start ups. The innovators and creators are unable to manage a business when it gets big. I saw a lot of that in the early PC industry. Really smart innovative people are great at getting things started but unable to transistion to a larger, ongoing enterprise. There are, of course, a few exceptions like Bill Gates, but there are a hundred that could not make the transistion for every one that can. The really wise innovators know when to get out of the way and turn things over to professional management when things become successful (Cisco is a good example).

Ken

 

[MainePellethead]

Things certainly look good for Maine in regards to pellet supply....and this is only one plant. Corinth originally was going to send over half of what they make overseas....now the demand is so high they are keeping it ALL here

 

[Ken45]

Things certainly look good for Maine in regards to pellet supply....and this is only one plant. Corinth originally was going to send over half of what they make overseas....now the demand is so high they are keeping it ALL here

In some ways, that's bad news: it means that the price has gone higher here than they can sell it for in Europe

There will always be plenty of pellets (or corn, or whatever) available....IF you are willing to pay the price.

Ken

 

[MainePellethead]

Things certainly look good for Maine in regards to pellet supply....and this is only one plant. Corinth originally was going to send over half of what they make overseas....now the demand is so high they are keeping it ALL here

i still get cheaper pellets from SAMS which come from oregon & E. Bumfork. gotta try the corinth pellets soon for fun & i suppose i can tip $1.50 . glad theyre here even though they'll probly raise the price of my sawdust. fkem! its about time i learned how to burn real hog fuel!

I havent burned Corinth pellets yet either. Time will tell.....they may come down....we'll see.

 

[MainePellethead]

Things certainly look good for Maine in regards to pellet supply....and this is only one plant. Corinth originally was going to send over half of what they make overseas....now the demand is so high they are keeping it ALL here

In some ways, that's bad news: it means that the price has gone higher here than they can sell it for in Europe

There will always be plenty of pellets (or corn, or whatever) available....IF you are willing to pay the price.

Ken

I'd rather have more....than not enough.....if theres a glut.....then they have to get rid of them

 

[56 chevtruck]

hey shayneyasinski where in canada are you located? i am in nova scotia. we have 2 choices in pellets eastern embers and comfy cosy. they ran out of cosy at kent building supply when i wanted to try them 2 weeks ago(probably because they were on sale) cosy dont burn as hot as stated in another subject about them on here. havent gone without pellets the 2 seasons using the stove. i wish walmart sold them here in halifax maybe they will. 5 stores selling pellets in my area within a few mile of one another. gonna buy my winters supply for next year this summer intead of buying 12 bags a week in winter

 

[krooser]

My stove supplier has PLENTY of pellets on hand and will be having a "pre-season" sale next month. The local Home depot just got in 22 tons today and have more coming next week...

I've never had a problem getting pellets this year...

 

[Shooter]

My stove supplier has PLENTY of pellets on hand and will be having a "pre-season" sale next month. The local Home depot just got in 22 tons today and have more coming next week...

I've never had a problem getting pellets this year...

Pretty much the same here. In a town of 3000 we have three places to buy from. Prices for the ton vary between 159.00 and 170.00. Twenty miles from here there are several more places to buy. This is in northern lower michigan.

 

[webbie]

I like those prices - below $200! That makes it really worth while. Folks who can buy in the $200 range should probably stock up for next year just to avoid the possibility of a "run".