Tractor Supply Sawdust Bricks - No Supply?

[Del Griffith]

I typically buy about 24 packs of the Redstone sawdust bricks from Tractor Supply to supplement my wood. Also like using them in the Solo Stove.
I can't find them anywhere this year. I've been checking daily since early September.
Anyone have any info on whether this supply issue will continue with Tractor Supply? I don't know of anyone else around that carries them, and I'm not paying $600 to ship!
I'm in South/Central NJ.

 

[GrumpyDad]

I typically buy about 24 packs of the Redstone sawdust bricks from Tractor Supply to supplement my wood. Also like using them in the Solo Stove.
I can't find them anywhere this year. I've been checking daily since early September.
Anyone have any info on whether this supply issue will continue with Tractor Supply? I don't know of anyone else around that carries them, and I'm not paying $600 to ship!
I'm in South/Central NJ.

In my area (PA) there are A LOT of fireplaces in houses. Basically every house has a fireplace. Most dont get used all that much.

Oil prices have gone to $6.39 a gal at this moment. And many many homes in my area are heated with, ...you guess it...oil.

I like an idiot, did not check my oil and ran out last weekend at my weekend camp. When I called for oil and was told the price, I asked how people in the area of my camp were going to manage. It's a very rural area and there arent a ton of mid or higher paying jobs. He basically said, people were trying to wait out the prices, then the prices started skyrocketing, people panicked and started buying SOME oil, and that surge in sudden demand caused an even further increase in oil prices. But many people that have called said they will figure something out.

What that figure something out means, many space heaters, many colder than normal bedrooms. People putting up blankets to block off areas like we had to do when we were kids (at least in my family), to avoid heating an entire house and instead space heating a living area then at night just using more blankets, while keeping the overall thermostat very low.

People will also be using their fireplaces for the first time in probably many years. That concerns me too.

This is going to be a bad year I suspect. Space heaters arent exactly super safe, and nor is using a fireplace that hasnt been cleaned/inspected.

Id imagine chimney sweeps are busier than ever as well.

So the lack of seasoned wood = increased demand in sawdust blocks.

It's when you notice that you cant buy a space heater, that will be the biter end to this story.

 

[NewGuy132]

Last year I had a bunch of sub par wood and was looking to add a bio brick here and there. Granted I started looking in November, but I had a hard time finding them last year too. I think it was closer to January before they had them in stock at my local store.

 

[GrumpyDad]

People might want to consider calling around to lumber mills to see if they have any slabwood for sell.

 

[ElPedro]

I was at a TSC near Cincinnati (Franklin/Springboro) this morning and they had a pallet of fuel blocks sitting in the foyer of the store. Said out of stock online, though.

 

[Kevin Weis]

I'm in north central Maryland and the TSC's here have plenty in stock. Must be a regional supply thing?

 

[DonTee]

They have the sawdust bricks at my TSC too. I recently took my dog to the vet that comes to TSC, and noticed them while waiting in line.

I was driving around the other morning and noticed smoke coming out of quite a few chimneys. It seems like many more people are burning wood this year than usually are. Either fireplaces or smoke dragon stoves. Lots of smoke.

Even though oil prices are up, firewood prices have not gone up in my area yet.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I typically buy about 24 packs of the Redstone sawdust bricks from Tractor Supply to supplement my wood. Also like using them in the Solo Stove.
I can't find them anywhere this year. I've been checking daily since early September.
Anyone have any info on whether this supply issue will continue with Tractor Supply? I don't know of anyone else around that carries them, and I'm not paying $600 to ship!
I'm in South/Central NJ.

I was at my local tractor supply a couple weeks ago and they had them.. walked past a pallet.. in south jersey

 

[Woodsplitter67]

boom

 

[Del Griffith]

boom

View attachment 301034

Not sure what's going on. When I look up Logan it says not available. Thanks for sending. I'm going to make some calls.

 

[GrumpyDad]

Those prices are pretty darn high. I'm happy I have wood. My wood storage though stinks. I need to figure out a better roofing system.

 

[Stelcom66]

What that figure something out means, many space heaters, many colder than normal bedrooms. People putting up blankets to block off areas like we had to do when we were kids (at least in my family), to avoid heating an entire house and instead space heating a living area then at night just using more blankets, while keeping the overall thermostat very low.

A few years ago I put up curtains (sort of) blocking the stairway to the second floor which is no longer used. When my bedroom was upstairs a lot of heat from the wood stove in the living room made it's way up there.

I noticed this email ad after I posted this -

I haven't checked my local store for sawdust bricks. Our regional supermarket carries another brand, can't think of the name off hand.
I bought some a few times last season which exceeded the shopping cart's load capacity.

 

[kennyp2339]

What that figure something out means

I got oil in the end of August when it was cheaper, the oil man that showed up saw my woodshed and was asking me questions about burning wood, granted, in my area we are fairly dense in population and many people live in more of an urban setting, this guy was from an urban area, his idea of off setting the cost and staying warm was to set up a camp stove and run the pipe through a window pane, I tried telling him it was a bad idea, but he seemed pretty hell bent on doing that idea. So yeah, there's going to be some heart ache this winter and unfortunately we're going to hear some sad stories.

 

[ozarkoak]

This winter is going to be lit, hopefully not literally. My wife works at a box store and said that stoves are selling out the second they hit the floor. When she casually asks what they are going to burn they say they will be cutting wood to burn that they have on they property. When she mentions seasoning time they look at her like she has two heads. People have gone insane.

 

[DonTee]

Ive seen lots of people getting loads of firewood dumped in their yard recently. Wood that is probably freshly split from log loads, which are only “seasoned” for 3-6 months. And then they just leave it in a pile in the front yard for two months. They don’t stack it or cover it or anything. It just sits there in the rain.

Now is the time of year that I cover wood that has sat uncovered all summer. The summer drying season is over in the northeast I think.

 

[NorthernFireplaceFool]

Ive seen lots of people getting loads of firewood dumped in their yard recently. Wood that is probably freshly split from log loads, which are only “seasoned” for 3-6 months. And then they just leave it in a pile in the front yard for two months. They don’t stack it or cover it or anything. It just sits there in the rain.

Now is the time of year that I cover wood that has sat uncovered all summer. The summer drying season is over in the northeast I think.

I don't really think the northeast had a "drying" season this year. I know this was my least productive season of wood storage!

 

[Dieselhead]

I don't really think the northeast had a "drying" season this year. I know this was my least productive season of wood storage!

If you weren’t top covered, forget about any drying progress, it was more like the Pacific Northwest for sure!

 

[Wildflush]

I don't really think the northeast had a "drying" season this year. I know this was my least productive season of wood storage!

I’m in Mass and actually had a good drying season. I do top cover all my stacks. Added a cord in early April and that stuff is already dry now.

 

[NorthernFireplaceFool]

If you weren’t top covered, forget about any drying progress, it was more like the Pacific Northwest for sure!

Maine got a LOT of rain this summer so even top covered I don't think the stacks lost much moisture over the summer compared to what we normally lose out of the stacks. Don't get me wrong it put it low enough to burn, but I think it would be closer to 15% than 20%. Didn't help that all the rain came on the weekends so it seemed twice as bad!

 

[Eman85]

This winter is going to be lit, hopefully not literally. My wife works at a box store and said that stoves are selling out the second they hit the floor. When she casually asks what they are going to burn they say they will be cutting wood to burn that they have on they property. When she mentions seasoning time they look at her like she has two heads. People have gone insane.

No one around here cuts wood to burn until it gets cold and that's the wood they will burn today. Been doing it like that for more than a century.

 

[Wildflush]

No one around here cuts wood to burn until it gets cold and that's the wood they will burn today. Been doing it like that for more than a century.

My buddy in Maine is cutting Ash and burning it now. No seasoning. He also had a chimney fire last year. He is also not getting the BTU’s that he could get if properly seasoned.

 

[Caw]

People using their old, not cleaned, open fire places are not only taking a big chimney fire risk they are probably making their house colder in the long run. Those fire places are almost surely net BTU negative and wasting more $ than just using the oil. If I were in that situation and kind of desperate needing to use the fireplace I'd do what others have suggested above and shut off as much of the house as possible. Oil use to keep pipes from freezing and just live in the fireplace room to ride it out. Hopefully everyone stays safe.

 

[Wildflush]

My friends chimney fire was with his Jotul 500 and class A chimney. Glass would get black. Had to convince him not to burn 6 month old Oak. He only listened when a Mainer told him I was correct.

 

[Stelcom66]

I believe most modern homes don't have a Rumford fireplace, which although developed in the late 1700s - were said to be somewhat efficient to heat with. And yes, a typical home's fireplace would probably remove warm air from the house. This time of year I do have a few curtains up to keep cold air in certain areas. A neighbor that moved gave me a proper thermal curtain that I put up between the kitchen and mudroom. I can see the difference that makes compared to standard curtains that I bought, does a better job.

The local store didn't have thermal curtains, My neighbor bought it online, I'm just going to have to get into the online shopping mindset.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

People using their old, not cleaned, open fire places are not only taking a big chimney fire risk they are probably making their house colder in the long run. Those fire places are almost surely net BTU negative and wasting more $ than just using the oil. If I were in that situation and kind of desperate needing to use the fireplace I'd do what others have suggested above and shut off as much of the house as possible. Oil use to keep pipes from freezing and just live in the fireplace room to ride it out. Hopefully everyone stays safe.

Actually this is not true.. an open fireplace that is set up properly produces alot of heat

My my family has a house that is over 200 years old.. fireplace in every room.. kitchen is down in the basement with a huge fireplace with a swing out hook for the giant pot.. and an earth floor.. no running water.. we would go there in the dead of winter.. light at least 2 fireplaces and that house was comfortable

You are correct that some fireplaces and the way people burn them will make a house cold.. but not everyone

My dad will set his up correctly.. I was over his house last winter... I was sweating in the living room..