I am having shoulder surgery and won't be able to lift anything for a while. Any ideas for an easy way for my wife/12 yr old son to fill the hopper? Without too much cost. The pellet bags sit in the basement near the furnace. I have a few buckets filled for the wife normally, but not enough for the amount of time I won't be allowed to lift anything.
Easy way to fill hopper?
- Thread starter Crash
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I have a wicker basket next to my stove on the left (cell phone camera) it holds 3 bags of pellets....I have a plastic coffee container I cut and use as a scooper......
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crash,
i bought a tote from walmart that will hold 2 bags of pellets.i pour the 2 bags into the tote ,next to the stove, and my wife was throwing out a large laundry detergent bottle, so i took it out of the trash screwed the cap on and cut out the bottom. then i washed and dried the bottle and that is what we use to fill the hopper with.so easy my 13 yrold will fill the stove and no mess(thats saying alot for her). hope this will help out.
mike
ps. your 12 yr old should be able to carry a couple of bags of pellets upstairs for mum, and pour them into a tote.
i bought a tote from walmart that will hold 2 bags of pellets.i pour the 2 bags into the tote ,next to the stove, and my wife was throwing out a large laundry detergent bottle, so i took it out of the trash screwed the cap on and cut out the bottom. then i washed and dried the bottle and that is what we use to fill the hopper with.so easy my 13 yrold will fill the stove and no mess(thats saying alot for her). hope this will help out.
mike
ps. your 12 yr old should be able to carry a couple of bags of pellets upstairs for mum, and pour them into a tote.
Short of having large dispensing hopper, the only thing I can think of is a couple large plastic storage containers filled so they can scoop the pellets into small pails. That or instead of having your pellet bags stacked, have a bunch of them all lined up at ground level so they don't have to lift them. They can either cut open the bag and scoop into the pails or lift them enough to pour them in the pails. Another way is to lay a bag across two pails and cut each end of the bag to fill both pails.
A large grain scoop for horses , either plastic or steel is big enough to work yet small enough to get into the bag easily and do the job. The steel ones balance better as the handle is down the middle rather than off the end so it doesn't feel heavy to handle. I used to use one of those to full my plastic pails when I burned bulk corn. They should be able to empty less than half the bag then lift and pour the rest. If they have to move bags across a floor pick up a cheap loading dolly from Home Depo or similar. They aren't much more than $30 and come in really handy once you have one. Otherwise they will figure out a way themselves for sure. 12 year olds have boundless energy. Wives can come pretty handy sometimes too. Didn't they used to pull the single bottom plow or was that some false bit of history I picked up somewhere?
Get a shop vac with a plastic body. Cut a hole in the bottom,then make a cover with a hinge on it that will seal. Put shop vac over hopper and hose in pellet bag. Suck up many pellets.Shut off vacuum and undo cover and let pellets drop into hopper and repeat.
Okay...I haven't tried it and I just made this up on the fly. It could be a thing though???? maybe? Improvements? Too much time on my hands?
Okay...I haven't tried it and I just made this up on the fly. It could be a thing though???? maybe? Improvements? Too much time on my hands?
At 12 your boy can cut a corner of the 40 lb. bag and pour it into a bucket 2 or 3 times for his mom.
Mike -
Mike -
I don't know what their ages are but I (45 yo, 5'5, 145 lbs, woman) carry them up from the basement, cut a hole in the top and dump it right in. Son that is a scrawny 13 yo can carry the bag up from the basement but has problems dumping them in the stove. If they don't have health issues, I don't see the problemo.
If your 12yr old son is a healthy kid, there should be no excuses for him
not to help out his mom other than interrupting his video games.
I AM a mom and I take care of both the stove and pellets myself.
However, both my 10yr & 13 yr old sons can learn how to cut open a
bag, dump some pellets into a bucket and feed the stove.
Teach your boy now and have him do some practice runs, he will be a
pro by the time you will be out of commission.
not to help out his mom other than interrupting his video games.
I AM a mom and I take care of both the stove and pellets myself.
However, both my 10yr & 13 yr old sons can learn how to cut open a
bag, dump some pellets into a bucket and feed the stove.
Teach your boy now and have him do some practice runs, he will be a
pro by the time you will be out of commission.
Dr_Drum said:
Agreed.
However, I do know how things work and how you will probably feel guilty, so what about the following?
You could also get a large tupperware bin from walmart, and dump a bag or two in and have them dip pellets out with a pitcher or coffee can.
My 95 pound girlfriend is strong enough to carry a bag up the stairs in an emergency.
Mark
I bought a Kingsford Charcoal Kaddy for $10 at Lowes -- holds about 30lbs and has a handle to easily poor into hopper. Someone else in this forum recommended...saved me $60....
My brother in law uses a galvanized garbage can with lid to hold the pellets and its not as ugly as it sounds..it has a large feed scoop for my nieces to fill up the hopper if he isn't home..shouldn't take that may scoops to replenish hopper especially if you scoop every so often and don't let it goto empty..and my nieces are only 7 and 5 so there should be no excuses for a 12yr.old boy IMO
I agree with Tinkabrank.
But that aside, I use a coal hod, holds about 25 lbs. or so and looks nice next to the stove. Wish you a fast recovery.
But that aside, I use a coal hod, holds about 25 lbs. or so and looks nice next to the stove. Wish you a fast recovery.
Thanks folks, I'll be getting some bins to fill for them and myself. My son can struggle to lift them but I think the biggest problem he is lazy like the old man. Never thought it threw before I posted, I should have come up with bin ideas myself. Guess I had too many pain pills or as the wife says: I am just a DOOFUSS.... :cheese:
Crash said:
You're not a doofus, just trying to make it easier on the family. You could use this opportunity to show the kid he has some responsibility in the family, as well as you and mom. Put a little pressure on him, he'll step up! Tell him that it's all up to him to keep the family warm. Most boys are just looking for a reason to impress dad.
Speedy recovery.
Mike -
I also vote for the "let the kid do it" option. I have a 10 year old son that carries the pellets from the car to the garage without any problem. Let your son pick out his own scoop though.
hh:We use a plastic bucket on wheels. It holds about 1/2 a bag. I keep it in the garage near the stack of bags & just cut a corner off a bag & fill the bucket every time I empty it so I always have a bucket ready to pour into the hopper. It has a nice grab handle on it & a hand hold on the bottom too so it makes pouring very easy & it's not too heavy (and if you have to go far with it, it's on wheels).
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