My face hurts from grinning!!!

[taxidermist]

I went out to make a fire today and heard a truck I looked at the end of the drive and it was the propane man. I let him back all the way up my drive and when he set the brake I went to his door and said I am still full from the last time you were here. He looked at me like I was smokin something we then walked over to the tank and he said" WOW your at 90%" and I said yep you filled me in the dead cold in Dec. and now it is warming up. He slammed the tank lid a few times to see if the gauge was broke...........Just then the wind switched and some smoke from the boiler blew in our face and I said aint burning wood great! maybe next time



Rob

 

[Jim Post]

That conversation is the best part about heating with wood. I'd be grinning too....We used to have two 500 gallon tanks and use about 1400 gallons of LP a year. When we installed our tarm in 2005 my LP driver told me we wouldn't qualify for their summer fill program and free tank lease if we didn't use more LP. I told him he could take the leased tank & if they didn't want to summer fill our tank we would find another supplier. They fill our tank but only what we use for cooking, clothes drying, and back up heat. Around 200 gallons last year. Wood heat is GOOD heat.

 

[Huskurdu]

I haven't had the best luck with my boiler this year, but I bet i'm still going to save over $1500 this year in heating cost. That's about 75% of my heating costs. Next year i should be able to save another $500 if everything works out. Maybe that will get the wife off my back!

np

 

[CrappieKeith]

That conversation is the best part about heating with wood. I'd be grinning too....We used to have two 500 gallon tanks and use about 1400 gallons of LP a year. When we installed our tarm in 2005 my LP driver told me we wouldn't qualify for their summer fill program and free tank lease if we didn't use more LP. I told him he could take the leased tank & if they didn't want to summer fill our tank we would find another supplier. They fill our tank but only what we use for cooking, clothes drying, and back up heat. Around 200 gallons last year. Wood heat is GOOD heat.

Awesome story....
I was in the same boat....they took the tank.I then bought 2-100lb cylinders for my gas stove to run on.
My Yukon wood furnace runs 24/7 and if I need to use back up heat I'll use some electric heaters.
I go uptown to my local coop to fill my propane.
Those other guys just lost my business and the chances are that the strong arm tactic is killing them in other areas.

 

[smokinj]

I went out to make a fire today and heard a truck I looked at the end of the drive and it was the propane man. I let him back all the way up my drive and when he set the brake I went to his door and said I am still full from the last time you were here. He looked at me like I was smokin something we then walked over to the tank and he said" WOW your at 90%" and I said yep you filled me in the dead cold in Dec. and now it is warming up. He slammed the tank lid a few times to see if the gauge was broke...........Just then the wind switched and some smoke from the boiler blew in our face and I said aint burning wood great! maybe next time



Rob

Thats Great! Got my gas bill yesterday 13.00 WOOHOO

 

[pybyr]

Every time I see an oil truck somewhere, I smile, because I know it is not coming to _my_ house!

0.0 gallons of oil burned here to heat the house since 1-15-09. Been more comfortable then ever.

Some tiny amount used during that time for the stand alone oil hot water heater, but hopefully that'll be largely out of business once I get my storage running.

 

[Piker]

Only one year in the past 10 did we not burn any wood. Used about 1600 gallons of propane that year. Every subsequent year, we would burn 10 or 12 cord of wood in a little forced air furnace plus a couple hundred gallons of propane. This year, no propane at all. Don't even have the propane hooked up. The company we lease our tank from called and said we owed them $90.00 because our consumption was below the limit. I told them they were more than welcome to come take the tank away. They forgave the $90 debt, and the tank is still here. Every day it looks less like a propane tank, and more like a thermal storage tank.

cheers

 

[wantstoburnwood]

Oil man hasn't been here since June 08 . A wonderful feeling knowing there is no oil bill in the mailbox. I have saved atleast 2500.00 this year ( goes a long way towards the price of my econoburn 150) Wife has never been so happy and warm.

 

[8nrider]

thermal storage or buffer that is the question?

 

[Jersey Devil]

Hello,
Your comment about getting a whiff of smoke begs the question for those of us that don't have gassers........ just how much do these new boilers actually smoke? Can you smell the "exhaust" even when you can't visibly see smoke??

Mike

Tarm 504 since 1983

 

[lexybird]

last year i spent around 2500 on fuel oil ,this year after my wood furnace was installed my fuel oil bill was zero dollars and zero cents(they dont even send those handy dandy free calendars anymore ...AND the house was about 10 degrees warmer than it ever was prior BTW

 

[Piker]

When the gasifiers have an efficient gasification going the gas that exits the stack is completely clear. Doesn't really smell like wood smoke... kind of a faint nutty smell maybe?

The boilers will smoke for a little bit when you first light them... and if you run without thermal storage, they will puff a tiny bit during idle. The most smoke that comes out of them is usually right after the boiler has been idling for a long time. It takes a couple minutes to get the coals and the refractory back up to temp after having sat for a while.

cheers

 

[taxidermist]

Yes the smoke I was talking about was when I just fired the boiler. When I was talking to the man I still had the damper open and the bottom door open. Mine burns real clean when it is gassing.


Rob

 

[solo40]

Year 1 did not burn wood and used 2600 gallons of propane.
Year 2 tarm installed halfway through the heating season 9 cords + 1150 gallons of propane.
Year 3 (current year) 11 cords and 600 gallons for propane. I use propane
for dryer, propane fileplace, hot water in summer and backup heat
Year 4 goal is to install storage, run the tarm year round and reduce my propane to 250 gallons or so.

Ethan

 

[Duetech]

taxidermist,
How sweet it is. We got our EKO40 on line in November of 06 and forgot to call the gas man to ask him not to deliver so he delivered in Jan of 07 and not since. Last week the gas man left a note on the door that said "you're still at 68% so I figured you were ok???" He didn't leave a number so I could call him and ask what the lowest level I should let the tank get to before I refill. But the wife and I were both grinning. Obama's man that went to the auto mfg's said the cost of energy was too low and that it was going up so I have been thinking maybe I should refill soon any way. That way when it goes to $5?? for LP I can grin some more (or at least not cry as long). Right now I'll settle for grinning.

 

[duane9835]

I have done what crappie Keith did Let the 500 gallon tank run dry, scrounged up a couple old 100#ers, took them to the gas station had them filled and have been running off the first tank since Dec.

The best part of the whole deal was calling my propane distributor and telling him to come pick up their tank! I loved it.

$4000 gas bill was not uncommon for us.

 

[pybyr]

I have done what crappie Keith did Let the 500 gallon tank run dry, scrounged up a couple old 100#ers, took them to the gas station had them filled and have been running off the first tank since Dec.

The best part of the whole deal was calling my propane distributor and telling him to come pick up their tank! I loved it.

$4000 gas bill was not uncommon for us.

My propane company (I use propane only for the cookstove) was bought up by some conglomerate, which was then bought by an even bigger and greedier conglomerate, which was charging me through the nose for various "fees" (which were costing me more per month than my actual propane use) even though I only use a small amount per year and the original company pledged to me when I commenced service that there would never be any fees or tank rent.

So I wrote them and instructed them to stop deliveries.

They delivered a full batch again a week later, and stuck the invoice in my storm door.

I called their manager, read them the riot act, and he admitted that they don't even have a record of owning my tank; he finally agreed that in light of them disregarding my instructions to stop deliveries, I could keep the final delivery, at no charge. Adios, greedmeisters! When the existing tank runs out, I'll lug some medium ones to the local filling place.

 

[JSJAC]

I to had the pleasure of the oil guy backing in the drive . He got out and I told him I did not think we needed oil.
Last May we bought our first oil since October 2006. We got 100 gallons and I almost had the big one. The oil was over $4.00 a gallon. Hope to run the boiler most of the summer this year.

 

[Nofossil]

Our last fuel oil delivery was late July of 2006. I still have more than 3/4 of a tank left - I'm using it for fuel for the dozer and tractor now. I still use a tiny bit now and then if we're away for a few days in the winter, and for shoulder season DHW if there are a few sunless days.

 

[e60982]

I too am in the 4k a year boat. Also high ele. bill for DHW I bet my CO. will want to pull tank next year. OK FINE. Natural gas is way down Propane way up. I think it is 70 cents wholesale I pay 2.40 a gal. I should have never stopped burning wood. But fuel got cheap. Now I will start again and not look back. Man I hate getting ripped. Especially when you got to have it. Thanks Windy Hill

 

[603doug]

I used about three grand of propane last year and none this last six months. A friend in the oil business warned me about surcharges or they might pull the tanks but I think I am safe,I buy about 10,000 gals of diesel through the same outfit.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Hooking a chain to Suburban Propane's tank and pulling it to the road is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. The conversation with them an hour later was a close second. It is amazing how their tone changes when they realize they have no leverage.

 

[duane9835]

That's awesome!! I hope I don't have to take it that far but it would be fun.

 

[e60982]

Im lookink so foward to that point. My Install will start as soon as the frost is out. Thanks Windy.

 

[Piker]

Hooking a chain to Suburban Propane's tank and pulling it to the road is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. The conversation with them an hour later was a close second. It is amazing how their tone changes when they realize they have no leverage.

WHy are you getting rid of a perfectly good thermal storage tank? ;-P

cheers