new here - just saying hi

They should be Happy as a pig in chit , if it weren't for you they'd be freezing their azz'z off

 

Welcome to the forum!!!

 

Welcome to the forums. Good to see another pellet head around here.

 

Yikes...

 

Yeah, in time you'll be OCD like the rest of us. We're all a little whacked out.

Nice choice of stove.

 

Welcome Newbinct ! Funny, smart folks here that will always help out. If ya get a list of 3 or 4 pellets that are available in your area I'll bet we can help you make a decision on what to stock up on. Somersets are in short supply now.

Schoondog

 

The Timber Heats at Lowes aren't bad either.

 

Very good point! My husband rolls his eyes but I know he appreciates it - he offered to help and ask a few questions and hunt for pellets but I know he wouldn't ask the questions to my satisfaction and I'd end up calling myself anyway. I'll let him figure out the deep cleaning of the stove....I'll find pellets and bore him to death with my stories. He'll appreciate it mid-January when we are warm

 

Thanks for the hints and tips everyone. I remember going through this last year, before I scored the 'sets. I remember the problem with my local lowes/HD was that they did not have any of the better pellets available. No SC or FSU last year at this lowes. The HD across the border by my inlaws had some FSU and they did pretty well. Would you guys use them full year or just as a shoulder pellet?

This year, all my Lowes and HD have are GS. I know they are getting more in. Last year Lowes had some GT, but I wasn't willing to go for them, especially b/c at the time we had only the Kozi and it was (and still is) really picky about it's pellets. Barefoots, hammers and 'sets did well in the Kozi. As expected, the harman eats just about everything - but I'm still gonna be picky

So far, we have Energex and Barefoot at the local Agway - $309 for the barefoot. We picked up a few bags of the energex just to have something and see how they do in the stove. Probably going to test 'em this weekend.

The other Agway says they will be getting Hamers in - but not yet. Selling for $289 I think. They and two other brands that were, according the the 17 year old sales girl "a great hardwood pellet that has very low ash". I started asking her a few questions and she just repeated herself, so I gave up and googled the brands and they had horrible reviews. I wish I would remember what they were now.

Think I'm going to have to haul myself up to the two TSC that are somewhat nearby and check them out. Maybe I can get some in the meantime.

I was thinking, of going with one of the local pellets available for the majority of the winter and then maybe a ton or two of higher quality pellets for the deep freeze months. Just in case I need some extra heat. I was going to go with barefoot - because they are the only ones available locally. I've been reading about oakies - would love to try them out but don't know where to find them locally. I'm on the NY/CT border, if anyone has suggestions.

Ok....enough rambling for the morning. I am going to dig up some pictures for you guys...I am sure we have a warm p61 fire photo somewhere...I love that beast!

 

Ok...a few pics.
First, the wood stove that came with the house. Old Meredith stove - I think it was wood/coal from mid-80s. We didn't use it b/c the pipe outside was rusted and old. To replace the pipe it would have been half the price of a new harman and I was tired of stacking/chopping wood and overwhelmed with the new home, so we went with pellet. thinking of getting wood stove when old Kozi pellet finally dies.
Also attached:
old rusted stove pipe from wood stove
view of old kozi (not sure why they had that board back there - we cleaned it up. not the best install but we are sticking with it until the stove dies and then we will redo that whole area)
p61 on day it was installed - inside and out. We have since painted outside pipes black.

We've had to do little but clean the harman. This year we have to figure out how to move the air around a bit more. The room the stove is in is not the best location but considering the layout of the house, it's the best location. The master bedroom is directly above the stove room - so the floors are warmed. The crazies who owned this home before us never installed heat upstairs except an electric register int he wall - which is no longer working. Rather than go through another winter with no heat upstairs, we are probably going to put a vent in the ceiling and vent it upstairs with a powered fan. If possible, it would be great it we could have the vent go from the ceiling, into the wall and vent out into the room from the area of the electric heater (we would remove the heater, of course). Hard to explain but it seems completely feasible in my head. Just have to find the parts

 

Ok... So I have a dilemma. I'm going for 6 tons this year. We ran out w/4 last year and we weren't even burning during mid-Jan when it was super cold. So I know we need at least 5 and, if it's a cold winter, we'll run both stoves. The house does pretty good with just the p61, but we do turn them bother occasionally. It's hard to tell bc last year we didn't have insulation on either, we got that in Feb for the uninsulated attic and usome external walls (about half the house).

Anyway, here is my dilemma. Let's say I could get some somersets... Should I do all 6 tons of sets? Or wait and splurge for a ton of Oakies or barefoot?
Help! Husband wants to splurge but I'm convinced I know better than him
Thanks in advance!

 

Here is the deal. The sets are a real good pellet. If I has access to them, that is all I would burn. Yes, the "Oakies" will give a few more BTU's but the percent of heat gain and the percent of cost increase is vey disproportionate. While I cannot say the insulation improvements will get you where you want to be, I can tell you with certainty, that is the way to do it. Insulation: pay once, get payed back every year following. Fuel: pay evey yesr, cost will vary. If I were you I would put in at least six tons. Remember, whatever you don't use this year will keep for another time.

 

Thanks!! I knew I liked this forum more than I liked my husband

 

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What's the pricing on those pellets?

 

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