Are northern warmth supreme Douglas fir with $400 a ton?

CleanFire pretty much gave you the best reasons..
Speaking from what we see here, in a nutshell:
►We cannot get loads like we used to, because there are not
always return loads back to Canada.
►We have seen some of the guys sell out... just too expensive.
►New regs regarding the electronic "logbooks".
Sometime, guys sleep in the yard, because they can't move yet.
►No new guys getting in... too expensive..
►A new rig is a quarter of a million smackaroos.
►Insurance is without question... hideous
►Not a glamorous enough attraction for newbies.
►Even rail freight has gone up... which is big when a lot of
the stuff comes from the north west..

So it really is not "one" thing.. like fuel, for instance.
It's a combination of things.
And consider how many are involved in the process
of a $5 bag. From logger, to your store.
That all have to make "something".
I know people think that the prices are high.
And they are, I guess...
But this is NOT a high profit margin product.
a 10¢ increase per bag, does not take long to turn in to a grand.
And small dealers pay up front.. there is no 30-60 day schedule.
It's a living. That's it.

Dan

 

Dan, living out here is boring if you are a pellet buyer. It's almost all DFs and I have found a place that sells the brands from 2 of the mills I consider the best. Those firms produce Olympus and Bears. I have also found a distributor that sells them cheaper than anybody around... often with in season sales. I bought 4 tons for $930 or something and got $20 cash back cards on my next purchase (s) ... even during a sale time. So I bought two more tons for about $300 out of pocket. This year for 6 tons of DFs I paid a total of about $1230. I would be a moron to buy anything else or buy anywhere else. Considering I burn about 3 tons all year round, I can get annual heating costs at about $620. For that reason alone I don't use my electric furnace even though our electrical rates are fairly cheap considering what you guys have to pay -- thanks to a couple large hydroelectric dams.

I feel bad for you peeps that live in those markets. I don't say that smugly. I am just not used to the idea of paying twice as much as you do for the same thing. If I did, I would strongly consider trying another pellet type. But probably not at the expense of higher maintenance.

Todd

 

I stop buying when the costs of pellets exceed kilowatts/hr for the whole year. I don't have oil or natural gas... so no doubt I will continue to buy the cheapest between pellets and gas.

As it stands, I can pay for all my heating costs for a year as 2-3 months of electricity would cost me during the dead of winter. But if that ever changed and the two became similar, I would go electric as it's a hella lot easier walking across the hall and turning on the thermostat.

 

That should have read buy the cheapest between pellets and electricity.

 

Dan, if memory serves - you have a Harman basement install? Just curious what you mean by 1-2 setting. What is your typical stove config as far as feed rate dial, temp dial, and mode (room / stove)? Please don't bash me if I'm wrong on the stove details, I am developing early onset CRS.

 

I have my feed rate set to 3 out here.

 

Currently..
Auto ignite
feed rate is about 3-1/4
temp is #2
constant pointer @ 6 o'clock

Dan

 

That's what I run. About 3 and 1/8 on auto.

 

Assume the constant is stove temp mode and 6 is the fan speed.? I run stove auto days and stove mode when sun goes down. Feed rate around 2/half due to very small pellets. EZBlaze premo softies.

 

I found the settings sweet spot on my stove in my home that runs around the clock until the feeder is empty. It heats my home to 68°. I augment that with a wood stove upstairs when we and want it hotter or when it empties. On really cold days I will use another half bag as necessary. It works great. But it did take some time adjusting and learning just what that sweet spot was with the feed rate and heat dials. Each house is different I reckon. The cool thing is once it is found and on auto, I don't have to fuss with it. It's like a kick azz furnace with better, cheaper heat.

 

My place is not that well insulated, cools down as fast as it heats up so it's a constant up down off up down up down off rinse lather repeat on auto but i do use auto during the day when i know sun will be out and it will shut down for a good while. After dark i leave it on stove mode with low fan and feed rate for a steady un -interupted burn all nite.

 

yea, CONSTANT is the "new" circuit board setting terminology.....its analogous to the old STOVE MODE on your board....they just changed the label

 

I really should say that all Millennials aren't the same. Im a tail end baby boomer, and my 4 kids are all the dreaded millennials.....I find it interesting that they appear to be insulted if you actually call them a Millennial.
Their values are different than that of us Boomers. They appear to value experiences rather than monetary value. Look at things like coins, antiques, classic cars, etc. With few exceptions, all have been dropping in value. I collect coins.....for the average coin, not including the BEST of the BEST (which no reasonable American can really afford), prices have been dropping, and the main reason appears to be upcoming generations just have no interest in the value.....laws of supply and demand, little demand? lowering prices.
So, they are a different breed (Millennials), thats for sure. I think there is a heck of alot of opportunity for young folks to make a great living in the trades, as they are still needed. They just need to understand that they shouldnt work for low money. Again, supply and demand. How do we get more truckers? Pay more.

 

I remember when we all said we're going to have a problem someday down the road because of the bubble wrap children were raising. Everyone gets a trophy, no one gets left behind, no one has to take responsibility for their actions. College snowflakes who need safe spaces and have triggers from A to Z come to mind. I think Millennials are a really smart generation as they have grown up on everything digital but I think they have to stop blaming the Boomers for all their problems. Boomers wanted all the Finer Things in life and they worked for it not expecting everything to be handed to them.

 

Nah. Always blame Boomers.

 

Or no interest in collectables..
Die cast NASCAR cars used to be so hot.. Dale Earnhardt would be on QVC..
shilling a new 'special edition', for like 129 bucks...
it would sell out before they even showed it!!!
Today you see AUTOGRAPHED cars on eBay for 25 bucks... and no takers..
Baseball cards!! try selling those today..

Dan

 

A lot of them are shipped by train now then loaded on trucks for final delivery.

 

Well aware that Canadian pellets are shipped rail. That's why they have those 1.2 ton pallets, so when stacked they fill the rail car to the roof. Rail way more efficient that over the road.

 

I used to collect hockey cards and now in order to get the very high end/value cards you have to spend an arm and a leg. I know one of the high end series is “the cup”. I think you get like 1 or 3 cards and it’s like $500 at least depending on the year. It’s crazy.

 

I agree. I’m considered an early millennial (born in 1982). The problem is right when I was getting ready to graduate that all they did was push college. I told my guidance counselor I was thinking of going to vocational school for my jr and sr year and he asked if I was going to go to college I said idk probably. He said don’t go to votec because it doesn’t look good on a college resume. So I didn’t and I never went to college at all. Went from high school to work and have worked ever since. Now I make an average of $50-70k a year. Not to bad for no college. Granted I’m in NY so it doesn’t go horribly far but I’m decently comfortable with a wife and 2 kids. The younger generations don’t want to get dirty and they were told they didn’t have to because they can get out of college and make $100k a year.