Pellet heads!! What's up today?

First fall like Pacific storm is gonna be here Friday.
A "Juicy?" one the weather folks are saying.

Wrapped up things outdoors and decided to clean off the roof and get the gutters cleaned out.
The main long gutter on the south side is an easy job off the deck with a standard ladder and the shop vac.
Blew off all the roof with the leaf blower and hand cleaned the gutters on the North side...
Sit on the butt and dig them out...

All ready for the wet weather.
Nuts are starting to fall....next month we can start getting shells in for the winter....

Been running the little stove off and on some the ;past couple weeks.
Sounds like we could have some 30's F temps by tomorrow morning......Rain by Friday.

Been a long dry summer here for sure....
Snow down to the 6000 Ft mark by Saturday/Sunday.....

 

I have never, and I mean never, seen such a dearth of wood pellets on CL/FBMP as this year. I start scanning the ads starting in April. The only pellets I've gotten were in June when I was able to buy 28 bags of some middling pellets for $4/each (cheaper than a store, but that is about the best that can be said for that deal). Most years I wouldn't even have considered buying those as usually there are some really great deals on great pellets, or at least middling pellets. Sure, I've seen a few times this summer where some good pellets were for sale - but those have been $6/bag or more, which I won't consider.

I'm thinking there are two factors in play:

• Fossil fuel prices have risen again so no one is changing over to propane for convenience (I got 49 bags of rebranded Cubex for $125 a year ago when someone changed over to a propane stove). Nor are they wanting their oil burners to take the full load of heating this coming winter.
  
• People are getting such ridiculous prices for their houses that they aren't bothering to sell any of their leftover pellets for extra cash. I have gotten a lot of pellets from people moving - in those cases the buyers have the option of buying the pellets as "heating fuel", and of course those prices are negotiable or the buyer can refuse to pay extra. I've gotten Vermont's at a rock bottom price in exactly this scenario.

Not that I depend on pellets from CL, but I do like to get pellets that I normally wouldn't, and who doesn't like to save some $$?

 

I wonder if lumber prices factored into that. If you were selling material you'd likely get more from lumber producers vs. pellet mills, although the mills get the scraps n' shavings, etc.

Lumber prices are dropping back to reality now.

Big box stores are selling tons for 269 by me.

 

I was actually talking about individuals selling pellets - not ads for pellets from stores. My TSC just told me yesterday they have over 300 tons of pellets with 30-40 tons scheduled each week. They have been told by their supplier that there will be no issues getting their deliveries, and there are no major price hikes foreseen.

 

They are extremely lucky...

Dan

 

The old lady is onboard with a new pellet stove.

Looking to go free standing so we get our fireplace back.

Harman Absolute43 is in the lead right now.

 

I just did my season ending spring cleaning, leaf blower, deep clean yesterday! I had to shop vac about 30 lbs of pellets out of the bin because they sucked up a lot of the summer humidity, and turned to sawdust around the auger. Greased and oiled everything moving, ran it on high for a few minutes. All good. Question... I am thinking of painting all the cast iron parts. Maybe a new color, maybe just a gloss black. Any suggestions, or painting hints?

 

Tis that time to decide on pellets.... I detest going through this every time.

With exorbitant prices the norm, and price gouging of EVERYTHING, I was fully expecting to find sticker shock prices while shopping around.

The local ACE hardware has always carried New England pellets but are usually too pricey to justify. I was pleasantly surprised to find prices are pretty close to last year, and oddly enough New England pellets at ACE are only $10 a ton more than the usual big box stores.

That includes delivery, and if I ask them to bring a pallet jack we just line them up in the garage ...done...

 

I don't know anything about other stoves or harmans. Seen this listed by a old lady saying works and no issues. Anyone have information?

 

Looks like it could be a P43 or maybe a P61a. Solid stove for cheap $$$

 

P-series are very solid stoves. It may be an older model without an igniter. But that is no big deal (says the person who has never had a non-auto lighting stove). For that price, you could put a new board in and an igniter and save a bunch of money. If it does have an igniter, well, that price is just outstanding. Jump on it before someone else does.

 

The trim kit is almost that much!!

Dan

 

IMO...
Paint looks great until the stove is used, at least I've never found a paint that holds up. Nothing works like old fashioned stove polish. It's laborious and turns your hands black for days if you don't wear gloves, but nothing looks better or lasts longer.

I've yet to try it on steel, but for cast iron it's the best.

 

Thank you. That was helpful advice!

 

Of course, it's sold. I'll keep looking. Wouldn't mind another stove for my pole barn.

 

And this pretty much illustrates how the private sale of wood pellets has been this summer

 

What a joke. About all I could see those being good for would be mulch like applications. If they were pine you could use them to add acid to soil. I'd feel like a jerk trying to get even $1 a bag; 50 cents seems reasonable maybe for garden use cases...