Pellet heads!! What's up today?

So, I put the new fan downstairs near the stove, waiting for the old one to die. I think the stove knows, because the old fan has been running quietly ever since.

 

Probably just needs new bearings.

They generally come with shielded bearings and because of the heat involved the grease quickly runs right out of them, it's kind of amazing they last as long as they do. Now I replace them with Viton sealed bearings and they last much, much longer.

There are 4 pellet stoves scattered around here so I have bearings by the tubefull for all the various motors that use them, bushing motors are normally just cruded up with dust/dog/cat/people hair and need a shot of oil, along with replenishing the felt.

Another common problem is the plastic spacers used to keep the armature centered. They get worn/melted/broken and allow the armature to shift causing all sorts of problems. Sometimes just shimming will fix it, or replacing with some appropriate sized aluminum tube cut to length.

 

I'm handy, but unfortunately not that talented. Replacement is my skill!

 

I used to be handy, not as much as I should have been, but I got along. Now I have to hire things done or nothing happens.

 

I understand all too well.

 

I really hate to admit that it has come to this, but I am no longer able to lift a bag of pellets up to the top of the stove. I am going to ask my son if he will divide the bag into two pails. He often will load the stove, but he leaves a bag for me to put in when I run out. I've done it, but always regret it after. If I have to, I'll pull the stove and put in a propane unit.

 

Can you get the 20# bags going forward? I don't think many brands give that option, and not everyone carries them (I've never personally seen them). But in the end, you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

How about some sort of large container that your son could also fill before he left........I had this one besides the stove, and had a large scoop to fill the hopper.

 

I do the same with our kids old toy box. It sits next to the stove and holds 6 bags.

 

The pellets were supposed to be delivered Monday. Monday they emailed me that the delivery was postponed until Wednesday (yesterday). I had given them permission to drop off without a signature with directions that clearly stated: Drop onto pallets in yard to left of driveway. Do not drop in driveway.

Wednesdays are my back to back meeting days except early morning and late afternoon. Fortunately, during a meeting where I had had my say, and another gal started talking about the issue (she knows everything, having been there for 30+ years, and is worth listening to), I heard a truck. Looked out the window, yep, its the pellets being delivered. Hmmm, looks like they are going to deliver to the empty trailer next door.

I grabbed my phone (headset only has a 30' range) and booked it out the door. Told the driver where to drop the pellets (on top of the 4 pallets I had set up), and watched him move the truck up to my place. Takes down a ton of pellets and starts to place them to the side of the pallets - WTF. Finally got him to understand they needed to be placed on top of the pallets. Anyway, all's well that ends well.



That machine tore up the yard because the top 4" is really soft and wet. After I logged out of work I went in my boots and used foot power to slide and stomp most of the stuff into some semblance of flatness. If they had delivered Monday, there wouldn't have been that issue as the ground was still frozen then. Fortunately, as you can tell from the picture, I don't have a showcase lawn so it's fine. Gave me a chance to play in the rain and mud like a kid - LOL

 

If they had delivered yesterday, the yard would have fared much better - it was all solid by morning and stayed solid all day.

 

Wimp.