x2 - even though we have a FHA oil burner, it is less than $30.00/mo to burn pellets (80%) vs. oil (20%) currently, and the home is 5-7 F warmer on avg. this year (was 3-5 F last season). * Always good to have multiple heating options OST - hope the new furnace install goes smooth for you.
I do not adhere to the carbon neutral theory of wood or pellets. The natural decomp of wood is done over gobs of time. The burning of wood adds years worth of carbon in a short heating season. There is no catch-up because wood will be burned each season so each season years of carbon is added that would normally be done over gobs of time. That does not minimize fossil fuels adding lots of carbon in an equally short period. Additionally natural decomp adds humus and nutrients to the soil which are lost in the burning of it. I do agree that wood can be part of a self sustaining lifestyle. We lived the homestead life for many years and our current financial position is a direct result of spending labor instead of money. Now however it is time to reap the benefits, in effect trading the money saved for labor saved. That does not minimize the many benefits of homesteading. The physical costs however do catch up over time.
Yes multiple options are good, especially living in a relatively rural location. As to the temps - This old box of wood is about 4600 plus sq ft spread over 2 stories , a finished attic and a cobbled on summer kitchen that we use about 6 months of the year. We have zoned heat (6 zones) and will keep the winter living area up while keeping the rest of the house chilly except when in use (rarely now that all the kids are out). The pellet stove will still be there for use as needed to boost temps as needed. Heck we never removed the other two strategically placed wood stoves even though we rarely use them since shrinking our footprint a couple of years ago. LOVE our home put realistically we only use about a quarter of it 80% of the time. So most of it is kept at 45 in winter unless we have company.
Bad news I just called my Lowe's and was told they would only price match on the same" exact " brand HD here I come F U Lowe's
Which is bullchit because Lowe's lists it as "40lb wood pellets" and HD lists it as "Premium Wood Pellet Fuel 40 lb bag" no specific brands mentioned on ton pricing. You should go to the store and cause a ruckus....lol
Sounds like a beautiful home OST - our's is tiny (1,200 +/- sq. ft.) in comparison. But much the same here, now that the ladies are back at school, unused rooms are closed off, heat is turned down at night. It took awhile in this area, but HHO prices are finally showing some parity vs. Metro areas, in the 1.40-1.60 range for cash price, 100 gal. minimum. If I was going to upgrade/replace a heating system here, it would be w/ an oil furnace, definitely. I can't find any fault & agree w/ your conclusions concerning pricing. If you throw in Pellets and Beer w/ that Lasagna dinner, I'll come up and help w/ the install..
Yup, that's what happened to me back in November? when I stopped in at Lowe's, but I made the mistake of actually visiting a store and getting the 'lecture' from someone who obviously did not want to be working there - always fun to be spoken to like a child who just "doesn't understand" the ways of the world.. Fully agree w/ your sentiments above.
ALWAYS have beer --- lager and ale , in bottles, in pony kegs, in growlers, even had some in old blue canning jars for a party once. Also mead and wine. All made right here in the basement or attic depending on the temp requirement. Also got a special stash of malt under the bar for special occasions. The house was a labor of love over many years. Fortunately only basic maintenance at this point. Original part was built in 1790 and was lived in by various descendants of the original owners until we purchased it in the early 70's. Over the years we gutted every room to the bones, insulated, rewired, stripped the old molding and stained it. We kept the original windows and added storms that we need to install each fall. It still has a cistern in the basement and even has an old Holland Wood Furnace that we used at one point. It was a working farm its entire life and for the first 15 years or so we raised dairy heifers as a part time business. They pretty much paid our taxes and also a good chunk of the remodels. Raised most all our food including veal , beef , pork, Capons (neutered roosters), hens and turkeys. Grew most all our veggies, picked wild greens in the woods and wetlands, dug horseradish, and grew mushrooms in the barn. . Had a couple bee hives and even grew our own hops and barley for the beer. Used geese to keep the varmints out of the garden, sometimes they even chased us out of it but we never ate them cause the kids treated them like pets. Have a large pond that holds bullhead, bass, chub and suckers. We eat the bullhead and bass - cull the chub and suckers (Used to use them as ice fishing bait) Over the years we planted some Black Walnut trees and now harvest a few each year for extra income. They usually grade out as veneer quality and are sold to a broker who sends them to Japan. Now we grow some tomato, pepper, and salad greens. The herb garden is perrenial so we still use it, and horseradish is still dug and processed for fun. The only critters we have is Buster the dog, two cats and a bird. It was all a great run but is beyond my ambition currently. Now we prefer to enjoy the flower gardens and watch the wildlife. Our biggest hope is that one of the youngsters will want the house when we are done with it. Our second biggest hope is that only one of the four wants it.
This little piggy went shopping I stopped at Lowe's got the last 4 bags of Sets they had ,I couldn't pass them up also got a couple of bags of Clean Energy . then I went up the street and bought all the bags of FSU's that were open on the floor the rest of the open pallets were all Chow.
I've been waiting for the price break to pick up a bag, $3.99 for chows at HD. I know, I know, Bobdog you dont even have a pellet stove. I use about a bag a year, last year two, to sprinkle ontop of my heap of coals to create flames and raise the chimney temp. Helps burn the pile of coals down and the pellets dont leave chit for ash.... I know i'm a chepo for waiting to save $2.00. So what.
Just helped a Buddy on the forum move a ton of FSU's to his garage, and hauled a second ton to my place. Cant go wrong for $199
Thank you Iron Stove! He tipped me off on the pellet prices and we took a ride to the local Depot after some lunch. I took a pic of the new prices. A big thanks to Iron Stove for hauling the pellets to my house and helping unload them. Between the price drop and no delivery, I saved $120. Awesome. I should be all set for the rest of the season.
Agreed. If they had a brand worth buying, I would have gone down there and made a big stinker until they did the right thing. I stopped at TSC on the way home and asked if they will price match HDs $199/ton. He said no, mumbled something about new corporate pricing policies and then trailed off. I could have made a scene because their sign clearly states they will price match, but they don't really have anything in stock I'm overly excited about, so I took the high road and let it slide. Why bother getting nutty when I can drive on over to HD and get some Chows or FSUs with no hassle?
I have to pick up my daughter at the train station first thing tomorrow morning and I'll be passing an HD that I believe carries Chows. She doesn't know it yet but she'll be helping load about 20 bags into my Jeep
