Pellet Count for 2021-2022 Season

I thought we already had a thread going on this, but I couldn't find it.

I used 2 bags in September, using only the P43.
I started up the basement stove October 18, and between the two stoves I used 14 bags.
For November I used 30 bags. It started with most usage in the P43, but now the cold is driving into the ground so the P61 is on par with what the P43 uses

Total for season so far is 46 bags. Lowest amount I've ever used, but only a couple bags over last year.

 

ZERO……(and loving it, so far)

 

I'm on bag 16. 1200 square feet to heat and super insulated. I average 1 bag a day unless it's over 40 then it's 1/2 bag a day. I did fill my oil tank when the price of oil wasn't so high. First fillup in 3 years.

 

Enjoying the ease of NG via an HVAC system and NG fireplace. If you remember, I sold my house of 36 years and the P61A went with it. 24 years of schlepping those bags up the cellar stairs. I definitely don’t miss that. I still have my dinosaur Invincible at my place up north but I rarely use it since I went mini split about 5 years ago….

 

I'm at 45 bags for the season. Running a bag a day on average. Cracking into some logik-e now, I'm thinking that'll maintain about the same rate into the colder weather, as it seems to run hotter than the NEWPs and fireside ultra I've been using.

 

I'm about 45 bags used so far. Burned a half bag a night a few nights in Oct, about a bag a day since.

sam

 

Hello BB
My house is similar to yours and even though I do not have a firm count, I just estimated around 48 bags. I got 100 gals of oil at $2.89 per gallon to top off the tank before the cold weather hit for the DHW but if that goes up a lot more, I will shut down the oil completely by switching from Big Blue to the ECO Smart On Demand Electric Hot water and watch the oil trucks drive by.

 

Not keeping close track but I'd say I've filled the 4 plastic trash cans with corn and pellet mix about 4 times so far or about half a skid of 53 pound bags of off grade corn and half of one skid of pellets but remember, I'm fueling 2 stoves. A 6039 in the house and another in the shop, but the shop is part time when I'm out here. If I'm not it's on PEX, propane fired in floor heat which I keep at 60.

Went and picked up another ton of Michigan Hardwood pellets at TSC yesterday. I always get nervous when I have less than 3 skid of anything in the barn. Paid $220.00 for another skid (50 40 pound bags. I have 3 full (2500 pound) skids of corn as well.

The corn I'm roasting now is a tad wetter than the stuff from last year and it's showing in heat output and ash buildup as well. Getting a lot more ash than I usually do and it's not running quite as hot as I like so I kicked up the heat range a notch to 5. I may have to go into the programming mode and reset the feed algorithm for a bit higher PPH rate. I can go to notch 9 but at 9, the stove tends to overheat and go into shutdown mode. Don't nee that on a cold winter night. The other issue is, at that high of a feed, the fire gets so hot, it warps the steel plate over the top of the door arch. I had the weld in a length of 1x1 steel angle some years back after I heated the front face of the stove cherry red with a rosebud and took the warp / wave out. Don't want a repeat of that ever again. It's very hard to weld in there as there is very limited room to get the MIG torch inside the burn chamber and lay a decent weld. Had to to it with a mirror and the stove had to come out of the house and into the shop.

Last night I went to bed running in notch 2 and got up at 7AM with the central furnace on. Got cold and windy last night and the stove wasn't able to keep up with the heat load. That is the one thing I don't much care for with solid fuel heat and that is the ramp up and ramp down time for the stove to adjust to a varying heat load. The remote t'stat will call for heat but it takes the stove about 15 minutes to start assuming the heat load and in the interem the central furnace comes on and brings the ambient up to pre set temp which is also the high set temp for the biomass thermostat so they dance together unless it's real cold and windy, then the biomass stove will keep running unabated at whatever preset heat range I have it at.

My remote t'stat only controls the ramp up and ramp down and not the PPH fuel delivery. That can only be set manually on the control board or by altering the algorithms manually. Guess I cannot have everything, oh well. Unlike newer units, both mine are manual light (no glo rod), so they both will revert to the lowest setting PPH in HR1, when the t'stat isn't calling for heat which is all and good when it's cold out but during temperate weather, even HR1 at al low PPH feed rate can be too much and if I adjust the algorithm in HR1 too low, the fire goes out and I'm screwed.

My board can support a Calrod ignition source and been thinking about refitting both for electric ignition lately. Some boring with a Blu-Mol hole saw, a bit of welding and some plasma work and I'd be good. I may do that this summer and move into the 21st century.

 

Better top off your oil tank soon because heating oil (which is really off road diesel) is about to go up like a rocketship. You know who you can thank for that and I won't go there.....

 

I'm at about a bag a day since Oct 1 here in northern New Hampshire. It'll go up to nearly 2 bags a day when temps are sub zero. My PP130 is in the basement of a 1500 sq ft ranch. Last year, I replaced the forced hot air furnace, and moved the return air intake to the basement as well. With the furnace pulling conditioned air from upstairs, through the basement, my pellet use went down by a ton last year. Propane use was slightly less as well. I just picked up a woodburner for the basement as well, I plan on running that on weekends whenever possible. That should put a big dent in pellet and propane use. Wood is cheap for me, my neighbor is a logger, I get log lengths delivered for a very reasonable price.

 

I only used 28 bags for December, giving a total of 74 for this season so far.

BUT, most of December I used the mini split to heat the main floor. There were days that I used the P43, and a few more nights too, but mainly the mini split. The P61a is still chugging in the basement since that is the only heat source down there. The mini split use is an experiment, and at least I know it will heat the place down to the teens if I need it to.

This year has gone pretty much like last year for temps (assuming I remember correctly). Last year I used 40 bag in December (least amount ever), so I surmise I saved 12 bags. Will be interesting to see the electric bill and see if I saved or paid. The state website has the pellet and heat pump mmbtu costs running about neck and neck right now, so we'll see.

 

Candidly, I've lost count but I have plenty. Used almost a full pallet of bagged corn already or 2500 pounds.

I wonder what they will cost next fall. My fertilizer cost went way up, 50 pound bags of 46 Urea jumped 12 bucks a bag.

 

The cost of juice is going up as well. Cannot win no matter how hard you try.

Might install a solar array in the back this summer, just to help out a bit.

 

Sept=2
Oct=14
Nov=25 approx....lost count
Dec=50
Jan= lot's & lot's Deep freeze

 

I liked the post, but not liking that ivanhoe - after this past weekend experience. Another few days of zero temps and below coming up here. I now understand why you have a 'fire breathing Dragon' (50F) living downstairs in the basement.

 

I'm at 40 bags. Cold weather like this I burn a bag every 24 or so hours. Doing the math I have spent $252. That's $315/ton and I expect to burn 2 tons as usual. My tenant who lives on the 2nd floor has already spent over $500 on oil. I figure she will at least double that. So, I'll be at $630 and my tenant will be over $1000. Possibly way over if prices keep going up on oil....which you know they will.
The big difference is my house is WARM and her house is at 60 degrees. She asked if I would let her have a pellet stove and I said sure but then she thought of hauling bags of pellets up the stairs and said that she would work a little overtime to pay for the increased price of oil. Easier on her knees.

 

49 bag for January for a total of 123 for the season.