Pellet heads!! What's up today?

Uncle sammy works via snail mail and doesn't sell anything in the brace line. I don't use spectrum for my phone so nothing comes across on my screen.

 

Well the day started with bacon and eggs, then there was a blt for lunch followed by shrimp,scallops, and lobster so the bear is stuffed.

 

Had to work today, but at least I got to work from home. After I was sure I was done with work stuff, I buckled down and got my new wi-fi router set up. I had an old, old Linksys that didn't even have WAP2, that is how old it was.

The new one is a Netgear AC2300 (R7000P). Wasn't hard to set up, but would have been a lot easier if there had been directions instead of just a piece of paper that told me what was supposed to be in the box, and to download an app onto my phone (which when you don't have wifi and do have an older phone, can be adventurous). Fortunately I had Googled beforehand and found the access address so could set it up that way.

Anyway, I wrestled everything into place, changed the passwords to both lines (2.5G and 5G), set up the phone, laptop and printer, then took snips of all the settings in case I need them. Now I'm good. Also got the work laptop on, just to make sure it would go (it is picky sometimes).

 

I've looked at wasting some coin on a new setup but would rather waste it on the birds, in fact I did the dance with a fifty lb bag of black oil sunflower seed.

 

Get yourself a small can on wheels. Who ever told you to lift a 50 lb. bag? I thought you had a lifting restriction??? You know exactly where you will end up if you don't behave. Can you tell I had a career in the Military!
Once I went in to get sunflower seeds. I asked for two bags I think of 20 or 25 lb. bags. They explained that a big bag was cheaper. I said that is good, but I can't lift 50 lbs without falling over. They sold me the two bags for the price of the one larger bag. Now when I go in, they get me the larger bag, but they put it in my car. When I get home I just pull it out of the car into a cart and when I am ready I just dump it into the metal pail (with cover) I can pull easily but lifting much is out. Dumping pellets into the stove is done buy cutting a hole in the bag while it is in a chair and letting it pour out into a pail with a good handle. Couple times and I have the hopper filled.

 

Hey, I do pretty good for an old fart who has had a stroke and is on the dizzy express of bp meds.

 

I normally have the 20 lb bags or less of seeds.

 

Did you buy a seafood basket at a seafood place? I like that combination in a stew. Fried, not so good for me.

 

The boss made the artery clogger.

 

Anyone ever burn matra softwood pellets?

 

Those burn nice and hot and there is little ash in the pan. However, I did have mixed final results as shown below.

My P61a's exhaust became gunkified from burning just 5-7 bags of Matras. I have burned some of the chittiest pellets and never had the mess that was in there even after weeks of running. However, while burning the Matras, the P61a burned for a very short time (it heats a small area) so maybe the 6' of exhaust never got hot enough and stuff just stuck. Whereas burning chittier pellets means the stove runs longer, so the pipe (theoretically) heats up better. And as an aside, the only softwoods that the P61a has loved unconditionally have been Vermonts - it does best overall with hardwoods like Cubix and Hamer's and second best with hardwood blends (where hardwood is the larger percentage).

The P43 loved the Matras and the exhaust was just fine. It has a much shorter piping section and burns for much longer at a time. I finished burning the Matras in that stove (I think I had a total of 20-25 bags).

 

Yes... will be burning a couple of tons this season...


Dan

 

The best pellets we ever used (And that was several years ago) were HEARTLAND pine pellets....They make the house smell soooooooooooooooooooo nice

As far as heat goes, the hazelnut shells are the best cost effective tune in town....

More ash and the stove needs cleaning more often....but again the $$$$$$$$$$$ is the driving force

 

Oh boy, Home made is so much better. Always fixed just the way you like it.

 

There is a blueberry cake which is waiting for someone to help me eat it. I did in a cherry pie that somehow flew into my shopping cart this morning.

 

Changed the auger belt in the Sno-Tek today. Took almost 3 hours to do what is probably a 30 minute job for experienced people. I had to read stuff, then read it again, and again while I was working on it. Oh, and I fixed the Air cleaner housing that I messed up last spring (getting those 3 screws in had to have taken 20-30 minutes because the line up for the holes in 3 pieces is not as exact as I would like it to be.

And, had to run to the hardware store because I messed up a bolt that goes to the belt "fingers". Well, technically the bolt is in fine shape I just can't get it out of the mistakenly used 1/2 socket because the points turned to the flats when I was trying to do the final tightening. Thought I had grabbed the same socket as I used to remove the bolts, but apparently not . The good news is that I don't have any extra parts after putting it back together.

I had drained the oil quite a bit ago, so I also filled that up.

Feeling semi-accomplished. Can't feel fully accomplished until I start her up and see if the auger turns better than anemically. To hot to start it up since I can't get it going fast enough to wind cool

Oh, and obligatory pics:

The attachmen fully detached. Had to also remove the rod and cable for the chute



The offending belt that is way stretched out. Must have got some ice stuck and the shear pins didn't do their job.


Back together

 

Getting ready for an early snow ????

 

Next month for b maybe.

 

I'm ready for some cool wet weather.

Wed. we may get some rain...