Wood Pellets!!!!!

SJ · Oct 30, 2008

Anyone having trouble finding wood pellets? Up here in upstate New York the situation looks dire.Cant find em anywhere.Only heat source I have for main house area. My fault for not being prepared and getting them earlier in the year.Gonna have to go get a kerosene heater.Never used one before,any tips on the purchase and use of one?Also my stove is a Harmon Pellet ProII,bout 13-14 years old,Was wondering if anyone knew if I could try and burn corn in it.Manual doesnt say I can,but it doesnt say I cant.
Thanks
Stan

ohiojim · Oct 30, 2008

i had a pellet stove 5 yrs. ago,..was real pricey to operate,..if you do a little work you can burn about 50% corn with little trouble, i had to build up the auger to slow the amount of corn as it takes a lot less corn then pellets,..my suggestion is to change to a wood burner,..cheaper,and in my opinion a lot less trouble, as for the kerosine heater you couldn't give me one of those,..try doing the math on what it costs,...

Ryan · Oct 30, 2008

I tried burning corn in a wood pellet stove but unsucessfully. I believe the screw turned much too fast and there was not enough air blowing through the fire pot. It might work if you could find corn dried to less than 5% but I still wouldn't count on it. Good luck on search for pellets I can't help you there.

Ryan

Anonymous-0 · Oct 30, 2008

Pellets are made near me.Panic over buying is causing a shortage.Pellet Mfg says the supply would be fine if people would stop hoarding.My oil dealer was interested in selling pellets but price increases made him back off.I talked with a fellow last year, he said pellet prices would go out of sight.He was right on.Dysart Co in Hampden Maine has pellets for sale.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 30, 2008

A kerosene heater works fine if care is taken. To avoid smell have an area outside the heated space to lite it. Crack open a window to allow moisture out and O2 in. Buy kerosene now the price is bound to rise.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 30, 2008

Kerosene runs 3.50 a gal here,down from 5.00 during 08.High oil prices have caused a mad scramble back to wood fuel.Pellets are 300.00 a ton.

IaGary · Oct 30, 2008

I don't mean to step on any toes here and am just wondering.

Why would anyone build a house that the only heat source was from wood, corn, or wood pellets?

How do you leave the house for a few days in the winter without someone babysitting the stove to keep a supply of fuel to it?

Gary

Greenday · Oct 30, 2008

The ones I seen the other day were also over a dollar a bag higher than last year!

Anonymous-0 · Oct 30, 2008

Good luck on finding corn dried to 5% when 15 is the norm

Bill in NorthCentral PA · Oct 30, 2008

Check Cummings Lumber / Barefoot Flooring in Troy, PA. I don't know if they have them, but I know they sure make alot of them.

INCase · Oct 30, 2008

We have a Whitfield pellet stove. Owner's manual says absolutely not to burn anything but pellets in it. The dealer said about 50% corn but I found 25% was the best. About 2-3 years ago when nat gas went thru the roof so did pellets when everyone went out and bought pellet stoves then they came back down. This time I think folks have bought stoves again but have also horded (stocked up) with fears of oil prices climb higher. If that's the case there should be lots of pellets once everyone has restocked. For us we'd have to buy stove wood and the cost is close to what pellets should be ($150 to $180/ton) with a lot more hassle (store/split/haul/cut/stoking/lighting/relighting ect). pellets here jumped from 165 to $220/ton in 2 weeks and they're hard to find but if you call around you can get them TSC, Menards and Lowes had them but at $250/ton. We know the owners of a pellet manf. but they don't sell retail. I think they would help us in a pinch. We do have NG regular heat and I do watch to see which one is cheaper to run since our NG has droped 50% since August. Next time I'd get one that could burn anything so I can be flexible with the market. Good luck

Anonymous-0 · Oct 30, 2008

Keep scouting for pellets but get a couple milk house electric heaters. I think that would be cheaper and safer than a kerosene heater.

Ron Anderson · Oct 30, 2008

About 5 years ago I bought my first corn and pellet stove combination or all fuel stove. Since then I have updated and been burning corn pretty much 100% of the time. I also have a fuel oil hot water furnace that I turn on in the fall so make sure it will work just in case.
The better stoves will burn either corn or pellets and are the better buy. They can be pretty automatic just add corn and hit the start button. With a thermostat they pretty well take care of themselves, add corn and empty ash bucket.

Walt Davies · Oct 30, 2008

WOW! $300 a ton I never payed more than $200 out here where they are made. Bought 3 ton last spring put it in the barn an I'm ready for the long winter.

Pellets are sometimes hard to find due to people buying a winters supply all at once but just wait a while and your store will fill up with them.

I have used a pellet stove now for about 4 years really like it mine is self starting and on a programmable thermostat so all I do is watch it run and fill it once in while.

We put in more new windows and new ceiling in the old house (1871) and this year it sure is nice and warm with no drafts.

Walt

in-too-deep · Oct 30, 2008

Go back to the stores you checked at, have a nice little conversation with one of the people who looks like they know what they're doing, and ask them if they'd call you when they get more in. The least you can do is try to get first dibs on the pellets when they come in.

GeneMO · Oct 30, 2008

What you are going through is exactly what has kept me from giving those stoves a second thought. I didn't want to be tied to something that may not be around.

Wood pellets are plentiful here in Central MO. although I didn't look at the price.

Gasoline is under $2.00 in the SW part of the state. I filled up two days ago in Central MO. for $2.09.

Bought 3 cords of oak firewood for $50 a cord, just cause I thought it was a deal and I can't justify the time cutting it for that price.

When I first got married, to a city girl, my MIL was worried that we would eventually run out of wood. We just laughed. We have about 60 acres of woods and you know, it just keeps producing more trees when some are cut!

Gene

mnbob · Oct 30, 2008

SJ; Try this site for question on mixing corn or burning it straight. Great bunch of folks and some may have your model and experimented. I agree that you should find pellets. If not then contact a few of the nearest mfg's and ask. I buy in summer and mix about 50% in my corn/pellet burner. Good luck- Bob
http://forum.iburncorn.com/index.php?sid=cc9aba36dcb252683841692073ce4cfa

nw_bearcat · Oct 30, 2008

I have a corn/pellet capabable stove, but am using it so supplement an air-air heat pump. The corn unit will keep the house warm enough to likely keep the heat pump from running its aux. resistance heat coils during extreme cold. I have return vents cut into the walls of the room with the corn stove so i can run the air handler, and circulate the heat around. I still have the ability to leave w/o worrying about heat though.

BIG ED · Oct 30, 2008

At an auction [Georgia} earlier this month,they sold 3 pallets,with around 40,40 lb.bags per pallet for $55.00 a pallet.
I don't think there are a lot of pellet stoves in this area.
I spoke to the guy that bought them,he was proud to get them.
That was late in the afternoon,the crowd had thinned out,and the weather was messy,but the pellets were well covered.

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Oct 30, 2008

I have an England Stove Works pellet stove and I tried to burn corn in it. What I found is, 1. The fuel feed speed cannot be slowed enough for corn. 2. The corn turns to clinker when burning. If you don't have means to stir the corn while burning, that snuffs it out too. 3. Corn is corrosive when burning. It will eat your fire pot if it's not made from stainless. My opinion is if it's not rated for corn, it won't likely work.

Sean Feeney · Oct 30, 2008

I have a Monitor Kerosene heater and when it was running it was great no oder, direct vent to the outside, the trouble is no one around here supports them,and they need rebuilds every few years. Also like someone else had said our kero is close to $5 a gallon.

Sparktrician · Oct 30, 2008

Maybe drive south to a area that isnt as cold yet, and buy pellets there????

Anonymous-0 · Oct 30, 2008

I have to agree with one of the posts below... if your stove isn't designed to burn corn, you probably shouldn't even try. Our stove is designed to burn both and came set up to burn corn. I had to buy a seperate burn pot and do a fairly extensive change over to burn pellets. My guess is that if you do try to burn corn in your stove, you'll work yourself to death in the process. JMO...D

Gun guru · Oct 30, 2008

Search the internet, lots of suppliers out there. Call around and see if any are available, Call your local do-it best center.

RodinNS · Oct 30, 2008

Well... with the number of sawmills shut down right now it's no surprise that pellets would be hard to find. The pellets are made from wood waste at the mills... so no waste, no pellets.
Until the market picks up for lumber, don't expect much change.

Rod

Ryan · Oct 31, 2008

We had a batch out of the dryer the other day less than 5%. It sure tasted good! Warm and just exploded in your mouth like unpopped kernals of popcorn. Needless to say we will be blending it out with some 17% corn and the dryer got turned down a bit.

Ryan

MarkinMO · Oct 31, 2008

Gene,

From previous posts I think I've seen you're in the Pilot Grove area. I'm northeast of Otterville. $60/cord was a heck of a buy, I've been seeing it for twice that or more.

Wood Pellets!!!!!

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