Heating pellets prove to be in short supply in NH

Union Leader ^ | 02/25/2014 | DAVE SOLOMON

[nhwingut]

Carol Newby's search for bags of wood pellets to fuel the family pellet stove took her on a tour of Southern New Hampshire last week, with little success.

"We usually get them at the local Agway," she said, "but they were in short supply and what they had was committed to customers who'd made pre-buys."

She was able to get a few bags at the Lowe's in Epping, but when she went back, they were out. After coming up empty at tractor supply stores in Epping and Hooksett, she tried a nearby Home Depot, which also had no pellets to sell.

[Joe Boucher]

Wait a minute,
Aren’t, “heating pellets” really just coal?
Gots to get rid of the evil stuff even if the little people freeze.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I believe there are farmers who burn corn in their pellet stoves. All depends on the price of corn and the price of the pellets, I guess.

[Cicero]

I’ve been hearing similar stories from our neighbors here in central Vermont. All the usual suppliers in the area are out of pellets.

I buy in the spring and keep a supply in the garage, partly because I don’t want to run out and partly because in the past that has been a cheaper time to buy. Also, bulk delivery is cheaper.

I keep 6 tons out there (6 pallets) and so far I haven’t used more than 5 tons in a single winter.

[Cicero]

Wood pellets are mostly made from sawdust gotten from sawmills, so otherwise it would likely go to waste.

Our pellet stove seems to release a lot less smoke than the wood stove. I’ve never actually seen it coming out of the stovepipe, although the pipe needs to be cleaned. Luckily, Vermonters consider burning wood to be clean and local—unlike California, where they send out squads of stove police to arrest anyone caught burning wood in their fireplaces.

[nhwingut]

From what I have heard, you need a special stove for burning corn. With the sugar in the corn it will leave a sappy residue if used in a (strictly) wood pellet stove. The corn stoves have a special augur/rod that spins the corn when it’s in the burn pot so the ashes are always moving and don’t build up with the sap. Whereas wood pellets leave a dry ash.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Sold out in Worcester area for two weeks now. Lowes can’t estimate a delivery. I used to buy a season’s worth, but they took up too much space. Buying a few bags at a time worked the last two seasons, bit not this year. Next year I’ll buy a pallet ahead of the season, to keep as a buffer.

[Joe Boucher]

Thanks Cicero,
Only pellet systems I’ve seen are in South Korea and they used coal pellets.
Just to more edumacate me,
are these wood pellets similar to hardwood lump charcoal like I use in my Big Green Egg?
thanks

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Thanks.

[Tallguy]

“Whereas wood pellets leave a dry ash.”

If you get high-quality hardwood pellets. Some of the stuff you get has a high pine content... smells like a Christmas tree when you open the bag.

The supply of wood pellets always seems to dry up long about March. I used to order 3-tons for the season, and was always scrambling for an extra ton toward Spring.

[Charles Martel]

are these wood pellets similar to hardwood lump charcoal like I use in my Big Green Egg?

Smaller in size and very uniform in shape. Most that I've seen are like little cylindrical pieces of compressed sawdust. They look a lot like processed pet foods, like something you'd buy to feed a hamster or rabbit.

[nhwingut]

I usually buy a ton (pallet) per month. And I went to get my ton for March earlier this week and had no luck. There is not a single bag for sale at the regular suppliers in NH (Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Aubachon, TruValu, etc).

I did find a guy on craigslist that’s selling them. But he can only sell 10 bags per person due to shortage. He wants to help as many people as possible (to get through shortage) - and not just a few. He told me today he’s getting calls from NY and VT willing to pay him double for a ton.

[trisham]

"Pellet fuels are heating fuels made from compressed biomass. Wood pellets are the most common type. A form of wood fuel, wood pellets are generally made from compacted sawdust or other wastes from sawmilling and other wood products manufacture,.[1] Other woody biomass sources include palm kernel shell, coconut shell, and whole-tree removal or tree tops and branches leftover after logging and which otherwise help replenish soil nutrients.[2] As well grasses can also be pelletized, creating grass pellets. Pellets are manufactured in several types and grades as fuels for electric power plants, homes, and other applications in between.[3] Pellets are extremely dense and can be produced with a low moisture content (below 10%) that allows them to be burned with a very high combustion efficiency.[4]

Further, their regular geometry and small size allow automatic feeding with very fine calibration. They can be fed to a burner by auger feeding or by pneumatic conveying. Their high density also permits compact storage and rational transport over long distance. They can be conveniently blown from a tanker to a storage bunker or silo on a customer's premises.[5] A broad range of pellet stoves, central heating furnaces, and other heating appliances have been developed and marketed since 1993.[citation needed] With the surge in the price of fossil fuels since 2005, the demand for pellet heating has increased in Europe and North America, and a sizable industry is emerging. According to the International Energy Agency Task 40, wood pellet production has more than doubled between 2006 and 2010 to over 14 million tons.[6] In a 2012 report, the Biomass Energy Resource Center says that it expects wood pellet production in North America to double again in the next five years.[7]"

Source: Wikipedia

[nhwingut]

If you get high-quality hardwood pellets.

Exactly. I should have said "leaves a drier ash." Some of the cheap crap uses bark and other filler in their pellets.

[skinkinthegrass]

my relative, use a "corn brick"..compressed corn pellets,
lasted a long time, smelled good/popcorn.

[Cyber Liberty]

Break up the furniture. You’re in New Hampshire, right? Improvise.

[Sacajaweau]

http://woodpelletreviews.com/

[nhwingut]

If I had a corn stove could I use Corn Flakes.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-— He told me today he’s getting calls from NY and VT willing to pay him double for a ton. -—

Wow. It’s strange that the price doesn’t float, like with gas or oil. I guess it would be perceived as “price gouging.” Can’t say as I blame Lowes, et. al. Who needs some stupid news reporter tearing down your business?

[nhwingut]

Nice gig. Set up a website to review wood pellets. And await the free bags of pellets at your door. What a country.