A Trip to Wertz Coal Yard

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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Dec. 13, 2014 7:34 pm

Since I can't get barly or buckwheat coal from my local suppier I took a trip up to Mechanicsburg PA today to visit Wertz Coal Yard.
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Wertz

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Loading 1.5 ton of medium buckwheat.
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An unexpected suprize, a beautiful Losch 350!!!
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Wertz Losch 350

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Wertz Losch 350

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Wertz Losch 350

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Got it home and bucketed it out.
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And there it is, a ton and a half of medium buckwheat!
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I also got a trash can full of hard barley to try out.
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Great people to deal with, they know a lot about coal, they have a nice veriety of coal at a reasonable price. The medium buck was 230 a ton, hard buck was 235 a ton. They also deliver.

All in all, a nice expiriance.

-Don


 
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artbaldoni
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Post by artbaldoni » Sat. Dec. 13, 2014 8:22 pm

15 min from my work. They are the only yard where I can get bit nut to mix with my ant for my OWB :sick: . Great folks, always have what you need. About $5 more per ton than other local guys but not a big deal to me. Its easier to make one trip and get a ton mixed on the truck than to go two places to save $5-10. Just don't always expect someone to answer the phone during coal season. They are incredibly busy. I guess you don't stay in business for 70 years without doing something right!

 
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StokerDon
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sat. Dec. 13, 2014 9:05 pm

That's good to know Art. I didn't know they sold Bit coal, they sure do have a wide selection of coal. That gives me a good excuse to find something that burns Bit!

-Don

 
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artbaldoni
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Post by artbaldoni » Sat. Dec. 13, 2014 10:08 pm

Their bit is not the greatest. Its supposed to be nut but its more like pea. It doesn't really bother me cause its just filler for me... ;)

 
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LoschStoker
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Post by LoschStoker » Mon. Dec. 15, 2014 10:23 pm

That Losch has been going nonstop I believe 50 years and he may have only replaced the motor.
Try that with a AA.

That's where I use to get my barley coal. I would get it when it was below freezing, drive real slow till the coal froze on top so it wouldn't blow off. It was a little over an hour away.

 
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BlackBetty06
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Post by BlackBetty06 » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 8:58 pm

Reviving this from the dead.

Does anybody know if Wertz is still in business. I have a co worker who buys his coal there. He burns an SF250. They dropped off a few ton of coal last winter but didnt leave a bill (maybe blew away or something) He called them back in the spring and they said they will send a bill. They never did. He tried calling but nobody answers. He tried to call again a few days ago to try and square up and place another order. Nobody answers the phone. He ended up buying coal from Martins Ag (formerly country meadows coal) out of new holland, pa.

 
cuda567
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Post by cuda567 » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 11:02 pm

They are still open, it is hard to get someone on the phone. I called for nut coal and the lady spent 10minutes telling me she could only sell me a half ton, something about the mines being flooded and they aren't mining as much also alot of the coal was going to China, that's just what she told me


 
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Riddlerlloyd
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Post by Riddlerlloyd » Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 8:31 am

I got all of my coal there last year. They were smaller, real nice but busy. If they tried calling during the off season they probably weren’t there. The last load I got from them was April but I drove by a few weeks ago and saw coal in the piles.

 
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StokerDon
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 7:49 pm

cuda567 wrote:
Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 11:02 pm
They are still open, it is hard to get someone on the phone. I called for nut coal and the lady spent 10minutes telling me she could only sell me a half ton, something about the mines being flooded and they aren't mining as much also a lot of the coal was going to China, that's just what she told me
It's been my experience over the years that most businesses that are only in the coal supply business are nearly impossible to get on the phone this time of year. They are usually very old school, don't advertise and don't have cell phones. Leave them a message with who you are and what you want. They will put you one their list and get back to you at some point.

Hay, those pictures look familiar!

-Don

 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 8:16 pm

Oh my Don, you just described our place totally. We are primarily a trucking company and half the time there is no one around to answer the phone, we are so short handed. I don’t even have a credit card reader here, all scale tickets are still hand written. I do have a fax machine though. What a hell of a way to run a business but there is never a lost step around here.

One truck garage here dates to the 1950’s and the shop is heated with a 1960-something 1300. The 1964 Ford 3400 loader tractor occasionally gets called into duty again although the clutch and brake pedals are worn completely through.

There are various antiquated trucks stored under roof in various places that are dated back to the days of my great-grandfather running the place. I am 4th generation here.

Can’t say much for the place but I buy 500 calenders each year to give out to our dedicated customers and they are always all gone by the middle of December.

 
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BlackBetty06
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Post by BlackBetty06 » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 6:15 am

Thanks for the info guys. I’ll let him know

 
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StokerDon
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Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Fri. Dec. 14, 2018 9:59 am

CoalJockey wrote:
Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 8:16 pm
Oh my Don, you just described our place totally.
Yup, your not the only one! Actually, when I was at Wertz, they told me up front that from November to February they are very difficult to get hold of so leave a message. Reece's is pretty much the same way on the home delivery side. The pick up side is run by the Son and they have specific hours that they are actually there so they are easier to get hold of.
CoalJockey wrote:
Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 8:16 pm
One truck garage here dates to the 1950’s and the shop is heated with a 1960-something 1300.
I've been thinking about that 1300, what a monster! If you don't mind, I would like to swing by to see it in the next few weeks. If we could do some video of it firing, that would be awesome.

Also, I'd like to pick up a half ton of Buckwheat, if you stock it. I will send you a PM.

-Don

 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Fri. Dec. 14, 2018 7:39 pm

Anytime Don

You are always welcome here and free to shoot any videos or stock up on any photos you like. Come on a cold day and we will get a good hard load going on the 1300 when the shop door goes up.

Buckwheat is nearly always in stock here, we move a lot of it. The only times we run low is if we get a rush on it for some reason. We can get lined up I will make it a point to be around.

 
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StokerDon
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Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Dec. 23, 2018 9:52 am

Thanks C.J.! I'll send you a PM when I have a good idea when I can make it out there. It's 3 hours or so one way so it will be a full day for me.

I still have some Chestnut coal left. Every year about this time I get the urge to hand fire something. Lucky for me I still have my mighty Harman SF3500 hiding behind the Van Wert.
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It's bricked down so that only 3 grates are in operation instead of 6. Holds about 40 to 50 pounds.

Last night I burnt some wood in it. Then we through some coal on top.
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This morning, we put about 20 pounds on top and we should be good to go for the rest of the day!
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.
Last night I shut off all the radiators and the radiant heat loop. Then we had to open a couple window-stats!

The basement is about 85 degrees and the house is about 75. Even bricked down, this thing puts an amazing amount of heat into the house!

-Don

 
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Riddlerlloyd
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Post by Riddlerlloyd » Tue. Mar. 05, 2019 11:40 am

I haven’t seen anything ‘official’ on Wertz but my mother in law told me last night that they had closed. Don’t want to spread rumors however I have seen posts/comments on Facebook about it happening so if anyone else has confirmation it would be good, MIL said the bins were empty and everything cleaned out.


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