Pellet Stoves Are Not Selling

 
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Uglysquirrel
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Post by Uglysquirrel » Sat. Nov. 01, 2008 9:53 pm

At a local home show today, lots of pellet stoves on inventory reduction sales, one lady said since that since oil prices went down in the past month, no one wants to buy them....All the stoves I saw were not major manufacturers, these companies must be making these like mad and then, poof, the oil prices drop..what a business model.


 
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mr1precision
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Post by mr1precision » Sat. Nov. 01, 2008 10:04 pm

It's funny, people told me that I'd never see gas less than $4 a gal ever again. I thought that it would have settled out at $3.29 or so. I just saw gas for $2.27. :dancing:
I think the turn off with pellet stoves is that there was a shortage of pellets when the demand was up. A friend of mine is waiting for his Axeman Anderson-130 to come in. He ordered it in july! ;)

 
TimV
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Post by TimV » Sat. Nov. 01, 2008 10:08 pm

Along with sagging pellet stove sales I cant help but wonder if coal stove backlogs wont soon follow.
What short memories we as a peolpe have Poof no more oil crisis.Isn't it strange and like magic just before and election....Just like a clock ..it goes round and round.
Oh by the way EXXON just had another record quater to beat out all others...like magic ... :roll:

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Sat. Nov. 01, 2008 10:26 pm

Gas may have come down a lot, the same cannot be said for diesel and #2 heating oil.

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Sat. Nov. 01, 2008 11:41 pm

The gas will go back up and pellets cost too much. I just got back from lowes and they were selling a 40lb. bag for $6. That's approx. $450 compared to to what it will cost you for a ton of coal and isn't much less that oil...

 
Titus
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Post by Titus » Sun. Nov. 02, 2008 12:37 am

Oil in mid-Maine can be had for $2.48 (as low as $2.35 down by Portland). With these prices I am filling both my tanks and burning oil this winter. I had wanted to get a coal stove and direct-vent (chimney flue is taken), but with the Harman mess and everyone else getting backlogged, I wasn't going to get a stove delivered in time to matter this heating season. So, the drop has been a blessing.

At current prices, pellets cost more than oil, and coal is only a little cheaper. (We have to pay around $315/ton up here... unless you want to get a trailer like Freddy did.

But, I am determined to no longer be dependent on just one heating method. The price drop eliminates the panic buying, and gives me time to get the options worked out. Maybe I'll get the oil boiler moved and direct vent it, freeing up my flue. Regardless, next heating season, I'll be ready.

 
TimV
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Post by TimV » Sun. Nov. 02, 2008 6:42 am

Pellets seem to be a area the scammers jumped into."Prepay for future delivery" Area tv did a story a cpl weeks ago about a shop that was selling pellets at unbelieveable prices for payment in advance...Seems he sold hundreds of tons and delivered -0-!! Next his shop closed. They tracked him down to his beautiful lake front home with "no comment"
My brother-in-law works for a place that rented space to a pellet stove company that promised pellets at $199 a ton for life!!!You guessed it ..Pay now for latter delivery...Seems people were willing to pay $300 a ton cash off the truck so the ones waiting for their "locked in"paid fors never got them....
Before you hand over cash for something you cant see make damn sure you know who your dealing with and remember golden rule 1..."if its too good to be true...it isn't" :oops:


 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Sun. Nov. 02, 2008 8:30 am

Titus wrote: But, I am determined to no longer be dependent on just one heating method. The price drop eliminates the panic buying, and gives me time to get the options worked out. Maybe I'll get the oil boiler moved and direct vent it, freeing up my flue. Regardless, next heating season, I'll be ready.
Well I think that is important and what everyone forgets until the next time energy prices rise and there is another massive run on coal stoves and other forms of heat. This will happen again. The current drop in oil prices is certainly nice but its still over $2. I have no doubt that we'll see it hit the bottom shortly and steadily rise again. The spike over the last year was excessive but have no doubt it where it's going in the future.

 
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UpStateMike
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Post by UpStateMike » Tue. Nov. 18, 2008 3:48 pm

It's also important to realize the major source for pellets is "waste" wood from the lumber industry. Not a lot of people building new homes with busted economy and a housing price slump. If no one is making lumber, then no one is making pellets either. Pellets are pretty scarce around here in upstate NY and people with pellet stoves are in a pinch. Plus, even the corn burners are in trouble because corn is being used to make ethanol so corn is pricey too.

 
Paulie
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Post by Paulie » Tue. Nov. 18, 2008 6:56 pm

Oil is down, how far will it go? For how long? Here in Boston area, fuel oil C.O.D is 2.19. 3 Months ago, the markets
were telling us that we did not matter, the rest of the world is using more and more. Then look, we trip, the world folds.
8 weeks? Oh and our beat up dollar was worthless. Things get rough, everyone screams, and the US dollar rises.
" Who you gonna call?"
Lots of reasons why oil jumped, most of it market manipulation allowed to happen because of a few key but obscure
"deregulation" moves. The Enron gift that no one noticed....until it was too late. Well some noticed.....and went to the
bank. The world economies that 8 weeks ago were on fire, are tanking, ours included. Why? Energy costs sucked them all
dry. The run up in the last 4 years drained the world economies. We have seen it before, and we are seeing it again.
Oil may stay cheap for a while, at least a year, maybe two. But as recovery starts, and it will( we may have already bottomed), demand will rise, and so will the price. How far and fast? What ever the market will bear. It is funny to see
oil go from 147 bl to 52 bl, in 4 months. Because of what? Maybe a 10% decline in use? Please 10% drop in use equals
60+ % drop in price? While this spring a "projected" 2 % increase in use lead to 100% increase in price ? The funky math
shows there is more at play than " supply and demand".
Bottom line, for me anyway, frugal is good, during both fat and lean times. It is the oldest of all American virtues. Nice
to see it come back, like a fricken Hurricane. Oil needs to drop to 1.30 gal to equal my cost to heat with coal. I like my odds
of saving money this winter, and many more to come. The drop does allow you to shop for bargains for equipment this summer. There will be lots of machinery around looking for a home. Coal On !

 
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HDFXR1991
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Post by HDFXR1991 » Tue. Nov. 18, 2008 9:02 pm

I agree with UpStateMike. Housing industry tanked so no saw dust.
Now on the Gas prices. It just hit 1.99 in WI for Regular. Now look back before Bush ... 1.50 and now after Bush ....1.50? We are adults here ....do the Math. Bush is an oil man and always was. Hmmm. Filled the oil mans pockets and interests..

I'm getting off the Soap Box..........
HDFXR1991

 
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Lumberjack
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Post by Lumberjack » Thu. Nov. 20, 2008 8:34 pm

The volitility in oil is only going to worsen....

With any luck some of the stoves that were ordered will get cancelled and move mine up the list. Thank god for the price respite or I would be in major trouble already.

 
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coalmeister
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Post by coalmeister » Thu. Nov. 20, 2008 8:44 pm

I was told pellets are made out of hardwood sawdust mainly from furniture makers who all are moving to China (or were).
My local dealer had them on sale for $199 a ton in June! And that was when oil was well north of $100. Now they are $265 and oil is $50, go figure.
I know people that are burning pellets that cost more than their nat gas :doh:

 
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Post by sharkman8810 » Mon. Nov. 24, 2008 7:09 pm

Paying more to burn pellets seems crazy. Pellet stoves have there place, but not for what you pay for one and the current cost of pellets.

 
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Uglysquirrel
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Post by Uglysquirrel » Mon. Dec. 08, 2008 9:52 am

Guy in work bought a Harman pellet furnace, went thru 1.5 tons as of last week with ~ 1250 degree days consumed. When I told him that at that rate of burn considering a typical 6000 degree day winter in Northern CT he'll go thru 7-8 tons he was not tooooo happy as he purchased 5 tons. If it was coal he could call our local bulk guy and drop off 3-4 more tons of whatever type of coal.

He's trying to do stack temp vs feed rate assessments to get the optimal efficiency, it seems he was having some issues with feed rates and the burnt ash not willing to drop into the ash pan. This ash not willing to drop caused the furnace to shut down.

It was amazing to see the # of adjustments on these type hot air pellet furnaces. He noted that each lot of pellets has their own burn characteristic (kinda like coal) though I'm maybe thinking that these pellet furnaces may be less resilient to the burn variables of the pellet material vs a stoker though I do not own a stoker.

Unfortunately pellets have several human interventions between the tree and basement whereas coal pretty much has 1-2 interventions especially if the coal is bulk. Each intervention whatever the material burnt has economic variables and cost added.

Food for thought


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