Local Stove Dealer Stops Selling Coal and Coal Stoves

Stopped at a local stove dealer last week to get a few bags of coal. He informed me he is no longer selling coal or coal stoves. When I inquried as to why he informed me that he is "big on renewable energy sources" such as biomass fuel (wood pellets) and corn and that we need to stop depending on foreign oil. Needless to say I was taken aback and asked him how much foreign oil is used to cut trees and harvest corn. Ialso informed him that coal is mined right here in PA and is not foreign. He just kinda gave me a funny look and never said a word. When I asked him where all the people that he sold coal stoves to were going to get coal he said "somewhere else". There are several places that are not too far from here but, his location was rather convenient. I will never buy anything from that place again.

Doesn't sound like he'll have much there you'd want to buy!!

It does sound as if he met a salesman. Someone got him all excited and forklifted him into a new and shinier future...good luck with that one. We all know the price of corn and other biomass fuels will continue to climb. Coal has an inherent black eye....people think it's dirty and dusty so the masses stay away. Pellets of biomass are clean, good for you..heck, eat one...it's fine...LOL...I think this negative perception of coal is a good thing for those of us that know better.

Actaully I never bought too much from that place. I'd stop in from time to time to get some coal and look the stoves over. He sold coal stoves up until this season. My stove was purchased elsehwere in 1993 before he was even in the business. Just thought it would be nice to make some purchases in my own town. I thought wrong..................(again)
I have a brother-in-law with a pellet stove and a neighbor with 2 pellet stoves. Both were complaing about the cost of pellets this year (I have no idea of the cost). You are correct both say that coal is too messy but they have never tried to use it. Pellets need to be kept dry. I would have a problem here with keeping 6 or 7 tons of pellets dry. I just let my coal outside and bring it in as I need it. I have seen those pellets when they get wet............what a mess. I actaully had a few bags of them given to me a few years back. I burned them in my Harman MK II and needless to say they did not burn vey well but, they were free In another post you'll see that my daughter was without power. So was my brother-in-law. He had no heat for 2 days. But, he does have a pellet stove. I had told him to get battery backup but.......................well maybe he will now. Actually I, told him to get a hand fired coal stove in the first place. I like my hand fired stove. I can burn all kinda stuff in it

I have to agree with av8r, because coal is "known" for being messy and dirty, it gives us a good cost.

I use an old coffee can full of wood pellets to start my coal, it works really well. Last I saw, here in Pittsburgh, the price for a ton of pellets ranges between $185 to $230

I've never used a pellet stove, but now that I'm burning coal, I doubt I'll burn anything else!

SuperBeetle, your neighbor has 2 pellet stoves? Seems like a lot of work. I heat a 2800 sq ft. house with my one stove.

SuperBeetle, your neighbor has 2 pellet stoves? Seems like a lot of work. I heat a 2800 sq ft. house with my one stove.

Yepper he has 2 of 'em. He is heating around the same sq ft as you are. He has one upstairs and one in the basement. He also has an oil furnace (not used all that much) and a propane heater in his garage. I heat 2000 sq ft. with my MK II. I usually burn around 3 tons per year................last year it was 2 1/2. When I was burning wood it was 6 cords per year.

know anybody with a small dump truck that can come up this way and get you a load of coal?
those corn and pellet stoves are a waste of money.......couple friends have them.....250 a ton for pellets this yr and you get less than half the btu's of coal.....i guess youre about 2-2.5 hrs away from coal country......even with a pickup load it would prob be worth the trip.......when i was in high school and i lived near pottstown, i had friends their parents had an efm stoker......once a month the two brothers would come up here and fill each of their pickups with rice coal..........i came with a few times......rice coal was 52 bucks a ton in 1989

Well actually, I have a daughter that lives in Strausstown. Her husband is working on getting me some pricing from several breakers at this time. I'm trying to locate a dumptruck/large trailer. I'm hoping my son can help me out with that as he is in the construction business and has some contacts. I would like to get at least 3 tons.
Man $250 a ton...................that's just crazy

If you have a vehicle that can tow that much, the best bet, other than a deal with the construction company, is to go to the places that rent commercial type equipment. That is what I plan to do. Around here you can rent a 5 ton trailer for about $80. I have heard of people loading up U-Haul type trailers with a few tons, but with their listed weight limit below a ton, (1945 pounds) they scare me, especially driving over a 100 miles each way.

I pay $250 a ton, but that is for bagged rice and I am in KY, a long way from PA. I burn 2-2.5 tons a year and it way cheaper than $400 a month for gas! And the house is a lot warmer too!

BK

bksaun wrote:I pay $250 a ton, but that is for bagged rice and I am in KY, a long way from PA. I burn 2-2.5 tons a year and it way cheaper than $400 a month for gas! And the house is a lot warmer too!

BK

I'm with you on that, I pay the same up here. My house is all electric, I've shut off all heaters scince I've installed the Channing. To date, my bill is down $150 per month and at the burn rate average now, my 2 ton will/should last the season. I figure I'm going to save roughly $700 in for the winter heating in electric bills. Based on previous years with wood and electric I'd pay $400 month and $375( per season) in Wood.
The Channing has in my opinion already paid for itself in labor costs associated with wood and way WAY cheaper than electric heating.

I was able to find a 5 ton dumptruck that I can use just about anytime I need it I'll be making a road trip in the next few weeks.

SuperBeetle wrote:I was able to find a 5 ton dumptruck that I can use just about anytime I need it I'll be making a road trip in the next few weeks.

Thats good, I have learned to try a taste of the coal before loading up three times I have had over a ton of coal removed from my bin because of quality issues or burn ability, so now if I want to try a different breaker I get a few 5 gal buckets first or I just go to Blaschak and not worry about it for close to 18 yrs. now their coal has never let me down always burns HOT and consistent good ash content shakes nice and easy, well washed .