# pellets in central pa



## myers7457 (Nov 19, 2011)

I was wondering if anyone is from central pa and what pellets they burn.  The available pellets I have seen are energex,omalley,hamers hot ones,ligntics and the ones from tractor supply/lowes/hd.  I am currently burning lignetics. Anybody have any opinions on these.thanks


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## mikhen (Nov 19, 2011)

From Oley, Pa,  near Reading.    We've been trying 4 or 5 bags at a time.   So far I like american Wood Fibers from Lowe's,   when they have them.    Not expensive,  either.   The last ones we had from TSC didn't have much heat output.   Think they were presto logs.


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## referee38 (Nov 19, 2011)

Eastern Pa--- burning Hamers and Wood Pellet Company  Premium brands.


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## titanracer (Nov 19, 2011)

myers7457 said:
			
		

> I was wondering if anyone is from central pa and what pellets they burn.  The available pellets I have seen are energex,omalley,hamers hot ones,ligntics and the ones from tractor supply/lowes/hd.  I am currently burning lignetics. Anybody have any opinions on these.thanks



From Central PA. Newville Area:
I'm burning somerset right now which I bought at lowes in Shippensburg. They are a good pellet for me. I have 2 tons of them & 1 ton of Hamers Hot Ones left from last year. They also are a excellent pellet. I haven't tried any of the other brands you have listed. Now I did try some Hardwood Heat Pellets ( Hamers Repackaged for TSC ) from the Carlisle TSC & they are excellent too.


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## myers7457 (Nov 19, 2011)

were in mt holly and we bought ours from cedar grove in shippensburg!


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## titanracer (Nov 19, 2011)

myers7457 said:
			
		

> were in mt holly and we bought ours from cedar grove in shippensburg!



I growed up just outside the town of Mt. Holly.


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## stillersnut (Nov 20, 2011)

I live in Boiling Springs area & bought 2 tons of Sommerset @ Lowes in Carlisle.  They don't have any left.  Recently stopped by Wertz Coal Yard, in Mechanicsburg. They have Turmans @ $230, Power Pellets @$215, Wood Pellet Co.@ $215. Turmans are a super deal at that price. Might grab a ton at that price.  My all time top 3 pellets are Hammer ultras, Somersets, Penn Woods. Followed closely by Turmans.


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## titanracer (Nov 20, 2011)

stillersnut said:
			
		

> I live in Boiling Springs area & bought 2 tons of Sommerset @ Lowes in Carlisle.  They don't have any left.  Recently stopped by Wertz Coal Yard, in Mechanicsburg. They have Turmans @ $230, Power Pellets @$215, Wood Pellet Co.@ $215. Turmans are a super deal at that price. Might grab a ton at that price.  My all time top 3 pellets are Hammer ultras, Somersets, Penn Woods. Followed closely by Turmans.



Don't know if this is because we live so close to each other & have been using the same kind of pellet in this area, but I have to say the same thing. I bought Turman from Wertz coal yard last year. They are a excellet pellet & burn SUPER nice. Not quite as hot burning as Hamer's or Somerset. I might stop down and get a few bags of Power pellets to try. I have been hearing & seeing some good comments on them.


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## stillersnut (Nov 20, 2011)

I also have read good stuff on Power Pellets. So I stopped by Wertz on Thursday, purchased 12 bags.  They are made by O'Malley, although lighter in color.  I burnt a bag, and was very disappointed.  They were hard to light, once I did get them burning, I only got a temp reading of 210.  My Hammers burn @ 317, & Sometsets @ 305. I was disappointed. Maybe just a bad batch. I did sell them to my neighbor for horse bedding, so all was not lost.


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## myers7457 (Nov 20, 2011)

What is your opinion of lignetics.  What pellets would you say that are sold local are the cleanest yet provide high burn temps.


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## titanracer (Nov 20, 2011)

stillersnut said:
			
		

> I also have read good stuff on Power Pellets. So I stopped by Wertz on Thursday, purchased 12 bags.  They are made by O'Malley, although lighter in color.  I burnt a bag, and was very disappointed.  They were hard to light, once I did get them burning, I only got a temp reading of 210.  My Hammers burn @ 317, & Sometsets @ 305. I was disappointed. Maybe just a bad batch. I did sell them to my neighbor for horse bedding, so all was not lost.



Thanks for that update, maybe I will pass now.


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## titanracer (Nov 20, 2011)

myers7457 said:
			
		

> What is your opinion of lignetics.  What pellets would you say that are sold local are the cleanest yet provide high burn temps.



Lignetics, I have never tried them. As far as a good local sold pellet, I tried a few bags of Hardwood Heat pellets from TSC in Carlisle here a couple of weeks ago & I was very happy with them. They are a repackaged pellet from Hamer's for resale at TSC stores. I know Agway in Carlisle has several different brands there, but I have never bought there yet & not sure what brand names they have.


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## stillersnut (Nov 20, 2011)

Ligs used to be a solid pellet, however, they have almost got too big. They bag several types and blends. When they were just a hardwood pellet (green label) stating Hardwood, they were great. But now, they have various bags & blends, all of which pretty much suck.  Agway in Carlisle sells Energex(hardwoods).  Just an o.k. pellet.  I have toured the plant in Mifflintown, and they bring sawdust from any & everywhere.  With a piss poor economy & building market most mills are scrambling for product.  I called Penn Wood flooring in East Berlin, a hardwood flooring co. that only uses there waste, they said you can pick up directly from them. I burned a few tons of Penn pellets in the past, & they had super heat w/low ash. They are a small, local co. & hand bag pellets on a limited basis.  I would put them up against any pellet.  They are mostly red/white oak. You have to call ahead and place order.  The  TSC Hardwood Heats are indeed Hammer, but not the Elkin plant ultras, still better than avg.  I just picked up 25 bags.  They are running $215 ton @ Carlisle TSC.  AES is getting more Hammer Ultras in mid Dec. and Ill jump on that. Just call & give your name to reserve a batch.  Of course, my pellet quest, is all about my stove. What works for me, might not be as great for you. Happy pellet searching, let's keep each other informed


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## jtakeman (Nov 20, 2011)

stillersnut said:
			
		

> Ligs used to be a solid pellet, however, they have almost got too big. They bag several types and blends. When they were just a hardwood pellet (green label) stating Hardwood, they were great. But now, they have various bags & blends, all of which pretty much suck.  Agway in Carlisle sells Energex(hardwoods).  Just an o.k. pellet.  I have toured the plant in Mifflintown, and they bring sawdust from any & everywhere.  With a piss poor economy & building market most mills are scrambling for product.  I called Penn Wood flooring in East Berlin, a hardwood flooring co. that only uses there waste, they said you can pick up directly from them. I burned a few tons of Penn pellets in the past, & they had super heat w/low ash. They are a small, local co. & hand bag pellets on a limited basis.  I would put them up against any pellet.  They are mostly red/white oak. You have to call ahead and place order.  The  TSC Hardwood Heats are indeed Hammer, but not the Elkin plant ultras, still better than avg.  I just picked up 25 bags.  They are running $215 ton @ Carlisle TSC.  AES is getting more Hammer Ultras in mid Dec. and Ill jump on that. Just call & give your name to reserve a batch.  Of course, my pellet quest, is all about my stove. What works for me, might not be as great for you. Happy pellet searching, let's keep each other informed



stillersnut, Thats some awesome info! 

Sounds like I need to try some of them Penn pellets, Oak pellets have always been good in my stove.


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## stillersnut (Nov 20, 2011)

Jay, for all your hard work, if there is a way for me to get you a few bags to test, I will. I know you'll love the Penn pellets. Hand made and bagged in south central Pa. USA.


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## tjnamtiw (Nov 20, 2011)

mikhen said:
			
		

> From Oley, Pa,  near Reading.    We've been trying 4 or 5 bags at a time.   So far I like american Wood Fibers from Lowe's,   when they have them.    Not expensive,  either.   The last ones we had from TSC didn't have much heat output.   Think they were presto logs.



Just spent the day in Oley with my sister-in-law before heading back south!  You DO realize that you have a coal breaker in Tamaqua (or is it Shamokin?) where you can buy coal for about $165 a ton, don't you?  I continue to be amazed at how many pellet burners in SE Pa don't realize the value of burning coal and how many really beautiful coal stoves are made right in the area.  Being 'Green' is no excuse for not being warm.   :cheese: 

Look at the comparison of heat between the two.  http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm

http://www.readingstove.com/heating-stoves/coal-stoves/

http://www.leisurelinestoves.com/698400.html

http://www.keystoker.com/

All are made right in your backyard.


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## gengle (Nov 22, 2011)

Great info Stiller. Curious to know what the Penn's are selling for. As for myself, I'm into the second season with the stove. I burned 1 ton of O'Malley's and 2.5 ton's of Hamer's last season. The O'malley's were decent and pretty clean but put out far less heat than the Hamer's. This year I've got 3 ton's of Turman's and a half ton of Hamer's stashed. I picked up the Turmans from Westy's in Shermansdale (Perry County) this past spring for $215. I scored the Hamer's from a True Value hardware store in Etters for $219 back in February ... they're $239 at present.


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## Cranky64 (Nov 22, 2011)

I burned 75 bags of Oâ€™Malleyâ€™s last year and they clinkered up and scaled my burn pot. The 25 bags of PPs were not much better. I finished the year off with Stove Chows and Lingentics red which I was more pleased with. So far this year Iâ€™m burning AWF that seem to be ok but a lot of fines in each bag.  



			
				gengle said:
			
		

> Great info Stiller. Curious to know what the Penn's are selling for. As for myself, I'm into the second season with the stove. I burned 1 ton of O'Malley's and 2.5 ton's of Hamer's last season. The O'malley's were decent and pretty clean but put out far less heat than the Hamer's. This year I've got 3 ton's of Turman's and a half ton of Hamer's stashed. I picked up the Turmans from Westy's in Shermansdale (Perry County) this past spring for $215. I scored the Hamer's from a True Value hardware store in Etters for $219 back in February ... they're $239 at present.


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## stillersnut (Nov 23, 2011)

Good pellet choices, you generally can't go wrong w/Turman or Hammers.  I did not know Westys carried Turmans. I was just by his shop, heard he sells good BBQ, (smoked with Turmans?) hey anything is possible.  Last time I call Penn Flooring, prices were running 230/ton. Pellets to be ready by mid November, pick up only.  Seems like word is out here locally and there might be a wait list now, I'm going to call tomorrow. I'll post update when I find any new info.


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## gengle (Nov 23, 2011)

Thanks again Stiller. Think I'll look into the Penn's next season and will likely head to the Carlisle area for some Sommersets ... all the box stores in the HBG area only had stove chow which I understand is not a bad choice but, after seeing torn and soaking wet pallets outside at both of the Lowes and HD, I passed them up. I'll be hunting up in Perry over the weekend and plan on trying some Westy's BBQ ... I'll report back on that. Have a nice Thanksgiving.


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## Whirlyduck (Nov 23, 2011)

I Live in Mt. Holly. Currently running Presto logs from HD. They had stove chow early off but have since changed. Last 3 years have bought from Centerville feed and mineral, they have Instant heat and I wanted to try something else. Later in the year I may end up buying from them again if HD runs short. Don't forget about AES on Pine road. I am not sure what they sell but they are always a few bucks above Centerville.


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## mikhen (Nov 23, 2011)

tjnamtiw said:
			
		

> mikhen said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




And tack on my 8 miles to the gallon Truck,  overloading it by 1/4 ton for a long drive over back roads,   and probably not having off work when they are open,   plus the storage......I'll stick with pellets.
Trust me,    all this went into our decision to get a pellet stove.
So how did you like Oley?


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## Pelleting In NJ (Nov 23, 2011)

myers7457 : have you gotten any availiblity and price info on the PA made "Great American" brand of pellets?


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## John97 (Nov 23, 2011)

Wood Heat in Quakertown sells the Great American pellets.   The price I got last week was $239/ton.  I am getting my AE insert from them and a ton of those pellets are included.


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## gengle (Nov 23, 2011)

+1 mikhen. Not to mention the coal dust/dirt and emptying an ash pan daily. I took a hard look at coal until I saw a pellet stove in person. I couldn't be happier with it and have not looked back once.


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## stillersnut (Nov 24, 2011)

Hey Gengle, good luck hunting in Perry co.  Heard they were seeing some nice buck this year.  Lowes in Shippensburg has Somersets. Not sure of $$$. Carlisle is tapped out of wood pellets. AES only has a few tons of OMalleys and Juniata(Energex).  Go to Ship. for the good stuff.  Hope you enjoy the BBQ.  Let me know how it is.


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## stillersnut (Nov 24, 2011)

Burnt coal once, got tired of wiping black dust off of everything in house. Too dirty for me.  Just drive through a coal town and see what color the siding on the homes are. Trust me, I'm from western Pa. Grandfather worked mines, dad worked in mines & steel mills. Pellets are much cleaner and easier to manage.


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## tjnamtiw (Nov 24, 2011)

Born and raised in berks and Montgomery counties! Job moved me all over. You don't have to take a ton of coal at a time. It is shamokin. Heated my house there on 3 tons and 80+ degrees. I built a simple narrow box in garage with door at bottom. Cost of pellets is 50% more to heat than coal.....


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## Cranky64 (Nov 24, 2011)

I burned coal years ago, it rocked. They planted house seeds next to me and I lost my storage.


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## tjnamtiw (Nov 24, 2011)

gengle said:
			
		

> +1 mikhen. Not to mention the coal dust/dirt and emptying an ash pan daily. I took a hard look at coal until I saw a pellet stove in person. I couldn't be happier with it and have not looked back once.



Sorry but those are 'old wive's tales' about coal.  Modern stokers have no more dust/dirt than pellets if you take the same care and, if you look at the stoves at the sites I referenced, you'd see that the ash pans can hold a week's worth of ash even if you are running the stove at max which is 90,000 btu's +!!   You have pellet stoves now so it's too late but for newcomers in the Pa. area, it is certainly a consideration if you take a good hard look at modern coal stoves.


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## Whirlyduck (Nov 24, 2011)

mikhen said:
			
		

> I continue to be amazed at how many pellet burners in SE Pa don't realize the value of burning coal and how many really beautiful coal stoves are made right in the area.  Being 'Green' is no excuse for not being warm.   :cheese:



I grew up in a house where my father burned a Keystoker Boiler. Floors through out the house were always filthy. Also replacing the connector pipe every couple of years was enough to talk me out of coal. Not to mention the cost of a proper chimney more than outweighed the savings over a few years. The wife doesn't mind the light white dust from the pellets but hated the black socks at dads. Pellets alone saved me close to 2k a year over oil, I think that's enough for me. Next stove in next house will be wood.


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## gyingling (Nov 24, 2011)

I am in Lemoyne and this is my second year burning pellets. I have bought pellets at Lowe's and Home Depot. Presto logs, American Wood Fiber, Green Supreme, and Greenway are some of the brands I have used. 

If you can find them at Lowe's, Greenway Super Premium are great. Good heat and the pellets have a great smell because they made from 100% red oak. 

My favorite pellets are Wood Pellet Co. brand. I buy them from Wertz Coal Yard in Mechanicsburg. Superb heat and not much clinker material.

For the coal debate going on, my parents heat with coal, too dusty for me. I live in town and like the convenience and cleanliness of pellets. But to each his own.


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## stillersnut (Nov 24, 2011)

We need a new thread, coal vs pellets?  Why are cancer rates over 3 times higher in areas that heat with coal?  Too many particulates in atmosphere?


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## stillersnut (Nov 24, 2011)

I like the ease of "bagged" wood. The smell, the choices, the cost, the comparisons, the enviro impact, the efficiency, the ease of cleaning, the resource, and most of all, my pellet addiction!


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## mikhen (Nov 24, 2011)

stillersnut said:
			
		

> I like the ease of "bagged" wood. The smell, the choices, the cost, the comparisons, the enviro impact, the efficiency, the ease of cleaning, the resource, and most of all, my pellet addiction!



And the fact I can drive just a few miles and pickup a month and a half of heat from TSC,  Lowe's,  Hd,  etc.


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## tjnamtiw (Nov 24, 2011)

stillersnut said:
			
		

> We need a new thread, coal vs pellets?  Why are cancer rates over 3 times higher in areas that heat with coal?  Too many particulates in atmosphere?



Statistics, please.   %-P   How about cancer rates along major highways versus rural areas?  Diesel Particulates...???  
Don't really want to start a p&*sing contest but people posting about dirty houses due to coal burning are skewing reality.  'I grew up' burning coal..... how many years ago and what kind of furnace was it?  'Too dusty for me'..... what kind of stove?  Many of us have coal burning horror stories when the huge furnace in the basement ate 10 tons of coal a winter and radiated heat up through large grates in the floor into the upper levels.  Things have changed dramatically.  That's what I was trying to get across.
 My brother in law has heated with a modern Keystoker for about 5 years now and there is NO dust on his floors or furniture!


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## myers7457 (Nov 29, 2011)

I went to tsc in carlisle and picked up a couple bags of hardwood heat to try.  I can honestly say I probably will never buy lignetics again unless I have too.  The hardwoodsy were burning much cleaner.


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## Whirlyduck (Nov 30, 2011)

Do they have a good amount ton wise? I don't like the Prestos that HD has. About  time to buy ton 2.


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## RidgeRunner56 (Dec 1, 2011)

For those up in the State College/Philipsburg area, Water Wise Pools in Philipsburg has both Pa Pellets and Allegheny pellets at $217/ton or $210/ton if you commit to buying 3 ton during the heating season.  There is also a person in Philipsburg who sells the pellet brand that were made by Bald Eagle pellet company.  I think those are $205/ton.


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