Winter in New England

Squier Lumber is ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with you to overcome the sometimes difficult winter weather we experience in New England. Remember last year when the weather turned bad just after the holidays and there wasn't a snow rake available anywhere? Now that the holidays are over this year, it is time to make sure you are prepared. We have snow rakes, shovels, scrapers, choppers and other implements of winter destruction. We have numerous different types of ice melts and traction sand. You may want to consider tube sand for the trunk of your car for emergencies. We carry a full line of weatherstripping to seal out drafts and the cold. Of course, we are still the largest supplier of wood pellets and coal in the area to help keep you warm and cozy this winter.

Wood Pellets and Coal Information

SQUIER LUMBER PELLET FUEL PROGRAM SPRING 2011

Dear Pellet Fuel Customer,

We would like to thank you for all of your past business and look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with our customers for this year. Through the efforts of our customers we have enjoyed a good year with both pellet sales and stoves in what most of the industry would describe as a challenging year overall. It is always our mission to be worthy of your business, to increase the value we deliver to you and to continue to earn your business every year. In an environment in which you have increasingly more choices, we appreciate the opportunity to be considered as your supplier this year.

This past year was in a lot of respects a continuation of the 2009 season. We continued to experience an oversupply of pellets in the market. New mills came on line and the old mills continued throughout the year to produce beyond their sales. A dismal economy made it impossible for some consumers to buy product early or at all. This resulted in a glut of inventory and a consequent gradual decline of pricing throughout 2010. Most mills that were not entirely shut down were working on less than ½ capacity. Towards the end of the year with the very cold winter and increasing energy prices the sales of wood pellets increased throughout the winter as people who had not bought early entered the market. At this point, most mills have worked through their inventory glut and no mill that we are aware of is terribly concerned about having too much inventory. An extremely cold winter coupled with a decrease in production levels in combination with higher oil prices has placed the mills in a position of strength in terms of pricing and they are anxious to realize a profit for a change. We are seeing some mills having no spring specials and other mills are actually raising their prices for the spring. Those that came out early with pricing are, in general, regretting it. A couple of things are happening that we think will tend to support higher prices in the short and medium term for wood pellets. Pellets are becoming a world commodity. For instance, one power plant in Tilbury England will be consuming on the order of 1 million tons of wood pellets a year starting this year. For perspective, 1 million tons of pellets was about 1/3 of the total North American production in 2008. Mills in the South and West are taking advantage of a weak dollar to aggressively pursue the export market. A stronger international economy is increasing the paper prices and competition for the raw material to make pellets. High oil prices ($105 per barrel now vs. $83 last year at this time vs. $44 in 2009) result in fuel oil prices that are currently in excess of $3.60 per gallon. A stronger Canadian dollar is resulting in higher pellet import prices. Owing to the very cold winter, many customers are appearing to be buying earlier and in larger amounts than in the past to replace their depleted stockpiles.

It is hard to foresee at this time a situation that would result in lower prices in the fall although this is not impossible. If you are not in a position to purchase now, we would advise keeping an eye on the price of gasoline. If the price of gas drops throughout the spring and summer then there is chance the price of pellets will follow. If the price of gas stays the same as it is now or rises then I would advise you to secure your pellets as soon as possible. This year seems to have many more parallels to 2008 with its shortages and high prices than it does to either of the last 2 years though there is much greater capacity in place waiting to be utilized than there was in 2008. The good news is that all mills have been working diligently to produce a higher quality pellet and have succeeded.

At this point this year we will be actively promoting 5 brands of pellets in hardwood, softwood and blended product. Whatever works best in your stoves, we have it. We are continuing with our discount for full 14 skid truckloads. This is an opportunity for you to get together with friends and neighbors and save both on product and on freight. We would like to continue with our 22-26 ton mill direct loads allowing you to enjoy the greatest discount possible however, the availability of these is dependent on available inventory. Please call for details on either of these 2 programs. Please refer to our attached spreadsheet for pricing and specifics on each brand.

Once again, we would advise our customers not to "prebuy" pellets from any retailer or online entity which does not have the product in stock at that time. Under current market conditions the temptation for any retailer is to take your order now and worry about filling it later. A bargain on a ton of pellets that doesn't exist is no bargain at all. We have been selling pellets for 16 years and have been in business for 137 years. At any time any of our customers can stop by our store and pick up their pellets. We are real and we are here. Please call for our current delivery charges to your area or stop by the store and pick up your pellets to save the delivery charge. If you feel more comfortable ordering online, stop by our website (www.squierlumber.com) and place your order.

In summary, wood pellet heat is overwhelmingly the least expensive method of heating your home at current prices as compared to the major alternatives. We do not expect these prices to last long at all. If you can afford it we are advising you to buy as early as possible whether it is from us or from another retailer. One of the nice things about pellets is that you can enjoy the peace of mind in knowing that your winter's fuel supply is secure in your garage regardless of what happens in this crazy world. Once again, we thank you for all your past business and would ask that you give us the chance to earn your future business. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us, stop by the store or visit our website. We love to talk pellets.

Sincerely,

Chris Haley
Squier Lumber and Hardware, Inc.
5 Squier Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
413-267-5542

How to Burn Anthracite Coal in a Hand Fired Stove

Loading

Coal should never be added unless there is a reasonably hot fire. The coal bed should be burning brightly and vigorously. If the fire is burning hot and there is a deep bed of coals, full loads of coal can be added at anytime. However, if there is not a deep bed of coals, it is best to add small amounts of coal at first.

When loading with coal do not bury all of the hot coals with new coal. As new coal begins to ignite, it produces a lot of volatile gas. This gas builds up in the upper part of the firebox. As the fire burns up through the new coal it can flash ignite those volatile gases, causing the stove to puff. To help minimize this, leave a small area of hot red coals uncovered in a corner. This will act as pilot light and will help prevent flash ignition or puffing. This is not an uncommon occurrence.

Increasing Heat From a Low Fire

Every effort should be made not to let a coal fire burn too low so that the fire has started to die. This will cause the reloading process to take much longer, and there is a good possibility of losing the fire.

          Do not shake or stir with a low fire.

          Open the draft control to full open to get maximum draft. Do not leave the stove unattended in this state.

          Run the stove with the draft control open until the fire is reasonably hot.

Start adding small amounts of coal. When the new coal is thoroughly ignited or there is a substantial bed of hot coals, the stove may be shaken thoroughly. Be sure to shake down all ashes (but do not over shake). You should see small amounts of glowing red coals dropping through the grates.

After shaking, keep the draft control open until you are sure that the fire is continuing to burn hot, and then return the draft control down to the proper operating level. Do not leave the stove unattended with the draft control fully open.

Shaking

Shaking should be done only when there is a hot fire.

The frequency of shaking will depend on the degree of burning. Shaking should be done at least once a day and preferably twice a day. On warm days you can use the depth of ash to retard the burn rate in conjunction with restricting the draft.

Best results from shaking will occur when short "choppy" strokes are used rather than long, even strokes.

The amount of shaking is critical, too little or too much can result in the extinguishing of a fire due to air flow restriction. The proper amount normally occurs when small red coals start to drop through into the ash pan, the entire length of the grate. Shaking with a small fire can result in a "snuffing out" of the coals that are remaining. Do not shake when a small amount of red coals are sitting on top of the ash bed. Gently bring the fire back to life and then shake.

Draft Controls
The heat output of the coal is controlled by the primary draft control, which is generally found on the back of the unit and on the ash door slide of the free standing units. On the fireplace units it will be found on the ash door slide. Experience and trial and error will dictate the proper setting for your heat requirements.

Coal responds very slowly to changes in the draft settings. Because of this slow response time, over-correcting is a common problem. When changes in heat output are needed, make only small changes in the draft setting and wait for the temperature to stabilize.

A poor drafting chimney could result in reduced heat output of the unit or the inability to burn coal. Hard drafting chimneys may require a damper to be installed in the stove pipe on free standing units.

Ashes

Ashes should never be allowed to accumulate in the ash pan, so that they do not in any way impede the flow of combustion air to the fire. Excess ash accumulation can cause the fire to go out and cause severe damage to the grates and grate carrier. This happens because of the absence of a cooling air flow beneath them.

Ashes should be put into a metal container with a tight fitting lid. The closed container of ashes should be placed on a noncombustible floor or on the ground, well away from all combustible materials, pending final disposal.

CAUTION!! ASHES SHUOLD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO ACCUMULATE ABOVE THE TOP OF THE ASH PAN. ASHES IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE GRATES ACT AS AN INSULATOR, INTENSIFYING THE HEAT ON THE GRATES, AND COULD CAUSE THEM TO WARP. WITH AN EXCESSIVE ASH BUILDUP, PRIMARY COMBUSTION AIR IS RESTRICTED, THUS THE UNIT'S OUTPUT COULD BE REDUCED.

Safety

Whenever a loading door is opened, it always should be cracked slightly to allow oxygen to enter and burn any combustion gases that are present before fully opening. Failure to do this could result in sudden ignition of the unburned gases when the door is opened.

The ash door should never be left open and unattended, as this will result in over firing. Serious damage can occur from over firing.

Coal stoves should always be installed into a CLASS A chimney. REMEMBER, COAL, LIKE ALL FOSSIL FUELS, CONTAIN GASES THAT ARE TOXIC. YOU SHOULD HAVE MULTIPLE CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS IN THE HOUSE. CALL YOUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR PROPER PLACEMENT.

Trouble Shooting

Problem

Cause

Cannot get the coal to light

Entire grate area is not covered

Draft controls are not in the full open position

Not enough draft

Cannot keep a coal fire going

There is not a deep bed of burning coal

Shaking the grates too little

Too much ash buildup

Not adding enough coal

Poor drafting chimney

There is a good established fire but no heat

Poor quality coal

Hard pulling chimney

Too much ash build up

Smoke in the house on start up

Reversed draft in chimney

Notes on Draft

Draft is vitally important to the proper operation of a hand fired coal stove. Coal will not burn in some cases because of inadequacies of the chimney resulting in an inadequate draft. Generally speaking excessively tall chimneys, excessively short chimneys, chimneys that rise on the outside of the house and chimneys that are too large (8x12 flue or larger) pose a potential problem for the burning of coal. These problems can usually rectified by installing an insulated liner inside your current chimney cavity to reduce the cross sectional area of the cavity and to keep the flue gases warm. This is required in some cases by building code for this reason. The "chimney effect" of your house can also cause a problem with drafting. Your house can act as a "chimney" in its own right. This is called the "chimney effect". Warm air rises up through your house where it escapes through cracks in your ceiling or attic. The air rushes back in to the house usually at the lowest levels of the house to replace this air lost through the attic and upper stories. The easiest way for your house to replace this air is by having the air rush down your chimney and into your house. This is a "reversed draft" and can cause smoky startups or the inability of your stove to operate properly on warmer days.

This article adapted from an article entitled "Operation of Hand-Fired Anthracite Stoves" provided by Hitzer Inc. drawing from their decades of experience burning coal and building coal stoves.