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heating oil delivery

Started by sprucebunny, November 11, 2021, 04:56:33 PM

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moodnacreek

Spruce bunny, What ever happened to your state motto?

sprucebunny

Live free or die ? It's still around but no longer applicable to many situations.

To add to the whole mess... On Sunday I drove 20 miles to a gas station that has off road diesel. It costs 20 cents a gallon more than heating oil for some reason. It was just going to be a test run cause I only had 2 five gallon cans.

The pump was incredibly slow and then the power went out ! It came back on quickly but I would have had to put my card in again and that seldom goes well so I just went home and put the measly 4 gallons in my excavator. The guy in the store said the pump was slow cause it hasn't been used much ??? I thought that was pretty strange !

I need to get more 5 gallon cans and find a closer and cheaper provider !
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

snowstorm

The outfit I get diesel fuel and heating oil from is ok. I pay a set amount over the rack price. He has it easy it's 15 miles from the tank farm to here. I had a long talk with another dealer last summer. Most get .60 to .70 a gal. To deliver it. And should there be a price drop they may not pass it on.he said some try to get .90 to 1$if they have more customers then they want. As I was told it's a easy business to get into. Buy a truck and within two weeks you will have all the business you can handle

snowstorm

Diesel and heating are the same thing here bolts ultra low sulfur . Off rd diesel they add sales tax here and for heating oil in the garage in the house no tax.diesel will go up another .20 or so in dec. when they start winter blend.in the northeast there is a 99.9% chance it's Irving fuel no matter what it says on the pump

stavebuyer

Quote from: sprucebunny on November 15, 2021, 07:04:23 PM
Live free or die ? It's still around but no longer applicable to many situations.

To add to the whole mess... On Sunday I drove 20 miles to a gas station that has off road diesel. It costs 20 cents a gallon more than heating oil for some reason. It was just going to be a test run cause I only had 2 five gallon cans.

The pump was incredibly slow and then the power went out ! It came back on quickly but I would have had to put my card in again and that seldom goes well so I just went home and put the measly 4 gallons in my excavator. The guy in the store said the pump was slow cause it hasn't been used much ??? I thought that was pretty strange !

I need to get more 5 gallon cans and find a closer and cheaper provider !
Not sure what you drive; but I would be inclined to get a 50 Gal transfer tank and get fuel whenever I was in town on other errands.

sprucebunny

I like the tank idea. Have one in a pickup already but it's going to be hard to move and I won't drive that truck in winter. So I looked at them online. Not cheap. Suppose I could use the pump I have but would need another 20 feet of hose. 

Then the problem of paying an extra $20 per hundred gallons to have it NOT delivered and that's New Hampshire price. And only source is 8-10 miles from my errands .

So I'll just keep feeding the woodstove, get my whole house blower going and hope someone delivers !
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

moodnacreek

I have a 100 gal. in my '92 ford ranger. For fuel oil I think that is legal. the little truck has car plates not commercial . Gotta play games to get anything done.

newoodguy78

Unfortunately that's the only way the little guy has a chance. 

Bill

Somewhat similar thing happened last winter. To be fair the driveway is long and reasonably steep.

But the Oil company ( same one for last 15 years ) said they wouldn't deliver up the driveway ( in Jan ) till I plowed it . I had just plowed . . .  

I asked why they don't put their chains on . . .  
Answer - now their policy is to only use them for emergencies .

There's an off road diesel station a few minutes away and I found an outfit that sold 55 gallon plastic drums that were fuel rated. A couple fittings, a valve and they now can " gravity " feed the fill pipe, from either the atv or the tractors bucket .


Although making extra chores at least I don't worry about getting a fuel oil delivery  and figure I 'm saving a little off the " delivered " price for those times I m not there to burn wood.

btw - the 55 gallon drums strapped in my pickup bed didn't raise any eyebrows among others getting " heating oil " from the " gas " station.


SwampDonkey

You should consider an electric furnace and wood stove combination. An electric furnace is just as warm and far cheaper than stove oil purchases. Right now wood is my main heat. But Mid Sept to Mid Nov I use the electric a lot because I don't need much heat, on a sunny day here, the heat is from solar, in through the windows. Maybe a morning smudge and then the sun takes over. The bright sun can drive the heat to nearly 90F in here, an open window is a common thing from solar heating. ;) Now when I get old and crippled up more, I'll be using more Electric and wood for times of power loss, a couple of cords in the basement would likely do me out until they plant me in the ground. Power outages are common, but not a long time unless a hurricane and how many have I seen that powerful way up here in 54 years? One. And only one severe ice event, and that lasted 48hrs.

You're dealing with too much crap! ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

sprucebunny

Electric is not cheaper here. It's something like 25 cents a KWH. It adds up to costing almost twice as much as oil. Also don't have a generator big enough to run electric heat in a power outage but I can run the boiler on a generator. The woodstove isn't really up to heating the whole house when it's less than 20F for days at a time.

I have radiant heat. I considered an indoor wood boiler but it was expensive and I haven't a good place for the chimney. Snow coming off the upper roof would wipe it out.

At this point, I can't afford to change much. Just paid the bill for having a boiler put in my other house. It had hot air heat that was done badly then the furnace died. I spent most of the summer getting the pex up under the floor and in the ceiling and walls for the downstairs. Half a mile of pex.
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

Peter Drouin

Quote from: sprucebunny on November 16, 2021, 06:32:36 AM


At this point, I can't afford to change much.
Sell one house and fix the one you like just the way you want it.

A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

sprucebunny

Comparison of heating costs in NH

Fuel Prices | Energy Division | NH Office of Strategic Initiatives




Still fixing the other house. Can't sell the way it is.
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

moodnacreek

Quote from: Bruno of NH on November 14, 2021, 11:43:37 AM
The young can't think anymore.
FedEx dropped a box of new bands Friday night while raining. Under the eaves of the shed , right in front of the opening . You can't make this stuff up.
Well at least they delivered. We have triangle between 3 roads the does not gps and we never see the same driver twice. You can hang signs at the driveway but that's not what they look at today. Cell phones and gps have taken all the common sense away. Land marks mean nothing. Tell them when they see lumber piles and logs they are here, means nothing.

SwampDonkey

Heating oil here would be triple the cost of electric, 11 cents a kwh. Going by real world costs in the middle of a cold NB January, $350 for electric furnace heat, $1200 for a tank oil, and you'll burn a full tank of oil up here. A heat pump is useless below 20F, your just blowing around cold air. I've used that system and they "must" install an electric furnace with it our you'll freeze your hind end off. You have to push air from one end of the system to the other and it is cold on the other end. A furnace is central and pushes heat half the distance.  Heat pump and an electric furnace is $10 grand up here, plus duct. A wood furnace and a side electric is $3500, plus duct. If you have duct already, you can use it. You wouldn't use a generator for the electric side, use generator to use the wood side, to turn the fan. A little stash of wood for the outtages would last years. ;)

The little bit of electric I use this time of year before severe cold kicks in is at most $30 a month.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

January 2021 electric bill, I use electric between 12:00 am and 6:00 am, basically in the night, it's set to 68F. Mostly wood heat and solar all day. The biggest part of the bill there is probably $80-90 for hot water, and about $25 for service, then 15% tax on everything. So not much $$ for heating living space for 6 hrs a day in the coldest month. If I burn wood at night, that drops the bill $20-25 bucks.



"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

sprucebunny

The tank passed inspection this morning by the company that stood me up yesterday. Couldn't find the house. The numbers are a foot tall each ::) but no mailbox. But they won't deliver cause the fill is in a covered area not outside....

The guy told me to move the fill which would have to pass over the electric service entrance and end up 82" high.... he told me to leave a milk crate there !!!! Those are even worse than ladders  :o Then he was worried about hearing the whistle now that the vent is 16 feet from the tank.

This whole thing is insane. I've gone from being condemned for leaving a ladder as a convienence ( which worked for 15 years ) to being told to move the fill to a location that demands a ladder or other something to reach it.

I feel like I'm in some kind of vortex.....

Good news is I found a small company that says they will deliver next Monday.
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

SwampDonkey

Well, one is always waiting for someone to show up. Hopefully it works out this time.  fire_smiley
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Roxie

The absurdity of this blows my mind. 

Say when

Southside

What do you want to bet the original company tries to send you a surcharge one day for no longer receiving oil from them. 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

sprucebunny

Southside, I think they are too disorganized to find the form. They used to deliver this area Thursdays. One woman told me it was Wednesday for the last two years. Another told me Mondays. They showed up today Tuesday !

I never had any kind of contract. I called when I wanted oil.

I just have no idea how to proceed. If the delivery next Monday happens, that will get me thru most of the winter and is 10 cents a gallon cheaper than the others but they want you to be there and write the check and I've got better things to do most days. ( Next Monday being an exception ! )

Yup, totally crazy.
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

Old Greenhorn

Reading your travails is somewhat mind boggling, but quite believable.
 I had a similar issue which resolved MUCH easier than yours. We've been here 35 years and I started with the major company in the area, but then I started seeing their rates for service, etc climb. I quickly changed to a small family owned company and was happy for a number of years. I purchased a service contract every year because although I could fix almost any issues, (I am the only guy in my family that has not worked in the oil burner business, my Dad had about 40 years in, bother, cousins, uncles, etc). I was tied to my job and had small kids in the house and wanted somebody on call so I could be at work and know the family was taken care of. 
 Eventually the small family company got bought and the service guys got worse, then that company was bought up and it got worse. On a very rare occasion we would get a true journeyman showing up, but he had so many calls backed up and was so overloaded that the workmanship suffered and many times I would have to clean up their work. Eventually there was a large corp that bought up pretty much all the locals and it was a mess blending in all those companies and service systems and they let go of most of the experienced folks and hired cheaper people.
 So one day I come home from work and the wife tells me we had an oil delivery, but the driver refused to put oil in an "unsafe tank" and left without delivering oil. He said the tank was leaning against the house and presented "a major hazard to the structure and inhabitants". I was [ahem] MIFFED. But I went out and looked at the tank to see if anything had changed. Yup, it was at a 3° angle toward the house. The same way it had been for 25 years. No change at all, but yeah, it could be straighter, and no, it presented no "hazard" at all. Still, the following weekend, I pulled the tank upright and set two more patio blocks underneath to level it better. It really made no difference, but some driver doing a route new to him decided that my tank, which others from his company had been delivering to for years was now unsafe. The entire time I worked on it I cursed this "pithant driver who deemed himself a safety engineer" and condemned my tank with his weeks or months of oil delivery experience.
 That was good enough for me to start looking around. 2 months late my boiler split open and flooded downstairs. Between handling all the water I was making calls and found the cost was going to bring us to our knees. I called them all and the price ranges were all over the map. I finally called one remaining local family business who knew me as a firefighter (they service all the firehouses in our district) and did me a solid and got a boiler in and installed in a week for less than half what these corporate owned companies were quoting and even offered me terms, which I declined and paid in full. I switched my service and oil delivery over to them and have had none of those BS issues ever since. The only issue I had was trying to get a service contract the first 2 years. The said I didn't need one, it was all covered under the warranty on the boiler and their workmanship. I did have one component fail (system controller) on the unit the first heating season and the journeyman that came to fix it said "yeah, the manufacturer puts these on the units when they build them and they often fail early, we put a better one on so we don't have to keep replacing them, you'll be good now." They haven't had to come back since.

 I wish you a happy end to this gauntlet you are running right now.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Southside

Tom, the guy who would not fill your tank has a brother who works for the local utility company as a danger tree inspector.  He wandered by our farm one day and clearly was tired from carring a full can of spray paint so he emptied the can onto a 48" poplar tree that was along the right of way.  Now this tree had been there for many a season but suddenly was an immentnt danger to their infastructure.  The utility sent over thier cheapest, most qualified, warm body occupied tree service contractor who told me they were going to do the old "man pulling a rope" to drop the tree. Ahh - ok, I stayed back about 1,000 ft and even then when I saw the four wires (rural three phase 14,4K distribution and the neutral) all spring, sproing, and snap it still made me think I was too close.  The fleet of trucks that responded to build the line back better, and the crane used to remove the tree was there for two more days IIRC.

There are some men you just can't reach.    
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Old Greenhorn

OH that is rich indeed! I do hope you pulled up a lawn chair to watch the goings on from your safety zone. Priceless pinheads. They are a very special kind, bless their hearts.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Southside

Oh it got better, much better.  The responding vehicles all decided to take a different route across the freslhy germinated alfalfa field rather than parking on the County road and walking in the 100'.  Then each one had to place four cones 20' away from each vehilce as a safety thing, so I had a 4 acre parking lot out there.  Needless to say after a couple of phone calls my field was re-planted care of the tree service company.  

BUT it gets better.

Several years later I am driving down our laneway and I notice something is amiss with an irrigation line.  I stop to inspect it and can see that it has been destroyed, absolutely destroyed, about 120' worth of 6" aluminum piping is flat, cut, smashed, etc.  So I look around and can clearly see were a tracked vehilce had driven within one foot of the "No vehicles past this point" sign, continued past it, ran over then cut my pipe, did a 180, and tried to flee down the County Road.  Can't claim it took much skill to follow the evidence left by the tracked skid steer I found down the road another 1/2 mile or so.  Day or so later a guy in a white, company pickup, and the utility show up at the farm and want to talk to me - yup it's the "man and a rope" moron, one and the same - turns out he has been promoted to some sort of area supervisor and I recognized him.  Even pointed it out and reminded him that he was the one who dumped the tree onto the line.  I had zero patience with him by now as he tried to claim that maybe it wasn't his guy who had run over the pipe.  They ended up buying me some awful nice replacement pipe after that.  

To paraphrase George Thorogood, These days they are so nice to me, they are lovey dovey, when they show up here.  
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

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