Old Fashioned Pipeless Heater Availablilty

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pine grove coal user
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Location: Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: H. S. Tarm, model 202, 1980
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Reading 'bucket a day' stove in storage, waiting for attention
Coal Size/Type: Pea, from Little Buck mine
Other Heating: New Yorker oil burner which almost never runs, thanks to the Tarm!

Post by pine grove coal user » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 7:12 pm

My (deceased) grandparents had in their old farm house a 'pipeless heater' (as my 73 year old mother remembers it being called). The bulk of the stove was in the basement but it was directly connected to the first floor which had a large (4' x 4') metal grate. The heat came up through this metal grate. This unit heated the entire three story farm house with no trouble. The size of the burn chamber was about what a Harman Mark III has.
When the farm house was rented out my uncle converted the house to oil :x The first renter took the cast iron to the scrap yard but we still have the sheet metal that surrounded the burn chamber and connected it to the first floor. I checked the sheet metal and found no name or other identification.
Does anyone know if this type of heater is still available as a new unit? Does anyone know any history of this type of heater. Thank you in advance for your help!

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 7:56 pm

They are only available used and are fairly rare at that.

 
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DOUG
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Post by DOUG » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 8:11 pm

Boy, I was just talking to coaledsweat on the same subject. Old Cast Iron Coal Furnaces It looks like there maybe some interest in such a coal furnace. :idea:

I have been also looking around and they are far and few in between. But they are still out there used. The ones I did find, do not have any parts available for them anymore and were missing parts. I would think that the grates may be very difficult to find. But maybe some of the after market grates might be able to work?

Keep us posted on what you find. Thanks.


 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 9:36 pm

DOUG wrote:I have been also looking around and they are far and few in between. But they are still out there used. The ones I did find, do not have any parts available for them anymore and were missing parts. I would think that the grates may be very difficult to find. But maybe some of the after market grates might be able to work?
That is really the biggest problem. If anything is missing or broken it is almost guaranteed that you will have to make it. Back in their day they were the cat's meow but those days are gone. Its grand all right, kind of like having a pipe organ instead of a electronic keyboard in your . :) I would not want to move and install one, the first thing that comes to mind is the height. The ceiling to floor height has risen considerably, so it may require significant modifications to install. Perhaps a massive concrete base. Or a massive steel or iron collar. To be honest with you, it isn't worth anything compared to today's stuff unless it's sitting in the house when you buy it. But it will blow you out of the house with heat!

 
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the snowman
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Post by the snowman » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 10:27 pm

A friend of my wife has a furnace similar to what your describing. The previous owner used the furnace to heat the three story house, however, when my wife's friend purchased the home her husband had an oil furnace installed next to it. They have never used the coal furnace. I have been trying to persuade them to let me remove it for free or I would pay them for it. It is completely intact. It sits in a cellar where time has forgotten it. It is a wonderful looking beast. I would install it in my house in a heart beat, provided I can persuade them to part with it. It is sad, they say they don't want it, however, they will not part with it. It just sits idle waiting for time to take its toll.

The snowman.

 
Pete69
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Post by Pete69 » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 10:30 pm

Does it look something like this?
**Broken Link(s) Removed**Don't know if it is still available


 
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pine grove coal user
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Posts: 129
Joined: Tue. Feb. 24, 2009 8:50 pm
Location: Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: H. S. Tarm, model 202, 1980
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Reading 'bucket a day' stove in storage, waiting for attention
Coal Size/Type: Pea, from Little Buck mine
Other Heating: New Yorker oil burner which almost never runs, thanks to the Tarm!

Post by pine grove coal user » Fri. Mar. 13, 2009 6:26 am

Pete69 wrote:Does it look something like this?
**Broken Link(s) Removed**Don't know if it is still available
Yes, this is similar. The picture shows the burn chamber. What is not shown is the sheet metal that surrounded it and connected it to the first floor.
I'm sorry to hear they are no longer available.
Thank you to everyone who replied.

 
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grizzly2
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Post by grizzly2 » Fri. Mar. 13, 2009 3:45 pm

That looks a lot like the coal furnace we had when I was growing up. When I was still too young to remember, dad had a "bonnet" built of sheet metal arround the heat exchanger, and duct work was run from the bonnet to new registers in each room. A fan forced hot air thru the system. There was no thermostat, just a cast iron pully with housing and pointer that had a contiuous loop of light chain running thru it to the draft door on the furnace directly below. Turn the pointer clockwise or cc and the draft door either opened or closed to some degree.

The system actually worked well. I know mom prefered the orriginal big register in the living room, and no forced air. I prefer my coal stove in the livingroom. No going up and down stairs to tend it, and I like to see the dancing blue ladies. :yes:

 
scottrichardson
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Baseburners & Antiques: Quaker Pipeless furnace

Post by scottrichardson » Mon. Aug. 20, 2018 1:25 pm

I bought an old 1920's farmhouse that has a Quaker Pipeless furnace in the basement, with another unknown brand pipeless furnace in a shop. Would anyone know their worth?

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