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DS Machines

Posted: Sat. Mar. 20, 2010 6:00 pm
by Virginia Woodworker
I am thinking of buying a D S circulator stove, the 80,000, or 96,000 BTU unit. I have a ranch house that is 1300 sq. ft. upstairs and the same in the basement. I now heat with a woodstove that is in the basement and connected to the ductwork by way of a shroud around the top of it. It does a great job but I want to go to coal.

If you own one of these or a DS stove how do you like the D S and how big is you house and what type set up is it? Do you have the stove in basement etc. I am trying to find out if the 80,000 but will work good for me without having to run it full blast.

Any help will be great.
VW

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Sat. Mar. 20, 2010 6:39 pm
by rberq
Since you have lots of experience with your wood stove, that is probably the best way to size a coal stove. What output is your wood stove rated for, and do you have to run IT at full output? If the DS Machine is rated about the same, then you should be fine. If your wood stove is marginal in the coldest weather, then you would want a higher-output coal stove.

When I switched from wood to coal, I was running a Russo catalytic stove rated for about 35,000 BTU maximum. It was just about right for the area being heated, so that's what I looked for in a coal stove.

Another thing to consider: Most coal stoves can be throttled down to pretty low output -- today it is warm outside, and the surface temp of my stove is about 175 degrees without danger of putting out the fire, and of course without worrying about the creosote you might get by choking down a wood stove. So if you buy a coal stove with somewhat more capacity than your wood stove, you will not have to run it as hard on really cold days, and you should be OK during warmer weather as well.

The chimney is a factor, especially in warmer weather. Stack temperatures with coal are generally lower than with wood, which might reduce draft too much. If you have an interior chimney it likely will be OK. If you have an exposed outside chimney on the cold and shady north side of your house, it may not develop enough draft in warm weather.

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Sun. Mar. 21, 2010 4:37 pm
by Virginia Woodworker
Hi rberg,

I do not know what BTU my wood stove is. It is an old Fisher stove I think the papa bear but am not sure. It holds a log about 30 inches long. I am very interested in getting feedback from folk who now own DS stoves and especially anyone who had done business with R and T stoves in PA.

Any help is appreciated,
VW

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Sun. Mar. 21, 2010 7:21 pm
by CapeCoaler
Got mine direct from the factory...
Basement #4 with the glass and hopper...
130k btu/hr...
Basement install with large air grate directly above and cold air returns at the far end of the house...
just shy of 1000 sq ft on each floor, basement and 1 floor above...
No fans just natural circulation, very even temps in whole house...
Love the DS, well made holds 175# coal with the hopper...
Lots of heat when I need it and throttles back in the warm weather like now...
Uninsulated walls but R-26 in the ceilings, slightly drafty down by the beach...
Had a Mark II but did not have enough BTU for the 20* and windy nights...
The DS had enough juice to keep the house warm in all conditions this winter...
The thermostatic air control is great keeps the stove at whatever temp I set it to...
Big ash pan, just have to empty once a day in winter every 3 days now...
Solid well built stove and priced very fair...

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Mon. Mar. 22, 2010 10:23 am
by Virginia Woodworker
Capecoaler,

I sent you a reply in you private email but I wanted to ask you what kind of coal do you use in your stove? Is it superior, reading etc? Also what size is it and how does it do in that type stove?
I will have to more than likely come up to PA to pick up my coal so I will need to ck and see where the best and least expensive place to get it is.
Thanks,
VW

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Mon. Mar. 22, 2010 3:14 pm
by CapeCoaler
Running Nut size coal from Centralia Coal Sales Company...
They are a coal broker...
http://www.centraliacoal.com/l1.html
Decent blend of coal from a few mines...
Sometimes it is more red ash coal, others it is more white ash...
It all burns just fine...
I don't have enough room for a TT load...
I just pick up what I need from the Iron House in Hyannis...

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Mon. Mar. 22, 2010 7:47 pm
by sharkman8810
I'd head to superior if I were you. Good red ash coal, easy to burn, lots of BTU's for the weight, and easy to burn in warmer and lower draft circumstances.

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Mon. Mar. 22, 2010 8:56 pm
by coaledsweat
Virginia Woodwoker wrote:I am trying to find out if the 80,000 but will work good for me without having to run it full blast.
That should do it.

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Mon. Mar. 22, 2010 9:13 pm
by rberq
Virginia Woodwoker wrote:I do not know what BTU my wood stove is.
It would be worth your while to find out. If you have a stove that works well now, that is an accurate predictor of how many BTU the new stove should have. A BTU is a BTU whether it comes from a wood stove or a coal stove. You can quote square feet and insulation of your house and your climate, and if you are lucky you may find someone else with similar specs AND with the DS stove. But it's more reliable simply to start with your current stove and extrapolate from there.

You could post a specific question here (in a new thread, maybe with Papa Bear in the title), describing dimensions of your wood stove and even posting a picture, and someone may well have the BTU information. There's also a forum at hearth.com, I think, that deals more with wood stoves, so that might be useful.

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Tue. Mar. 23, 2010 6:56 pm
by Virginia Woodworker
Thanks for the info. I will check out the other sights.
VW

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Tue. Mar. 23, 2010 9:07 pm
by Homer+1
Hi Woodworker;

Have a basement #4 with hopper just love it!! Heating about 3000 square feet here and never had the stove above 4 1/2 .And that is with the stove in the basement and a 12x14 hole in the living room floor with a fan under it on low. The living room runs about 74.5 with no wind here. Thinking about a Harman mark I for the kitchen. The basement stove will do it but 78 in the living room is a bit much. besides the wife needs a new tile floor. :D Pretty foolproof shake every 12 hours and add coal. All happy here Jim.

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Sun. May. 02, 2010 8:45 pm
by rsck
I have a 1907 parlor stove I heat my garage with. Love it. Use Reading stove coal.
I am considering between the 96,000 BTU Air Circulater and the 130,000 Basement stove #4. With a full hopper what do you find your burn time to be? Right now I am heating a 3000 square foot house. Going to build a 1500 - 2000 square foot house in a few years. Going to take stove with me when I move. What would you suggest? Don't want to have to over fire the stove to heat the house. Would rather go over board and just idle a stove then max it out all the time.

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Sun. May. 02, 2010 9:02 pm
by ceccil
rsck wrote:Going to build a 1500 - 2000 square foot house in a few years. Going to take stove with me when I move. What would you suggest?
If your going to build new construction, I would go with a coal boiler instead of a stove. It will be much more efficient. You will have a house with even heat throughout and cost less to operate. There are a number of ways to heat with the boiler also. You could do HW baseboard or infloor radiant heat also. A number of members here are recommending the infloor radiant to all others. It is said to be much more comfortable. Take a look at Greg's tear down and rebuild. Thats what he installed and said its much better than HW baseboard. My Current Huge Project

Just something to ponder. Also much easier to install during construction vs. adding later.

Good luck.

Re: DS Machines

Posted: Sun. May. 02, 2010 9:47 pm
by CapeCoaler
In the winter I usually shake every 12 hours...
Spring and fall once a day...
I top off the hopper every time I shake...
The Basement #4 holds 175 lbs of coal...
This spring I switched over to Pea coal...
When I saw the warm weather for this weekend I topped it off Monday night...
It took 5 days to go out from a full load but I had it set at 1.75 about 200*...
Running at 250*-275* it will go 2 days easy...
The weight of the coal in the hopper helps the ash go down...
With the Pea coal I barely have to shake it...