How Much Coal Will a Hand-Fired Stove Use

Think I've seen some of this elsewhere but not all in one place so thought I'd ask. I read that the auto stoker stoves will throttle-down to about 5,000 to 7,000 BTU's if need be and was wondering what their coal consumption is at these levels vs their consumption at max output? If the heat output reduction is because it burns less coal, well then there's the answer but if it achieves it by sending all the unused heat out the stack, then there would not be much reduction. So my questions are these:

1) for an auto stoker, a gravity feed hopper and a hand-fired stove, which is best at reducing coal consumption when you throttle them back to about 7,000 BTU output and how do these stoves achieve this heat reduction?

2) how much can you throttle-back the gravity drop and hand-held units vs the auto stokers?

3) for those with hand-feed units, do you feel you burn the same amount of coal regardless of outside temp?
thanks

1. Controlling the output is the same for all, feed rate and air supply. Stokers will have a slight amount of unburned fuel but there efficiency and ease of operation negates any advantage the others have.

2. I believe a stoker would have an advantage as they normally can operate at much lower draft.

3. The amount you burn would relate directly to the output needed to keep the house at the same temp. The colder it is, the more you will burn. It is the same situation for all three designs.

I myself have a hand fired boiler, in 50* weather it will go through about 30# a day. At 0* it may eat about 100-110# of coal in a day. Each installation is different as there are many variables involved, not just the appliance.

I hope this helps.

coaledsweat wrote:
2. I believe a stoker would have an advantage as they normally can operate at much lower draft.

Depends on how you look at it, they need more draft because the coal is smaller. The difference being that it's forced as opposed to natural so you have it on demand.

To answer your question Castiron as far as the stokers go I guess it depends on the stoker. The larger furnaces like mine can get by with around ten pounds a day. It wil only come on if the water temp drops to certain point and/or it runs for about 2-3 minutes off a timer.

if one had a manual stove with a bi-metalic thermostatic control like a Vermont Casting Vigilant II has, is this control just adjusting the air to the coal and if so, how much can you damp the coal down without extinguishing it and what are the burn rates like at that damped down level?

I've got a Harman MK II. Presently it's about 35 degrees at night, and around 45 during the day. I'm burning 1 hod, or about 25# of nut coal per day. I only tend the stove once a day, shaking it well and filling it at night. Plenty of heat to keep the house at 72.

This is about as slow as I can get the stove to burn.

Islander wrote:I've got a Harman MK II. Presently it's about 35 degrees at night, and around 45 during the day. I'm burning 1 hod, or about 25# of nut coal per day. I only tend the stove once a day, shaking it well and filling it at night. Plenty of heat to keep the house at 72.

This is about as slow as I can get the stove to burn.

Hello,

How big is your home, how well insulated, what size room is the stove in and how do you distribute the heat (use your furnace on fan-only mode)?

thanks

I have a big firebox on my old stove that lets me burn up to 150 lbs a day, in those windy cold below zero days. Its much easier keeping a full firebox full and roaring.

It's much trickier keeping a big firebox going without much coal. 30-40 lbs per day was about the least I could run without is nearly going out. That’s about a 12 hour burn.

I have a bi-metal thermostat control on one combustion air opening, which I think helps. I can watch my draft with a manometer, but right now I have a manual damper. I think I could burn less with a baro-damper.

coal_kid

Castiron read this thread I think you will find it interesting

Convert From HVAC LP to Koker Keystoker Coal Furnace

Remember real men shovel and shake and only girlie men have stokers.

Great site! I guess right now I'm a "real man" who has a manual-feed wood stove and not a "girlie man" who would have an automated-feed pellet stove.....LOL