Newbie Looking to Install Coal Stove in Basement.

Hi,

New here, currently have wood insert (quadra fire) on the main floor. Happy with it but starting to get tired of cutting and dealing with wood after almost 10 years. My house is not well insulated and I have a cathedral ceiling that’s 23 feet high. I have a post and beam house, Yankee Barn built in 1978. I’m starting to investigate putting a coal stove in my unfinished basement. Want to keep the wood insert and will continue to use it from time to time.

I guess my house is around 2000 Sq ft. As I said I want to put in basement, however, not sure how I can run the exhaust. I have a spot right about the pipe for my oil burner. I’m not sure if the previous owner every used it but it’s currenlty “sealed up” and I can easily remove the metal seal. However, something tells me it’s probably not up to code to use the same chimney for a coal stove and oil furnace. If this is true what are my other options?

Thanks and I love this site.

Not to code - that's a given, but sometimes ya gotta do what you gotta do.

Need more info.

Is the oil burner a boiler (water) or furnace (ducts)? If a furnace it could be practical.

The oil burner could be power vented to allow use of the chimney for coal.

Is the chimney on outside wall or through the house?

Anything can be done with enough money, the trick is to do it with a minimum and still get good results.

franco b wrote:Need more info.

Is the oil burner a boiler (water) or furnace (ducts)? If a furnace it could be practical.

Yes, it's boiler with water, I have base board heat. I do have a seperate A/C system that has ducts to the first floor, main living area, which I was thinking would be good to use from coal stove but not sure how I would be able to place stive close enough. Above main floor are 2 bed rooms, office and bathroom, heat goes up there as its open.

Is the chimney on outside wall or through the house?

Chimey is inside, just about in the middle of the house. I will take a pic tonight of the furnace and chimney area. The unused spot in chimney right above the current pipe for furnace seems perfect to use, just need to remove cap and put a pipe in it. Just remove whenever selling the house.

WOW, you are in a perfect situation for a rapid return on investment for a coal boiler install...and then it's all about BIG savings beyond, year after year.

If you have baseboard heat, a boiler might make the most sense for you.

Is coal going to be easy to get? Where do you live? Do you have room in basement to make a coal bin, don't want to carry pails or bags. Coal boiler would be that way to go, pipe it into oil boiler and enjoy.

Wiz wrote:Is coal going to be easy to get? Where do you live? Do you have room in basement to make a coal bin, don't want to carry pails or bags. Coal boiler would be that way to go, pipe it into oil boiler and enjoy.

I live in Orange County NY. There is a coal supply place a mile from my house. A coal boiler? Put it next to my oil boiler and hook up coal boiler to the baseboard heat? Humm not sure about that?!?! I have a cathedral ceiling which sucks.

I was thinking of having stove in basement and let heat rise up perhaps remove some of the A/C ducts to let heat rise and leave door open to basement, not sure how effective that would be. In early stages of research so open to all ideas. Was also thinking if I could hook up to my A/C ducts.

I will post some pics of my basement tomorrow. Basement is unfinished about 45X25 with stairs going down from main floor and I have a bilco door.

orrsmills wrote:A coal boiler? Put it next to my oil boiler and hook up coal boiler to the baseboard heat? Humm not sure about that?!?! I have a cathedral ceiling which sucks.

Do you have specific questions about hooking up or using a boiler? Ask away.

orrsmills wrote:I was thinking of having stove in basement and let heat rise up perhaps remove some of the A/C ducts to let heat rise and leave door open to basement, not sure how effective that would be.

Marginal. I have done the same thing, and you always end up with a hot basement, moderately warm living space, and cold bedrooms.

McGiever wrote:WOW, you are in a perfect situation for a rapid return on investment for a coal boiler install...and then it's all about BIG savings beyond, year after year.

McGievers got this down! You are in a perfect position with that house set up as it is to heat your entire house from a main boiler in the center of the basement and since you prolly have some weil mclain or smith oil gusling money pit connected with those huge post and beam open floor plan ceilings you would pay for the swap out in just a few short seasons (I would seriously look at one of those LeisureLine WL-110's) which you might find extremely appealing for your situation.

Aside from that... you cant connect a coal stove to use in conjunction with your oil boiler flu (you can but its just not wise so please don't). draft is a funny thing that is effected by heat, pressure, escape, etc. and having two appliances running in one flu and at different heights is risking troubles that you don't want (frankly its why they made laws to prevent it).

Check in your state if they offer rebates for a new boiler (In Ma. you can get an easy $800 rebate by simply having a free energy audit done and that LL 110 qualifies under that $800 rebate program)

Rob R. wrote:

orrsmills wrote:A coal boiler? Put it next to my oil boiler and hook up coal boiler to the baseboard heat? Humm not sure about that?!?! I have a cathedral ceiling which sucks.

Do you have specific questions about hooking up or using a boiler? Ask away.

orrsmills wrote:I was thinking of having stove in basement and let heat rise up perhaps remove some of the A/C ducts to let heat rise and leave door open to basement, not sure how effective that would be.

Marginal. I have done the same thing, and you always end up with a hot basement, moderately warm living space, and cold bedrooms.

Post and Beam homes are a little different from conventional construction in that they are generally highly efficient houses (even with those soaring ceilings), the entire house is usually made with panels inbetween the beams that have R values that would crush conventional construction because they don't use typical fiberglass insulation at all! with enough vents opened and enough neg pressure from ceiling fans up high he could probably do OK (or at a min. he could do a lot better then the rest of us trying that same technic)... but having said that... no question I would be all over a dual fuel boiler if I was him simply because it would pay for itself so fast.

Can or do you have a ceiling fan mounted on the high ceiling to circulate any warm air that accumulates up there?

I agree with the others. Coal boiler would probably be best case

coal supply a mile away? Hot water heat piping already installed. pull out the wood burner and set a coal boiler at the exact same place. pipe it into the supply and return on the oil boiler. disconnect the flue to the oil boiler after you disconnect the wiring to the burner and use the boiler flue opening. You still have the oil boiler, the hot water piping utilizing the same thermostat. No extra gizmos and away you go to huge savings for heating your home.

Rev. Larry

I appreciate everyone's feedback. So you guys are saying remove my oil boiler(only 10 years old) and replace with a coal boiler?! What do I do in the summer for when I want hot water? I don't want this coal boiler running all the time (Maybe I'm missing something here).

I gotta tell you I don't really like the baseboard heat today with the oil boiler, the current setup with wood stove on main floor gives better heat then baseboard.

I'm not sure what to do now since it seems I cannot hook up coal stove to same exhaust of oil burner.

I guess you guys are saying replace my Oil burner with a dual fuel boiler that runs both oil and coal. as I said I'm new to the coal stuff, been burning wood and always had an oil burner.

dcrane, you're right I currently have a weil mclain.