Slowly but Surely Getting Ready to Switch From Wood to Coal

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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 4:25 pm

Increasing in age and the rapid depletion of Ash trees is pushing me towards anthracite.

I have a two story 2,500sq ft log home, full cathedral (NOT ideal for heating but I aint changin' it now :P ) and heat solely with wood right now using a Jotul Firelight (big ole top loader). The current chimney is an exterior masonry chimney inside a block chimney (chimney in chimney) which is also not ideal but I have learned to burn wood with it without issues.

I would like advice on anthracite stoves that would be big enough to heat this house in a Michigan climate.....but I also would like (if available) something with a classic look to it versus a square burn box. I think I also want a gravity fed stove. I DO NOT want electronics on it if possible.

Can you guys steer me towards some good options (if there are any)?.

Thanks in advance.


 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 4:42 pm

Pancho , welcome to the coal forum,no square,how about rectangular ? still too square ? Classic look will probably be a parlor stove & a big one at that,i don't know enough about their output to advise on a specific unit but some one should be along soon to steer you in the right direction.Get ready to answer some questions,are you going to burn bit or anthracite would be a good starting point.

 
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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 4:53 pm

Thanks for having me and thanks for the reply.

I am not too concerned with the shape but I would like to retain (IF POSSIBLE) the classic look similar to my Jotul. It's grown on me over the years.

The plan is to locate a stable bulk supplier of anthracite and burn that. I obviously won't be making the change tomorrow but I want to do my research and get my ducks in a row.

Flood me with questions and I'll probably fire some questions back.

 
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Carbon12
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Post by Carbon12 » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 4:58 pm

How much wood do you burn each winter?

 
scalabro
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Post by scalabro » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:02 pm

Hi Pancho,

How high is the ceiling in the room the stove would go in?

If you call Emory at the Antique Stove Hospital, he has two very large base heating anthracite only stoves that would certainly do the trick.

One is pictured on his website (Stewart base heater) , the other is almost as large, and is sitting right next to it, but I can't recall the manufacturer.

Maybe these are overkill but they would sure be fun to run :mrgreen:

If your house is well insulated and has a mostly open floor plan, a single Crawford 30 or Glenwood 111 may do the job.

They all look similar to this picture.

Cheers and welcome aboard.

Scott

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franco b
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Post by franco b » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:14 pm

If you want the classic look then the only thing available is one of the classic antiques.

 
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Post by Scottaw » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:35 pm

2500 sf is a big area, one of the larger base burners should do the trick. There's also the option of having 2 stoves. I can't think of any modern non electric stove that isn't in a box shape. Good luck with the hunt.


 
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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:40 pm

Carbon12 wrote:How much wood do you burn each winter?
Depends on the winter and what wood I have on hand....I like to burn up my ash during the 25-30 degree days and save the oak/locust and hickory for the Polar Vortex days.

I would say roughly 20 face cord on a 'normal' winter. I think my max was 27 face but that was mostly softer wood (ash/maple/elm).

 
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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:48 pm

Gekko wrote:Hi Pancho,

How high is the ceiling in the room the stove would go in?

If you call Emory at the Antique Stove Hospital, he has two very large base heating anthracite only stoves that would certainly do the trick.

One is pictured on his website (Stewart base heater) , the other is almost as large, and is sitting right next to it, but I can't recall the manufacturer.

Maybe these are overkill but they would sure be fun to run :mrgreen:

If your house is well insulated and has a mostly open floor plan, a single Crawford 30 or Glenwood 111 may do the job.

They all look similar to this picture.

Cheers and welcome aboard.

Scott
Thanks for the reply Scott.

It's about 24ft from floor to ridge.
What is a 'base heating stove'??.

Whatever I end up with I want to end up on the larger side. I DO NOT want ma nature controlling me. If/when she gets evil, I want to be able to counter punch.

I didn't even think of antique stoves. I was hoping there was something new and proven with parts available. Are parts available still for antique stoves??. Are they efficient at all???.

 
grumpy
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Post by grumpy » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:50 pm

Pancho, check your PM's

 
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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:51 pm

franco b wrote:If you want the classic look then the only thing available is one of the classic antiques.


Hmmmm.
Awhile back I was poking around the interwebs and saw a picture of a Kodiak coal stove. It wasn't 'classic' in looks but was kind of rustic looking...and big.

Do they still make those?.

 
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Carbon12
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Post by Carbon12 » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:53 pm

By my rough calculations you would need between 50,0000 to 100,000 BTU's/hr. Look for stoves with an output in this range. Do you have a basement and or central air conditioning?

 
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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:54 pm

grumpy wrote:Pancho, check your PM's
PM sent.

 
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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 5:59 pm

Carbon12 wrote:By my rough calculations you would need between 50,0000 to 100,000 BTU's/hr. Look for stoves with an output in this range. Do you have a basement and or central air conditioning?
My Jotul has a max output of 55,000 and it works well for 90% of the heating season....but those single digit or below zero days/nights and it struggles to maintain a decent temp.

25 or 30 degrees it'll keep the house in the upper 70's.

I know my house isn't 'tight'. It's a log home and I am sure I lose heat through the cathedral ceiling....but there's nothing I can do about it. So i'd happily take 100k BTU max when needed.

 
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Post by Photog200 » Sat. Feb. 01, 2014 6:03 pm

Pancho wrote:
Gekko wrote:Hi Pancho,

How high is the ceiling in the room the stove would go in?

If you call Emory at the Antique Stove Hospital, he has two very large base heating anthracite only stoves that would certainly do the trick.

One is pictured on his website (Stewart base heater) , the other is almost as large, and is sitting right next to it, but I can't recall the manufacturer.

Maybe these are overkill but they would sure be fun to run :mrgreen:

If your house is well insulated and has a mostly open floor plan, a single Crawford 30 or Glenwood 111 may do the job.

They all look similar to this picture.

Cheers and welcome aboard.

Scott
Thanks for the reply Scott.

It's about 24ft from floor to ridge.
What is a 'base heating stove'??.

Whatever I end up with I want to end up on the larger side. I DO NOT want ma nature controlling me. If/when she gets evil, I want to be able to counter punch.

I didn't even think of antique stoves. I was hoping there was something new and proven with parts available. Are parts available still for antique stoves??. Are they efficient at all???.
I have one of the antique baseburner stoves that has been restored. The base burners are extremely efficient, they were manufactured in the coal burning hey - day. Mine has a suspended fire pot and the exhaust is pulled down around the fire pot keeping it hot. That causes a more efficient burn of the coal because it is keeping the fire pot hot. Then the gases are pulled down under the ash pan and around a chamber in the base (thus, baseburner) then the gases go out the exhaust. When it goes out the chimney, the temps are quite low because they were efficiently distributed throughout the stove. It is my opinion that these old stoves are just as efficient as the new stoves of today. Don't take this the wrong way, I am not knocking the new stoves in any way. I just like the classic designs of the old stoves and I am extremely happy with mine.
Randy


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