Any recommendations - hand fired coal/wood combo?

 
the duck
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Post by the duck » Sat. Feb. 20, 2021 8:01 pm

Hi everyone,
I've been using a Keystoker in my basement, attached to my ductwork, for 5 winters now and love it. I'm considering getting a hand fired for my living room to attach to my fireplace chimney. Do any of you have any experience and recommendations for a hand fired, free-standing stove that can burn both wood and anthracite? Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
Thanks very much,
Matt


 
waytomany?s
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Post by waytomany?s » Sat. Feb. 20, 2021 10:12 pm

Any coal stove will burn wood, but not vice versa. How well is the question. Any stove with non adjustable over fire air will be fairly uncontrollable. Burn wood yes, just hot and fast.

 
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HandFire
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Post by HandFire » Sun. Feb. 21, 2021 4:02 pm

2 things to know, if your planning on heating a small area get a small stove and make sure it has good secondary air over the fire for burning wood. Might want to say the square foot your looking to heat. Getting something too big will cook you with coal and choke your chimney if you burn wood too low.

 
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Seagrave1963
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Post by Seagrave1963 » Mon. Feb. 22, 2021 6:16 am

We have really enjoyed our Harman TLC2000 (now being branded as Legacy TLC2000). It does a good job with wood but works better with coal. Like Handfire said, the area you are planning on using it would need to "fit" the stove's heat production ranges or it will be mismatched. We bought the TLC2000 before the EPA regs on wood burning stoves took effect so you will probably not get much official info on wood burning efficiency in coal stoves.

 
the duck
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Post by the duck » Mon. Feb. 22, 2021 11:06 am

Thanks for all the input everyone. I am ultimately looking around at ideas for having options. The Keystoker in my basement works great connected to the ductwork, heating my 2200 sqft house well on about 4 tons per year, at a constant 69/70 degrees. It does require electricity however, and the living room fireplace is really just for ambience, not for heat. In a power outage, and simply for supplemental heat, a freestanding, handfed stove that doesn't require electricity might be a good option to have. I do have a generator, but in the climate where I live, I like the idea of having something that doesn't require electricity, and can just radiate heat. Thanks for the ideas and suggestions!

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Feb. 22, 2021 11:43 am

Hitzer 254/354.

DS Machine Comfort Max 75.

 
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buffalo bob
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Post by buffalo bob » Mon. Feb. 22, 2021 3:45 pm

hitzer 254 radiant model...no fan...jusr rad heat...


 
the duck
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Post by the duck » Fri. Feb. 26, 2021 11:32 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions - greatly appreciated!

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Sat. Feb. 27, 2021 12:38 pm

And if you want something more stylish many of the antique parlor stoves, such as the "Oak" type "cylinder stoves" were designed to burn both wood and coal and do both very well. They come in a wide variety of sizes from 10 inch diameter firepots to heat one room, up to ones in the 20 inch range to heat a good sized house.

Paul

 
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Post by mntbugy » Sat. Feb. 27, 2021 2:58 pm

Sunny Boy wrote:
Sat. Feb. 27, 2021 12:38 pm
And if you want something more stylish many of the antique parlor stoves, such as the "Oak" type "cylinder stoves" were designed to burn both wood and coal and do both very well. They come in a wide variety of sizes from 10 inch diameter firepots to heat one room, up to ones in the 20 inch range to heat a good sized house.

Paul
What he said. Depending on area heated, might want a Round Oak 22 or 24. The big guns.

 
the duck
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Post by the duck » Sat. Feb. 27, 2021 3:02 pm

When you use these types of antique parlor stoves, do you typically use a type A flue/chimney if you don't have a masonry chimney? I'm asking because my current fireplace flue/chimney that I'm hoping to connect to will likely need to be upgraded to handle the higher temps. Thanks again!

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Sat. Feb. 27, 2021 3:13 pm

I use regular 5 inch single wall steel stove pipe from my antique kitchen range and parlor stoves to connect them to the chimney.

For exterior pipe, an insulated metal stove pipe that meets wood stove fire codes will work for a coal stove. Only difference is there are types of stainless steel pipe that hold up better to the slightly acidic coal ash in damp weather.

If you keep the coal dry during the heating season so that you not adding a lot of moisture to the fire and making the fly ash acidic, and then clean the fly ash out of the pipe at the end of the heating season, it should last for many years.

Paul

 
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Post by McGiever » Sun. Feb. 28, 2021 11:09 am

my current fireplace flue/chimney that I'm to connect to will likely need to be upgraded to handle the higher temps
You are mistaken on coal flue/chimney temps being higher temp!!
Quite the opposite in fact.

 
the duck
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Post by the duck » Sun. Feb. 28, 2021 5:29 pm

On my current fireplace, that I hope to connect to, the flue/chimney pipe look like regular galvanized (probably 25 years old). Would you want to upgrade that flue/chimney metal if you were attaching a hand fed coal stove? My understanding was that it had to be the class A, triple walled stuff?
Thanks!

 
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HandFire
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Post by HandFire » Sun. Feb. 28, 2021 5:56 pm

If you are saying it is single wall stovepipe running up the outside then yes replace it with insulated double wall.


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