Coalcast Ep11: "Stoker Vs. Hand Fired" - January 14th, 2010

And in this corner weighing in at..... Ding, ding, ding..,,

This should be a fun and informative topic for those looking to purchase a new coal burning appliance and are on the fence choosing between a hand fired coal stove or stoker. We're looking for guests for this one so please PM me if you're interested especially if you own both.

List of Archived Shows

This will be great reading materials as I am just starting to look, so please post away so that I can make an informed decision. A buddy has a pellet fed system (stoker I think you call that) and he said it was messy (lots of ash and dust) and would not put one in a living space like I'm thinking about doing.

Please help this rookie make a good decision.

I've got a Harman Mag in the garage and a EFM 520 highboy in the house, if I had a rec room where we sat in the evening it would be hand fired because like most Pyros I like to play with the fire but if you have a life and you need the heat you need a stoker.

Glenn

Hmmmmm, maybe a topic for another Coalcast, but I would suggest also discussing "Furnaces/Boilers vs. Stoves/Inserts".
So many people want to heat their entire house with a stove, and want/expect even temps in all rooms

DVC500 at last wrote:Hmmmmm, maybe a topic for another Coalcast, but I would suggest also discussing "Furnaces/Boilers vs. Stoves/Inserts".
So many people want to heat their entire house with a stove, and want/expect even temps in all rooms

What gives me that is a 520 and radiant on the first floor, nice an comfy everywhere

Glenn

I had an old wood/chunk coal burning stove years ago. Now I run a dvc-500 and I can tell you I would not trade it for anything. Aside from the occasional good cleaning just load the hopper, dump the ash once a day and forget about it. Set the automatic thermostat and enjoy the warmth.

This is my first year with coal, and to see if I would like burning coal I picked up a Vermont Castings Vigilant with the coal kit. And yes it is nice just to look at while it is burning, just sitting there giving heat. The one thing I do like about it, is that I can burn pea or nut coal and these sizes can be found on places like Craigslist for free or very cheap... I have not noticed people listing rice coal free or cheap.

But to be honest still in the testing stages and torn between the hand fire and stoker....

Sorry about the stream glitch toward the end of the show. We got a full recording though. Will try to get it posted tomorrow sometime.

Thanks Paul. I really enjoyed the discussion. It's rare I don't learn something new or get a greater appreciation for coal and the folks who make it available.

Got half of the editing done. Turned out to be a long episode so it will get finished up and posted Saturday.