The stoker has set me free!
- dbsuz05
- Member
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 8:09 am
- Location: Central Pennsylvania
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Burnham 23"
I installed my axeman Anderson 130 in late January this year. Many decisions were made on the piping and controls from members here on the forum. In the end I made my own choice to have a handfed 23” burnham in-line with the axeman. This way I could burn coal in a handfed when it got really cold. Just take take the load somewhat off the axeman.
Now I must say. You veteran members were absolutely right! I don’t use the handfed much...! Being the handfed is located in upstairs and the axeman downstairs I am happy to use the handfed as a large radiator now that keeps the garage toasty warm. Along with the warm concrete now at my feet!
Now to the meat an potatoes.... this stoker has changed my life!! No getting up at 2 am shaking grates. No coming home mid day to shovel coal, heck I don’t even have to come home after 5 if I have something else to do! After 10 years of handfed madness worrying about keeping a fire going this has been the best 4 months of living in this house!
For anyone considering handfed as the main heating plant. Just don’t. At first you will be happy to burn anything that fits through the door but in time you will find all you do is become a slave to the handfed. Thanks so much nepa coal members for sharing your knowledge to the few of us crazy enough to run these contraptions!
Now I must say. You veteran members were absolutely right! I don’t use the handfed much...! Being the handfed is located in upstairs and the axeman downstairs I am happy to use the handfed as a large radiator now that keeps the garage toasty warm. Along with the warm concrete now at my feet!
Now to the meat an potatoes.... this stoker has changed my life!! No getting up at 2 am shaking grates. No coming home mid day to shovel coal, heck I don’t even have to come home after 5 if I have something else to do! After 10 years of handfed madness worrying about keeping a fire going this has been the best 4 months of living in this house!
For anyone considering handfed as the main heating plant. Just don’t. At first you will be happy to burn anything that fits through the door but in time you will find all you do is become a slave to the handfed. Thanks so much nepa coal members for sharing your knowledge to the few of us crazy enough to run these contraptions!
- nepacoal
- Member
- Posts: 1696
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 21, 2012 7:49 am
- Location: Coal Country
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4 / "Kelly" and an EFM 520 at my in-laws
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Harman SF-260 - retired
- Coal Size/Type: Buck
Amen to that!!! My old hand fed boiler sits in the corner over by the oil tanks ( that also haven't been used in years)...
- coaledsweat
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 13763
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 2:05 pm
- Location: Guilford, Connecticut
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
- Coal Size/Type: Pea
Once an Axeman is online all you need is a comfy chair with wheels.
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7486
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
Sounds like you did it right! You have an Axeman, you have the auger in the bin, all you do now is empty the ashes once every few days. Truly the Lazy Man's way to burn coal!
-Don
-Don
-
- Member
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu. May. 07, 2015 12:51 pm
- Location: NY Columbia County
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1982 efm df520
- Coal Size/Type: Cornwall rice
- Other Heating: VC winterwarm wood
Another voice in the stoker AMEN choir!!! Congrats, Gary
- 2001Sierra
- Member
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
- Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34
A stoker does have its Merit. Not for everyone but great for some. I went from a handfed stove to a stoker, and never looked back.
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14658
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
Yeah man, I ran a hand fed furnace as a primary heat source for 8 years. I learned volumes about burning coal, chimneys and did many modifications to the furnace.. and I even had a lot of fun in the process. That all slowly winded down as I satisfied my curiosity. I finally took what was left of it to the scrap yard and refurbed an ol Axeman that I found on Facebook market place. This was my first heating season with the beast. It's quite a neat peice of mechanical engineering, I'm very pleased with my Axe.
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- Member
- Posts: 5990
- Joined: Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 11:30 pm
- Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
- Coal Size/Type: nut coal
- Other Heating: electric, wood, oil
Do they still make the Ace? I’m just now figuring out what the heck it is and what all the hullabaloo is about. Lol!!
My neighbor has an outdoor wood boiler for a mobile home and he must feed that thing 20-25 cord a year. No way! Coal boiler or go home.
My neighbor has an outdoor wood boiler for a mobile home and he must feed that thing 20-25 cord a year. No way! Coal boiler or go home.
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- Member
- Posts: 5990
- Joined: Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 11:30 pm
- Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
- Coal Size/Type: nut coal
- Other Heating: electric, wood, oil
Dad burn auto correct on this phone!!!!
I assume a google search would lead to a website?