Looking to Upgrade to a Furnace

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leoman584
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Post by leoman584 » Mon. May. 20, 2019 8:21 am

I have a Reading coal Stoker rated at 90K BTU. It does a pretty good job, but struggles a bit on really cold nights. I'm thinking of upgrading to a stoker furnace. Does anyone have any insight on what I can expect for coal usage? I know that's a hard question to answer since it depends on a million different factors. But, I am burning around 50 to 60 lbs a day with my current stove. Heating a 2 story home with around 3000 sq ft of living space. It makes common sense to me that if I want more BTU, then I need to burn more coal. Unless, the new furnaces are that much more efficient. I'm just trying to ballpark what I can expect for coal usage if I upgrade to something that pushes around 150K BTU.

 
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Rob R.
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Location: Chazy, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr

Post by Rob R. » Mon. May. 20, 2019 8:42 am

Hello. Question for you -

Does your current stove not produce enough heat, or does it not get heat to the right spots?

If your stove overheats some areas and underheats others, a furnace with proper ductwork may not burn any more coal.

 
Pacowy
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Location: Dalton, MA
Stoker Coal Boiler: H.B. Smith 350 Mills boiler/EFM 85R stoker
Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/anthracite

Post by Pacowy » Mon. May. 20, 2019 9:26 am

Furnaces commonly have more efficient heat exchanger designs than do stoves, so it's possible that all else equal you would use less coal because less heat goes up the flue. The Mayor's rule-of-thumb (5 tons per 2000 sf of living area) would give a ballpark estimate of 7.5 tons for 3000 sf, but this leads me to a question. Didn't you previously say you were heating 1700 sf? If your plan for the furnace is to heat a substantially larger area than you have with the stove, it's highly likely you'll use more coal.

Mike


 
leoman584
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Post by leoman584 » Mon. May. 20, 2019 12:23 pm

1700 sf is what my house is listed as. But, they don't count the basement with that number. Since I am heating the basement I had to double the square footage minus the attaches garage. That's where I'm getting the 3000 number.

 
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McGiever
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Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Tue. May. 21, 2019 9:32 am

A unfinished/uninsulated basement with a uninsulated stove jacket can be double or more what the first floor heat load.

Stove on first floor would of shown a very different heat load...

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