Thinking About Upgrading to a Harman Super Magnum Stoker

I currently have a top/front load Harman tlc 2000, thinking about an upgrade to a Super Magnum Stoker. I also have a Harman VF3000 in the basement as a a primary to my oil fired boiler. Upgrading would eliminate two different coal types as both stokers would use rice coal. I just haven't spoken to and don't know anyone with a Harman super magnum. although it probably would be a lot like my vf3 unit. Any advise ?

The Super Mag's throw a lot of heat, I got to see one in action at our local stove shop. I think you would be very familiar with the stoker operation since you already have a VF3000.

There is also a regular Magnum for sale by another forum member.

I'm curious what you heat with the stove? It seems like you already have a good combination...boiler for central heat and hot water, hand-fed stove for radiant heat, with or without electricity.

By the way, welcome to coalpail.com.

Thanks for the welcome to nepa forum. Heard a lot of great things from a coal freind who told me I should sign on. Lots of good info here... currently have the TLC2000 on a three season sun porch that became a year round room with the addition of the stove. Now I'm trying to be more efficient because it has an appetite. Some days are pretty easy, 32 degrees outside, stove running nicely, porch doors open to the house and all is good. When the temp goes up above 32, it gets pretty warm and its hard to regulate the amount of heat being produced without opening windows to vent the excess until the outside temp falls. I'm lead to believe by literature and brochures only that I could turn down feeder rate and room temp and have better control and less wasted fuel with a stoker than with the TLC. Would love to here from stoker users that have a thermostat control stoker/feeder.

If that room is now insulated and "four-season", why not just add a zone to your stoker boiler? You can't get any more efficient than that.

to give you an idea of temps you may see in the sun porch, I have a Harman mag stoker (not a super mag) in the 20 x 24 workshop. it has an insulated floor, walls & ceiling, but it has a 6' opening to the garage that is only covered by plastic hanging from the ceiling.

i have the stove ducted to the upstairs so when it it firing the distribution blower is sending the heat upstairs. However, just from the heat radiating from the stove it heats the workshop space to about 82* . The thermostat is upstairs and is set at 60* and it is not running continuously.

Deereboy1 wrote:Thanks for the welcome to nepa forum. Heard a lot of great things from a coal freind who told me I should sign on. Lots of good info here... currently have the TLC2000 on a three season sun porch that became a year round room with the addition of the stove. Now I'm trying to be more efficient because it has an appetite. Some days are pretty easy, 32 degrees outside, stove running nicely, porch doors open to the house and all is good. When the temp goes up above 32, it gets pretty warm and its hard to regulate the amount of heat being produced without opening windows to vent the excess until the outside temp falls. I'm lead to believe by literature and brochures only that I could turn down feeder rate and room temp and have better control and less wasted fuel with a stoker than with the TLC. Would love to here from stoker users that have a thermostat control stoker/feeder.

Well, obviously the stoker will throttle down with it only at an idle when the t'stat is satisfied. So the answer is yes, no windows need opened.

Are you burning straight nut size coal on these warm days that you say you cannot slow the TLC down?
Everybody likes to stay with one size of coal, but...the price of a new Super Magnum would pay for several tons of coal.

Maybe get some pea size and give it a try...it can be controlled down much better than nut.
And before going back to straight nut size you could mix the 2 sizes for even more control as outside temps move downward to when nut size rules.

McGiever wrote:

Deereboy1 wrote:Thanks for the welcome to nepa forum. Heard a lot of great things from a coal freind who told me I should sign on. Lots of good info here... currently have the TLC2000 on a three season sun porch that became a year round room with the addition of the stove. Now I'm trying to be more efficient because it has an appetite. Some days are pretty easy, 32 degrees outside, stove running nicely, porch doors open to the house and all is good. When the temp goes up above 32, it gets pretty warm and its hard to regulate the amount of heat being produced without opening windows to vent the excess until the outside temp falls. I'm lead to believe by literature and brochures only that I could turn down feeder rate and room temp and have better control and less wasted fuel with a stoker than with the TLC. Would love to here from stoker users that have a thermostat control stoker/feeder.

Well, obviously the stoker will throttle down with it only at an idle when the t'stat is satisfied. So the answer is yes, no windows need opened.

Are you burning straight nut size coal on these warm days that you say you cannot slow the TLC down?
Everybody likes to stay with one size of coal, but...the price of a new Super Magnum would pay for several tons of coal.

Maybe get some pea size and give it a try...it can be controlled down much better than nut.
And before going back to straight nut size you could mix the 2 sizes for even more control as outside temps move downward to when nut size rules.

he can also run range coal, when I had the hand fire Harman that is all I ever burned

jeff

Range coal

2001Sierra wrote:Range coal

what ever you all call a mix of pea and nut the ratio that I used to get was 60% pea to 40 nut

Jeff

I had a Super Magnum. When I went to a boiler, I installed it at my folks house in a 15x30 well insulated room. Lots of windows, they heated it with a wood stove before. The stoker was a big improvement over heating with wood for them. But....the stoker can only throttle the stove down so far, the keep alive fire still puts out a fair amount of heat. They like it very warm so it's not a problem for them. At temps above 32 outside, it will be in the high 70s around the stove. This stove rarely runs above idle to keep the room warm. I liked it, but I had it in a cellar and could not transfer the heat like a boiler could.
Like suggested, a boiler zone will be more controllable.

If the room is on a slab then an additional zone is not easy, as well as the room needing a fair amount of heat to overcome additional heat loss. If you add another hydronic loop you either need to run it or put gylcol to keep the 3 season room from having damage when you choose to shut the room down in the dead of winter.