How Much Coal Are You Burning?
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Clousseau
- Member
- Posts: 143
- Joined: Fri. Mar. 13, 2015 4:08 pm
- Location: Southern Berkshires
- Stoker Coal Boiler: KA-6
- Coal Size/Type: Rice Coal
Having just installed and started my new Keystoker K-6 boiler, I was wondering how much coal people burn when the unit is only making hot water. I was surprised at how much coal is used for that purpose; about 1/3 of a 40 lb. bag a day. Is this correct?
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Rob R.
- Site Moderator
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- Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
- Location: Chazy, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr
15 lbs per day is pretty common for an idling stoker boiler. Don't forget that you are keeping the fire alive, and keeping 50 gallons of water + 1000 lbs of steel at operating temperature.
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gaw
- Member
- Posts: 4460
- Joined: Fri. Jan. 26, 2007 2:51 am
- Location: Parts Unknown
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
- Coal Size/Type: Rice from Schuylkill County
That is in line with what I use through the summer. As long as the boiler is installed in the house you are capturing some of that heat also.Clousseau wrote:Having just installed and started my new Keystoker K-6 boiler, I was wondering how much coal people burn when the unit is only making hot water. I was surprised at how much coal is used for that purpose; about 1/3 of a 40 lb. bag a day. Is this correct?
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Pacowy
- Member
- Posts: 3555
- Joined: Tue. Sep. 04, 2007 10:14 pm
- Location: Dalton, MA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: H.B. Smith 350 Mills boiler/EFM 85R stoker
- Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/anthracite
Three more things to consider are:
1. It takes a lot of BTU's to heat water from a 40-50 deg inlet temp to 120 deg. With 6 kids and 2 adults in the house, our NG bill dropped by $100/month when we switched over to the tankless coil in the coal boiler. The gas company sent an inspector to our house because they thought we must have tampered with the meter. He turned around and walked out when I showed him the new coil setup.
2. It is better for the coal boiler to run than to just sit, especially when there is significant humidity. People who don't make DHW in the off-season often put light bulbs or other heat sources in the boiler to minimize corrosion. May as well just keep running it rather than spend $ to keep it warm.
3. If the unit is in the basement and run year-round, it may materially reduce $ that needs to go into space heating in winter and dehumidification in summer.
For these reasons we have run stoker boilers year-round in 2 houses in the Berkshires.
Mike
1. It takes a lot of BTU's to heat water from a 40-50 deg inlet temp to 120 deg. With 6 kids and 2 adults in the house, our NG bill dropped by $100/month when we switched over to the tankless coil in the coal boiler. The gas company sent an inspector to our house because they thought we must have tampered with the meter. He turned around and walked out when I showed him the new coil setup.
2. It is better for the coal boiler to run than to just sit, especially when there is significant humidity. People who don't make DHW in the off-season often put light bulbs or other heat sources in the boiler to minimize corrosion. May as well just keep running it rather than spend $ to keep it warm.
3. If the unit is in the basement and run year-round, it may materially reduce $ that needs to go into space heating in winter and dehumidification in summer.
For these reasons we have run stoker boilers year-round in 2 houses in the Berkshires.
Mike