Help for a new stoker user

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to heat a two-story, 2000 sq-ft garage. Unfortunately, it seems I've procrastinated a bit and that we're about a week away from perpetual 30 degree weather.

What I've bought myself is an old original Alaska Stoker Stove (much bigger than the current model, more alike the model that is now the Stoker II). It came with a surrounding enclosure with two fans attached and an HVAC port on the top. It also has an extended hopper.

I'm actually new to coal furnaces and I just have a few questions about how this thing works exactly... Does the gap between the hopper and the extender need to be completely sealed? Hell, should there be almost no air gaps at all coming out of the hopper?

Secondly, there's this strange asbestos-y rope-type stuff that seems to seal the front door of the thing, but a piece of it fell off. How important is it that this is completely sealed??

Right now this thing is sitting in the cellar of this garage.... My plan was to run two different HVAC pipes, one to a smaller room on the second floor and one to a larger room on the first floor... Does anyone have any idea if this is logistically stupid??

Thanks SO much if you could help. I'm really rushing to get all this done and realize that not thinking through this stuff makes for a dangerous situation.

Here's a picture illustrating what I intend to do:

I guess it is time to find your blue marker & indicate where the return air ducts will be. You will need return air to make it work.

Ok. Welp I didn't think about that at all. Guess I'll start looking into how those work. Any reason why they couldn't run alongside the supply ducts??

By the way, I would like to note there is a chimney that extends to the basement before anyone points out that I need exhaust.

untitled73 wrote: ↑

Thu. Oct. 26, 2017 2:42 pm

Ok. Welp I didn't think about that at all. Guess I'll start looking into how those work. Any reason why they couldn't run alongside the supply ducts??

By the way, I would like to note there is a chimney that extends to the basement before anyone points out that I need exhaust.

lol,are you using yellow for the exhaust ?
I see no reason why they can't run beside the supply ducts...
BUT,you will want the supply vent & return vent nearly opposite of each other in the room.

A couple of quick items of note: make sure you have at least a couple of Carbon Monoxide detectors, one near the stove and one (or more) in the heated rooms. The rope caulking is absolutely needed, so that the draft air is controlled, as well as preventing any extraneous fumes. The "rope" comes in various sizes and configurations (flat, round, etc.). The manufacturer could tell you what size to use, or possibly a member that has a similar stove. Caulking should be relatively cheap and you can buy furnace cement to hold it in place. Any hardware store should have it or anyplace that sells stoves or stove parts.Measure the length that you need.