Burning 100lbs/day!?

 
brandonh98
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Post by brandonh98 » Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 10:37 pm

I'll start off with the details:

In the last 24 hours low temp was 33*, high temp was 40* and average was 37*.

Stove is a LL Hyfire with both burners lit and coal troal. Hyfire is in an unfinished/uninsulated basement of a 1700sq ft cape cod built in 1995 (well insulated). Three of the four basement walls are 100% below grade. The fourth wall is open to the garage. I have three registers cut in the floor and the basement door open. No insulation between basement and first floor.

I topped off the hopper yesterday at 9pm. Today at 9pm I weighed each bucket as I put it in the hopper and subtracted the weight of the bucket. I calculated 103lbs of coal burnt in one day! This seams crazy high to me! I also weighed the ash pan in the same 24 hour period. The ash pan weighed 19.8 lbs, not sure what an empty pan weighs but I'll check when I dump this one.

I think I know what needs to be done but I'll run it by the forum before I spend any money. I think I need to either

A) Run insulated flex duct to the registers cut in the floor, probably with a plenum and inline booster fans.
B) Insulate the mason brick in the basement (foam board?)
C) Both

Any input is greatly appreciated.


 
rjc862003
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Post by rjc862003 » Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 10:44 pm

insulation doesn't impact a force draft burner all that much

whats the feed rate at ?

is your baro properly set ? if its wide open all the time something is pulling tons of draft (and all the heat) or its not set right

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 10:49 pm

Oh yeah, you need to run warm air supply ducts and also a cold air return from the living area. That is a gross amount of coal you are burning. I'm using a hand fed furnace with similar square footage and using 40-45 pounds per day. My furnace is also in the basement but has warm air supply runs and cold air return to/from the living area.

 
brandonh98
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Post by brandonh98 » Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 10:51 pm

Feed rate has been fluctuating as you might expect, 80-90 when I wake up in the morning, down to 10-20 during the day when I come home at lunch time. Min is set to 10, Max is at 42.

I've actually been having problems keeping a good draft when the temp gets near 50 so I've had the baro covered when I leave for work in the morning and I'm taking the cover off when I get home. Manometer is reading a pretty consistent 0.04-0.05.

You don't think an insulated basement would help significantly?

 
rjc862003
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Post by rjc862003 » Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 11:24 pm

the more heat you keep in the cooler you can run the stove but the feed rate is the feed rate its not a thermostatically controlled unit it burns at pretty much whatever the feed rate is

 
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2001Sierra
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Post by 2001Sierra » Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 11:30 pm

It may take a few days for the basement walls to absorb the heat as well. Things may settled down abit but I would insulate that fourth exposed wall.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Nov. 09, 2017 5:44 am

rjc862003 wrote:
Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 11:24 pm
the more heat you keep in the cooler you can run the stove but the feed rate is the feed rate its not a thermostatically controlled unit it burns at pretty much whatever the feed rate is
That is not accurate. He said it has a Coal Trol, which is a thermostat that adjusts the feed rate and run time based on the room temperature.


 
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WNY
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Post by WNY » Thu. Nov. 09, 2017 5:45 am

if not ducted upstairs, you will probably burn more to maintain more even temperatures. after putting a heat jacket on my Hyfire and ran a couple ducts upstairs, it works much better for me.
Where's your thermostat located in relation to the stove?

when it's really cold below 20 for extended periods, i can easily burn 100# in 24 hrs.

 
brandonh98
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Post by brandonh98 » Thu. Nov. 09, 2017 9:52 pm

Burned another 80 lbs today. Min temp was 28, high temp was 48.

I'm currently looking into designing a duct system. Might need a new topic for this lol

 
rjc862003
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Post by rjc862003 » Thu. Nov. 09, 2017 10:56 pm

honestly two 90k burners at near max settings
surprised its not a 140lbs

 
brandonh98
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Post by brandonh98 » Thu. Nov. 09, 2017 11:00 pm

It idles down pretty good during the day. I bet 75 of the 80 lbs was burnt in 8 hours at night. I bet it could burn 200/day at full burn. Thing is a beast!

 
rjc862003
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Post by rjc862003 » Thu. Nov. 09, 2017 11:31 pm

you trying to heat a open pavilion in the Arctic ?
thats a lot of btu

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Fri. Nov. 10, 2017 6:44 am

Something is obviously going on here!

I'm running a 260,000 capable BTU boiler in its own building, heating 2280 sq ft and my dhw, and using 45-50 pounds per day..

I personally would shut all the vents and doors to upstairs, and just see what it takes to heat the basement only for a day or two, to a reasonable temp say 72. If your still chewing through coal, then obviously duct work won't help, as then either your heat is going out your chimney, (don't think so anyways) or it's going in all that concrete and outside due to no insulation. But eventually you should be able to heat up all that mass.

 
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Post by franco b » Fri. Nov. 10, 2017 10:09 am

What is stack temp?
What is basement temp?

The heat is going somewhere else in addition to the living space.

Even though the furnace has blowers the distribution is gravity to upstairs, with probably way undersized supply area for a gravity system. The basement is a huge plenum with leaky walls at probably permanent 50 degree temperature or so.

Ducts (both supply and return) will convert gravity to forced air.

 
brandonh98
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Post by brandonh98 » Fri. Nov. 10, 2017 10:41 am

I don't have a number for stack temp but I can tell you it's not that hot. I can put my hand on the stack where it goes into the thimble.

Basement temp is between 76-81 depending on feed rate. Temp on first floor has never gone above 70 and usually hangs around 67-68.

I think duct work in certainly in order.


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