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homeskillet
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Post by homeskillet » Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 1:08 pm

I presently use a pellet stove. I am finding it is not adequate to heat my home and will be switching to coal in spring. I am trying to get a leg up on what to buy. I like the idea of a direct vent stoker (not power vent), but I am open to building a chimney. I live on top of a hill and it is very windy. I have few questions that hopefully someone can answer......how loud is a direct vent coal stove? is the direct vent (exhaust blower) louder than those found on pellet stoves? Is direct vent or natural draft better in a windy location? How many watts of power does a direct vent stove use ( I live off grid). When I dump a bag of coal into the hopper does it create a black cloud of dust? I look forward to all answers


 
titleist1
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Post by titleist1 » Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 2:31 pm

Welcome to the forum.....

Since you live off grid, is there a reason you don't want a 'no-electric required' hand fed stove instead of a stoker? A hand fed would require a chimney rather than a direct vent.

I would recommend a chimney instead of direct vent if you do decide on a stoker.

Coal dust can be managed and minimized with very little effort. Same with ash dust, be careful and it will not be a problem.

 
homeskillet
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Post by homeskillet » Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 3:00 pm

I wanted a stoker so I could leave the stove and it would stoke itself but i have not ruled out a hand feed I have a pretty big battery setup with solar arrays.....my pellet stove current uses about 500 watts of power with both convection and exhaust blowers running and that is not a issue. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it

 
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2biz
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Post by 2biz » Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 6:25 pm

How many SQ Ft are you heating? You wanting a free standing or a furnace that connects to your existing ductwork?

Harman makes a nice looking Direct Vent if that is what you are looking for. No chimney needed....Pretty nice, it exhausts out the back through an outside wall and also draws combustion air from outside to keep from drawing combustion air from your house...Its 7000-75000 btu which isn't something to sneeze at. It holds enough coal for several days of use without tending, what you are looking for...

So you have options, but if you don't want a power vent, options seem limited....A google search turned up a few direct vents...But not many.

http://downloads.hearthnhome.com/brochures/dvc500b.pdf

About the dust, I burn Blaschak Rice in 40# bags...But only have less than a month under my belt...So far, I have not noticed any dust at all when filling the hopper. As titleist1 says, if you are careful, its not a problem...I dump and bag ashes outside, just stand up wind! Outside the dust isn't an issue....

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 6:45 pm

How long do you need the stove to run un-attended?

I would prefer a chimney in a windy location.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 10:01 pm

As far as exhausting/venting a stove...

Chimney equals zero watts. :)

Motor wattage of most direct vents will far exceed that of a pellet stove.

Direct vent fan needs to run 24/7...there are no rest periods.
Last edited by McGiever on Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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2001Sierra
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Post by 2001Sierra » Thu. Dec. 14, 2017 10:33 pm

My keystoker90 chimney vent draws 135 watts at maximum ouput, all motors running, convection blower @ 100%.


 
homeskillet
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Post by homeskillet » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 9:53 am

(My keystoker90 chimney vent draws 135 watts at maximum ouput, all motors running, convection blower @ 100%.)

To all that answered.....thanks. My house is 2500 square feet. My wife is home all the time but I dont want her to have to hassle with the stove. I can dump the ash and load hopper every night so i really dont need extended run times. My battery setup up is big enough to run 1000 watts continuous....so 135 or 300 watts isn't the issue. I am more worried about the reliability of a direct vent stoker versus as hand shake chimney system (I know the direct vent, because it is a powered system HAS to be more prone to malfunction,.......I guess what I am asking is, are direct vents more trouble than they are worth?) I appreciate all of your input

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 10:00 am

You will not get an Honest answer to that question from here, sorry...advertiser influenced Censorship exists.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 10:16 am

Since you are off grid and have a limited power supply, I would highly suggest a hand fed free standing stove with a chimney. Both of which will use zero watts. There are many fine stoves to choose from that are hopper fed and have minimal attention requirements for tending. They will also provide heat completely unattended for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours, even longer during mild weather. They will also keep you much warmer than a wood pellet stove.

A hand fed stove with hopper and a natural drafting chimney would be my ONLY choice in your situation with a limited power source. This would free up power for other things you need it for.

 
Pacowy
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Post by Pacowy » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 10:47 am

The OP already addressed the stoker vs. hand-fed issue, so I don't understand why this keeps being repeated. Maybe a hand-fed setup could be made to work, but it's a real reach to portray it as the "ONLY choice". I suspect if the OP goes to the effort and expense of building a chimney, he'll be hoping to get more out of it than a near-idling hand-fired is likely to produce for his wife at home in the 2500 sf house during the day as the stove approaches the end of a 24-hour cycle. A stoker would also be a reasonable option under the circumstances described, esp. in light of its ability to run as needed to follow the load.

Mike

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 10:51 am

Hitzer 50-93 ,DS Machines 1600, Alaska Kodiak.... all these handfed stoves have hoppers & bi-metallic t-stats to make them as close to automated as a hand fed stove can be.
Forget the power hungry stoker,go hand fed & enjoy your off-grid living.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 10:54 am

It's just my opinion Mike, the OP can take it or leave it. At the end of the day, I don't really care. ;)

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 11:03 am

The OP was also concerned about noise. What is more pleasant than the snap crackle pop of nut anthy and gentle whisp of incoming combustion air? It certainly isn't the sound of motors whirling and the grinding noise of a coal ram.

 
Pacowy
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Post by Pacowy » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 11:10 am

I don't personally care either, and I agree that some of the hopper stoves are worth looking at, but the "ONLY" choice thing seemed a bit extreme. The guy seems to have a pretty good grasp on his off-grid electrical capability; I think he's in a pretty good position to evaluate the power consumption and other issues that people have raised.

Mike


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