How Long Does a Stoker Run Unattended & How Much Power Consumption

 
homeskillet
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Post by homeskillet » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 11:27 am

I posted earlier about getting rid of my pellet stove and getting a new coal stove. Thanks for all your answers. I have a few questions about a stokers only. Do to my situation , i am not completely sold on a handshaker coal stove and I am trying to get a good idea how long a stoker will last and how much trouble they are to maintain throughout the winter. In short.....how reliable are stokers??

1. how long does the feed mechanism and burner last on a stoker...... if it is taken care of and cleaned regularly.

2. how many watts of power does a stoker consume, with convection fans running and direct vent running (if applicable).

Thanks again for all that answer
Last edited by Richard S. on Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.


 
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WNY
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Post by WNY » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 5:59 pm

My Keystoker I have had for 15+ years, one combustion fan I had to replace, my own fault for not oiling properly on spring maintenance. other than that, running fine. My Hyfire I, circa 1995, lost one convection fan in the past 10 years.

I run both 24/7 to heat this old victorian. use no gas during the winter.

As for the power consumption, i can put my watt meter on my keystoker 90K and let you know. I think it draws 1 amp or less on idle, maybe 1.2a when convection blower is running. Mine is a direct vent, so it has the exhaust blower running all the time, if you have a chimney, this would be less power consumption without the direct vent.

 
lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 6:10 pm

my alaska is thirty one years old. i bought it used in 2006.
i have replaced two feed motors, two combustion motors, door glass twice. gaskets twice. one carpet. painted it twice. mind you each winter i burned about 5 tons of coal in it in a room with no insulation. it got rusty in the summer cause of the roof leaking and the damp building.
i have a six year old reading stoker i got used that is decent, no repairs as of yet, it needs a new door glass.
i have a 30 yr old triburner stoker that i personally have not lit yet, it's in nice shape.
the efm af150 hot air furnace at my old place is 35 yrs old. i got it free in a pile of parts, rebuilt it for about 400 and burned about 65 tons of coal thru it from 2006-2017. i had to replace both motors once, and gaskets twice, grates once (got nice used set) two augers. two feed pipes.

keep the motors clean and clean the stove and keep it dry in the off season. those are the keys to long life.

 
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Post by lincolnmania » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 6:15 pm

depends on the stove as far as power consumption, the stoker motor is less than an amp, the combustion motor is less than an amp, the convection motor is probably 4-5 amp.

 
homeskillet
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Post by homeskillet » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 6:29 pm

WNY wrote:
Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 5:59 pm
My Keystoker I have had for 15+ years, one combustion fan I had to replace, my own fault for not oiling properly on spring maintenance. other than that, running fine. My Hyfire I, circa 1995, lost one convection fan in the past 10 years.
Thanks for the info.
The combustion fan......is the same as the "exhaust" fan ...the same as the "direct vent" fan, just different terminology, right??? I understand the convection fan blows hot air out to heat room. I am confused about the other fan(s)

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 6:50 pm

How long it will run depends on the season, hopper capacity etc. For most of them you should get a bare minimum of 24 hours.

homeskillet wrote:
Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 6:29 pm
Thanks for the info.
The combustion fan......is the same as the "exhaust" fan ...the same as the "direct vent" fan, just different terminology, right??? I understand the convection fan blows hot air out to heat room. I am confused about the other fan(s)
There is 4 possible fans.

The combustion fan is going to be on all models, it's going to push air through the bed of the coal. This is going to go on and off as needed.

There is typically going to be heat distribution fan, this blows room air through a cavity seperated from the burn chamber. The air exits the cavity into the room for better heat distribution. Some units may have duct connections so you can duct the heat to where you want it. This fan will also run on demand.

The last two fans operate continuously and perform the same task just differently. If you don't have chimney you can direct vent or power vent. The power vent sits at the end of the flu pipe and provides negative pressure inside the burn chamber to pull gases out of it and can be used with just about any small stoker. The direct vent pressurizes the chamber pushing the gases out and is going to be factory installed. Both have their pro's and con's, the power vent is in the flue gases thus it's going to need to be replaced more frequently. The direct vent is pressurizing the chamber and i guess there is no explanation needed as what the con is there.

Ideally you want a chimney and you can avoid using a power or direct vents. Personally I would not use a direct stove myself, if I needed to make a choice here it would power vent.

 
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Post by Lightning » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 7:01 pm

Richard, did I read that right? Does the direct vent pressurize the entire burn chamber? Or is it located at the burn chamber exit and pressurize the stove pipe?, like a pellet stove does.


 
homeskillet
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Post by homeskillet » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 7:23 pm

Lightning wrote:
Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 7:01 pm
Richard, did I read that right? Does the direct vent pressurize the entire burn chamber? Or is it located at the burn chamber exit and pressurize the stove pipe?, like a pellet stove does.

If a direct vent does indeed pressurize the fire box.....then I would for sure avoid it.

 
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Post by Richard S. » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 10:20 pm

Lightning wrote:
Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 7:01 pm
Richard, did I read that right? Does the direct vent pressurize the entire burn chamber?
That has always been my understanding, maybe I'm wrong. If it just sits before the flue pipe and you are running flue gases through it what is the point over power vent?

 
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 10:38 pm

Power vent doesn't pressurize any stove pipe inside the dwelling, Pressurizes only the discharge outside dwelling.
Not so for Direct Vent, it pressurizes all stove pipe down stream of DV unit.

 
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Post by Lightning » Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 11:45 pm

McGiever wrote:
Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 10:38 pm
Not so for Direct Vent, it pressurizes all stove pipe down stream of DV unit.
So the Direct Vent unit is at the outlet of the fire chamber correct? If it pressurized the burn chamber, it would be fighting against the combustion blower, wouldn't it?

Hahaha, (laughing at my own nonsense above) that don't make sense. If the combustion blower pressurized the burn chamber, it would force it down the pipe also. You wouldn't need the direct vent. Wouldn't be long and the CO detectors would run you out of the house too.

 
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Post by homeskillet » Sat. Dec. 23, 2017 12:03 am

McGiever wrote:
Fri. Dec. 22, 2017 10:38 pm
Power vent doesn't pressurize any stove pipe inside the dwelling, Pressurizes only the discharge outside dwelling.
Not so for Direct Vent, it pressurizes all stove pipe down stream of DV unit.

Much like a pellet stove exhaust ..........actually.....EXACTLY like a pellet stove exhaust.

 
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Post by McGiever » Sat. Dec. 23, 2017 12:14 am

Yes
Pellet stove pipe has locked, sealed/gasketed joints and no adjustable 90's for this very reason.

 
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Post by Pauliewog » Sat. Dec. 23, 2017 1:27 am

I just got a call last week from a friend asking me to take a look at her sons Keystoker with a Direct Vent.

He had a strong smell in the house and NO carbon monoxide detector. I advised him to shut down the stove immediately, leave the house, and call me when he was safely outside.

The flue pipe was full of rust holes on the bottom.

Opened the windows, replaced the flue pipe, installed three co detectors and restarted the stoker.

After that scare .....Chimney, Power Vent, or large insurance policy would be my recommendations.

Paulie

 
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Post by 2biz » Sat. Dec. 23, 2017 7:13 am

On the OP's original thread, I posted a link to a direct vent stove:

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

There is a cutaway in the brochure that shows how the stove is made....It uses the combustion fan to push the exhaust out, much like a pellet stove. Looking at the cutaway, you would want this stove close to an outside wall so it would vent without using pipes with seams...That would eliminate the leakage concern from having a pressurized exhaust....

As for pressurizing the firebox, the concern is valid. But I've seen free standing gravity feed stoves where the coal funnels down and is in direct contact with the fire....As long as the lid is sealed, there is no way for the fire to burn back into the hopper.....SO I was told by the salesman! I don't know why it would be any different with the dvc500b?

Another neat feature of this stove is the combustion fan pulls fresh air from outside through the double wall exhaust...Its two fold, the intake air cools the exhaust while the air is warmed for combustion...Maybe not important, but deserves an honorable mention!

BTW, I'm not a salesman or affiliated with any stove manufacture....A simple Google search turned up this Direct Vent Stove...I just wanted to see how it worked...The cutaway diagram helped explain it and might help with your concerns...


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