Coal to pellet switch

 
Jumpmanmj
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Post by Jumpmanmj » Wed. Feb. 07, 2018 9:03 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Wed. Feb. 07, 2018 8:55 pm
What does the house have for a central heating system?
It's a long story. Half double in the process of being converted to a single. Oil furnace on one side, on the other is the alaska stove..heating that entire half. It's basement, 1st floor (where stove is located), 2nd floor, and attic.


 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Wed. Feb. 07, 2018 9:18 pm

I don’t have anything in it, and would not wish to push you in a direction that you don’t want to go. However I tend to think you will be disappointed in the pellets due to the fewer BTU/pound. My problem with them is not so much the fewer BTUs but the cost for those fewer BTUs is just as much as anthracite, and in some areas even more. It just does not seem cost effective to me, but beauty’s in the eye of the beer-holder.

 
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Post by warminmn » Wed. Feb. 07, 2018 10:05 pm

You can oil the coal yourself with a hand held sprayer either in coal pails or in a bin. I am the wrong person to give instructions as to how and what oil they use. I bought some once but have forgotten more than I remember. It might be worth a shot before making the switch just to see if it helps.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Wed. Feb. 07, 2018 10:42 pm

My sister had a pellet stove before getting a hand fed coal stove and said the pellets were far dustier dirtier in her white carpeted living room.
And the coal's radiant heat beat having a wimpy fan blowing a small stream of air all the while buzzing away 24/7.

YMMV

BTW: There are ways to get coal into stove/hopper w/o free fall pouring and plumes of airborne dust...

Since others have suggested oiling the coal thought I'd mention that Mineral Oil in gallon jug can be found at TSC store for animal use. No odor.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 4:47 am

McGiever wrote:
Wed. Feb. 07, 2018 10:42 pm
Since others have suggested oiling the coal thought I'd mention that Mineral Oil in gallon jug can be found at TSC store for animal use. No odor.
Has anyone successfully used the TSC mineral oil to reduce dust? How many ounces would you sprinkle into a 5 gallon pail of coal?

 
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Post by leoman584 » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 10:18 am

We had a pellet stove when I was younger. It was more work than I liked. The auger would clog now and then, and the only way to get to it was to pull the insert away from the wall and take it all apart. Storing pellets was an issue too. They had to be kept perfectly dry all the time. I remember several bags getting wet and getting totally ruined.

I wouldn't mind a pellet stove as a supplemental heat source. I'm actually planning on enclosing my front porch and making it into a 4 season room. I'm thinking of putting in a small pellet stove out there so that when we are entertaining it will be nice and cozy out there. Plus, you get the nice flame to look at. There is no duct work out there, so I don't know how much heat will drift out there from the main house. That's why I'm thinking pellet stove. I can just keep a few bags on hand and easily light it when I want to be out there. Plus, it can be direct vented, so no dealing with a chimney. Seems like a win-win for ease and convenience for that situation.

All that being said, I wouldn't consider pellets as a primary heat source for my house. I like the heat and ease of operation that my coal stoker delivers.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 10:28 am

Jumpmanmj wrote:
Wed. Feb. 07, 2018 9:03 pm
It's a long story. Half double in the process of being converted to a single. Oil furnace on one side, on the other is the alaska stove..heating that entire half. It's basement, 1st floor (where stove is located), 2nd floor, and attic.
Sounds like a good candidate for a boiler for furnace. No sense buying a pellet stove to heat half the house when you can buy a central unit and keep the dust in the basement.


 
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Post by rberq » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 6:51 pm

leoman584 wrote:
Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 10:18 am
Storing pellets was an issue too. They had to be kept perfectly dry all the time. I remember several bags getting wet and getting totally ruined.
That would worry me, too. We use wood pellets for cat litter, and one little pee in the litter box turns a surprising quantity of pellets into sawdust. I just started burning a pallet of coal that has been shoved off in the corner of the garage for several years. Not at all sure pellets would still be good after several summers of humidity.

Cost per BTU for pellets is about the same as for coal here in Maine. But my coal stove works fine without electricity, is very simple and has little that can go bad, compared to much-costlier pellet stoves with multiple motors and fans and expensive circuit boards and sensors.

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 6:56 pm

A friend of mine bought about 40 big bags of pellets on sale figuring he was all set. He got through 3-4 before they turned to mush. Then he had a chimney fire. That was the end of the pellet stove.

 
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Post by michaelanthony » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 7:27 pm

A few of my friends in work have pellet stoves, a few of my friends in work have pellet stoves and burn a lot of oil too!

 
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Post by lsayre » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 7:37 pm

If it takes a coal stoker the burning of 80 lbs. per day to heat a house when it's good and cold out, a pellet stoker would need to burn 125 lbs. per day to deliver the same heat level. Do they even have hoppers that large on them?

 
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2biz
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Post by 2biz » Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 7:37 pm

Hardwood Pellets here in Southern Ohio are only $150 a ton this year. About $100 a ton cheaper than last year. I don't exactly know the reason? My son heats his 2500 SQ FT house and full length basement with a 105K btu Pellet forced air furnace with no problems...He'll use about 4 ton this winter and its been pretty cold here.. Pretty cheap heat...We constantly have the Ford v/s Chevy (wood pellets v/s coal) Mines better than yours debates!!! Neither of us win! But I think deep down he knows!

As for dust, I burn bagged Blaschak rice in my stoker. I have to say I don't see any dust that you talk about. There's virtually no dust/dirt compared to my old wood furnace I had. I've never regretted switching to coal over firewood and glad I went with coal over pellets....I just hope I never run into problems getting coal this far South....

 
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Post by swattley01 » Fri. Feb. 09, 2018 10:00 am

i have the Alaska gnome 40 and my cousin uses a pellet stove, i do not think it can compare to a coal stove, his pellet stove does blow nice amount of heat, but it does not heat the whole stove like wood stove or my coal burner does in my opinion. once i get the room hot on my Alaska auger fed stove i turn off the fan and enjoy the quiet warmth of the stove, you cant do that with the pellet stoves i have seen. and he does have to keep up on cleaning the fire box or it will not run. yes i do have the coal ash in comparison to deal with. but i like the amount of fire i am getting on this compared to the pellet stove.

 
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Post by csstoker » Fri. Feb. 09, 2018 9:40 pm

for coal dust besides misting with oil yourself, you could also switch to bagged coal. Also, you could probably mist with water before throwing in a bucket and hopper and be fine.

 
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2biz
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Post by 2biz » Sat. Feb. 10, 2018 6:49 am

lsayre wrote:
Thu. Feb. 08, 2018 7:37 pm
If it takes a coal stoker the burning of 80 lbs. per day to heat a house when it's good and cold out, a pellet stoker would need to burn 125 lbs. per day to deliver the same heat level. Do they even have hoppers that large on them?
I hope thats a serious question? Sure they have pellet furnaces with larger hoppers....Check out the Americas's Heat 100 or 170, the first one I came to doing a Google search...https://woodstoves.net/americas-heat/pellet/ah-10 ... urnace.htm They hold 14 bushels for up to a 10 day supply....

I think there are a lot of variables when comparing the two fuel sources AND whether one works better than the other given a particular situation. In the scenario I gave above, my son and I heat about the same sq footage. His pellet furnace is in his basement with a good cold air return AND he has 2x6 walls, super insulated. Mines a bit different where I duct heat in through the attic with heat losses....He wins (This year) when comparing cost to heat his house compared to mine! Maybe if pellet prices double next year, I win! Its all about whether the fuel source and stove/furnace works for you compared to the cost to operate.

BTW, he put his pellet furnace in 3 years ago not knowing about coal! Pellets are readily available here and abundant. It would be interesting to know if he had the choice 3 years ago, which way he would have gone?!


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