Looking to Purchase My First Stoker Coal Stove

 
coalnewbie
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Post by coalnewbie » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:50 am

I need to win my wife over to coal before I could replace the propane furnace.

Just get a new wife, coal stoves are the way to go.


 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:58 am

Coalnoob wrote:
Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 7:14 am
I need to win my wife over to coal before I could replace the propane furnace.
My wife was delighted with the almost-zero mess in the house with coal, compared to wood.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 9:14 am

Coalnoob wrote:
Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:24 am
That’s what I was thinking, then the salesman who sells both Leisure Line and Legacy stoves said the super mag was a better stove than the LL. Of course this has bugged me for a few days especially when I saw the Super Mag boasted 100 hour burn times. It’s more of a going away for a weekend to my in laws in winter problem than the work week or normal weekend.
Hi Coalnoob! As was stated, I would get the L.L. and run a cold air return to the stoker from the furthest point possible and let the warm air replace the cold.

Also, when the owners of Legacy Stoves visit this site as much as the owners of L.L. (Dave and Matt), I'll consider your above comment credible.

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 10:13 am

Coalnoob wrote:
Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 7:44 pm
I would like to think it would also cut down on my propane usage but not eliminate it. The doorways between the sections of the home are open, and the newer addition is lower than the original home and the two are connected by a 6 step stairway.
If the stove-heated area is higher than the propane-heated area, very little heat is going to come DOWN those stairs. On the other hand, once the upper area is toasty warm from the stove, the propane heat will not go up there, either. Unless lots of coal heat is forced downward by the ceiling fans, the propane bill is likely to stay high. :cry:

Out of curiosity, how much per gallon do you pay for propane?

 
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Post by Coalnoob » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 12:26 pm

The location of the coal stove is lower than the propane furnace, and actually the lowest of any area in the house. I am paying $2.50 a gallon for propane. I believe the cost of another furnace, duct work, electrical, and anything else will be more expensive than a coal stove that can simply be placed where the wood stove was. Maybe some of the heat from the coal stove will rise a bit and make its way into the original part of the house.

 
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Post by Coalnoob » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 12:30 pm

The LL seems like the best choice, however I have also talked to several companies who highly recommend the hopper style over the stoker. Seems to me like the LL features would be nice to have. I would love to somehow run the coal air return from one end of the house to the stove. I am no expert but would definitely look into that before next fall.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 4:52 pm

Coalnoob wrote:
Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 12:30 pm
The LL seems like the best choice, however I have also talked to several companies who highly recommend the hopper style over the stoker. Seems to me like the LL features would be nice to have. I would love to somehow run the coal air return from one end of the house to the stove. I am no expert but would definitely look into that before next fall.
When you say "hopper style" I'm thinking you mean hand fed, non electric, with a hopper like the Hitzer and DS Machine to name a couple. The above mentioned stokers have a hopper as well. Your stove location is lower so the heat will rise, you can run a fan on the floor pushing cool air towards the stove from away and the warm air should chase the fan.


 
Coalnoob
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Post by Coalnoob » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 7:53 pm

Yes hand fed, with the gravity hopper. I have not heard bad things about leisure line that would stop me from purchasing their Pioneer stove, especially at the discounted price.

 
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2001Sierra
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Post by 2001Sierra » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:37 pm

You did mention long burn times with minimum attention. Just be aware hand or hopper feds do have a learning curve. I ran a hopper fed for 25 years, their output does have a swing as the burn time extends. They are quiet, but far from set it and forget it.

 
Coalnoob
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Post by Coalnoob » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 9:05 pm

How do they compare to a stoker as far as ease of operation? I still haven’t seen one in person, maybe this coming weekend.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Apr. 23, 2018 5:38 am

Coalnoob wrote:
Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 9:05 pm
How do they compare to a stoker as far as ease of operation? I still haven’t seen one in person, maybe this coming weekend.
The stoker is a little more involved to setup initally. You need to make sure the draft and combustion air setting is correct, and there are a few settings in the control that you may need to tweak.

Both stoves require you to add coal and remove ash - the biggest difference is that the stoker will react to the room temperature, whereas the hopper fed will react to the stove temperature. If the wind starts blowing, or the temperature drops a lot, the stoker will react to that - the opposite is true as well, if the sun comes out and your house gets warm, the stoker will drop back to an idle. This is not a big deal for someone that is home to monitor the stove, but you mentioned that you are gone a lot, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

Also - the stoker will likely have more fan noise, so it would be good if you could see/hear one running before making your decision.

 
Coalnoob
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Post by Coalnoob » Mon. Apr. 23, 2018 6:31 am

The stove I am considering is a floor model from a stove store which is why he discounted it. I’m hoping this coming weekend to get a chance to actually look at some coal stoves.

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Mon. Apr. 23, 2018 11:45 am

Rob R. wrote:
Mon. Apr. 23, 2018 5:38 am
Also - the stoker will likely have more fan noise, so it would be good if you could see/hear one running before making your decision.
The trouble is, when you hear the stove running in a large showroom with lots of ambient noise, it may SEEM quiet. The constant hum/metallic whine of motors and fans in your living room is another story. Even the single fan on my Harman Mark I drove me nuts after awhile. :? My impression is that some stokers have much less mass -- lighter sheet steel -- and rely more on lots of (noisy) air movement to extract the heat, compared to low-tech hand-fed stoves. I am quite satisfied with my DS Machine circulator, from a noise perspective, because it has no fan at all. I use a 16-inch pedestal fan blowing over (above) the stove to move warm air, and it is just white noise rather than a metallic hum.

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Tue. Apr. 24, 2018 8:48 pm

How often does the power go out...
Do you have a generator...
Hand fed with a hopper and no fan...
no noise no power problem...
but a normal winter burn will only last about 24 hours...
every 12 hours is normal feeding time for a hand fed...
And a 4 day holiday a hand fed will not last at a normal burn...
Stokers with a natural draft will have the air distribution fan noise...
But way more controllable with a thermostat even...

 
lgilkes
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Post by lgilkes » Fri. Jun. 15, 2018 12:45 am

I have posted before, the Harman is far superior product. I have used multiple stoves. I have a Harman and I love it


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