Looking to Purchase My First Stoker Coal Stove

 
Coalnoob
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Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman Mag Stoker
Other Heating: Propane forced air furnace, Wood stove

Post by Coalnoob » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 5:59 pm

Hello everyone, I have been reading threads on this forum for a few days and decided it would be easier to simply join. My wife and I bought a new house this winter, 2,500 feet, all one floor, long layout from end to end. Currently 1500 feet of the house is heated with a propane forced air furnace and the other 1000 square feet is heated by a wood stove. Since MLK day in January I have spent $800 on propane and we have not used the wood stove because we did not need that extra space and have basically closed it off. Their is currently a chimney installed for the wood stove. We both teach full-time and with coaching and extra curriculars are usually gone from 7am-4pm most days which is why I am not a fan of the wood stove in the house. I am most interested in stoker stoves because of their ability to be better controlled through a thermostat and the extended burn times and control of the BTU output. I have been researching as many stove brands as possible and have been trying to narrow down my search. I like the Leisure Line top vent Pioneer, and the Harmon/Legacy Super mag coal stoker. The cost difference is considerable, I can get the Leisure line for $2,100, for a display model, and the Super Mag is about $4,000 from what I have seen. Anyone have any advice that could help me? The difference in price is big but I have heard the Super Mag is a better stove. I am still open to any brand of stove that could help me better heat my house while saving me money! Thank you for the help!


 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 6:37 pm

I have no experience with either stove. But my first concern is, with a long single-level layout, how will you move the heat? Hot air rises great but doesn't travel horizontally nearly as well, especially with doorways among separate rooms. If the wood stove adequately heated its area, then a coal stove should do as well. But the propane-heated area???

 
Coalnoob
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Location: Western NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman Mag Stoker
Other Heating: Propane forced air furnace, Wood stove

Post by Coalnoob » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 7:44 pm

Great question, as it is our first few months in this home I am wondering that myself. I am sure that it will heat 1/2 the house just fine. 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. There are two ceiling fans in the living area where the stove would be located and I could mount the small electric door fans to help move air. The wood stove heated that area just fine but cannot be kept at a lower or long burning temperature without causing creosote problems and with our work schedules it just won't work for us. I would like to think a stoker stove would. Perhaps the Super Mag stoker would be overkill? That is something I am trying to figure out.

 
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2001Sierra
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Post by 2001Sierra » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 8:23 pm

I too was looking at the Harman 10 years ago. Do to dealer difficulties, I thought it would be an Alaska. Ended up with a Keystoker, not nearly as stlish as the Mag but super simple design backed by a manufacturer since 1947. A stoker hooked up to a chimney is a cake walk to maintain. We go away and neighbors feed the cat and the stove oncer per day, and comment on ths simplicity of it all. Welcome to the forum.

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 8:31 pm

Maybe none of the above stoves...
If you have a hot air system,get a coal fired hot air furnace & hook it to the existing ductwork.A bit more money,but coal will heat your entire house & save major $$ on propain.

 
Coalnoob
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Location: Western NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman Mag Stoker
Other Heating: Propane forced air furnace, Wood stove

Post by Coalnoob » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 8:45 pm

My plan right now, because 1,000 square feet of our home does not have duct work, is to replace the wood stove with coal. I have looked into the coal furnaces and wouldn’t be opposed to one in the future if this stove works well for us.

 
rberq
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1300 with hopper
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Post by rberq » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 9:05 pm

Coalnoob wrote:
Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 7:44 pm
There are two ceiling fans in the living area where the stove would be located and I could mount the small electric door fans to help move air. The wood stove heated that area just fine but cannot be kept at a lower or long burning temperature without causing creosote problems and with our work schedules it just won't work for us. I would like to think a stoker stove would.
You can try the little door fans -- I guess some people have success with them but they were useless for me.

You mentioned being out of the house from 7AM to 4PM many days. Any properly-sized coal stove will burn that long easily. Most people tend coal stoves only every 12 hours. That's my schedule, too, except in this spring weather once every 24 hours is plenty (50 degrees days, 30 degrees nights). The stove holds 60 pounds of coal and burns perhaps one pound per hour at its low setting -- about 8,000 BTU per hour output. I'm not trying to talk you out of a stoker, just throwing out those numbers so you understand you can stay low-tech and still get lots of burn time and lots of heat adjustment. I know what you're thinking -- yes, those long burn times are almost unbelievable when you are used to a wood stove. :o

When you come to sizing a stove, be careful, because all manufacturers seem "unduly optimistic" about stove output. If the rating is 50,000 BTU/hour, figure that a reasonable day-in/day-out burn rate is probably 20,000. Again, stokers may have a different rule of thumb. Better to have a stove that's too big rather than too small, because coal CAN be throttled back to a very low fire and there's never any creosote.


 
Coalnoob
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Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman Mag Stoker
Other Heating: Propane forced air furnace, Wood stove

Post by Coalnoob » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 9:38 pm

I did see the Super Mag Stoker advertised 100 hour burn times which seems amazing. If that is true that means we can go away for a weekend or even 3 days and not need someone to tend it if it’s set 55-60 degrees. Again the price difference between that stove and a different stoker is $1,500+ and I’m not sure it’s worth the extra money. That’s also why I’m looking for as many opinions as possible.

 
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2001Sierra
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Post by 2001Sierra » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 9:54 pm

100 hours, no way. The ash pan in many stokers is the limit, not the supply.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sat. Apr. 21, 2018 11:23 pm

If it were me, I would do away with the propane furnace and replace it with a coal stoker furnace then replace the wood stove with a free standing hand fed coal stove. You'll save a lot of money and never worry about the cost of keeping the house at 75 degrees.

 
Coalnoob
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Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman Mag Stoker
Other Heating: Propane forced air furnace, Wood stove

Post by Coalnoob » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 7:14 am

Unfortunately the budget simply won’t allow to replace the entire system this year. I would absolutely love to not need propane ever again but that will have to wait for another year. I need to win my wife over to coal before I could replace the propane furnace. I’m hoping a good coal stove will still save me some money with the propane costs.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:14 am

You can certainly replace the wood stove with a stoker stove and heat the same area with less fuss. For $1900 savings I would take the Leisure Line in heartbeat...that is like getting 2 years worth of coal for free.

If you can run a duct in the crawl space from the opposite end of the house to the stove room, you should get some convection to help you move the heat around.

 
Coalnoob
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Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman Mag Stoker
Other Heating: Propane forced air furnace, Wood stove

Post by Coalnoob » 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.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:31 am

The 100 hr run time is if the stove is just idling, and you have low ash coal. That is not what you should expect in January.

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:47 am

Coalnoob wrote:
Sun. Apr. 22, 2018 8:24 am
... 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.
But you said the end of the house with the wood stove is currently closed off and the stove is not in use. That says to me, there is nothing there to be damaged by cold. Soooo ..... if the new coal stove is shut down while you visit the in-laws, who cares if those rooms get chilly? Would enough warmth filter through from the propane-heated area to keep it 40 degrees or so? Just remember not to leave tropical house plants there. ;)

Or, it's pretty cheap to install some electric baseboards (or plug in some space heaters) as backup for the coal. As long as they are used only rarely the power bills won't break the bank.


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