Coal Chute Into Garage, Then Into Basement. PICS

I was wondering if this would work. I was going to put a door or opening in the wall (where the cat litter box is), and a chute into the basement. Will a truck be able to get right up to the garage and then extend the chute through my garage to where the cat litter box is? Height of garage opening is 83 inches and depth from garage door to the wall is 21 feet. Thanks

You need about a 40 or 45 degree angle for rice. Nut which is about the size of a golf ball might make such a long shot but that's a bit of stretch.

If the truck can back up along side of the house you'd probably be able to go through the door.

Do you have a coal supplier in mind? I'm sure if you gave them a call they could tell you. Sounds like a plan! I like the steel engine-pulling beam!
What about the side of the house? Could a truck back up next to the house? Maybe you have a basement window you could use, and make a coal bin below it.

The Mayor knows best...
Is there a basment window behind that side door...

I agree with the above. I'd be looking outside for an entry point. I wouldn't want to be pulling the car out, then shoveling all the coal that didn't make it, every time the coal man stops by.

Cleanup on cement is easy, just push it in the hole. If it was me there and easy shot you'd be lucky if there was handful on the ground.

With something like that though you'd end pushing it all down the chute with a broom one hundred pounds at a time and it would make a mess and take quite a long time. Of all the setups I ever went top that had it at the back of the gargae only one ever made it and it was nut coal. The opening was right in the floor too so it was as low as possible.

Like I said going through the door wouldn't be much of a problem from what I can see. Just be sure to let them know they need to across grass. Once it dries up you don't mess it up much unless it's really soft.

I was trying to keep the truck off the lawn since it tends to get wet and soggy there, but if that's the only option, I could manage. So you're saying the truck would back up perpendicular to the house and chute it in straight through the garage man door, then 90 degree angle to the chute to the basement? Unfortunately, no basement windows on that side. I was planning on putting the coal bin in the basement in the area of that gas line you see next to the dryer vent. Here's some more pics.

ok. Here's my 2cents. How about digging a window well between the door and the gas line? It could be just about ground level when it's done. Make a overlapping cover for it to keep the rain out and on the inside use a window or an inuslated panel. Slope the inside of the well and the coal will slide right in....No holes in the garage floor and no mess. Anything that spills will be outside. The gas line should be deep enough that the well would be above it.

After reading Crazy4coals response and wandering past my pet door, I got to wondering if instead of a window you could use one of the medium to small sized steel outside pet doors as the entry way to your basement instead of a window. You'd still have to dig a "window well" but it may entail less labor. I think most of them have a slide cover which can be locked to prevent unwanted entry. They aren't necessarily as big as a window and there isn't any glass to break. Just a thought, Lisa

gbig2 wrote: So you're saying the truck would back up perpendicular to the house and chute it in straight through the garage man door,

Assuming a high lift coal truck you'd be able to just back right off the driveway and straight back to the door, the coal can be chuted at a right angle from the truck. It doesn't have to directly back up to the door.

Wow your siding is close to grade. It wouldn't take too long to dig the hole for the window well. Depending on your foundation, if it's a block foundation, it wouldn't take too much to frame out an opening for a window. I was just working with Anderson basement windows, they were like awning windows that open to the inside, and the sash lifts right out. You would have to be careful with drainage, if the lawn is soggy there that's a red flag. You wouldn't want to put in a window well and then have water problems.

A picture from in the basement facing where the coal bin will be and where the gas line enters the house...
Please...

Here's some pics from basement. Bin could go where the chair is and the boiler would go to the left of the chair , out of the picture. A lot of pipes in the way...
Thanks for the help.

I would cut the concrete wall just to the right of the chair...
Build a well drained oversized window well with a roof over it...
Looks like you have 9 foot walls in the basement...

This is just a thought, could you cut a hole in the wall and slide a 6 or 8 inch pvc pipe on an angle and mud it in, then you would have no worrys about water. Build a funnel to set in the pipe when the coal comes and you are done. It would not have to be very high, then just slip a cap on top, you could even plant some small shrubs around it and never see the pipe. When we used to have our coal bin behind our shed, our coal guy would call us to see if it was ok to come as our yard was wet. We always get coal in the summer so he was flexable on his schedule, now that our bin is in the basement he just backs up the drive and shoots it in no more worrys about the yard. Just an idea, not sure if it would work, Have a great day, Eric