Stokermatic Into Existing HVAC Duct???

ericsgs · Post by **ericsgs** » Mon. Jan. 30, 2012 11:14 pm

Hello everyone... Just ran across this site looking for some answers on a project I am thinking about. When we purchased our property here in kentucky, I couldnt wait to start cleaning the rundown place up. Of course I started with the old garage first that had been converted into some sort of goat shack/woodworking shed...? I finally made it to the back corner of the bldg. and to my surprise was a stokermatic completley covered in wood and hay! Im not sure about the model of this unit but it is about 3ft. tall, metal. 2ft by 4ft square maybe? hopper on the left side (holds about 5 5gallon buckets of coal), auger underneath and about a 16 - 18 inch fan with wire cage around it on the back. Heat just blows out the top of unit through vents... mercury round thermostat for control. Anyway I have it heating my gargage now and I love it! But im thinking of moving it into the old farm house here that we use for storage, poker on friday nights, pool table, foosball, etc. ... Basically a play house. Its rough... but the house has had HVAC at one point and the duct work is still there and in great shape... the house is a two strory, approx. 1500 sq ft. and all the duct is upstairs... So what I am thinking ,and this is where I need some help, is of putting the stoker downstairs in an old bathroom. The bathroom is directly below where the HVAC unit used to sit upstairs, so I could just take some new duct straight up through the cieling right into the old duct. This bathroom is on an outside wall to take the flu right out the side... But will the fan that is on the unit be enough to push heat through duct? If not can I add a squirrel cage fan above the stove to push more air? What would be the best most eifficient way of taking the heat from the stoker and transfering into duct? Will this be worth my time? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I do not know what the heck im doing... Thanks.

rockwood · Post by **rockwood** » Mon. Jan. 30, 2012 11:34 pm

Welcome to the forum!

Could you put the stoker where the old furnace was upstairs where it can connect to the existing ducts there?
Is there a chimney in the house now?

Depending on the layout of the house and how much of it you want to heat will determine what you should do. If you only want to heat the main level and if it is "open" (not separated by interior walls) then you could just use the stoker as a space heater which is really what it is designed to do. You can hook this type of heater to duct work but you should get a better fan as you mentioned and I would design it so you can use filters to clean the air. That's one of the drawbacks of the furnace the way is it is...no way to filter the air.

Forum member Berlin did exactly what you are thinking of and I'm sure he will give you some pointers.

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Mon. Jan. 30, 2012 11:38 pm

Rockwood beat me...

Moderator/Member *Berlin* will be along, he has done this and is the resident expert on such items.

Most likely you have there a Model 77 Stokermatic.

What'cha burn'n in it?
How much ya paying for a ton?

ericsgs · Post by **ericsgs** » Tue. Jan. 31, 2012 9:07 am

Howdy, yeah I thought about putting the stoker upstairs but then I thought of carrying buckets of coal upstairs and it didn't take me long to forget about that idea... No there isnt a chimney on the house now, so I need to stay close to outside wall. The filter idea is something I haven't thought about, that's a good idea and something I will definitely figure in... Thanks.