Outdoor Coal Bin Plans

I currently have my coal in a makeshift bin in the basement. I would like to do something different to open up room, I'd like to have a tool area and a couple benches down there. So, my plan is to put a bin up against the house and to punch a hole in the foundation so the coal will gravity feed onto the floor of the basement next to the furnace as I use it. My question is, how big of a "tube" do you think I would need so that nut size anthracite would readily fall thru it from the bin? My plan is to use a section of 12 inch diameter pipe and keep it at a steep angle as shown on the plan. The pic is a representation of a side view..

Any advise, ideas and comments are welcome

I would consider raising the "tube" a little higher and building a small bin on the inside so that when the coal comes down the chute it wouldn't scatter around the room. Also with the chute a little higher it would allow more coal in to the inside bin.

You may want to do this near a floor drain to catch any water run off encase the outside bin leaks a little.

6 inch pvc pipe would be plenty. I would raised the pipe higher off the floor to be able to get coal bucket under it. Add a grain chute door on pipe to control coal amount.

beemerboy wrote:I would consider raising the "tube" a little higher and building a small bin on the inside so that when the coal comes down the chute it wouldn't scatter around the room. Also with the chute a little higher it would allow more coal in to the inside bin.

You may want to do this near a floor drain to catch any water run off encase the outside bin leaks a little.

I have a sump pump just a few feet away from where the coal would enter. I like the idea of a small bin too. I've also considered putting the chute higher. Good suggestions

Wiz wrote:6 inch pvc pipe would be plenty. I would raised the pipe higher off the floor to be able to get coal bucket under it. Add a grain chute door on pipe to control coal amount.

I use a flat shovel to scoop it into the furnace, so the coal needs to end up on the concrete floor. I'm nervous that 6 inch diameter pipe wouldn't allow nut size coal to fall thru it very easily and it would bind up. Maybe it would be big enough.. I guess I have some experimenting to do hahaha. I like the grain door idea

Good ideas, Thank you

Also note I use 4.5 - 5 tons roughly per season so I would like the bin to hold 6 tons. I figure that way I won't be out there sweeping coal towards the inlet in the floor of the bin towards the end of the season.

Lightning

How about just lowering the whole thing in the ground and putting a hopper bottom in the thing. You might build it to the same top elevation and maybe have enough storage to buy in bigger quantities. Do you not have room in your basement to put the whole thing down there? That would certainly be the cheapest option. As mentioned above beware of water,if the bin will be on the uphill side of a sloping site , abort... abort.... Anyway you do it itll be awsome not to have to fill a hopper with buckets,eh?

waldo

waldo lemieux wrote:Lightning

How about just lowering the whole thing in the ground and putting a hopper bottom in the thing. You might build it to the same top elevation and maybe have enough storage to buy in bigger quantities. Do you not have room in your basement to put the whole thing down there? That would certainly be the cheapest option. As mentioned above beware of water,if the bin will be on the uphill side of a sloping site , abort... abort.... Anyway you do it itll be awsome not to have to fill a hopper with buckets,eh?

waldo

Well the whole point is to make more room in the basement... Did you mean dig a hole to the basement floor level, on the outside of the house to store the coal in, instead of building a bin? The bin will actually be on the downhill side, so run off from rain shouldn't be an issue. I use nut size anthracite and a flat shovel to scoop it into the furnace.

Yeah, if you saving space in the basement then I was suggesting to dig down outside since you have to go below frost with your footers. Or maybe where you are you dont. Here we have to go 4 feet below grade to the bottom of the footer so might as well go another two or three and have the thing down to basement level.
Im thinking block walls 6' square with a PT hopper built in the bottom, and a serious drain under the hopper.Wouldnt have to be anything fancy ,just a square hole in the floor over top a stone filled trench leading to daylight or a footer drain that is to daylight. If you do go the PT hopper route ,you can get this stuff from Farm Tek that they line dump trucks with,1/8 " plastic and put it over the PT to make it slippery. Its not that expensive, too you could use those FRP panels from lowes and put them on upside down. They're about $30 for a 4x8 sheet, again very slippery . Sounds like a cool project. Wish I was closer so I could help, messin with coal
is cool, I guess Ive arrived at "old man"

Waldo