Coalpail.com Forum

I don't know exactly what you have in mind but the easiest way to build and entrance and get access to the coal is build regular doorway, place slats behind the doorway as the coal fills up the bin. Leave a small space at the bottom so you can shovel it out without having to go in the bin. Remove the slats as needed, once they are all gone you can walk into the bin.

Thanks Richard,

However, that is approximately what I was going to do until I saw what the dealer had. It is a aprox. 10"X10" metal door that can be slid up as much or as little as you want to control the speed/volume of coal comming out. He built a little chute extention at the bottom of the hatch. He said mount it in the front of the bin just high enough to set the coal skuttle under it. The leaver gives enough force to be able to close the hatch door to stop the flow when the skuttle is full.

I think this is a prety slick way to fill the skuttle at least until the coal level gets too low to flow out the hatch. My bin is 5' high so I can probably get 3/4 of the coal that way, then slide the whole front door up and out as you suggest with the slats access the remaining coal.

If I don't find a sliding hatch soon, I will build it the way you suggest.

As you have guessed you're not going to get much out of it, basically anything that is at a 45 degree angle from the very bottom of the sliding door. That would be ideal if you had a hopper design where all the coal will eventually make it to the door through gravity but it doesn't seem worth it if you're building a very large rectangle bin to me.

I am beginning to think you are right Richard.

I got my coal bin done I pushed one side up against the garage foundation blocks, and used Tapcon screws to fasten pieces of angle iron to the floor tight to the other side. This will allow not putting in cross bracing at floor level. I didn't want to drill holes in the concrete floor of my garage, but decided I even more didn't want to shovel coal around bottom braces inside the bin. I built a sliding hatch door out of bed frame angle iron, and a scrap piece of 3/16" plate.

I got a Field controls baro damper and have a Dwyer 25 manometer on order. I am hoping to be efficient next year in coal handling and burning. I get a delivery of 4 tons of bulk pea on May 16th. We'll see how the bin holds up. Should be OK I think. I didn't scrimp on framing.

Come on! Where are the pictures? Scott

Dallas wrote:I'm preparing to make a coal bin or "pair of coal bins" from 275 gallon oil tanks. I've got one tank so far ... free. I'm going to cut a rectangular panel from the ends of the tanks and a hole in the top for filling. I'll have to make some removable sectional door panels for the front. I'll get some pix up, when I get into the project. Each tank, should hold a ton of coal.

Do you live in Dallas, Pa? If so I'll have a used 275 gallon tank you can have free. I don't have a truck since last January so you'll need to come get it. When I move the oil burner this summer and add the EFM I'm only going to use one tank. I'm in Dallas Township, the old Fernbrook section. I plan on moving the oil burner in June. Let me know if you want it.

stokerscot wrote:Come on! Where are the pictures? Scott

I don't have a digital camera yet. I realy want to get one so I can post pics here and on a couple other sites I belong to. Lately I have been spending all my money on upgrading my coal stove installation and putting a chimney in my garage for my old Jotul woodstove. Some one of these days I will get a new camera though.

Maybe you could give us an artists rendering!

my neighbor uses a 275 fuel tank as his bin. he cut the top out and feeds from one end, fills once evey two weeks or so.