Coal Bin Pictures and Designs

DavidL · Post by **DavidL** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 12:09 pm

Claridon wrote:This will be my first year burning coal so things are certainly subject to change.
Right now my plan is this: I've purchased 6 tons of bagged coal and have it stored, undercover, in various locations around the house and shop. The coal I will work out of will be stored in the garage. I've installed a wall mounted pine box on the garage wall and run a PVC pipe out of the bottom, down thru the rim joist and into the basement.
In the basement, the pipe terminates at the top of a wooden box that contains a 5 gallon plastic bucket. This box is located a few steps from my furnace.
When I need coal, I cut open a bag, dump it in the box, then walk down the steps, pull the filled bucket out and dump it in the hopper. I don't plan to store it in the basement because I don't want to carry 60 bags down the steps everytime I get a skid of coal, and I no longer have and kids at home to help me "chute" it through a basement window so I decided not to go that way.
Anyhow, here are a couple of photos:

I was going to do the same thing, but with a larger pipe to allow chestnut to flow through. I plan on filling a 55 gallon drum with wheels attached, so I can roll it over to the furnace.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 12:18 pm

DavidL wrote:I was going to do the same thing, but with a larger pipe to allow chestnut to flow through. I plan on filling a 55 gallon drum with wheels attached, so I can roll it over to the furnace.

Good point!! I was thinking those bags were nut sized coal. If they are rice size you should have no problem!

Post by **Richard S.** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 12:52 pm

Right off the bat its going a million miles an hour when going down that staright part, it probably flies out of the end of ther.. Any size coal would fit down that except the stove size which is simply too large to fit in the hole. Actually the nut should go down more easily as it needs less pitch.

You should be able to have it run down a 45 without any issues even if it was stopped up. If for example you had a big hooper outside and had a way to shut it off at the end you could fill the pipe up and be able to stop and astart it. and have it flow without anyissues. If you use pipe like that keep all the angles pointing down and keep them to minum or eliminate them if possible. You could probably go much less of an angle if you have a straight pipe like he does to start because you'll have a weight pushing down.

Hollyfeld · Post by **Hollyfeld** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 1:44 pm

Claridon,

I'm curious as to why you didn't locate the pipe on the other side of the water pipes and eliminate the 45 altogether?

Freddy · Post by **Freddy** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 3:16 pm

The pipe set up is cooler than an Eskimo pie!

Adamiscold · Post by **Adamiscold** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 3:23 pm

Hey Richard do you think a setup like that would be safe going into the back hopper of a Pioneer LE top vent stove? Would it be to hot for the PVC pipe? Maybe create a hoody for it to keep any dust from flying around?

traderfjp · Post by **traderfjp** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 4:07 pm

You have to keep the lid on the hopper at all times. Also, the hopper doesn't get hot. You could run the pipe near the hopper and then rig a flexible aluminum pipe that could be used to fill the hopper and when you were done you could move it out of the way.

Adamiscold · Post by **Adamiscold** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 4:29 pm

Damn trader that's to much work! Here I was thinking I was moving on into easy street.

That's ok though I love the bucket idea and I'm going to have to set one of those up! Sure in hell would beat carrying bags of coal into the house.

gambler · Post by **gambler** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 6:03 pm

traderfjp wrote:You have to keep the lid on the hopper at all times.

Why?
Here is a quote from Jerry at LL

No need to keep the lid on. We have the lid to prevent coal dust from flying around. It's your preference to go topless.
Good question,
Jerry LLS

Check out this old thread. Hyfire II Hopper Cover.

Post by **Richard S.** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 6:14 pm

Adamiscold wrote:Hey Richard do you think a setup like that would be safe going into the back hopper of a Pioneer LE top vent stove? Would it be to hot for the PVC pipe? Maybe create a hoody for it to keep any dust from flying around?

If I had one of those stoves that is exactly what I would do. I'd have a outside hooper to filled with truck and have the PVC pipe go directly to the hopper on the stove. Never have to touch the coal...

As far as the lid I don't know, ask Jerry. I''m not necessarily sure they are needed, I believe someone mentioned one make even has small holes in it so the moisture can get out? In that case it would be there to prevent debris from getting in and make it look pretty. Some of those stoves don't even have hopper lids. The large keystoker boilers are almost the same and there is no lid on them.... But ask Jerry for the official word.

traderfjp · Post by **traderfjp** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 6:21 pm

If u have a direct vent stove and the DV unit is pulling hard and the feed rate is on low there is a good chance the DV unit will start pulling air from the hopper and if the coal in the hopper goes too low you can get a hopper fire. The fire will follow the air. This has happened to me. You could always cut a hole in the top of the hopper and seal it to the pipe.

CoaLen · Post by **CoaLen** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 7:58 pm

Thank you for all the encouraging feedback. I appreciate it.
I am using rice coal. I have tried out the chute and as Richard said, it flies down the PVC. It's like dumping a bag of marbles. In fact, initially I made the mistake of just having a short stub of pipe protruding into the top of the box. The coal is moving so fast as it enters the box, a lot of it overshot the rim of the bucket and ended up on the floor of the box. Revision #1 was to lengthen the vertical run at the end so all the coal ended up in the bucket.
The reason I couldn't go straight dwon into the basement was a compromise between getting the bucket closer to the furnace and getting the box away from the steps going up into the house. Our steps are just out of the frame of the picture, off to the right side. That's a good question though. It would have made the installation easier to go straight.
Thank you all!
-Len

Cap · Post by **Cap** » Wed. Aug. 20, 2008 8:25 pm

I acquired this bin from my neighbor end of driveway. I bartered some XXL motorcycle gear I cannot use. It is currently filled with stove & nut from the Higen's area. The bin is built with 2x6 studs and 3/4" plywood inside & out. Measurements = 70 cf. of storage or about 3,500lbs. It sure is UGLY!

Next season I am thinking of purchasing a pre-built 8x12 shed. I'll add walls on either side of interior for coal storage. This way it will work in the yard and not be such and eye soar. I figure I can easily store 7 or 8 tons in an 8x12 shed although it'll need to be shoveled. Guess that's why I have two boys

Adamiscold · Post by **Adamiscold** » Thu. Aug. 21, 2008 12:36 am

Ok, so I asked Jerry if it would be alright for my stove to go topless. Man I sure how he says it's ok, that would be sweet gravity feeding my stove. My stove wont be DV it'll either be a SS chimney or power vented so I don't think that would be an issue.

Just thinking of how big of a bin I can build under our addition where the coal is stored, the more bags it would hold the less I would have to go outside and open them up

The bigger the pvc pipe the more I could store inside that too, do they have 20" PVC?

I'm sure something like this would be best if it was built after the building inspector left

ken · Post by **ken** » Sun. Aug. 24, 2008 1:48 pm

here are few pics of the bin and 4 tons.

Coal Bin Pictures and Designs

Attachments

Attachments