chimney construction for coal?
Posted: Mon. Oct. 30, 2017 9:36 am
I'm recently married and my wife and I are looking to settle into our marital home where we can put down some roots and really start customizing the place to our exact liking. We currently live in a 2 family house; living with an upstairs tenant is getting old. She is onboard with coal, loves the looks of old stoves and knows how comfortable and warm coal heat is. In our new home, my goal is a stoker boiler to do the whole house but I'll accept a room stove or even a kitchen range. The goal is to purchase a home that is either coal ready with respect to the chimney or construct a chimney with that purpose in mind.
Existing chimney. Can you guys give me some pointers of what to look for in an existing chimney or what to avoid? Something that can be ascertained with a mirror stuck in the cleanout door? Or, the house may need work/renovation and I'm not beyond contracting a mason to construct a chimney with coal burning in mind. I suspect that not many masons have the know how to build a chimney with coal in mind. One of those dying arts/lost knowledge type of deals.
Size or internal diameter? Looking for a rule of thumb more or less. I'd estimate the house would be 2000 sq ft, maybe even up to 3k. Does the chimney care what dumps into it? (stoker boiler, stove or range. or is coal the same no matter how it is burned?) Do chimneys come in a round internal flue sections? I've pretty much only see rectangular/square terracotta sections. I also have seen a formula that dictates the height of the chimney and must be x amount of feet from the nearest tallest structure in order to draft properly.
Inside material selection? What I know is to avoid a steel liner which corrodes over time with coal burning. Any consideration given to fly ash accumulation and what design to build to avoid or mitigate this? I'd imagine a straight up chimney that avoids any bends or corners. Is terracotta a good choice? What about using firebrick? Are chimneys "insulated" in order to retain heat and draft better? Id imagine outside chimneys will draft worse than chimneys surrounded by the structure.
Chimney fires? I will primarily burn coal but we like wood too and would burn firewood during the shoulder months. Will built up creosote become a danger if I switch to coal when the season calls for it?
Chimney cap or other decorative type of topper recommended? My current chimney needed to be cleaned out at the base. When I bought this house, I removed bird nests, pine needles, dead animals from the bottom. When it rains heavily, the basement floor gets stained with black residue runoff that leaks from the cleanout door(oil burning chimney) so I think it would be helpful to keep the rain, critters and other debris with a cap or something similar.
Thanks in advance for suggestions.
-Joe
Existing chimney. Can you guys give me some pointers of what to look for in an existing chimney or what to avoid? Something that can be ascertained with a mirror stuck in the cleanout door? Or, the house may need work/renovation and I'm not beyond contracting a mason to construct a chimney with coal burning in mind. I suspect that not many masons have the know how to build a chimney with coal in mind. One of those dying arts/lost knowledge type of deals.
Size or internal diameter? Looking for a rule of thumb more or less. I'd estimate the house would be 2000 sq ft, maybe even up to 3k. Does the chimney care what dumps into it? (stoker boiler, stove or range. or is coal the same no matter how it is burned?) Do chimneys come in a round internal flue sections? I've pretty much only see rectangular/square terracotta sections. I also have seen a formula that dictates the height of the chimney and must be x amount of feet from the nearest tallest structure in order to draft properly.
Inside material selection? What I know is to avoid a steel liner which corrodes over time with coal burning. Any consideration given to fly ash accumulation and what design to build to avoid or mitigate this? I'd imagine a straight up chimney that avoids any bends or corners. Is terracotta a good choice? What about using firebrick? Are chimneys "insulated" in order to retain heat and draft better? Id imagine outside chimneys will draft worse than chimneys surrounded by the structure.
Chimney fires? I will primarily burn coal but we like wood too and would burn firewood during the shoulder months. Will built up creosote become a danger if I switch to coal when the season calls for it?
Chimney cap or other decorative type of topper recommended? My current chimney needed to be cleaned out at the base. When I bought this house, I removed bird nests, pine needles, dead animals from the bottom. When it rains heavily, the basement floor gets stained with black residue runoff that leaks from the cleanout door(oil burning chimney) so I think it would be helpful to keep the rain, critters and other debris with a cap or something similar.
Thanks in advance for suggestions.
-Joe