I Have Some Coal Boiler Plumbing Questions

Post Reply
 
User avatar
Wy Coal Miner
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun. Mar. 13, 2011 11:11 pm
Location: Wyoming

Post by Wy Coal Miner » Tue. May. 23, 2017 10:24 am

After moving into my new house and getting $550 electric bill, I have decided to to put in a coal broiler. Some questions I have.

1. Are they set up to recirculate hot water continuously?

2. I have central air now can a radiator just be added in and the current furnace just act as an air handler?

3. is there any attachments that can be added that can generate electricity with the excess heat?

4. Are there any systems that are indoor with an outdoor hopper?

5. I have that new plastic plumbing, Will I have to switch to copper for the hot water?

I work at a coal mine and get 20 tons of crushed sub-bit coal free a year. Haven't got a hold of our sister mine, about 120 miles away, that has the crushed coal, to find out exact size of the crushed yet. I also get free lump. I have 4400 sq ft and 40' x 50' shop and 2 car garage I need heated. 2200 sq ft of the house is unfinished basement at the moment.
Last edited by Richard S. on Tue. May. 23, 2017 11:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Fixed title, please use descriptive titles. Thanks

 
User avatar
lsayre
Member
Posts: 21781
Joined: Wed. Nov. 23, 2005 9:17 pm
Location: Ohio
Stoker Coal Boiler: AHS S130 Coal Gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Anthracite Pea
Other Heating: Resistance Boiler (13.5 KW), ComfortMax 75

Post by lsayre » Tue. May. 23, 2017 11:11 am

Wy Coal Miner wrote:After moving into my new house and getting $550 electric bill, I have decided to to put in a coal broiler. Some questions I have.

1. Are they set up to recirculate hot water continuously? Generally not

2. I have central air now can a radiator just be added in and the current furnace just act as an air handler? Yes

3. is there any attachments that can be added that can generate electricity with the excess heat? No, totally inefficient

4. Are there any systems that are indoor with an outdoor hopper? Outdoor bin with auger to boilers hopper, yes

5. I have that new plastic plumbing, Will I have to switch to copper for the hot water? For DHW: Not if you install a "Mixing Valve"

I work at a coal mine and get 20 tons of crushed sub-bit coal free a year. Haven't got a hold of our sister mine, about 120 miles away, that has the crushed coal, to find out exact size of the crushed yet. I also get free lump. I have 4400 sq ft and 40' x 50' shop and 2 car garage I need heated. 2200 sq ft of the house is unfinished basement at the moment.
A boiler to handle bituminous coal is out of my experience, but others here can likely help. Most of us here on the forum use anthracite.

 
User avatar
Richard S.
Mayor
Posts: 15183
Joined: Fri. Oct. 01, 2004 8:35 pm
Location: NEPA
Stoker Coal Boiler: Van Wert VA1200
Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/Anthracite

Post by Richard S. » Tue. May. 23, 2017 11:21 am

Wy Coal Miner wrote: 1. Are they set up to recirculate hot water continuously?
You can do that if you wanted but most are set up like any conventional boiler. You have aquastat, thermostat and pumps.
2. I have central air now can a radiator just be added in and the current furnace just act as an air handler?
It's been done but I'll leave that for someone else to answer.
3. is there any attachments that can be added that can generate electricity with the excess heat?
This has been discussed before. The practicality and feasibility of such a sytem is questionable at best. Once you get by the expense of the steam generator even if that were feasible you run into the same issue that persists with solar and wind. Storage.
4. Are there any systems that are indoor with an outdoor hopper?
Not specifically but you can build one. As long as you have basement it's not that difficult. Hopper outside and some PVC going to the boilers hopper.
5. I have that new plastic plumbing, Will I have to switch to copper for the hot water?
As long as it's rated for heating, the temps and controls of a coal boiler are the same as standard boiler.

 
User avatar
Richard S.
Mayor
Posts: 15183
Joined: Fri. Oct. 01, 2004 8:35 pm
Location: NEPA
Stoker Coal Boiler: Van Wert VA1200
Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/Anthracite

Post by Richard S. » Tue. May. 23, 2017 11:25 am

lsayre wrote:
A boiler to handle bituminous coal is out of my experience, but others here can likely help. Most of us here on the forum use anthracite.
Just to add to what Larry said the anthracite coal boilers are designed to run a uniformly sized somewhat clean product. Other issues with the bit coal include clinkering which does not mix well with machinery.


 
User avatar
Wy Coal Miner
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun. Mar. 13, 2011 11:11 pm
Location: Wyoming

Post by Wy Coal Miner » Tue. May. 23, 2017 5:34 pm

Richard S. wrote:
lsayre wrote:
A boiler to handle bituminous coal is out of my experience, but others here can likely help. Most of us here on the forum use anthracite.
Just to add to what Larry said the anthracite coal boilers are designed to run a uniformly sized somewhat clean product. Other issues with the bit coal include clinkering which does not mix well with machinery.

None of my questions have to do with the burning of coal or what type of coal. I know people do it around here but haven't talked to anyone who does. You would think that in the county where a good portion of America's coal comes out of that every house would have a coal stove. lol.

 
User avatar
Wy Coal Miner
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun. Mar. 13, 2011 11:11 pm
Location: Wyoming

Post by Wy Coal Miner » Tue. May. 23, 2017 8:53 pm

lsayre wrote:
Wy Coal Miner wrote:After moving into my new house and getting $550 electric bill, I have decided to to put in a coal broiler. Some questions I have.

1. Are they set up to recirculate hot water continuously? Generally not

2. I have central air now can a radiator just be added in and the current furnace just act as an air handler? Yes

3. is there any attachments that can be added that can generate electricity with the excess heat? No, totally inefficient

4. Are there any systems that are indoor with an outdoor hopper? Outdoor bin with auger to boilers hopper, yes

5. I have that new plastic plumbing, Will I have to switch to copper for the hot water? For DHW: Not if you install a "Mixing Valve"

I work at a coal mine and get 20 tons of crushed sub-bit coal free a year. Haven't got a hold of our sister mine, about 120 miles away, that has the crushed coal, to find out exact size of the crushed yet. I also get free lump. I have 4400 sq ft and 40' x 50' shop and 2 car garage I need heated. 2200 sq ft of the house is unfinished basement at the moment.
A boiler to handle bituminous coal is out of my experience, but others here can likely help. Most of us here on the forum use anthracite.





I would imagine that they are similar. Heat water and move it where it needs to go. I've heard of people having auger feed stoker broilers here.
.

 
User avatar
Wy Coal Miner
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun. Mar. 13, 2011 11:11 pm
Location: Wyoming

Post by Wy Coal Miner » Tue. May. 23, 2017 8:57 pm

Thanks for the replies. Two companies were suppose to contact me by today for estimates. None called back. Maybe they thought it was a joke. :o

 
User avatar
Wy Coal Miner
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun. Mar. 13, 2011 11:11 pm
Location: Wyoming

Post by Wy Coal Miner » Tue. May. 23, 2017 9:00 pm

As far as handling the clinkers. I know where in my pit to get the stuff that doesn't produce them but this other mine probably doesn't have the quality we have. It might be an issue.


 
User avatar
McGiever
Member
Posts: 10130
Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Wed. May. 24, 2017 9:05 am

Are considering new or used?

 
lzaharis
Member
Posts: 2365
Joined: Sun. Mar. 25, 2007 8:41 pm
Location: Ithaca, New York
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4-1 dual fuel boiler
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: former switzer CWW100-sold
Coal Size/Type: rice
Other Heating: kerosene for dual fuel Keystoker/unused

Post by lzaharis » Mon. May. 29, 2017 11:00 am

Speaking as a retired hard rock miner and as far as sub bituminous coal stoker boilers go, there are two that I know of that are made in North America and one in Europe that is made in Poland for sub bituminous coal burning. Our fellow member unhippy from New Zealand has the stoker mechanism from this Polish boiler manufacturer in his boiler and it works very well being upside down and all haha.

If you have a utility bill that high a home energy audit would be the first thing that you need to have done.

The Electric Furnace Man DF520 boiler for rice coal and the Portage and Main outdoor coal stoker boiler which has
a coal stoker designed for sub Butuminous coal mined in Alberta and British Columbia that burns pea and rice sized Sub Bituminous Coal.

The Portage and Main underfed stoker pot was designed to burn the western Subituminous coals and has a very large wide and shallow burner pot with very wide retort rings to allow greater air velocity to prevent plugging from the western Sub Bituminous coals fly ash and clinkers.

The hopper and stoker drive mechanism for the Portage and Main coal stoker come from Europe and are mounted outside the boiler and it also has an ash pit auger option or it did anyway the last time I looked.

Having a cogeneration set up for hot water and electricity gets you into the smallest Burnham coal stoker boiler and thats close to 7 figures even before coupling a small steam turbine and burning much more sub bituminous coal.

 
User avatar
wilder11354
Member
Posts: 1221
Joined: Sat. Jan. 29, 2011 10:48 pm
Location: Montrose, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Harman SF260 Boiler
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
Coal Size/Type: nut or pea, anthracite
Other Heating: crown oil boiler, backup.if needed

Post by wilder11354 » Tue. Nov. 07, 2017 9:33 pm

continous circulation... works, run lower main boiler temps.... like hydronis under floor circulation. set it by aquastat for min boiler temp, work off on indoor/outdoor differentail controller..... but still have to adjust aqau according outdoor temp. !0* is a lot for continually circualtion. Just be sure heat is used in heating and not storing in boiler.

 
CapeCoaler
Member
Posts: 6515
Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove

Post by CapeCoaler » Wed. Nov. 08, 2017 9:05 am


Post Reply

Return to “Hand Fired Coal Boilers & Hot Air Furnaces/Stoves Using Bituminous”