Looking to Retire My Central Wood Boiler to Geo or Coal???

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swyman
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Location: Blissfield, MI
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman-Anderson 260M Leisure Line AA-220 Boiler (FOR SALE)
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Pea

Post by swyman » Tue. Apr. 14, 2015 5:53 am

I have been burning wood in my Central Wood Boiler for 8 years now and looks like I will be losing my wood source within the next year. My cousin is a new Leisure Line dealer and is trying to talk me into coal. Just for a little background check I had a Amazing Heat corn boiler for 3 years prior to buying the Central. Corn prices went crazy and I was able to sell my unit for wood...which was a hard decision as I burned wood all my life and know how much work is involved which is why I went to corn on my first home. So here I am again looking for an easy on the body alternative. Personally I like the thought of Geothermal but I am willing to keep my options open and hopefully get some advice from you folks that have either a coal boiler or geothermal. Question about the AA-220.....will it be similar to what I have now which is a Central 6048 which is supposed to be 500k BTU. The system works very well but I am worried the AA-220's 42 gallon capacity. My central holds around 400 gallons and when my system is running I will have 185* water leaving the boiler and 130* returning on my 1" line. With the centrals water capacity it doesn't seem to have any trouble but with the 220's 42 gal it seems like it could shock the boiler? Also could I still use my pex line from my wood boilers location and install the coal burner in the same spot? Or will geo give me great results? Currently heating a very old 2 story farmhouse (approx. 2400sqft), domestic hot water, and a 3 car garage. I can give more information if need and thank you in advance for advice!
Shane

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Tue. Apr. 14, 2015 7:07 am

From OWB to EFM520 installed in truck box details our move from the slavery with wood to a much easier time heating with coal.There is nothing that compares to coal heat, & it is a low cost way to be warm.Geo thermal is out of this world expensive & then you only warm yourself with air that is slightly warmer than cold.You haven't posted as to whether you will be installing a coal boiler in your basement or at a separate location.The loss in temp you are experiencing from supply to return is significant ,but is that loss from the buried pex or are you pulling that much heat out for your house. More details of how you are currently set-up & what you are thinking of going with in your new plan would be helpful to determine the best plan.

 
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blrman07
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Post by blrman07 » Tue. Apr. 14, 2015 7:07 am

Welcome to the forum and your question about the difference between geo and coal heating systems. Number one is going to be cost. Number two is ongoing cost of operation. Number three is how much are you willing to invest in hands on operation going forward.

If you want a true set it and leave it and cost of installation and ongoing operation is not a factor then geo. You can put your coal unit in the same place as the OWB. Only difference is it will have to be in a covered structure. Can you put your coal unit in your basement? You will get a lot of increase in efficiency by eliminating the existing underground lines plus you will get the added benefit of warmth in the basement.

But before any educated guess can be made lots more information needs to be posted. The first is where are you? What type of home are you heating? What is the heat load that you will need to heat the home?

Many more will chime in with more information. Many will be biased because after all this is a coal forum. :D

Rev. Larry

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Tue. Apr. 14, 2015 7:49 am

The big AA is a 260M, it puts out 260K BTUs. It can heat your house easily and the HW coil is rated for 12 baths. The small water volume is a non issue as the beast makes big heat in a hurry! Forget the OWB has 400 gallons because it really needs it.


 
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swyman
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman-Anderson 260M Leisure Line AA-220 Boiler (FOR SALE)
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Pea

Post by swyman » Tue. Apr. 14, 2015 8:38 am

Ok, my boiler is located 225' from the house that goes to the hot water heater then to a coil in the furnace. This coil is massive, my sheet metal guy sized the coil to my airflow so I would not lose any volume. From there is goes to a coil hanging in the garage with a fan that cycles when called for heat. The ductwork coil pulls out a lot of heat but I need it on those cold -20* with 20-30 mph wind nights. Plus I am only using a 1" line so it's doing a lot of work but I feel it works well. As far as mounting location I think if I were to go the coal route I would like to mount the unit inside the barn next to where my wood boiler was. I could store all the coal out there and would be no mess close to the house...if there is any mess with coal??? I could mount in the garage but again not sure on the mess/maintenance of unit plus I would rather keep the room in the garage open but could always add on a room. Not sure if this would be an insurance issue also? OH, back to temps, like I said earlier I will have 185* water going out and when everything is running I will have around 130* coming back. I tried using higher capacity pump to flow faster with minimal results. If my furnace fan is not running I will only lose about 10* with the garage heater cycling. Mind you on those really cold, windy nights my furnace will run nonstop to maintain. What ya think?
On to geo, I really like the no feed or buying anything but electricity BUT will it have the heat capacity I need to keep up in Jan/Feb when the winds come? As far as upfront cost, I can do most of the install myself (including the excavating). I'll read 140* air temps coming out of the ductwork with my current setup (which feels wonderful)! I have heard that the geo setups are below 120*? If that were the case I would not be able to maintain on those super cold nights and we have had a lot of them the last couple winters! Also worried about how much coal I would burn in a season, couple thousand??? I probably burn 10 full cords of wood in a winter but I don't know if that's a fair comparison?
Need to hit the rack (midnighter), thanks for the replies and hopefully have the info you guys needed to provide me with some guidance!
Shane
Oh, I'm located in SE MI if there is anyone around with a boiler setup

 
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Scottscoaled
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Post by Scottscoaled » Tue. Apr. 14, 2015 9:02 am

Some things for you to consider. I don't know about the 220's capacity. I have no experience with them. What I do know. Your limiting factor is the 1" pex. It doesn't mater what you put out there as a heating source. you can only get X amount of water thru it at 190 degrees. You are not even coming to the 33% capacity mark with your 500k BTU wood boiler. If you are satisfied with how your house is heated with the 1" line, then you would decide between an outside installation and a basement installation. Out side install has it's pros and cons. I'm sure being on the farm you have machines which would give you a big edge on the loading of coal and the removal of ash. The inside has it's pro's and con's too. One pro is all the heat stays in the house including the radiation off the boiler, and the heat lost to the pex in the ground. One con is that you have to manage the coal and ash a bit different. Usually is labor intensive. The big advantage that coal will have over Geo is when the power goes out. What size is your backup generator with Geo? Coal will need a couple hundred watt's to make it run. Just a couple things to consider. After reading your last post, might I offer a suggestion? A small shed closer to your house feeding your house with larger pex. No insurance issues, no flow issues, no mess handling issues, and no lost space in garage issues. Cheaper than building an addition.

 
coalway
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Post by coalway » Tue. Apr. 14, 2015 10:14 pm

Hey shane, it's eric...just stumbled across your post by chance. I was looking for some info myself on the AA220 as well, just delivered one today but don't really know much about the boilers yet. If you get a chance give me a call, it looks like a good setup, you can find most anything you need to know from this website but if there is something you can't find I can hook you up with some answers, also have a good hookup for the geo thermal to.

 
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swyman
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman-Anderson 260M Leisure Line AA-220 Boiler (FOR SALE)
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Pea

Post by swyman » Wed. Apr. 15, 2015 12:25 am

Scottscoaled, been very satisfied with the setup I have and even though I am a ways from the house I only lose a couple degrees (centrals thermalpex is very efficient). Actually I plan on installing the coal boiler about 50' closer and inside my barn which I plan on making a insulated room in. Not sure how much extra radiant heat the boiler will give off but anything would help! From the sounds of things I am liking what I hear about the coal burners but still want to do a little more research and from the sounds of it my neighbor just bought a AA220. Kind of ironic as he also has a Central 6048 that he's replacing! Thanks for all the replies and Eric, your dad is going to show me his while its still running. I will be in touch


 
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davidmcbeth3
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Post by davidmcbeth3 » Wed. Apr. 15, 2015 3:58 am

Your state may have rebates for geothermal ... do a foia request for records of people who have gone through the program and call them up.

People like to talk about them...good or bad experiences.

I did that for PV programs in my state....and after talking with 10 folks, decided against it due to ROI

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Wed. Apr. 15, 2015 7:38 am

swyman wrote: Oh, I'm located in SE MI if there is anyone around with a boiler setup
PM member Lsfarm, he could be close to you and is heating half of Michagin with an AA 260. Very helpful and knowledgable kind of guy, if he says come over for a tour you had better pack a lunch. :)

 
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bcdex
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Post by bcdex » Mon. Jan. 25, 2016 11:24 pm

My wood/coal boiler is in my basement. Heats whole house and basement. It' a DS 1100.
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