Coalpail.com Forum

Just thought I would share installation description and photos. My EFM is running for weeks with no attendence to coal feed, just take the ashes out.
Advantages of skids/bulk bags;
1. Bulk coal price instead of bagged. Truck chutes coal into bulk bags.
2. No daily loading of bags, each bulk bag holds the equivalent of 54 fifty pound bags of coal, letting you go for weeks.
3. No mess, spillage, it is all sealed. Cleaner than a coal bin or bags.
4. They are great for low headroom cellars and windows where a coal bin would be impractical.
5. No shoveling, just kick the bag side to redistribute the last of the coal near the bottom.
6. You don't need to locate the boiler near a window, the skid/bulk bags can be located anywhere in your cellar.
7. They are easy to change and can be changed at any time to switch to biofuels.
8. You don't need to shovel out a coal bin or barrel if your auger gets clogged. You simply remove the skid.
9. The reusable skid/bulk bags are better for the environment, no bags.
10.It is the closest you can get to the convenience of oil without the oil price.

For slide show;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vermontday/sets/7215 ... 415101209/

For pictures with descriptions;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vermontday/441510120 ... 589020652/ Click on picture browser on right to advance.

I've sent you a PM with some addition questions. Thanks. Unbelievable detail and use of common sense on this project.
Thanks so much for sharing your adventure! This install addresses low headroom issues for many, and is a great template for new users to dream about. The use of Bulk Bags helps justify buying bulk for anyone who can adapt their install to make use of your method, and cut back on individual bags type delivery. Impressive!!

Beautiful installation, beautiful home as well. Thanks for documenting your install so thoroughly, it is obvious that everything was well thought out in advance.

Where are you located in Vermont?

Bennington.

Thanks

SaaaaWheeeeeeetttttt Setup !!!!!!!!!!!



I like the bulk bag setup over the auger. That could be used on any auger feed setup. Very well documented. I'm duly impressed.

I also like the auto dialer feature.

Again thanks for sharing.

I'm going tto have to copy that install for future reference. Perhaps that could be put in the wiki section. ?????

Rick

Thanks!

I am new to this posting thing. How do you move things to the wiki section, or does the moderator do it?

Thanks

We don't have access to those controls ... only moderators do.

Otherwise I'd move all the liberal posts to the forsale section!

Richard

Awesome Install! Very well thought out and engineered!

I like the scooters.....nice touch.

Very nice installation. What do you do if there is a problem with the auger and you have to remove the bulk bag? Is there a way to close off the bottom of the bag when you pull it away?

Also, your house looks like it may be a big heating load. Is the stoker keeping up OK?

You can remove the skid at any time. You just close the skid discharge gates.

Go to detail pictures for complete discription.

PS: Many thanks to EFM for a great product. It easily keeps up with our heat load and just sits there waiting for a call for heat on a setting of 5. Really glad I bought it. Also the $200 rebate and $1,500 tax credit were nice.

Thanks

That is an extremely well thought system !!! After I finished my install , I see all the great ideas others have and think ( why didn't I think of that ). The use of the super sack is a great idea, we have those at work and throw them away all the time. Do you have more than one super sack with another base skid ? How does that autodialer for the phone work, does it cost a monthly service fee ? Do you fill the super sack from a window by bulk ? CONGRADULATIONS

At the moment I have the one skid/bulk bag. I wanted to start off with one to see if it would work.
It has been running flawlessly for a couple of weeks now, so I plan on building 3 more. That will give me the ability to take delivery of 4 tons of bulk coal at a time (the max our local coal dealer can deliver).

As I already had 6 tons of coal in fifty pound bags in the celler from running on a barrel, and didn't want to take bulk delivery during road salt season, we put 54 fifty pound bags in to fill the bulk bag.

I see no reason why filling with the truck chute should not work. The "squat" height of the top of a full bag on the skid is 59", which is what the bottom of my window is. I plan on using bungies to suspend the bag from the ceiling as it is being filled. They only have to hold the weight of the woven plastic bag. The coal itself is what keeps the bag upright.

The autodialer has no monthly fee. It is set up to call my cell phone should any of the 9 monitored boiler events ever happen.

Thanks

What is the model name, # of the autodialer, do you have to buy separate moniters,sensors for the heat,carbon monoxide detectors, can it call more than one phone # ? How much does this type of system cost ? THANKS