Coalpail.com Forum

My current heating system is as follows:

CL 5648 Central Boiler
Maximum BTU 500,000
Firebox 56”x 48”x 36”
Heat transfer area 114 square feet
Weight 2,360 lbs
Water Capacity 386 gallon

We burn about 22 cords of wood per year to heat three homes. We have our current system in an outbuilding that is weather proof, but not insulated. We want to switch to a coal stoker unit that we could put in the same out building. We currently spend about $3500 a year on wood. I'm sure the system we have right now is not nearly as efficient as a coal system would be! ANY SUGGESTIONS!?

I would go with a BIG EFM. Sent you a PM. Look at the message bar on top of page.

An AHS S500 Coal Gun would be another alternative. It's rated at 500,000 BTU's per hour. Or 2 x AHS S260's.

Alternate Heating Systems (AHS) makes several nice units.

They make a triple-fuel unit called the WOC100 that burns wood, oil or coal: http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/MultiBoilers.aspx

They also make a more common unit called the S500 Coal Gun: http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/CoalBurners.aspx

These are awesome boilers and among the best ever made.

Was wondering if I would really need a 500k BTU unit....some locals have told me that 200k to 250k would be sufficient as my current unit is only about 50% efficient....Thoughts!

EarthWindandFire wrote:They make a triple-fuel unit called the WOC100 that burns wood, oil or coal: http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/MultiBoilers.aspx

I have a WOC55 half that size and it's easy to use,but they are a hand fired boiler not a stoker

You need to do a heat loss for each house and check your cost using the Fuel Comparison Calculator. I don't think you will save a whole lot dollars with coal but you might save a lot of work.

A uninsulated out building isn't a good location for a coal boiler. You want to keep the boiler somewhat protected.

You need to also check to make sure your distribution systems are insulated and properly sized.

A coal boiler in each house to cut the distribution and outbuilding losses will save as much energy as the improved combustion efficiency.

So...I may be better off just putting a coal stoker boiler in my house and heat the other two with the current unit...My home is only 7 years old, single story and 1600 sq feet. I used to burn 700 gallons of fuel oil a year for heat and hot water.

Northern Maine wrote:So...I may be better off just putting a coal stoker boiler in my house and heat the other two with the current unit...My home is only 7 years old, single story and 1600 sq feet. I used to burn 700 gallons of fuel oil a year for heat and hot water.

The LL110 boiler would be a great boiler for your house and can be installed around $4000.00 http://leisurelinestoves.com/Boiler_and_Furnace_P ... ducts.html

Northern Maine wrote:Was wondering if I would really need a 500k BTU unit....some locals have told me that 200k to 250k would be sufficient as my current unit is only about 50% efficient....Thoughts!

They are correct that the existing unit is inefficient compared to a stoker boiler. You would need to evaluate the load of each home and go from there. $$ in wood compared to $$ in coal is one thing...but don't forget that the average life of a non-pressurized wood boiler is often pretty short....5-7 years if the water chemistry isn't carefully monitored. 2 am trips out to the wood boiler aren't much fun either.

Dennis wrote:

Northern Maine wrote:So...I may be better off just putting a coal stoker boiler in my house and heat the other two with the current unit...My home is only 7 years old, single story and 1600 sq feet. I used to burn 700 gallons of fuel oil a year for heat and hot water.

The LL110 boiler would be a great boiler for your house and can be installed around $4000.00 http://leisurelinestoves.com/Boiler_and_Furnace_P ... ducts.html

Wondering if the unit you mentioned can be power vented like my current oil boiler?

Northern Maine wrote:
Wondering if the unit you mentioned can be power vented like my current oil boiler?

Most people will use a power vent for the oil burner as a backup heat source and run their coal appliance directly into the chimney.

Now since you call yourself Northern Maine, how stable is your electric service up where you are ??

Any "stoker Boiler" will need constant electricity to power the under grate fan to keep the coal burning. In a power failure, most stokers go out within 15 minutes. However the larger coal boilers usually have a larger bed of coal burning and at idle use the natural draft of a chimney to keep the coal burning. Our AA 260 will go at least 24 hours without electric before starting to die down. Of course without electric, you will not be running circulator pumps either.

As was mentioned, you really need to do that heat loss calculation.....................

Rick

I think you have some great suggestions, and I would NOT rule out an AA 260, or even a pair of them if you want to heat the entire county. I have an AA 260 heating and hot water for 8400 sq ft (7 apartments) and another 260 doing 9600 sq feet. They burn around 28 tons a year total. The LL 110 would be too small for your needs IMO,(ok for one home) however the LL220 does get you in the range you will need. The AHS 500 is overkill for you, and the budget, too. An EFM 900 or 1300 would easily do what you want. 700 would be iffy IMO. Just where are you in Northern Maine? There is a hell of a lot of square miles up there. Don't rule out a Keystoker K12 either. You have a very good outdoor boiler, but I'm sure you are tiring of the 20+ cords of wood.

I live in Aroostook County...Just outside of Presque Isle, Me...in a small town called Easton.

My Uncle has an AA260...heats and old farmhouse of about 5000 square feet....and he burns about 12 ton a year