Time to purchase my first coal boiler..... but have some questions.

 
wood2Coal
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Post by wood2Coal » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 7:42 pm

Tired of burning about 1000 gallons of propane for radiant heating and hot water. Being close to the PA coal supply I am installing a new coal stoker in my newly built barn. The barn is about 75' from my house connected with insulated buried 1 1/4" pex. lines. My questions are: chimney height would only be about 14' high, is that too short ? Boilers i am thinking of are either, efm df520 or Axeman Anderson 130. Would the aa130 be better with induced draft, or would efm be fine also. For summertime hot water, does one idle better than the other during summer and light loads ? Being in an unheated outbuilding is an insulated jacket a good idea ? Axeman doesn't offer one, I believe efm does. The reason I am interested in these two boilers are forum reviews of being top quality, as well as auger fed. I will be feeding them from a large adjacent coal bin. Any other suggestions welcomed.


 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 7:54 pm

Welcome W2C,

Either the EFM or Axeman Anderson will be a good choice. I would also add the New DS under fed stoker boiler and Van Wert to the list if we are talking new, not used units.

Do you already have this 1.25" PEX in the ground? and if so, is it oxygen barrier PEX?

When you put one of these units in your outbuilding it will be heated weather you want it to be or not. So the question is, is it insulated?

-Don

 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:06 pm

The general consensus here is that it is best to install the boiler in the building which you would like to heat. However, there are many remote installs being used by the members here, and most function well. I actually use a remote install at the house I previously moved out of and it worked fine, although my piping run is much shorter than yours. So if you are heart set on a remote install, I say go for it.

Chimney at 14 feet seems a bit low, most manufacturers manuals specify a recommended chimney size. The remote install that I run is only 15 feet or so and although I got away with it all these years, there were times the draft could have been better.

As far as choosing between the two boilers, both are time tested, well constructed units that if they are taken care of properly they will likely outlive their owners. There is a wealth of information on this board regarding boiler installs so you have the advantage here to take the time and read up.

The Axeman crowd will be glad to let you know how well their boilers can idle through periods of low demand, and this I don’t dispute. I would like to mention though that I have 4 EFMs operating in various buildings around the property and have ran each one of them straight through the Summer months many times over without loosing fire.

These are both good units that you are considering... any way we can help, ask away!

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:16 pm

EFM recommends at least 14' stack height, mine is 14 or 15' & operates all summer with no issues...

EFM520 vs AA130... i believe the 520 has more output.. i could be wrong ..

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:25 pm

1000 gallons of propane per year is a relatively light load. Both boilers you mentioned would easily be up to the task.

I view the insulated jacket as a benefit when doing an outbuilding installation. if you want to heat the outbuilding anyway, and the building is insulated, the jacket is mainly going to be a benefit in the summer.

 
Pacowy
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Post by Pacowy » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:27 pm

windyhill4.2 wrote:
Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:16 pm
EFM520 vs AA130... i believe the 520 has more output.. i could be wrong ..
You are correct - approx. 28% more gross output.

EFM recommends chimney specs but I believe their only requirement pertains to the draft achieved.

Mike

 
wood2Coal
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Post by wood2Coal » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:32 pm

Yes, the buried insulated pex is oxygen barrier. The out building is not insulated, but was thinking i should put insulated walls around the boiler. If I do make a room for the boiler and insulate it, it will probably be hot in there. Or will the boiler not put out that much radiating heat ? does the AA not radiate as much because of its inherent design ? Lastly the DS boiler looks awesome its just not time tested like these other classic boilers, which concerns me a little. The AA wasn't even on my radar till i watched stoker don's videos and then researched them here.


 
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Post by Qtown1835 » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:43 pm

The boiler will put off plenty of heat if it is not insulated, it's basically a giant radiator. I would make an insulated room in the barn for the boiler to protect the piping and keep the dust down. It will also help retain heat in the boiler for the winter months when you need the heat in the house the most.

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 8:47 pm

Axemans don't need a lot of stack.

It's going in a barn, just run the stovepipe straight up. It's like adding a couple of feet without the bends. And you wont have to open it up to clean the ash out of a horizontal run halfway through the season.

 
wood2Coal
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Post by wood2Coal » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 9:06 pm

My load is relatively light, especially being mostly low temp radiant. Running the stack straight up was my plan. The short stack was the reason i was thinking AA130, but with light loads and extended idle times is the EFM better suited ? My radiant concrete slab has long idle periods between heat calls.

 
wood2Coal
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Post by wood2Coal » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 9:09 pm

Should ai have concerns with coal bin being unheated and having jams due to freezing ? That would kinda negate the benefits of having a large bin. Is one uager style more suited to a large bin than the other ? EFM and AA have very different auger styles.

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 9:44 pm

Nothing can sit longer unfired than an Axeman.
Frozen coal is a deal breaker for either auger. No shear pins or jams with the Axeman design. Nothing in the firebox ever needs replacing and the grate is warranteed forever. It has some advantages. The EFM guys will add theirs when they see this. :out:

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Feb. 26, 2018 10:11 pm

Dry coal doesn't freeze like wet coal does.

But for unavoidable frozen coal a PEX loop zone from boiler can be run under or over the bin floor to add some heat to thaw the coal if all else fails.

 
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hotblast1357
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Post by hotblast1357 » Tue. Feb. 27, 2018 6:24 am

Your not going to stop all th radiant heat anyways, I have my 260 insulated quite well, only thing not insulated is the base, and the stove pipe, and the boiler building stays above 50, 14’x16’.

 
wood2Coal
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Post by wood2Coal » Tue. Feb. 27, 2018 8:43 am

Are any other stokers induced draft, like the axeman ? Other than the coal gun, of course.


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