Outdoor Coal Boiler
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- Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 9:03 am
- Location: Upper Bucks County, PA
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite, Stove
- Other Heating: Heatmor 100CB
Hi, this is my first post! I recently purchased and installed an Heatmor 100CB outdoor boiler. This model's main fuel is coal, but most guys run it with wood. I want to use coal but have no idea how much coal to buy. I plan on running the boiler only from November to March, I live in Southeastern PA. My home is 2200 sq ft, good windows but not great insulation (stone farmhouse). Cast iron radiators. Does anyone have experience with this type of thing and how much coal it would go through? Is coal more efficient than wood? I have 10 acres of woods but time is money so I don't want to spend all of my time cutting wood. Thanks!
- 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
Welcome Aboard!
How much and what type fuel has it taken for prior years?
How much and what type fuel has it taken for prior years?
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- Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 9:03 am
- Location: Upper Bucks County, PA
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite, Stove
- Other Heating: Heatmor 100CB
I actually just bought the house in December of 2017. Went through 500 gallons of oil from late December to March. I also realized after the winter that the boiler wasn't set hot enough, the water was only getting up to 150F, but I've heard that the water should be upwards of 180F for cast iron radiators to really work well.
- 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
Coal is not more efficient than ideally well seasoned hardwoods. They are about the same on that score. But since many (to most?) people burn less than ideally well seasoned hardwoods, coal for that case would jump far ahead in efficiency. But any appliance made to burn both will be compromised as to its efficiency to begin with.
What kind of coal is it designed to burn? If it is designed to burn wood and coal, generally this implies bituminous coal. If that's the case, then burning anthracite is going to prove to be a struggle.
What kind of coal is it designed to burn? If it is designed to burn wood and coal, generally this implies bituminous coal. If that's the case, then burning anthracite is going to prove to be a struggle.
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- Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 9:03 am
- Location: Upper Bucks County, PA
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite, Stove
- Other Heating: Heatmor 100CB
It's not really designed to burn both, it is meant to burn anthracite but most guys just buy it and burn wood in it, which voids the warranty because it's not designed for it! There are three main types of coal approved for use in a HEATMOR™ furnace. Theylsayre wrote: ↑Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 9:46 amCoal is not more efficient than ideally well seasoned hardwoods. They are about the same on that score. But since many (to most?) people burn less than ideally well seasoned hardwoods, coal for that case would jump far ahead in efficiency. But any appliance made to burn both will be compromised as to its efficiency to begin with.
What kind of coal is it designed to burn? If it is designed to burn wood and coal, generally this implies bituminous coal. If that's the case, then burning anthracite is going to prove to be a struggle.
are Pennsylvania anthracite, Eastern Canadian bituminous and Western Canadian subbituminous.
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- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Your 500 gallons of oil would be about three tons of coal. Order four tons to start off.
A boiler that also is designed for bit coal should have provision for heated secondary air in excess of the needs for anthracite. It will have to be fine tuned.
Picture of the firebox will help.
A boiler that also is designed for bit coal should have provision for heated secondary air in excess of the needs for anthracite. It will have to be fine tuned.
Picture of the firebox will help.
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- Member
- Posts: 2379
- 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
If you expect to use this boiler for a long period you should plan on laying a piece of wide channel iron on the shaker grate frame and half as long as the firebox depth and filling the fireboxes volume half full with firebrick to the flue breech to make it burn better with less wood and coal.
you should also plan on adding a flue pipe extension and a rain cap to improve the draft.
If you do this your fire will be hotter with wood and coal and when burning wood it will not generate much smoke when shut down and idling.
I did this with my old hand fed and I saved a lot of coal and it burned much more efficiently.
you should also plan on adding a flue pipe extension and a rain cap to improve the draft.
If you do this your fire will be hotter with wood and coal and when burning wood it will not generate much smoke when shut down and idling.
I did this with my old hand fed and I saved a lot of coal and it burned much more efficiently.
- hotblast1357
- Member
- Posts: 5661
- Joined: Mon. Mar. 10, 2014 10:06 pm
- Location: Peasleeville NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1984 Eshland S260 coal gun
- Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite pea
- Other Heating: air source heat pump, oil furnace
How about some pics of the boiler setup, and inside the grate design.
- 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
At 24" x 28" the firebox is huge. By a rather common commercial reckoning means it is a 252,000 BTUH boiler. That means by my reckoning it is an honest 126,000 BTUH boiler. By my reckoning, at high fire it should eat 10.3 lbs. of anthracite per hour. Or 247 lbs. per day, if needed. By commercial reckoning, you can double this potential consumption.
Does it run pressurized, or atmospheric?
As a first guess, it should be capable of heating 2 homes at 2,200 Sq-ft in southeastern PA. Do you have a neighbor who wants to go in on it with you?
Does it run pressurized, or atmospheric?
As a first guess, it should be capable of heating 2 homes at 2,200 Sq-ft in southeastern PA. Do you have a neighbor who wants to go in on it with you?
Last edited by lsayre on Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 2:19 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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- Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 9:03 am
- Location: Upper Bucks County, PA
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite, Stove
- Other Heating: Heatmor 100CB
This model has something called over/under forced air draft, so it automatically blows air from both under and over the bed. Under to get it hot, over for gasification.lzaharis wrote: ↑Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 10:45 amIf you expect to use this boiler for a long period you should plan on laying a piece of wide channel iron on the shaker grate frame and half as long as the firebox depth and filling the fireboxes volume half full with firebrick to the flue breech to make it burn better with less wood and coal.
you should also plan on adding a flue pipe extension and a rain cap to improve the draft.
If you do this your fire will be hotter with wood and coal and when burning wood it will not generate much smoke when shut down and idling.
I did this with my old hand fed and I saved a lot of coal and it burned much more efficiently.
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- Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 9:03 am
- Location: Upper Bucks County, PA
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite, Stove
- Other Heating: Heatmor 100CB
The boiler is a 100,000 BTU boiler rated for 3,000 sq ft. It's non-pressurized. I'm using it as a supplement to my oil. my oil boiler will run if outdoor boiler isn't producing hot enough water.lsayre wrote: ↑Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 2:02 pmAt 24" x 28" the firebox is huge. By a rather common commercial reckoning means it is a 252,000 BTUH boiler. That means by my reckoning it is an honest 126,000 BTUH boiler. By my reckoning, at high fire it should eat 10.3 lbs. of anthracite per hour. Or 247 lbs. per day, if needed. By commercial reckoning, you can double this potential consumption.
Does it run pressurized, or atmospheric?
- hotblast1357
- Member
- Posts: 5661
- Joined: Mon. Mar. 10, 2014 10:06 pm
- Location: Peasleeville NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1984 Eshland S260 coal gun
- Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite pea
- Other Heating: air source heat pump, oil furnace
So there separated my a water to water heat exchanger?? Or is your house boiler non pressurized also?
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- Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 9:03 am
- Location: Upper Bucks County, PA
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite, Stove
- Other Heating: Heatmor 100CB
Yes they are separated by a heat exchanger.hotblast1357 wrote: ↑Wed. Sep. 26, 2018 2:42 pmSo there separated my a water to water heat exchanger?? Or is your house boiler non pressurized also?