My debut to the coal boiler world

Picked up a ahs 130 on sat. Just finished lowering into the basement. I have a forced air furnace and a keystoker 90..so really starting fresh into the boiler scene. Hoping to start with a heat exchanger for the furnace and maybe a radiator in the basement..tyen slowly add radiators to all the rooms. I dont really know much about boilers but i know how much you guys love your coalgun. So i got a lot of stuff to get and figure out how to set this up!
Heres some pics...i used a winch off the back of the car to lower it off the trailer and down the stairs...coulda gone smoother but coulda gone worse

Nice! I expect there will be pictures and questions....look forward to your journey.

Kevin

How well does the oil furnace heat the house?

nice! enjoy!

Ive never actually used the oil furnace..just use theblower to circulatetheheat from thekeystoker. A water/airexchnger will just be the quickest way to get up and running while i do piping etc and get radiators/baseboards. Probably going to be a stepwise project

lamina1982 wrote: ↑

Mon. Feb. 25, 2019 11:38 pm

Ive never actually used the oil furnace..just use theblower to circulatetheheat from thekeystoker. A water/airexchnger will just be the quickest way to get up and running while i do piping etc and get radiators/baseboards. Probably going to be a stepwise project

Understood. I asked because I wondered if the ductwork was sized and laid out well enough to heat the house evenly. If you thought it did a decent job with the Keystoker, it will probably do well with a water to air heat exchanger.

Definitely get some used radiators or some baseboard for the basement, and put it on its own zone.

Nice Job,Hammer!!

+1 on installing some used radiators in the basement.

Unless your basement is a living space and uncomfortable why go to the expense of the circulator, radiators and piping,
the waste heat should be adequate in the basement.
An old uninsulated basement is a big heat sink and fuel waster.

I would suggest that you purchase at least 3 paperback books about heating before you wade in to the heating and plumbing quicksand and swamp.
Dan Holohan provides his 40 plus years of heating and plumbing experience in his writing and he make his writing fun and easy to read for both the novice and the journeyman plumber alike.

You can purchase the books from him directly at www.dansbooks.com. He ships them directly to you from his business and all profits go to the author.
You can also purchase them from national bookstore chainstores or internet resellers.

1. PUMPING AWAY
2. CLASSIC HYDRONICS
3. HOW COME?

They will help you with planning your new heating system and how to properly plumb it.

I would also advise you to become a member of the heating help forum to learn more about heating and plumbing. You can join the www.heatinghelp.com forum for free and you will be able to access many thousands of years of plumbing experience and ask questions and receive the correct answer to your questions.

They were a wealth of knowledge to me to correct the plumbing mistakes that both the manufacturer and the plumber I hired made with my system.

When and if you purchase a heat exchanger for your air plenum you need to keep in mind that it must be correctly sized for your entire heating system using scorched air and it will not be very efficient compared to hot water radiators.

Pumping away and classic hydronics are on their way. I had read previously that it was a good idea to get them.
I know the heat exchanger wont be as efficient but figured would be the fastest way to get things moving while i pipe in and aquire radiators etc..
I cant wait to get her going. I just moved end of summer..This winter the keystoker really struggled and ive been cuting wood weekly to supplemnt- which reminds me regularly why i went with coal!
I can only imagine how lovely those radiators will be when its below 0 next winter!
This place is such a great wealth of knowledge..thanks all!

LouNY wrote: ↑

Tue. Feb. 26, 2019 7:54 am

Unless your basement is a living space and uncomfortable why go to the expense of the circulator, radiators and piping,
the waste heat should be adequate in the basement.
An old uninsulated basement is a big heat sink and fuel waster.

I must have missed where he said it's an old uninsulated basement? Unless it has gaping holes to the exterior, heat in the basement will warm the floors and add to the comfort of the whole house. He hasn't said to my knowledge how big the house is but unless its huge the AHS 130 should give him BTU's to spare. A couple of radiators down there can make a big difference.

lamina1982 wrote: ↑

Tue. Feb. 26, 2019 5:53 pm

I know the heat exchanger wont be as efficient but figured would be the fastest way to get things moving while i pipe in and aquire radiators etc..

Nice AHS! You did the right thing, the heatexchanger in the duct is a super easy hook up. Once you are heating your whole house with one central boiler you will never go back to a stove.

Radiators are awesome and fairly easy to plumb in later on.
My First Radiator

-Don

Ya that post is what got me hooked on wanting a house full of radiators!
...and all your other indepth boiler posts as well stokerdon

Its a 2800sqft house built in 1880,all new windows. Couple more recent additions.
I figured a nice radiator in basemnt will work as a good dump zone as i slowly add on, eventually will do my hot water too.