Coal consumption

hardcoalhardcore · Post by **hardcoalhardcore** » Wed. Feb. 27, 2019 8:54 pm

Need some input from you guys that have old uninsulated houses and EFM 520s. How much coal are you going through in a heating season??
Thanks

lprince · Post by **lprince** » Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 8:18 am

What are you heating with now? Are you looking for a comparison or are you looking to see if it is worth it to install?

Post by **Rob R.** » Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 8:31 am

hardcoalhardcore wrote: ↑
Wed. Feb. 27, 2019 8:54 pm
Need some input from you guys that have old uninsulated houses and EFM 520s. How much coal are you going through in a heating season??
Thanks

It really depends on a lot of things. Ask CoalJockey...he delivers coal to lots of houses with EFMs, and runs one himself.

lzaharis · Post by **lzaharis** » Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 9:13 am

AS Sting would say " it depends".

If you can afford a heat a study that would be the first thing to do as you will need to have a pressure test done to find the air leaks along with the standard work for measuring the windows and doors and the cubic volume of each room and the basement to determine the heat loss by your home.

Post by **CoalJockey** » Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 11:20 am

Just taking a blind stab here.

Perhaps a good rule of thumb for a two story house with no insulation, let’s say 2,000 or 2500 square feet, I would venture to say anywhere between 6-10 ton per year... depending on many different variables in between. I could see 10 tons in extreme situations where the windows are single pane and drafty doors are present.

That’s based off of EFM 520 installations in 3 different homes in my own family and a lot of the old farmhouses that we deliver to in the same situation as you describe. Typically we would send a 7 ton load to a house like that and it would get them through the heating season or at least the most part of it.

k-2 · Post by **k-2** » Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 11:47 am

hardcoalhardcore wrote: ↑
Wed. Feb. 27, 2019 8:54 pm
Need some input from you guys that have old uninsulated houses and EFM 520s. How much coal are you going through in a heating season??
Thanks

Insulation and air sealing makes all the difference. I started out using around 6 ton 20 yrs ago in a 100Yr old house and over the years i now have a least a partially insulated 3000 Sf home. And im down to 3 ton avg to 4 ton severe winter use, but not with an EFM .Dont think it matters much what stove you use. I keep it 76-77Deg..

hardcoalhardcore · Post by **hardcoalhardcore** » Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 5:45 pm

My place is around 2300 sf not including the basement which is about 800. I have a one pipe steam system which I know that alone will consume more coal the hydronic. My mains are insulated and I have the jackets on the boiler

I got my install done in September and since then I went through 10 ton. I just ordered 2 more ton this week. Seems like I'm going through more than I should be. It's still hell of a lot cheaper than the tank a month I was going through last winter.

Post by **Rob R.** » Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 6:46 pm

What kind of shape is the house in? Drafty? Heat going up into the attic? 10 tons is not out of the question if the house is real loose, but it is definitely more coal that average. If you keep the house real warm, that is part of the story.

What do you have the pressuretrol set at?

Stoker feed rate?

Have you skimmed through boiler a few times since the install? Even through slightest amount of oil will make it harder to make steam.

hardcoalhardcore · Post by **hardcoalhardcore** » Sun. Mar. 03, 2019 12:26 pm

Rob R. wrote: ↑
Sat. Mar. 02, 2019 6:46 pm
What kind of shape is the house in? Drafty? Heat going up into the attic? 10 tons is not out of the question if the house is real loose, but it is definitely more coal that average. If you keep the house real warm, that is part of the story.

What do you have the pressuretrol set at?

Stoker feed rate?

Have you skimmed through boiler a few times since the install? Even through slightest amount of oil will make it harder to make steam.

Yes the house is extremely drafty. If its windy out I can feel it blow through the living room. I keep the thermostat at 70*.

Pressuretrol is as low as it can go.

Stoker is set at 7/7

I skimmed it twice since install. After this heating season I'm going to clean it with TSP.

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Mar. 03, 2019 1:14 pm

Yes the house is extremely drafty. If its windy out I can feel it blow through the living room.

It takes a lot of coal to heat the outside. There is likely nothing wrong with your EFM or steam system.

Post by **CoalJockey** » Sun. Mar. 03, 2019 1:19 pm

Rob nailed it. I would venture to say your consumption is spot on with your conditions. Button that place up... new windows... new doors, you will easily drop a couple ton per year.

LouNY · Post by **LouNY** » Sun. Mar. 03, 2019 2:33 pm

New windows and doors are nice, they are also quite expensive.
It will amaze you how much difference clear plastic will do.
You can do the inside clear or even better is heavier clear on the outside.
[urlhttps://www.google.com/shopping/product/11175769225361810 ... SAEALw_wcB][/url]
I found 8 guage 54 inch wide clear vinyl at a local fabric store