Higher coal use this year

So as February draws to a close, I have less coal in my bin than hoped for. I started burning the weekend of October 20th so this is about 4 months, 2 weeks. Picked up 6 1/4 tons and was able to get 6 tons into the bin and I've got roughly 500# still in my trailer. I'd guess that the 500# plus what remains in my bin may get me through March but only if the weather cooperates. We are heading into a cold week next week so I'm thinking I'll come up short before the end of March.

There are several very good reasons why I've used more coal this year than normal. This was the first full season with the EFM and the new coal bin. I had heat to spare compared with when I had the Harman. So I wasn't conservative about using the it at all. I used the forced air with the water to air heat exchanger and the baseboard heat zones also quite a bit.

My wife had to start taking a blood thinner and suddenly after all these years she's loving the coal heat as she feels cold more easily from the meds. Previously she would complain if the temp got over about 68 degrees. This year she took control of the main house baseboard zone thermostat and used it regularly keeping it 71-72 degrees. That's a big difference over time.

I also adjusted up the set point on my indirect water heater. I feed an indirect water heater with 50 degree well water then into an electric water heater. Previously I had the indirect, which gets it hot water from the coal boiler, set to about 120 degrees and my electric water was set to 140. This year I switched that so the indirect heats the water to 140 then into the electric water heater.

I installed a cast iron radiator in the basement. (I wish I had radiators throughout my house.) Although it has a circulator and thermostat installed it never runs. There is a really nice convection flow from the boiler to this radiator which is in a separate part of the basement. The basement temp is typically 74 degrees. I go down there and sit on it sometimes. It's nice!

I increased the coal boilers operating temp to 180 when the polar vortex hit us. I neglected to turn it back down for several weeks.

So all of those things combined account for the greater usage. I think next year I will have 7 tons on site. By the way this was Lehigh rice which burned very well and produced less ash and fly ash than most other coal I've burned.

I'm a bit heavy on usage this year as well but I don't care. The house stays at whatever temp the wife sets it at, garage at 65, and 50 gallons of hot water at my fingertips. Still less expensive that propane and much better temp control.

Sounds like the house is very comfortable top to bottom.

Rob I lived here since 1983 and this was by far the most comfortable this house has been top to bottom. I wish I had found my way to the EFM many years ago.

I usually get 6.5 ton of rice for my efm520 This year i too am short but really it is as designed as I use March as the finishing line then i use condensing propane boiler for temperate season. I have a week of coal left. While I dont know the degree days for this year it seems to be a tad cooler and but installed some gravity feed heat emission units that is some cabinet heaters and fin tube in my three story work shop bottom small room houses the boiler. This units gave no flo control valves on the pump but the gravity flow keeps the workshop temperate during the cold weather . Using vermont's days seimans program i get reduced timed burns. This of course use a little more coal than the just efm idling but it easier to bump the heat up on the structure then heating from a cold start and makes short visits more bearable so worth the money . Hope my propane last now. usually get civilized price for the propane that is like 1.23 here gallon burning at 92% at lessthan 130 return

I've used more this year than last year. But i think last year was slightly warmer, or maybe i fired up later than this year, I can't remember.

I bet if you mention to the wife you are running low on coal and need to cut back the 'stat temp a little.....

She will give you the stink eye and send you off to get another ton!!

An avg winter is 3 ton but ill surely be over that this year. Est 3.5 to 4. I always start the season with 4 just in case. If the coal is poor quality,high ash that can cause me to use more as well. Keep 3000Sf at 77 Deg.

I think I used more this season. I'm down to about a ton or slightly less. I got 6 ton last April. I've been seeing more coal trucks lately out and about delivering coal.

So I came home to an out fire on St. Patty's day. When I looked in the bin the coal that could fall down into the auger area was gone. There was maybe 60 lbs. of coal still in the bin that was hung up on the sloped sides. So basically I ran it out of coal. I fired up the oil boiler and have been living off of it since the 17th. This morning I dumped a few buckets of coal into the bin from the trailer and decided to relight as I'm sick of a half-assed heated house. (oil boiler) What I discovered is that the shear pin had broken. What are the odds of something at the very bottom of the bin causing a jam? Or could it be the bin auger with no coal around it got squirrely enough to break a shear pin?

Ovesize coal or debris will tend to collect around the inlet of the auger. If you knocked down all the coal that was hung up it probably contained something the auger didn't like.