Coalpail.com Forum

Based on data I collected all of last season and this season to date, I have charted my anticipated nominal daily coal consumption vs. outside temperature (F.) and also vs. heating degree days. The 'Y axis' is for both daily degree days and daily pounds of coal, and I should have titled it as such. Attached here is the PDF format of my chart.

Larry, you need to go outside and play with the dawg! I'm calling Dr. Phil to see if we can get you back up on the tracks, you are a derailed individual!

Nice job on the graph.......now what?

whistlenut wrote:Larry, you need to go outside and play with the dawg! I'm calling Dr. Phil to see if we can get you back up on the tracks, you are a derailed individual!

Nice job on the graph.......now what?

In a strange way I believe that I am playing with the dawg. Thanks for the complement on the graph!!!!

If we knew the answers to all your questions,we would all be on easy street."It is what it is",just keep shoveling coal into the boiler and be happy with the money your saving by using coal.

I'm with you Larry, but I am going to go play golf. Does that count as playing with the dog?

Kevin

Add a Z axis for wind speed, then I will be impressed.

Larry, you are an interesting guy, and do ask some great questions, ...and I'm laughing at you response....you obviously have a sense of humor as well. I know that Dennis speaks just as I do....it is what it is......

Like the lawyer that is defending a client who has created an chemical spill with a pH if 11. His lawyer is not familiar with the baseline of neutral at 7.0, so his defense is to say: Your Honor, my client will be able to lower the pH of this spill all the way back to zero, if given time and resources. That obviously creates another problem....perhaps greater that the first. Open mouth, insert FOOT....CHOMP down on said foot. End of story!
Sometimes things are not as they seem, but we will all get along, because that is what life is all about. Enjoy this fine early winter day...and the next 8 or 9 so they say. Be thankful for all you have , and remember to check in on those who aren't so
lucky. Cold is on the right, hot is on the left....and s**t runs down hill. Also, there is NO air adjustment or feed adjustment on AA's or AHS boilers. Don't ask why, just accept it as written.

Z for wind.....damned engineers!!! Yanche....HELP!!!

Whistlenut, I always (OK, mostly always) value your posts, and I see you to be quite an interesting guy as well.

I guess that deserves a 'Thanks, Larry". I get derailed once in a while and like they say about opinions, they are just like a**holes. everyone has one. Actually, some seem to have more, but that situation was well represented last week Tuesday.

Another 4 for the gimp......

Rob R. wrote:Add a Z axis for wind speed, then I will be impressed.

Rob, are you seeing correlation of coal consumption to wind speed?

You can't leave it alone, can you????? Is the next category going to be " IF you noticed an increased consumption in coal as related to the wind speed, is it possible to isolate and graph this relationship.......HOWEVER, we will have 66 more categories about the R value of your exterior insulation; window R and U value, roof pitch...asphalt or metal? Grass or astro-turf in VT I'm pretty sure...... Year constructed, Post and Beam, Stick Frame? Straw Bale Home? Steel frame and siding........
radiant heat? a Hybrid" Wood and or coal heat? Manure pit heat extraction method? ......it has no end..............

Temperature equal, my coal consumption can double if the wind is howling.

lsayre wrote:Based on data I collected all of last season and this season to date, I have charted my anticipated nominal daily coal consumption vs. outside temperature (F.) and also vs. heating degree days. The 'Y axis' is for both daily degree days and daily pounds of coal, and I should have titled it as such. Attached here is the PDF format of my chart.

Good work. Being objective is how things are made better.
I wonder why the two lines are not equally spaced. It seems the colder it gets the stove burns relatively more. It must be that efficiency goes down at some point in the firing rate. You might be able to determine the point of maximum efficiency.

I think the assumption that you can use the same scale for degree days and coal consumption is making it harder to see what the data mean. To me is looks like the coal consumption per degree day goes down as the temperature goes down. Like at 50 degrees around 25 lb gets used for 15 d-d = 1.67 lb/dd, at 5 deg 93 lb gets used for 60 dd = 1.55 lb/dd and at -25 deg 138 lb gets used for 90 dd = 1.53 lb/dd. It looks like running longer to satisfy the heavy loads contributes to slightly greater efficiency relative to the lighter loads, which seems like what should be expected.

Mike

There is a minimum quantity that gets spread out over the degree days...e.g. 20 lbs on an summer day (fire maintenance and DHW). So the greater the heating load, the less coal that is used purely to maintain a fire.

Kind of like your electric bill, which includes a base charge for the meter...the more KWH you use, the cheaper each one works out to be.