I live in Mass so coal is not as cheap as some area's. So far I manage to keep my hand fed vermont castings going up to 4 days but it then is too full of ash and smothers out, I try carfull shake down and slicing but no luck. But it keep the basement and first floor warm. I might try just one day fires and se how that goes.Coalfire wrote:Chances are the price of that coal will not change much in the next ten years, however it is likely that the propain will fluctuate wildly for the next ten years. Where is your general location, just trying to get a handle on your fuel costs.duramax wrote: If I get propane at $3 per gallon and coal at $270 per ton I wonder if I am going to end up like the guy in the video wondering if I saved anything.
Eric
Wood Coal Boilers
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- New Member
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 25, 2014 4:10 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: vermont castings Vigilant 2
- Coal Size/Type: nut anthracite
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- New Member
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 25, 2014 4:10 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: vermont castings Vigilant 2
- Coal Size/Type: nut anthracite
Good to know that Harman makes one. I need to visit a house down the road to see what he thinks of his outddor boiler now that it has been a couple of years.J F Graham wrote:Duramax, Welcome! I can relate to where you're coming from. I too was a long time wood burner that just last year switched primarily to coal. However I too wanted a unit that was rated for both; just in case. I did my research and bought the Harman SF-160, it is classified as dual fuel. This is an indoor boiler that is plumbed in tandem to my oil burner; and takes care of all baseboard & domestic needs while burning coal. It does ok on wood, but tending times are much more frequent. To describe the wood aspect a little better, it burns the same as any older pre baffle or pre modern woodstove. In our hunting camp we have an older all nighter with 2 spinner knobs on the door just as does the Harman. And both units perform about the same with just an MPD. The trick with burning wood, I found, was that in order to get through the night, I had to disengage the auto aqua stat and just us the spinner knobs on the door, to keep it at idle. This is a double edge sword. As towards morning the oil would have to kick on here and there to maintain temp, But at least I had coals in the morning for a fresh fire. The only other dual fuel boiler that I am aware of is the DS Aqua Gem, which operates much the same as the Harman. Do as you wish, but as shadows get longer, you will come more and more to appreciate the benefits of coal. Hope this helps.
Jim
- windyhill4.2
- Member
- Posts: 6072
- Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
- Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
- Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both
duramax, the fact is no matter what fuel you are going to burn,an indoor boiler is more efficient,less work,the heat that is radiated off an outdoor unit is lost.... an indoor unit's heat that is radiated off will bless you with warmer floors,IF you have a basement,we don't. When I read J F Graham's quote..." When the shadows get longer" I interpret that to the following...... when the shadows of life get longer(as we age)you will appreciate the much less work involved with a coal burner than a wood burner & ESPECIALLY an OWB with it's work load. You haven't yet filled in your profile to include the area you live in or your age,but TRUST me when I say that over the age of 50 an OWB is TOO much work. Think of it like this,an indoor wood stove is lots of work,now multiply that by at least 2 times that for the OWB & then there is the out in the weather factor. Where where you this past Jan. when we would gladly have left you tend to the OWB ????
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- Member
- Posts: 1503
- Joined: Mon. Dec. 16, 2013 1:48 pm
- Location: somewhere high in the catskill mountains
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: harman sf 160
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: wood parlor stove
Duramax, If you have a basement, do yourself a big favor. Check our the Harman SF-160 boilers and the DS Machine Aqua Gem 1100 boiler. Both are dual fuel so you can burn all the wood you want; and when that finally gets old, and it will, you can then burn coal. The Harman site is now http://www.legacystoves.com And the best place to check out the DS stoves is http://www.messickstoves.com
Jim
Jim
- coaledsweat
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 13768
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 2:05 pm
- Location: Guilford, Connecticut
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
- Coal Size/Type: Pea
Please report your fndings!duramax wrote:I need to visit a house down the road to see what he thinks of his outddor boiler now that it has been a couple of years.
- artbaldoni
- Member
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Sun. Feb. 02, 2014 7:46 am
- Location: Newville, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Alaska Kodiak
- Other Heating: O W/C B
You guys are starting to hurt my feeling...I only have one left!
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14669
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
My neighbor had a monster OWB. A couple years ago he was hurt in a vehicle accident. The chunks of wood were too big for him or his wife to feed it. For a whole winter (last year) they had to pay someone to come feed the OWB at least 2 sometimes 3 times a day. They ended up selling the OWB to return to fuel oil. This year they asked us not to buy gifts for their children (since their kids and our kids are elementary school friends) for Christmas since they couldn't afford to do the same in return, not that we would expect them to...
Just some food for thought.....
Just some food for thought.....
You might look into portage and main wood and coal boiler,I purchased a BL28-40 Portage and Main in
Sept 2014. I am heating a 2500sq tri leve with dhw. this boiler has shaker grates and a blower that blows air on top of flame as well as under grates. I burn anthracite coal that is in 40 lbs bags, it burns coal really good, very well. I am well pleased with stove performance. Something to look into. They have a larger unite as well.
Sept 2014. I am heating a 2500sq tri leve with dhw. this boiler has shaker grates and a blower that blows air on top of flame as well as under grates. I burn anthracite coal that is in 40 lbs bags, it burns coal really good, very well. I am well pleased with stove performance. Something to look into. They have a larger unite as well.
- windyhill4.2
- Member
- Posts: 6072
- Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
- Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
- Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both
coal heat , please pm me 8-10 yrs from now and update me on how much you like your OWB,after you have replaced a blower at 3 a/m with the outdoor temp @ -20*,35 mph wind,blowing snow. The model you referred to does seem to be a decently made unit,it is not a boiler tho so you must keep after the water treatment religiously . The grates look ok,but not a great set up with the sloped walls.
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- Verified Business Rep.
- Posts: 207
- Joined: Wed. Aug. 26, 2015 6:43 pm
- Location: Belleville, New York
- Stoker Coal Boiler: DS Machines. Keystoker
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: DS Machines Aqua Gem
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Koker 160
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Anthra Glo
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Anthramax Comfort Max
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: DS Kozy King
- Coal Size/Type: Nut, Rice and Stove
- Other Heating: Gas and pellet stoves
- Contact:
That video was funny, but the guy had it coming. Why would you put it so far from your house to begin with no enclosure, lol?
I live in an area that can get 20 feet of snow per winter. That thing would have been buried in early January. Up here, with outdoor burners people build enclosures for them that contain the unit and the wood. If they have wood/coal boilers they usually put them in their garages. The older units were built to eat wood and throw heat with no efficiency. Some of the newer ones have reburn systems and can get close to 80 percent efficiency.
I live in an area that can get 20 feet of snow per winter. That thing would have been buried in early January. Up here, with outdoor burners people build enclosures for them that contain the unit and the wood. If they have wood/coal boilers they usually put them in their garages. The older units were built to eat wood and throw heat with no efficiency. Some of the newer ones have reburn systems and can get close to 80 percent efficiency.
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- New Member
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 25, 2014 4:10 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: vermont castings Vigilant 2
- Coal Size/Type: nut anthracite
He loves it, nothing bad to say. I ended up getting a Central Boiler OWB. It has a 90% efficiency and heats up quickly. Yea I had it going to break it in and bleed in the water, after that we used the hot water to wash everything and ran the Jacuzzi. The furnace is a new EPA gasser model, it burns it's smoke in a reaction chamber over 1000*. We placed ours near the house right off the driveway with 2 cord on the pad and more to be stored on skids. I'll still use coal to heat the basement. The Peoples Republic Of Massachusetts will probably try to ban coal anyhow.coaledsweat wrote:Please report your fndings!duramax wrote:I need to visit a house down the road to see what he thinks of his outddor boiler now that it has been a couple of years.
- windyhill4.2
- Member
- Posts: 6072
- Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
- Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
- Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both
Remember to mark this on your 8 yr calendarwindyhill4.2 wrote: please pm me 8-10 yrs from now and update me on how much you like your OWB,after you have replaced a blower at 3 a/m with the outdoor temp @ -20*,35 mph wind,blowing snow. .
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- Member
- Posts: 8601
- Joined: Sat. May. 24, 2008 4:26 pm
- Location: Chester, NY
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL AnthraKing 180K, Pocono110K,KStokr 90K, DVC
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Invader 2
- Baseburners & Antiques: Wings Best, Glenwood #8(x2) Herald 116x
- Coal Size/Type: Rice,
- Other Heating: Heating Oil CH, Toyotomi OM 22
No they won't ban coal, funny how we justify our decisions. Get a Glenwood #6 cranking in the basement and with luck you will not have to even turn the OWB on.vI'll still use coal to heat the basement. The Peoples Republic Of Massachusetts will probably try to ban coal anyhow.
This man has one in his basement.
If it's never been turned on it will get a better resale price. Biased? Of course! What did you expect this is a coal board.