antique coal water heater
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- Member
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Thu. Nov. 23, 2017 3:11 pm
- Location: NW PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: DS AquaGem 1100
- Coal Size/Type: Blaschak bulk pea/nut
- Other Heating: LP Boiler
Hi everyone.
I'm thinking about going to take a look at this.....only asking $85.00 and it's about 30 minutes away. I was looking at the new DS Bucket-a-Day heaters but if this unit is functional and worth fixing up....hard to beat the price.
What do you guys think?
https://erie.craigslist.org/for/d/antique-coal-wa ... 22448.html
I'm thinking about going to take a look at this.....only asking $85.00 and it's about 30 minutes away. I was looking at the new DS Bucket-a-Day heaters but if this unit is functional and worth fixing up....hard to beat the price.
What do you guys think?
https://erie.craigslist.org/for/d/antique-coal-wa ... 22448.html
- 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
I think it'd be a fun project. I wonder if I could use one of those for a pool heater in the summer time. Hmmm lol. That would be neato!
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- Member
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Thu. Nov. 23, 2017 3:11 pm
- Location: NW PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: DS AquaGem 1100
- Coal Size/Type: Blaschak bulk pea/nut
- Other Heating: LP Boiler
I called the guy who posted it and it's still available. I'm going to go over with my buddy and check it out. Hard to beat the price....
- michaelanthony
- Member
- Posts: 4550
- Joined: Sat. Nov. 22, 2008 10:42 pm
- Location: millinocket,me.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant 2310, gold marc box stove
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Gold Marc Independence
- Baseburners & Antiques: Home Sparkle 12
- Coal Size/Type: 'nut
- Other Heating: Fujitsu mini split, FHA oil furnace
Perform a pressure test first, (compressed air), things that go boom in the night...many of this style water heater sat on a dirt floor and a the ash pit had no bottom.
- StokerDon
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- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
If the grates are good and the pressure vessel isn't cracked it will work fine. Reverend Larry has used a similar stove to heat his oil boiler. It works well. It is small so, it has it's limits. I think the pool idea is way beyond it's limits.
By the way, I would never test a pressure vessel with compressed air, especially a cast iron one. You pressure test with water. Air compresses, meaning that if the vessel fails, the air will expand down to atmospheric pressure. That's the same thing as an explosion. Broken cast iron makes great shrapnel.
Be careful,
-Don
By the way, I would never test a pressure vessel with compressed air, especially a cast iron one. You pressure test with water. Air compresses, meaning that if the vessel fails, the air will expand down to atmospheric pressure. That's the same thing as an explosion. Broken cast iron makes great shrapnel.
Be careful,
-Don
- McGiever
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- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
What ever you do, don't ever 'dry' fire it and it's mandatory to plumb in a 30# PRV.
Very hot water under extreme pressure bursting through cast iron ain't any fun either...flashes to steam instantly.
Very hot water under extreme pressure bursting through cast iron ain't any fun either...flashes to steam instantly.
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
These are called bucket a day stoves because the use one coal bucket per day, about 15 pounds or so would be my guess.
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
- BunkerdCaddis
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- Location: SW Lancaster County
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
- Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
- Other Heating: oil fired hydronic
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- Member
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Thu. Nov. 23, 2017 3:11 pm
- Location: NW PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: DS AquaGem 1100
- Coal Size/Type: Blaschak bulk pea/nut
- Other Heating: LP Boiler
It was a dud. As soon as I looked at it, I could see a crack in the pressure vessel.
Oh well, I'll keep my eye on Craigslist. I also found a couple of DS retailers that sell the new "bucket a day" units.....but they're about $1,200. Still much better than a full boiler. They also have a larger model that is about 100,000 BTUH -- that would be more practical for me.
Oh well, I'll keep my eye on Craigslist. I also found a couple of DS retailers that sell the new "bucket a day" units.....but they're about $1,200. Still much better than a full boiler. They also have a larger model that is about 100,000 BTUH -- that would be more practical for me.
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- Posts: 178
- Joined: Thu. Aug. 06, 2009 9:06 pm
- Location: n central PA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 350 with an S-20 pot (1966)
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
I remember my relative as a child growing up had a unit like this they called it a "Johnny Stove" It used pea coal and it sat up on a piece of concrete so that it was about waist level. This heated domestic hot water. All cast iron.
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- Location: Dalton, MA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: H.B. Smith 350 Mills boiler/EFM 85R stoker
- Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/anthracite
I would think all of these units would have very limited heat exchange surfaces relative to a conventional boiler.
Mike
Mike