Efficiency of a Stoker Stove Vs. a Hand Fired Stove

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:59 pm

lsayre wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:55 pm

hotblast1357 wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:34 pm
All your baseburner is doing is maintaining a fire.

His boiler was in fact heating his house during this time just like your stove is at idle.

Same difference.

Can you get your baseburner to burn 12 pounds or less for a solid week straight without any fire issues or tending issues? Oh and also do not touch it for the entire week lol
My T-Stats were off, and no one was home. The boiler was only firing to maintain internal temperature. Without the fan coming on occasionally it would have burned out.

Yes and with the boiler at idle radiating heat heating your home to a extent let you completely shut off your t stats. U where still heating the house.

This is the point im trying to prove to others, these stokers as long as in the house are still heating the home even if the t stat isn’t calling for heat!

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:01 pm

scalabro wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:45 pm

Rob R. wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:35 pm
I can't speak for the small stoker stoves, but my EFM burns about 15 lbs per day to keep 800 lbs of steel and 40 gallons of water at about 170 degrees. Add another 5-7 lbs depending how much DHW we use.

I once figured out how much electric it used. I think it was about $2 per month when just producing DHW. If you want to split hairs, some the electric turns into heat via the motor, but I have no idea how much.

Anyway - like I said earlier, most people choose one or the other for reasons other than efficiency...and some lose sight of the difference between efficiency and economy.

Go with what makes you happy.
With all do Rob... thank you for proving my point. You burn "15 lbs a day" just to keep "800 pounds of steel and 40 gallons of water 170*"

Yep. That is why I no longer run the boiler in the summer. It makes my basement pretty warm and does not save me any $ at current fuel prices.

This time of year is a different story, for 22-25 lbs per day it makes all the DHW a family of 4 can use, keeps the basement warm and dry (no more dehumidifier), and handles a few heat calls to various parts of the house. I am currently going one week on an ash tub, so it is very convenient...for $3 per day. Works good for me.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:02 pm

scalabro wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:52 pm

hotblast1357 wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:48 pm
You do know we can shut off a stoker if we don’t need heat also right???

Lmao like I said before, Larry was in fact heating his house with his 12 pound per day consumption.

And rob is using only 15 pounds per day to heat his house also when only a light amount of radiant heat is needed!
There is no way anyone heats anything other than a doghouse on 12-15 lbs a day ... especially in the middle of winter...

NOW you are bringing up heating in the middle of winter?!

Ok so you tell me your baseburner can heat every room and square foot of your home to an equal set temperature??? Oh and your domestic water??

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:04 pm

Guys, the idea is to have an intelligent and professional discussion about different ways of burning coal. Please keep that in mind.

scalabro · Post by **scalabro** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:10 pm

hotblast1357 wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:02 pm

scalabro wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 1:52 pm

There is no way anyone heats anything other than a doghouse on 12-15 lbs a day ... especially in the middle of winter...

NOW you are bringing up heating in the middle of winter?!

Ok so you tell me your baseburner can heat every room and square foot of your home to an equal set temperature??? Oh and your domestic water??

Ah, no I'm saying you can't heat anything bigger than a doghouse on 15 lbs a day and Larry confirmed it.

An idling stoker wastes coal.

And nope, your correct it can't do DHW.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:10 pm

Scalabro, the only way you can compare your baseburner to anything, is if you get a stoker stove the same rating, and run it in the same spot too the same chimney, under the same weather conditions.

I have ran a baseburner in the old house, but I cannot do this comparison as my stoker boiler is in a remote building.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:12 pm

Unfortunately no one here on this forum can answer this post accurately and correctly until they run both in the same conditions, and then good luck with that person being unbiased anyways!

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:12 pm

Central heating vs. space heating is a different discussion altogether, and we've had it before.

Stoves or Central Heat? Boilers Vs. Furnaces

scalabro · Post by **scalabro** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:16 pm

hotblast1357 wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:10 pm
Scalabro, the only way you can compare your baseburner to anything, is if you get a stoker stove the same rating, and run it in the same spot too the same chimney, under the same weather conditions.

I have ran a baseburner in the old house, but I cannot do this comparison as my stoker boiler is in a remote building.

No.

Again NO.

Efficiency must be determined by how much BTU delivered to a "load" (if you will) an appliance can make per pound of coal burned. It's my statement that an idiling stoker is LESS efficient at converting coal into heat than a hand fired.

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:18 pm

Rob R. wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:12 pm
Central heating vs. space heating is a different discussion altogether, and we've had it before.

Stoves or Central Heat? Boilers Vs. Furnaces

Absolutely.

I ran a baseburner in the garage and the hotblast furnace at my previous house, the next winter I installed a hand fired boiler, heated my house, the garage, and my dhw and used less coal, with both winters being about the same conditions, Who knows what would of happened if I put a stoker in that house??

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:20 pm

scalabro wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:16 pm

hotblast1357 wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:10 pm
Scalabro, the only way you can compare your baseburner to anything, is if you get a stoker stove the same rating, and run it in the same spot too the same chimney, under the same weather conditions.

I have ran a baseburner in the old house, but I cannot do this comparison as my stoker boiler is in a remote building.
No.

Again NO.

Efficiency must be determined by how much BTU delivered to a "load" (if you will) an appliance can make per pound of coal burned. It's my statement that an idiling stoker is LESS efficient at converting coal into heat than a hand fired.

What if your stack temp is higher in your baseburner than in my stoker??? Then your sending more heat outside period!

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:20 pm

What if your stoker puts more coal in the ash tub?

(I am starting to have fun with this)

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:21 pm

Scalable what kind of data do you have on the coldest days of winter? How much coal you burned? What each and every room temperature is? Stack temperature?

hotblast1357 · Post by **hotblast1357** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:22 pm

Rob R. wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:20 pm
What if your stoker puts more coal in the ash tub?

(I am starting to have fun with this)

What if you can’t tell how much coal is going in the ash pan of a hand fired due to it being ground up through the grates?

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:24 pm

Call Larry. I think he does chemical analysis on his ash.