Please guesstimate how much coal I'll use.
- lsayre
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I'm initially estimating that for 6,850 HDD's if you had a 'Manual J' heat loss calculation taken for your home it would come out at about 20,000 BTUH, which means an appliance delivering 28,000 BTUH (or 1.4 x 'Manual J') as output (ballpark 40,000 BTUH as input) should heat your home on the extreme coldest of days.
From there (using my "Rule of 2.5") I estimate an average hourly need for 16,000 input BTUH (which is 40,000 BTUH divided by 2.5). That is 1.3 Lbs. of coal per average hour, or 31.2 Lbs. of coal per average day.
For 210 days you would therefore burn 6,552 Lbs. of coal per "average" year, or 3.28 tons.
So having 3.5 tons on hand would seem to be prudent. At least until you have some history to go by.
From there (using my "Rule of 2.5") I estimate an average hourly need for 16,000 input BTUH (which is 40,000 BTUH divided by 2.5). That is 1.3 Lbs. of coal per average hour, or 31.2 Lbs. of coal per average day.
For 210 days you would therefore burn 6,552 Lbs. of coal per "average" year, or 3.28 tons.
So having 3.5 tons on hand would seem to be prudent. At least until you have some history to go by.
Last edited by lsayre on Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 8:55 am, edited 3 times in total.
- freetown fred
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Having 4 ton would cover the whole shootin match!!
- lsayre
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Will there be any 'cheating' via the use of other heat sources or fuels which might cut into the calculated 3.28 tons per year?
I missed the parts about the home being well insulated with 2 x 6 studs, and not heating the basement. You may get by with as little as 2.75 tons, particularly if you can live with a T-Stat at 70 degrees. But as for everyone, the annual need will be dependent upon the length and severity of the winter, which is tracked by the regions annual HDD's in conjunction with an aggressive "Manual J" heat loss evaluation. And keeping your T-Stat at 75 degrees is not going to help consumption.
Go here to determine past historical HDD's for your locality:
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/resources/UtilityM ... l/hdd.html
An agressive Manual J heat loss assessment should cost about $150 to perhaps $200. Ask for it to be done aggressively and honestly, else they just may have you heating a small home with a gigantic large home heating appliance.
I missed the parts about the home being well insulated with 2 x 6 studs, and not heating the basement. You may get by with as little as 2.75 tons, particularly if you can live with a T-Stat at 70 degrees. But as for everyone, the annual need will be dependent upon the length and severity of the winter, which is tracked by the regions annual HDD's in conjunction with an aggressive "Manual J" heat loss evaluation. And keeping your T-Stat at 75 degrees is not going to help consumption.
Go here to determine past historical HDD's for your locality:
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/resources/UtilityM ... l/hdd.html
An agressive Manual J heat loss assessment should cost about $150 to perhaps $200. Ask for it to be done aggressively and honestly, else they just may have you heating a small home with a gigantic large home heating appliance.
- lsayre
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Another ballpark way to guess at daily average demand is to presume it will be half of "Manual J".
Sticking with a Manual J heat loss guess of 20,000 BTUH, this calculates as follows:
20,000/2 = 10,000 BTUH output
10,000/0.70 = 14,286 BTUH input
14,286/12,300 = 1.16 Lbs. per hour ~= 27.8 Lbs. per day
27.8 x 210 = 5,838 Lbs. per average season = 2.92 tons
2.92 tons x 1.14 (for 75 degrees vs. 70 degrees on the T-Stat) = 3.33 tons per average season
Sticking with a Manual J heat loss guess of 20,000 BTUH, this calculates as follows:
20,000/2 = 10,000 BTUH output
10,000/0.70 = 14,286 BTUH input
14,286/12,300 = 1.16 Lbs. per hour ~= 27.8 Lbs. per day
27.8 x 210 = 5,838 Lbs. per average season = 2.92 tons
2.92 tons x 1.14 (for 75 degrees vs. 70 degrees on the T-Stat) = 3.33 tons per average season
- Richard S.
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That's an average house in NEPA that does not have 2*6 walls... If the house is well insulated and new(er) windows wouldn't surprise me if he only used 2 but I would get at least three and figure it out from there.
- lsayre
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It's all just guessing until there is a legitimate and aggressive (as in cutting it to the quick) 'Manual J' heat loss assessment. But for the cost of a Manual J assessment, he could buy roughly an extra 2/3 tons of coal. I'd probably just go for the extra coal.
My guess is that if 6 Manual J assessments were made, none of them would be in agreement.
Ah, yee of little faith. (that's me)
My guess is that if 6 Manual J assessments were made, none of them would be in agreement.
Ah, yee of little faith. (that's me)
Last edited by lsayre on Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 7:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Richard S.
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They are estimates Larry but I'm basing it on hundreds of customers and what they used. I had one guy went through more than 20 ton a year in an old farmhouse that couldn't have been more that 1500 sq. ft. Another guy in home that was also about 1500 used 2 and he claimed it provided nearly all the heat for the season.
- lsayre
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I agree! He should be well closer to 2 tons than to 20 tons. But add on some additional coal for being further north, and some additional coal for 75 degrees on the T-Stat....Richard S. wrote: ↑Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 7:14 pmThey are estimates Larry but I'm basing it on hundreds of customers and what they used. I had one guy went through more than 20 ton a year in an old farmhouse that couldn't have been more that 1500 sq. ft. Another guy in home that was also about 1500 used 2 and he claimed it provided nearly all the heat for the season.
- lsayre
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That sounds suspiciously like Freetown Fred.Richard S. wrote: ↑Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 7:14 pmAnother guy in home that was also about 1500 used 2 and he claimed it provided nearly all the heat for the season.
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If the Manual J assessments aren't going to agree with each other, how do you pick the one that is "legitimate"? Isn't it really all just guessing until the OP runs the unit for a season, or some fraction thereof, and we get to take a look at the actual coal use vs degree days?lsayre wrote: ↑Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 6:59 pmIt's all just guessing until there is a legitimate and aggressive (as in cutting it to the quick) 'Manual J' heat loss assessment. But for the cost of a Manual J assessment, he could buy roughly an extra 2/3 tons of coal. I'd probably just go for the extra coal.
My guess is that if 6 Manual J assessments were made, none of them would be in agreement.
Mike
- lsayre
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Yes, and this is precisely why I would spend the money on extra coal instead of a Manual J assessment.Pacowy wrote: ↑Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 7:48 pmIf the Manual J assessments aren't going to agree with each other, how do you pick the one that is "legitimate"? Isn't it really all just guessing until the OP runs the unit for a season, or some fraction thereof, and we get to take a look at the actual coal use vs degree days?
Mike
- 2001Sierra
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He has a better house than mine, heating less space, and we heat the basement, and 13 x 26 foot garage every nite and the house never gets below 70 and I struggle to burn 7000lbs on the coldest of winters. I am still sticking to my 2 tons with 3 tons as a nice buffer.
Don't forget the minor impact of the windowstat days when its really warm enough to not need any heat but its too easy to just let the stoker idle away rather than shut it down and then relight.
When I moved from the hand fed to the stoker I increased my yearly coal usage because of the comparitively easy operation. I started it earlier in the year and ran it later, didn't burn any wood or as much propain in the shoulder months and left it running 99% of the time.
Since it doesn't go 'bad', I'd get 4 ton loose or 3 pallets of bagged and have some left over to start next year.
When I moved from the hand fed to the stoker I increased my yearly coal usage because of the comparitively easy operation. I started it earlier in the year and ran it later, didn't burn any wood or as much propain in the shoulder months and left it running 99% of the time.
Since it doesn't go 'bad', I'd get 4 ton loose or 3 pallets of bagged and have some left over to start next year.
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Get extra it won't go bad...
Get too little...
And you will feel the pain...
Besides weather in the heating season may prevent a top off in feb or mar...
Get too little...
And you will feel the pain...
Besides weather in the heating season may prevent a top off in feb or mar...