Need Advice So I Can Make a Choice in Furnaces

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joeker
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Post by joeker » Tue. Oct. 20, 2009 11:27 pm

I am having a hard time makeing a choice need some advice...

i am trying to select a rice coal furnace I have approx. 4,000 sq feet of open space im trying to heat I am currently heating this space with 2 -90,000 BTU reznor inefficiant gas furnaces. I am trying to select a furnace to freestand on the floor that will accomplish this task. iam down to two choices the hyfire 2 or the alaska 140. If anyone has another I am all ears..
thanks

 
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SMITTY
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Posts: 12520
Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: West-Central Mass
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler

Post by SMITTY » Tue. Oct. 20, 2009 11:34 pm

I think there are some members here who have both those units. I searched but found some unfamiliar names which were dual or tri-fuel .... better to have just straight coal burning unit. From what I've been reading, that Hyfire II is an outstanding unit. 2 burners are better than one. 8-)

 
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WNY
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Joined: Mon. Nov. 14, 2005 8:40 am
Location: Cuba, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90K, Leisure Line Hyfire I
Coal Size/Type: Rice
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Post by WNY » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 7:04 am

Keystoker Koker and/or A-XXX furnaces are also a good units. The Hyfire 2 you will have to get a heat jacket (or fab one up), I think the Alaska & Koker are already setup to work like a furnace.

YOu also need to know if you are going to use your existing furnace blower or the stove blowers, some have better blowers (Higher CFM) then others.

Do you have forced air or a hot water boiler currently?

 
WARM AS TOAST
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Location: Hazleton, Pa
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Andersen AA130-M

Post by WARM AS TOAST » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 9:07 am

Have a Hy-Fire I for several years. Great stoker!!! Shroud is available as an option. Great people to deal with. Always available to help with any problems or questions. The two grates or feeders make this a very economical stoker. There are other really good stokers out there but my experience has been with LL and I highly recommend the company and its products.

Al


 
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wlape3
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Posts: 2553
Joined: Mon. Jan. 12, 2009 7:38 pm
Location: Delanson, NY transitioning to SE Mass
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska 140 Auger
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Propane

Post by wlape3 » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 9:50 am

I have the 140 auger feed. The attraction with this unit is it comes from the factory with it'a own heat jacket. It also comes in two configurations. The auger feed model which has one burner but a wide range of heat settings and the paddle feed model which comes with 1 or 2 burners. Both have their advantages. I went with the auger feed because the local rep said it was a better design with less maintenance needed and fewer problems. What I have found out is the unit does work well and gives me a good burn. You can put up to 250 lbs in the hopper which will run most of the week with the weather we are having right now. The ash bin is large but I would recommend getting another one for ease of use. This way you just swap out the old one with the new one and the old one has time to cool off a little before you dispose of the ash. The feed controls also work well. There is a high fire setting for when the thermostat is calling for heat and a low fire setting for idle. You need to experiment with the lower setting to find the one that works best for you. Mine is just above 1 which saves on fuel but still feeds enouh to keep the fire going during long idle periods. You can also adjust the burn air flow with the provided reostat. Reducing thiis will allow you to go even lower on the low fire setting.

The disadvantages are the unit is very sensitive to coal quality. Large pieces of coal and small rocks will jam the auger and cause the fire to go out. The repair is easy but you have to scoop out all of the coal in the hopper first and then pull out the auger. This is all it usually takes to fix it and the motor is tough enough to take the occaisional jam. It also does not like too much moisture. If your coal is too wet then moisture will build up in the hopper and will cause corrosion and sulfur odors. You can porevent most of this by painting the inside of the hopper with some kind of paint or coating. The hopper doesn't get very hot due to the jacket on the unit so you don't have to worry too much about high temperatures in the hopper. You also want to seal the bottm part of the hopper or water will run out on the floor. One thing I have found will work well is drain the coal as much as possible before feeding it and then running with the hopper open for at least a couple of hours to give it time to dry it out. The problem with this is you need to fill up the hopper at least half full to prevent any odors from getting into the room and you need to jumper out the safety which comes with the unit requiring the hopper to be closed for stove operation. If your coal is dry to begin with you won't have any of these problems. Bulk coal is probably best for this as long as it is in a relatively dry place. The next best is to buy coal in woven bags which will breathe and dry out more easily. The worst is the plastic bags because they don't breathe at all.

When using bagged coal I poke hole in the bottom of the bag and let it drain for a day or more. With woven bags this is usually all it takes and you can probably run with the hopper closed all the time, especially if it is painted or coated. I am going to start using the double bucket technique to see if this will finish drying out the plastic bag coal enough to keep it from building moisture in the hopper.

My experience with coal brands is Kimmels is very good for this unit. It is relatively dry coming out of the breaker and has very little in the way of rocks or large coal pieces. Some of the other brands are ok too if they come in woven bags. Blaschak is one of the worst because of a high amount of rocks and off-size coal. It is also very wet. Several people have told me the quality has improved since I first bought this coal so I am trying it again this season. It does burn well but is still very wet. Draining it for over a week doesn't seem to help much. It's too easy for the water to pool in unexpected places in the plastic bags. Probably need to rotate them a few times or use the double bucket technique. So far no plugs.

Will

 
joeker
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Post by joeker » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 2:55 pm

i have no duct work im going to leave it free stand on the floor and let it blow from the front of the furnace.
will these stokers heat 4,00 sq ft of wide open area?

 
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wlape3
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Joined: Mon. Jan. 12, 2009 7:38 pm
Location: Delanson, NY transitioning to SE Mass
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska 140 Auger
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Propane

Post by wlape3 » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 3:11 pm

Probably. You may need some ceiling fans and another fan or two to circulate it in the open space. My 140 auger heats a 2550 sqft house and a 1275 sqft basement with no strain at all. Most of the time I barely run it at 50-60%. On really cold days I will raise the high fire up to 7 or 8 to give it a chance to catch up and then reduce back to 5 or 6.

If you are not going to need a heat jacket then the Hyfire II maybe a better choice. I was pretty impressed with their literature when I was shopping around. The design seemed pretty solid. What made me chose the Alaska 140 auger was that it was designed with it's own heat jacket. The Hyfires seemed like an afterthought. In the past I used a hand fed natural convection stove to heat a 2200 sqft colonial with the aid of a few celing fans. Of course that was in the Reading, PA area where the winters are much more forgiving.

Will

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