Poll for LL Stokers - How Much Coal Are You Burning Per Hour

smokeyCityTeacher · Post by **smokeyCityTeacher** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 6:02 am

List your LL model and estimate how many pound of coal you are burning per hour.
Mention any relevant factors like coal trol temp setting, stoker speed etc.

I'm really surprised reading posts about heating a large house with 15 pounds of coal per day.
It makes me think or MPG reports for cars and how those great numbers always disappear under less than perfect conditions.
For instance, someone who is heating their entire 3,000 sq ft house on 15# per day probably has a super insulated house with outside temperatures of 40 deg.
Id like to hear some reports from folks in my situation. A triple brick uninsulated 140 year old house that is drafty as hell on zero degree days.

Im picking up my new LL this weekend and want some idea of how much I'm going to spend on hard coal.

SmokeyCityTeacher

p.s. not that it matters since im gonna go coal regardless and I'll find out for myself soon enough.

Freddy · Post by **Freddy** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 6:16 am

A friend of mine just bought a LL Pioneer. He put in 100 pounds of coal & fired it off. With the Coaltrol set at 62 degrees (they don't live in the house yet) it went 5 1/2 days. Less than 20 pounds a day to heat that 100 yr old place. But...it hasn't been cold...barely a frost each night and 45 days.

WNY · Post by **WNY** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 7:13 am

However, each home and heating system and usage will be totally different for everyone and each stove had different BTU ratings. What works for one person, may be totally different for someone else.
Also, is the stove located in the living area? Basement? Heat Jacket? etc....

ours is a 1890 Victorian, Insulated, good windows (double pane/low e). 2 Stoves (Hyfire I and Keystoker).
My Coaltrol on the Hyfire runs about min 10 max 48, house temp around 68 with a heat jacket located in the basement.
Around 5-6 Ton/year. I can rip thru 60-80# in a 24hr period when its really cold.
around 2200sq. ft house.

Paulie · Post by **Paulie** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 7:22 am

At full tilt, 99% feed rate, full grate, 65/lbs a day. So, 2.7lbs/hr. That number is loose as 65 lbs is close, could be 60. To be honest
I have not broken out the scale and gone for it. But pretty close none the less.

gambler · Post by **gambler** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 9:53 am

I heat a 2000sqft home that was built in 1995 with good insulation but I have a lot of large windows (bays, trapazoid) and glass doors that face north. For an average of the entire year I consume #40-#45 a day. In the fall and spring I might use #15 a day. In Jan or Feb with below "0" temps I have consumed as much as #87 a day keeping my house at 72 degrees with my stove in my dining room.

spc · Post by **spc** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 10:29 am

About the same usage as Gambler. 1800 sq. ft. house mostly triple brick uninsulated, good windows. Stove is in living room, min 4 max 40, burning Blaschak coal.

cbc6 · Post by **cbc6** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 2:47 pm

i heat a single story ranch w/ full basement ,so total over 1800 sq ft ,as the stove is in the basement. kept the temp set at 75 and last year on the coldest days was burning around 40lbs a day. have never really tried to figure out how much an hour, wife and kid arent screaming they are cold and messing with that evil oil thermostat. this year I have set the temp at 70 hoping to conserve some, and wondering if they will notice. the house was built in 1997 with original doors and windows.