Advice Needed

I am going to purchase an anthracite stove. I am considering a handfired unit but have been told by some that their are a lot of problems associated with them and that I should purchase an automatic stoker type.
I would appreciate any advice that anyone could share with me.

I don't know what you mean by problems, they aren't a "problem" but do require more attention than a stoker and may take a while to get accustomed too. Stoker pretty much does everthing for you except take the ashes out...

Hello Dixie, welome to the forum.

As Richard said above, a hand load stove requires more attention than a stoker fed stove. It is also less adjustable and flexible in heat output.

What is the size of your house, the location where you want to place the stove, who will be tending to the stove etc??. The more information you can give us, the better we can answer your request for advice.

A hand load stove is going to create an almost fixed amount of heat. You can only reduce the heat so much. But with a stoker, the stove can usually put out as low as 5000BTUs up to 90,000BTUs. This would allow you to burn coal comfortably during warm spells and still have plenty of heat for cold weather.

Also, you can add a sophisticated digital thermostat/controller to a stoker to make it's operation much more automatic.

Let us know as much as you can about your needs and desires and we'll try to help.

Take care, Greg L

also may want to check what type of coal is available in your area. where i am there is only one dealer that sells pea or rice with in 50-60 miles,my nut coal supplier(what you use for hand fired),is only a mile and a half away.what i like about my hand fed stove is i dont need electricity to operate it,and i dont have to tend it as often as i did when i burnt wood.to me,tending it is actually enjoyable.

Pea coal can be used in most in most hand fired stoves.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR ADVICE.
OUR HOUSE IS SINGLE STORY WITH A FINISHED BASEMENT, APPROXIMATELY 1800 TO 1900 TOTAL SQ. FT. FOR BOTH FLOORS.
I AM CONSIDERING PUTTING SOMETHING LIKE A HARMAN TLC-2000 IN THE BASEMENT, HOPING THAT, IN ADDITION TO HEATING THE BASEMENT, BY LEAVING THE BASEMENT DOOR OPEN, ENOUGH HEAT WILL MAKE IT UPSTAIRS TO ENABLE US TO CUT OR EVEN
ELIMINATE USAGE OF OUR FORCED AIR NATURAL GAS FURNACE.

DONT HAVE A CHIMNEY SO WILL HAVE TO INSTALL ONE ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE HOUSE. WAS TOLD THAT I SHOULD USE 6" TRIPLE WALL STN. STEEL PIPE FOR THIS.

THERE IS AN ANTHRACITE SUPPLIER ABOUT 4 MILES FROM ME.


IS THE ABOVE A GOOD APPLICATION OR WOULD A STOKER BE A BETTER CHOICE?

THANKS AGAIN
DIXIE

Dixie,

Get a stove that you can tie into your exisiting duct work. the harman magnum is a good choice

Jim... Do you have one of the Harman Magnum anthracite stoves? And if so how do you lkie it.

The choice between a stoker or hand-fired stove IMO is really about budget. If you have the money for a stoker by all means purchase one, they are much easier to operate. Bear in mind a hand fired unit is going to require attention at least twice a day, stokers on the other hand are only limited by the amount of coal the hopper holds and/or how much ash they can hold. Depending on the model and how fast you have it running you'll only need to attend to it at most once a day but most likely every 2-3 days.

Besides the cost the only benefit a hand-fired has over a stoker is you don't need electricity to generate heat... you're only concern there is if you live in an area where power failures can be long.

One thing I do get a lot is people such as yourself with the intention of providing supplemental heat that have purchased smaller units such as the one you are looking at and wish they had purchased the next one up. If you get one that ties into the existing duct work or however you distribute the heat you're basically looking at the cost of the unit alone, with a 100,000+ BTU unit you could heat the entire house with about 4-5 tons of coal a year. It will pay for itself in 2 or 3 years.

As far as specific recommendations on specific models it's funny cause you won't find anyone that is going to say "xxxx product is piece of junk". All the major lines (Leisure Line, Harman, Keystoker...etc) are well made and you won't find many unhappy customers if any, unfortunately very few will be able to give you any advice on different models since most have experience with only one.

hey dixie,i have a harman mark3 now,i did have a tlc2000 and was unhappy with it.i am using it in the same application as you mentioned,in my basement,heating a ranch.the tlc design seems more for a living room type arrangment.it would heat ok down to about 25 degrees,colder than that it wouldnt do it.my mark3 pumps out the heat big time. there is a guy named easy ray on here that has a tlc....i havnt chatted with him since it got colder to see if he still likes his.the tlc is also rated for wood...i find the mark3 burns coal more efficiently,with more heat output.i am very lucky in that my dealer give me full purchase price plus tax for my tlc in trade for the mark3.i hope this helps...good luck

Hi Dixie;
I've had a Temp Coal II hand fired stove that I used for 30+ years. I was going to have to spend some money on some replacement parts and I couldn't find what I wanted.
My wife and I decided to spend the money on a new stove that was more appealing to the eyes, so I bought a TLC 2000 with the optional blower.
We have about the same square footage as you, also with a finished basement.
So far this year I think the coldest its been is about 25, so I don't know how it will be when it gets down in the teens or lower. I would definitely get a blower with it.
I have a ceiling fan at the top of my basement stairs and we leave the basement door open. We also have one duct with a fan to the living room. My house is all electric and I put that duct in a long time ago. I have only used the fans 3 or 4 times so far this year. I usually try to keep the blower on low just to move the air, except when its in the upper 30's or higher.

We got this stove because its a top loader but find I use the glass door to load it up now.
I like the option to burn wood but have only done it to start the stove. I guess I'm paranoid about having options.
I tend my stove twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night and if the power goes out and I'm not at home I still have heat. I just show my wife how to give it a little more air to keep her comfortable.

I have no experience with the Mark series but so far my TLC has been ok. I'll be able to give you a better idea when we do get some real winter weather.

I think the most important part of burning coal is good draft. I built a clay lined chimney many years ago.

(Edit) I've only burned 23 bags between Dec. 15 until today Jan. 15. Thats 920 lbs. Thats about 30.6 lbs a day.

Regards, Ray

NEPAForum Admin wrote:If you have the money for a stoker by all means purchase one, they are much easier to operate.

Hmmmm....
I dunno.
I wander into the Stoker forum board and always see you guys trying to figure out how many dots to show, flue temps, stove temps, barometric isotoneric estasticized draw from the chimney, fire fans...or no fire fans, boogers clog the auger, coal-trol, Dr. Seuss like duct work sprouting from them, etc.....



Granted....I'm just being silly. But I wouldn't go so far as claiming stokers are MUCH easier to operate!

Hey! I resemble that remark!

But Gary, the stoker guys also get to wear the pin striped train hats, thats the part I want. Thats why I'm converting mine to a stoker.

True but most people have little trouble with them especially after using them for a while. I really have no experience with the smaller units, furnaces only.