Making coal stove more efficient (DVC-500)

I'm heating a 1800 sqft ranch along with 1800sq basement 1/2 finished (walk out part), 1/2 unfinished (below grade). Coal stove is in unfinished part with heat flow up stairs (middle of house) and also through floor. Heat distribution is Great!, we're very comfortable. With temps in the teens & windy I'm burning about 70lbs / 24hrs. Not bad - but.....

I'm thinking of adding foam board insulation on basement walls &

I notice when on a low to medium burn, my exhaust is under 200F but when the stove really gets cranking, temp shoots to 350F at the outside exhaust (direct vent)

I'd like to extract more heat. There is no real heat exchanger on the sides of the stove. I'd like to bolt on some finned aluminum heat sink material & force air through it with a flange mounted blower. (heat sink would mount sandwiched between side cover and stove - about 18x15x1")

Has anyone done this - or know where I can get efficiency figures for the stove ?

thanks
Mark

Hi Mark, one other forum member did that, I think it will work really well for you.

Insulating the basement walls will also help a lot...


Greg L..

BKSaun did it, look in the pics of the stove section under General. About Pg. 8 or 9.

Start here...

http://nepacrossroads.com/viewtopic.php ... &start=105

You can also try one of these(pic. below) They reclaim some of the heat from the exaust a long as temps are above 180*