Hi everyone,
For the past 18 years heated with a gibralter hand fed wood/coal stove, always used coal. My question is does anyone know how many btus that was rated for? I sold it last year and bought a mag stoker, and the house just doesn't seem as warm. The temp is there, but with the hand fed the floors were warm (stove was in basement). Now with the stoker in the basement it is only 68 degrees, as I piped the heast upstairs, the upstairs is 73. I am 100% sure that it is cause the hand fed radiates heats vs more or less forced air from the mag stoker. I think the mag is an awesome stoker, but would probably work better on the living floor and not in the basement. I actually thought about going back to a hand fed, but am afriad I would be introuble with the wife after just buying this stoker last year
Have a great day, Eric
P.S. sorry I don't have any pics of old stove, I don't even remember what model it was.
Gibralter Hand Fed?
- Poconoeagle
- Member
- Posts: 6397
- Joined: Sat. Nov. 08, 2008 7:26 pm
- Location: Tobyhanna PA
did it look like this?? we painted the "brass" edging on it....
I have the owners manual as well as the sales flyer.
the CFS model, which is above, is rated at 70,000 BTU's as stated and up to 20,000 cu/ft of space
I have the owners manual as well as the sales flyer.
the CFS model, which is above, is rated at 70,000 BTU's as stated and up to 20,000 cu/ft of space
- LsFarm
- Member
- Posts: 7383
- Joined: Sun. Nov. 20, 2005 8:02 pm
- Location: Michigan
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Self-built 'Big Bertha' SS Boiler
- Baseburners & Antiques: Keystone 11, Art Garland
I believe the difference is that you have a duct moving most of the heat upstairs.. Before you had to have the basement quite hot to get the floor above warm enough to heat the main floor. Now the stove is more efficiently heating the main level with the ducted air, so the basement doesn't need to be a sauna.
Greg L
Greg L
- Coalfire
- Member
- Posts: 1029
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 23, 2009 8:28 pm
- Location: Denver, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 96K btu Circulator
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
Hi everyone,
Yes poconoeagle that was the stove I had, thank you for the info.
LS Farm you are right the basement is no longer a sauna. even though the upstairs temp is warmer than it used to be it just doesn't feel like it I guess it is that whole thing if your feet are warm you feel warmer. I guess with the hand fed it warmed up objects rather than the air. The gibralter I doub't was ever at full bore it would have roasted us. now the mag will roast us but it will use alot more coal. I guess the hand feds are better at utilizing the heat, just not very good at temp control, that is one thing about the mag, we don't have to use the window-stats
Thank for the info and have a great day, Eric
Yes poconoeagle that was the stove I had, thank you for the info.
LS Farm you are right the basement is no longer a sauna. even though the upstairs temp is warmer than it used to be it just doesn't feel like it I guess it is that whole thing if your feet are warm you feel warmer. I guess with the hand fed it warmed up objects rather than the air. The gibralter I doub't was ever at full bore it would have roasted us. now the mag will roast us but it will use alot more coal. I guess the hand feds are better at utilizing the heat, just not very good at temp control, that is one thing about the mag, we don't have to use the window-stats
Thank for the info and have a great day, Eric
- 2001Sierra
- Member
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
- Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34
I too am experiencing the same thing with my new Keystoker 90. My daughter says the basement floor is soo much warmer. I believe this is true because our floor tempearture monitor aka CAT no longer sleeps directly in front of the stove. The family room is uniformly warm. I too am turning up the stove to keep the upstairs warmer simply because the family room "basement" is uniformly warm, without a hot spot in one area. My coal consumption is also lower. I purchased coal with some friends thinking 3 tons would be needed. The old hand fed Buderus would go through 2.5 tons if run hard, and the oil Buderus picking up the slack. Now the Keystoker is trying to burn 3000 lbs halfway through the heating season, and the oil Buderus is wondering what is going on. Moving the heated air is the key to success. Also garage is 67 with door opened to family room, and bride NEVER complains about cold draft