whos runnin a rice burner in their living space?

I bought a LL Pocono and its just all together wrong for my home heating needs where it is currently installed in the basement. I must be high or something but after spending all that money I can't just chalk it up and sell it off for a huge loss. So I was thinking about finding some way to install it in my living area on the first floor, but I don't know how to deal with all the dust from loading the hopper, changing the ash pans, not to mention lugging 2 buckets/ day up from the cellar and the ambient noise or those dual fans

Anyone using a pioneer or similar rice burner in their living area care to share your experiences - tips?

Hello Alex lots of forum members have stoker stoves in their living spaces. Most don't find the fan and stoker noise objectionable.

Did you read this thread?? : http://nepacrossroads.com/viewtopic.php?t=1485

How about this one? : http://nepacrossroads.com/viewtopic.php?t=1465

A similar project installing cold air returns is what appears to be needed with your stove in your unfinished basement.

Since you don't have a lot of time to tinker with your Poconno stove, maybe you should consider having a ductwork installer come over and install a cold air return to the inlet of your stove's distribution blowers, and have these returns draw air from the far end of the house. I'm sure you will find much greater heat output from the stove.

Greg L

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Alex

How much oil/gas were you using before going over to coal? It sounds like your house has a serious air inflitration problem (attic/basement sill) & the stove can't generate enough output to compensate.

I heat 3600ft entirely w/ a DVC-500 in my basement. ( 30X60 ranch 1/2 finished exposed basement) On cold days I get a RUSH of hot air out of the centrally located basement door - the key is not to disrupt the return flow flowing down the basement steps. I also get a cold flow you can feel returning from the finished part. When I first got the stove, I tried getting more heat upstairs with a pedestal fan at the base of the stairs - this wound up messing up the flow & transfering less heat upstairs.
I also tried running my HVAC system - which also disrupted the flow, reduced heat & ate up electricity. My unfinished basement typically runs in the mid 70's on cold days it goes to 81-82 on single digit days.

With that all said, my unit is too noisey for my ears to be in any of the living areas. I do like listening to it stoke though when going to sleep !

Hi Alex,
I hate to have anyone unhappy with my stoves, but they can only do so much. If you would like to try to find a buyer for a one year old stove, I would be more then happy to pass it on to anyone interested. Before you give up on the stove, try and do some of what the people on the forum have been saying about heat exchange. I know we have talked before about heating basement air and then heating the house, just making double work for the same amount of heat. If there's anything I can help you with, please don't be afraid to call or e-mail me.
Jerry

THAT's Customer Service!!

GL

Hi Alex:

I sense that you are somewhat dissatisfied with your stove but, I assure you that perception and attitude are the keys to your contentment!

I have a freestanding coal stove in my living room and I LOVE IT! It keeps my home warm and comfortable, and it is beautiful to look at. After the kids are asleep, I enjoy sitting by the stove and watching the dancing blue flames and the glowing red coals.

Sure, I have plenty of fly ash as well as coal dust about the place but, each time I see the ash or dust, it reminds me how lucky I am to be burning coal. And then I smile at my stove and thank God for those dancing blue flames and those glowing red coals. It really is all in how you choose to look at it.

If you prefer to keep your unit in the basement, I am sure that the gentlemen here will have more than enough good advice for you. Good luck!

John

Thanks everyone - LL Cusomer service is impecable and I have nothing but good things to say about the stove. After thinking about it it just wont work upstairs with the hopper and all.

I may still give it another go with the CA ducts, but money and time are really tight. Im in an intense program at school, I am trying to work at the same time then there is my 5 yo who needs all the extra time I have. I love the idea of using coal - it just needs to a) work and b) make $$$ sense.

I spend about $140-180 month in the winter with gas heat (30K space heater in dining room) I may have a contractor come out and give me an idea of where my air flow problem is and an estimate to install CA returns + any other advice I can get out of him.

Talk to you all soon - I have another test tommorow morning.

Hey Alex, I have a alaska channing 3 in the first level of a two story 1600 sf house and cant say enough good about it. I notice the noise sometimes but it never bothers me...and my wife hasnt said anything about in the 2 years its been running so I know it doesnt bother her. My buddy and I built the hearth to spec for less than 120 bucks(my first ever tiling job) I was worried the first year about my basement but with a few precautions my pipes have never froze. I know everybody's routine is different but mine doesnt leave much ash if any in the house. I open the main door and press the ashes flat in the pan with my trusty dollar store claw hammer, close the door open the ash pan door, pull the pan out with the claw lift the handle up with the claw and take it out and dump it outside, all with the hammer. I get very few ashes on the hearth, I fill the hopper and Im done it all takes about 4 minutes total as soon as I get home. I hope you dont sell the stove but if you do my mother has a crap pellet stove Im looking to replace...oh yeah my only regret was not protecting the wall behind the hopper with some plexiglass or something because I do have a little black coal /wet coal dust on the wall. Good luck with this because natural gas/propane/electricity arent getting any cheaper Jim

I really want to keep the stove - I enjoy the routine of filling and empying. I just need to get this guy to work. I've already spent a bit on the round metal ducts and I need to try some bigger inline fans to get the air upstairs. I would love to put it on the first floor my 30K BTU gas heater heats my old house so this LL Pocono would really crank! but I don't think I can in this house - too damn small the way it is.
I want to get a pro in here because I will end up wasting more money trying to mod the stove, mod the house, buy more ducts, buy more expensive fans etc etc. I need proven solution.

I had the same problem when i first got my mag stoker. I installed it in the basement and no matter what i did i couldn't get enough heat upstairs.I ended up moving the stoker to the first floor and it does a pretty damn good job of heating my whole house.

Alex
It sounds like you are very busy. I think you have a sweet stove and I don’t think you should sell it or give up on it. The prices of everything are going up and when you have time again, you’d probably have to pay a lot more for a new stove.

You won’t be in school forever. Personally I don’t think you should put off your school work to tinker with your stove. It’s important you finish your school work. Under $140-$200/mo to heat your entire home isn’t bad at all, a lot of us are paying double that with our gas/propane/oil furnaces.

I couldn’t image taking on school with work and young kids. You can’t have much time for tinkering. My 3 year old loves to go in my basement and watch me do stuff and “help”. I will be nice when both my kids get bigger where they could help out and comprehend more of what I’m working on, they are fine little too . I would have no time for this kind of fun, if I had to worry about studying.

Going to a pro sounds like a good idea. You can get estimates for free. Have a few hvac guys give you their ideas and thoughts on ductwork. If you had ductwork, you can add central air or a regular furnace, then when you get you big house in the hills when your done with school, you’ll have a higher resale value.

I think the Leasure line Hot Air Jacket would be a great idea, but I don't see where it fits your stove. Maybe show a printout to show your hvac guy, and they could bend something like that up. You will need more air, dual 265 cfm blowers is not enough to get the heat into your entire house. You might want to talk to a stove shop and find who they deal with for running duct (I’m not sure if a stove shop will run duct). Now, don’t be surprised if you have to go to a handy man or a stovetop to get the stove tied into the ductwork. You have a coal stove, not a coal furnace and no one wants to be liability for screwing up, because screw ups can be very bad. You can bring their ideas in what you have learned from the coal forum, a few estimates, and make an educated decision on where to go next.

Good luck. Send pictures
..kid

Alex,
We do make a hot air jacket for the Pocono, cost is $200.00 at our factory outlet. We come out of the top with a 12" or 14" ring to tie into your duct work or runs. It is a much better set-up then a duct top on the stove. The jacket will capture about 80% of the stove heat. If I remember correctly, you have a duct top on the stove. If it is a factory duct top, I will give you a $35.00 credit toward the jacket to return it.
Jerry

Just got home - had class from 8:30 - 4:00 its beer thirty
Jerry is it? My Leisure Line has an opening accross the entire front of the
stove - I wish I bought the 12" duct on top model - None of the posts I read prior to purchase made me think I would need a duct out put and no one at the shop would have thought to ask me based on the questions I had for them.
So ho do I proceed from here. Will my model work with the hotair jacket or not?

I suppose the question for everyone else is - it will work provided I do all the other things;
cold air return to stove intake
bigger fans to 1st floor
etc etc

I love the stove and I really want it to work out - thanks again for all the help.

I had a pellet stove in the basement many years ago. Wanted to heat the upstairs. Wasnt going to happen. Didnt have any heat exchange tubes, just a holow air space arount the main firebox. So I cut a hole in the top of the stove, installed a flue collar and plugged up the front air outlets with a piece of sheet metal. Bingo! Instant "duct top".