keystoker hand fired

ron54, with your father being an electical contractor, he can fix you up with a autostart generator system that DISCONNECTS your electric heat during a power outage, leaving you with power for everything else, the well, the lights, the fridge, and a stoker stove if you buy one. This size of generator is about a 5-8Kw unit NOT a 30KW unit.

Go look at the stokers at the dealer tomorrow, you will like them. An Econo will be more than enough to keep your well insulated house warm in zero degree weather.

I don't know why you say a stoker has to have a power vent, they can be hooked up to a regular chimney or a power vent. If you install a power supply with a generator back up, I'd recommend using a power vent so you don't have the 'ugly issues' of the chimney on the back of the house and the expense of the chimney.

I'm surprised with your frequent power outages that you haven't already got a backup generator. MANY so called portable generators are electric start and can be wired into an auto start control that auto disconnects the high draw items like your electric heat.

You have had a lot of good advice here from a lot of members who have experience in doing what you are trying to do . They have been down the same road and are trying to smooth your way. So you don't hit the same bumps in the road that they did.

Greg L

ron54 When I talked to my dealer last year about putting a 20k in with auto transfer switch plus a 20 circuit panel to run what i wanted to run it was 3000 for 30k plus 1200 or 1500 for trans and panel depending what panel that i wanted It also came with a pad to put the 20k on a 100lb tank would be all you would need you can rent or buy them All that anyone here is trying to do is help you to make the right and safes way to go Good luck on whatever you go with

I noticed that Harmon is now offering a battery backup system with its equipment--but it looks like it could be used with any stove.

http://www.harmanstoves.com/pdf/manuals ... BackUp.pdf

I bought a kerosene heater a few years back that I never used as I'm afraid my kat would accidently know it over, plus I would only use it if I was home.[/quote]

We used a kero for years, but I only use it in the cellar now, the cost of kero went way up, plus the smell and soot that always accumulated ion the ceilings got annoying. It's good to have for emergencies. I would never leave the home or sleep with it lit.

I have the oil central hot air system, 1 wood stove insert, the Harman, and a Empire direct vent propane furnace in the kitchen (that I use as little as possible--$$$$$$). I'm basically covered during power outages. I had to finally buy the generator last April during the nor'easter when the cellar flooded (2' 7" of water) and then we lost power, I had to keep the pumps running. I pulled my last bag of coal out of the water and made a coal run in the afternoon.

looked at the keystoker 70K btu handfired this morning, and nay have got a decent price with the chimney going straight up through the floor and through a closet above.

Seems like a well built stove, and has a small footprint. How are the sahker grates on this model?

Ron, any stoker will keep your house warm. On a -20 degree day it won't warm the house instantly which is why your dealer said it isn't big enough, but oversizing a heating system for 1 day out of 1000 is very inefficient. If you buy a heater that can keep up with the heat demands 99% of the time I think you will be happy.

One other approach to a no power heating backup is a coal boiler that stores reserve heat in a very large insulated tank. For your small well insulated home this would be practical. I'm guessing several thousand gallons of water heated to 200 deg F. would likely keep your home above freezing for a couple of days. Any UPS to run circulation pumps would be reasonable in size. Or you could install a gravity flow radiator system for complete power independence.

Yanche wrote:One other approach to a no power heating backup is a coal boiler that stores reserve heat in a very large insulated tank. For your small well insulated home this would be practical. I'm guessing several thousand gallons of water heated to 200 deg F. would likely keep your home above freezing for a couple of days. Any UPS to run circulation pumps would be reasonable in size. Or you could install a gravity flow radiator system for complete power independence.

Exactly where would one locate this "several thousand gallon" water tank?

Actually, I can heat my home without power, the Fisher woodburner doesn't use electricity, the Harman will produce heat without the fan, and the propane furnace has a millivolt gas valve.

Wood'nCoal wrote:Exactly where would one locate this "several thousand gallon" water tank?

TARM used to sell or have a link to, a big bag that would be easy to carry in and roll out an 850 gallon tank. IIRC it was reasonably priced too. It was well insulated. This heat storage stuff is big in Europe. I would think a tank that size would give you a few days even at 0*.

Wood'nCoal wrote:

Yanche wrote:One other approach to a no power heating backup is a coal boiler that stores reserve heat in a very large insulated tank. For your small well insulated home this would be practical. I'm guessing several thousand gallons of water heated to 200 deg F. would likely keep your home above freezing for a couple of days. Any UPS to run circulation pumps would be reasonable in size. Or you could install a gravity flow radiator system for complete power independence.

Exactly where would one locate this "several thousand gallon" water tank?

Actually, I can heat my home without power, the Fisher woodburner doesn't use electricity, the Harman will produce heat without the fan, and the propane furnace has a millivolt gas valve.

Obviously on a solid foundation, most likely in a basement. It could be a single tank or multiple tanks. Since it does not need to be pressurized it could be as simple as a insulated cistern made from concrete blocks and epoxy sealed.