All I Can Say Is, "ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!"

 
musikfan6
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Post by musikfan6 » Fri. Oct. 28, 2011 9:03 pm

Body Hammer wrote:
ScubaSteve wrote:Welcome!! It never gets old, believe me! I heat my entire 1700 square foot colonial with a hand fired Vermont Castings unit. My house stays at a toasty 78 degrees on the coldest of cold nights! Love love love my coal burner!!! (And just think......Coal burning is all of our little secret! ;)
I hear ya Scuba! Everytime I introduce someone new to my coal stove they get all excited about the $ savings. Then I kick myself for telling everybody. Pretty soon it will get back to the coal producers and they'll jack the price so high I'll have to go back to wood! :mad:
Heaven forbid if that happens, gentlemen!! I just got started. We don't need that. I Just ordered coal for next week - 2 ton at $230.00 a ton and free delivery. I'm assuming that's somewhere around the going price??? I thought it sounded reasonable.


 
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wsherrick
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Post by wsherrick » Fri. Oct. 28, 2011 9:07 pm

I have been doing the same thing. I'm laughed by the people at my job for burning coal until I tell them how much it costs and how easy it is. Then they turn around and start talking about pellet stoves. I just laugh back at them. It reminds me that the average Joe is a follower by instinct.

Good luck with your new found interest.

 
stokersmoker
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Post by stokersmoker » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 11:52 am

Every time I see people like that, I immediately envision them as a little baby who doesn't want to eat his vegetables. Why don't you want to eat your vegetables? Because I don't like them! Well, have you ever tried them? No! But I don't like them. :funny: Just zombies following the herd. That's all. But that's OK. More for me!

 
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I'm On Fire
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Post by I'm On Fire » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 12:27 pm

The bank I'm working at today sent one of their engineers so he could restart the roof top units after I shut them down by putting their duct detectors in alarm. The guy is from Poland and he was telling me that where he lived in they burned coal. He said since moving to the states he had missed burning coal. So, I broke out my android smart phone and showed him pictures of my DS and told him that I am just starting season two of heating with coal. He got all excited and said he didn't know that one could even burn coal in the US. He asked for DS Machines number and told me he'd be ordering a stove from him this weekend. I dunno how true that is but it was kind of cool meeting another person who seemed generally excited about coal as much as I am.

On a related note, one of my wife's coworkers was talking to my wife about how she has no heat because of the never ending power outage. So my wife said to her that we don't have that problem with coal, the heat is always on. So, the lady says, "Oh, but its so dangerous. Aren't you afraid of Co poisoning and the soot and smoke?" My wife said she started to laugh and said, "Ahh, no it isn't and no, I don't." then she said she just walked away.

 
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SteveZee
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Post by SteveZee » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 2:17 pm

Our dirty(NOT) little secret, wink , wink. I don't bother enthusing any more to others. Let them find out for themselves as I did. I tried for a while but people look at you like you have two heads so that's fine. It's probably for the best as someone else said. The price of coal will just jump like everything else if it gets too popular. So, from now on it "Omerta" for me. I'll keep this "thing of ours" to myself. ;)

 
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I'm On Fire
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Post by I'm On Fire » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 2:29 pm

Yeah, I usually don't tell anyone either. But we had been talking about the roof top unit and it somehow went into what he burned to keep warm in Poland.

 
musikfan6
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Post by musikfan6 » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 3:58 pm

I'm On Fire wrote:The bank I'm working at today sent one of their engineers so he could restart the roof top units after I shut them down by putting their duct detectors in alarm. The guy is from Poland and he was telling me that where he lived in they burned coal. He said since moving to the states he had missed burning coal. So, I broke out my android smart phone and showed him pictures of my DS and told him that I am just starting season two of heating with coal. He got all excited and said he didn't know that one could even burn coal in the US. He asked for DS Machines number and told me he'd be ordering a stove from him this weekend. I dunno how true that is but it was kind of cool meeting another person who seemed generally excited about coal as much as I am.

On a related note, one of my wife's coworkers was talking to my wife about how she has no heat because of the never ending power outage. So my wife said to her that we don't have that problem with coal, the heat is always on. So, the lady says, "Oh, but its so dangerous. Aren't you afraid of Co poisoning and the soot and smoke?" My wife said she started to laugh and said, "Ahh, no it isn't and no, I don't." then she said she just walked away.
Too bad that DS won't pay you a commission for being such a great advertiser for their stoves! :D

I've heard so many people talk about the dirt and dust and what not. We hardly have any dust or dirt at all, except when I'm not being careful and I make a little mess when I'm pulling out my ash bin. My wife even commented that she hasn't noticed anything, AND she said to me, "there's no smell". People can say whatever they want. The people I know who are coal burners swear by it and have been doing it for anywhere between 9 and 20 years!

I shut my stove down yesterday because our temps here in Lancaster Co. are going to more in the upper 50's to possible lower 60's for the next three or four days. Call me crazy, but I miss seeing the orange glow in my stove when I come downstairs in the morning, or when I get home after work. I'm hooked!


 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 4:42 pm

A commission... :D
maybe they could make coal points...
That could be redeemed for product...
Gotta see how many mentions were made...
I think Amos has sold a few stoves based on the mentions from this board... ;)
They saw my MA plates when I picked up my stove and asked how I found out about them...
Of course I told them from the 'Coal Forum'...
On the Internet... :lol:
And then where in MA, they guessed Western MA
Go East, Cape Cod...

 
musikfan6
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Post by musikfan6 » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 6:33 pm

Coal points.......Hmmmm..... I like that idea. I could use a few. My delivery guy just came today and filled my bin with 2 tons of blaschak. It cost me $460.00. But I'm not complaining. I'm grateful because if it was oil, my bill would have been closer to $500.00., and that would have been only the first out of probably four or five deliveries for the season. But I'll take coal points if anyone wants to give them! :D

 
saragnac
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Post by saragnac » Thu. Nov. 03, 2011 9:36 pm

If you are wondering how much coal you may need you may want to do what I did. I took the number of gallons of fuel I burned and multiplied it by 138,000 and got the total BTU's of fuel oil burned. Then divided that number by 26,000,000 (the number of BTU's in a ton of coal) and came up with a ballpark estimate. I don't think I'll even come close to using as much coal BTU's as oil BTU's in my house due to the design of the house but even if I do, 8 tons of coal is less than half the price of 1,500 gallons of fuel oil. My house was built in 1920, before the age of insulation, so the radiators in my second and third floor are way too big for the rooms. All the heat went to the top two floors of my house and my furnace ran more than needed just to keep the downstairs at 65*. Even setting the thermostat to 62 at night, after going to bed and shutting the bedroom doors, we had to crack windows or it got too hot to sleep comfortably. The 90 year old valves in my radiators are all stuck wide open and it would cost a lot to replace them all. I decided to go with the coal stove so that I could not only save a boat load of money but I could actually have a warm house. I'm still going to replace those valves but I'm in no rush at all. Now, with my stove in my living room, it's a reverse effect. the downstairs is nice and toasty and we leave the upstairs bedroom doors open during the day. Bedtime comes and we close the doors so they cool down for some nice sleeping.

 
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SteveZee
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Post by SteveZee » Fri. Nov. 04, 2011 9:29 am

Just FYI, Saragnac,

The cast iron radiator valves are not too expensive. A few years ago I replaced all 13 of mine. I bought the adjustable ones with the little dial under them. It's a trial and error lost art tuning them up and it depends on what's down line from one to the next but I finally got what I needed and heat where I wanted it. The size thing is another issue and you may need to change out some bigger for smaller in a given room.
I agree that 8 tons is probably closer to a year and and half's worth for you. better to have more than less though. I bought a hair over 5 tons and have 2 stoves heating this 225yr old house. It will be enough for the whole season or very close to it.

 
saragnac
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Post by saragnac » Fri. Nov. 04, 2011 2:02 pm

I'm fortunate that best deal around on coal for me is about a mile from my house and since I have a truck that can handle a pallet (2500 lbs) I buy it one pallet at a time. The rate is the same as long as I buy a pallet so I will just let them store it for me and I'll get it as needed. I have every intention of replacing the valves in my radiators in the spring. At the moment my DHW is still off the boiler but that is going to change in the spring as well. I'm going to go tankless but not sure if I'm going propane or electric, Bosche has a new pilotless on demand that requires no electricity to light that I want to read up on. Even though my goal is to shut that boiler down, I do want to maintain it and make sure it is running as efficiently as it should be. If nothing else my home will have heat and hot water redundancy and both should I lose power.

I'm thinking I'm going to use 6 tons. I live in one of the coldest places in the US. I'm 20 days into heating for the first time with coal and I've gone through 600lbs. I know I've gone through more than needed just learning how this all works. I've lost my fire twice due to my own mistakes but loving the learning process just the same. And I'm keeping my home warmer than needed just because I can. Last winter, even though none of the kids complained, I hated seeing everyone wearing heavy clothes and wrapped in blankets while just spending time together in the living room. My wife noticed that there isn't a single blanket to be found in the living room and everyone wants to be in there. Most people would pay extra for this luxury, I'm paying less. This was the smartest decision I've made in years and I will 100% agree with the title of this thread "All I can say is, "ABOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!""

 
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SteveZee
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Post by SteveZee » Fri. Nov. 04, 2011 2:08 pm

Excellent and yep that sure is a cold area. Let me know how that tankless hot water heater works out for you. I was thinking the same thing when I next replace my electric tank. I have used the tankless on demand units while over in Europe and they seem to work well.

 
musikfan6
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Post by musikfan6 » Tue. Nov. 08, 2011 5:47 pm

saragnac wrote:I'm fortunate that best deal around on coal for me is about a mile from my house and since I have a truck that can handle a pallet (2500 lbs) I buy it one pallet at a time. The rate is the same as long as I buy a pallet so I will just let them store it for me and I'll get it as needed. I have every intention of replacing the valves in my radiators in the spring. At the moment my DHW is still off the boiler but that is going to change in the spring as well. I'm going to go tankless but not sure if I'm going propane or electric, Bosche has a new pilotless on demand that requires no electricity to light that I want to read up on. Even though my goal is to shut that boiler down, I do want to maintain it and make sure it is running as efficiently as it should be. If nothing else my home will have heat and hot water redundancy and both should I lose power.

I'm thinking I'm going to use 6 tons. I live in one of the coldest places in the US. I'm 20 days into heating for the first time with coal and I've gone through 600lbs. I know I've And I'm keeping my home warmer than needed just because I can.gone through more than needed just learning how this all works. I've lost my fire twice due to my own mistakes but loving the learning process just the same. Last winter, even though none of the kids complained, I hated seeing everyone wearing heavy clothes and wrapped in blankets while just spending time together in the living room. My wife noticed that there isn't a single blanket to be found in the living room and everyone wants to be in there. Most people would pay extra for this luxury, I'm paying less. This was the smartest decision I've made in years and I will 100% agree with the title of this thread "All I can say is, "ABOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!""
I think it's great that you have the freedom to keep the house as HOT as you want. I've kinda felt the same way myself since I started a few weeks ago. After so many winters of being cold, I think people like us are going to take advantage of the warmth until we can "get it out of our system". I love how the coal heat cuts through the dampest and coldest of cold weather. I can't wait to see what mine does when it's down in the teens and 20's. I'm told it will burn even better (someone correct me if I'm wrong on this- I'm new and certainly have limited knowledge about the temperament of coal stoves...).

 
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I'm On Fire
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Post by I'm On Fire » Tue. Nov. 08, 2011 7:42 pm

I need to talk to Bob about coal points. Paging crazy4coal, where are you? Somehow I doubt he'd go for it but it's worth a shot right? ;) :)


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