Which Stoker for Bituminous Coal?

Been reading the threads on which is the best stoker... most seem to be anthracite burners.

I need a bituminous stoker fed unit and would like some suggestions.

There are two older combustioneer stokers at a shop I hang out at . I figured there must be something a little
more user friendly and would fit in a more modern application as a second back up source for nat gas.
Stokermatics and Combustioneers are nice but what else is out there?
I have a source for bitum for $90 ton.

thanks

Aside from an Iron Fireman stoker, I'm not aware of anything beyond what you have already located. What is wrong with the Combustioneer setup?

As far as complete stove units the combustioneer and stokermatic is about all I know of. You can also add on a Will-burt s30 stoker to many hand fired furnaces if you have enough firebox. Will-Burt is still in business and very nice to deal with. Last I heard a new stoker will run you about 4300 dollars but you can find them used sometimes for a few hundred dollars.

Noticed this Bit. Stoker Boiler in the For Sale Section on here...


For Sale King Coal Automatic Coal Stoker Boiler

berg wrote:I need a bituminous stoker fed unit and would like some suggestions.

No one that I am aware of is making coal furnaces designed for burning traditional stoker/slack coal for small residential applications. There are larger coal furnace/boilers (400,000Btu+) being produced but these would be much too big and expensive for a typical house. I believe they are all Canadian companies making these furnaces....here is a link for one http://www.outdoorstokerboilersofky.com/.
Stokermatic furnaces designed for primary heating for the typical sized home were manufactured until quite recently and I do see some of these used "later" models come up for sale from time to time but they are similar in operation to the Combustioneer furnaces you mentioned in this thread and in your old post from 2006.
I know of coal furnaces by the name of Prill that are somewhat common in north central USA which operate differently than traditional clinkering stokers you seem to be familiar with. They have a ring that rotates at the top perimeter of the retort bowl which is clever in design because as the stoker is running, this ring moves causing forming clinkers and ash to fall into an ashpit below where they can be easily removed. This means you don't have to remove clinkers on a routine schedule like you would with a stoker that simply has refractory surrounding the retort/tuyeres.
The "coalman" boiler in the link I posted above uses the rotating head type underfeed stoker.

Where are you located?

Here is a video showing rotating head stoker operation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcBHWH-Laa0

I am in Utah... 90 miles from the coal mine

about 45 miles from the coal distributor $85 a ton right now

according to Efm website the DF520 will burn both anthracite and bituminous coal.

Bituminous coals are available in a few sizes, most common is lump coal and stoker coal. A lump coal "mix" ranges from the size of a baseball all the way up to 2 feet in diameter. Stoker or slack coal is close to a pea sized coal which is commonly used in underfeed stokers with 3 inch auger tube. There is a supplier that was advertising rice sized coal in central Utah which would probably be perfect for EFM underfeed type stokers with the smaller auger tube. I haven't seen this coal in person though to see if it is 1/2- which is what would be required for EFM stoker.

The coal we get from central utah is not rice as you call it... I guess it would be stoker coal

3/4"minus .. sometimes we get it with a oil that has been sprayed on it to reduce dust I think.

I am amazed though how much come through in the klinker that looks like 3/4" to 1/2" gravel and unburnt of course.

Its still a great way to heat. I love the ole Combustioneers... built to last. My buddy has 2 and they seem to get neglected

and still run with no worries. IF the lid on the coal bin is not tight we get a smoker.

If I'm not mistaken right next door in Wym. they have a large deposit of anthracite. I was in Kemmer, Wyo and they had a big coal electric plant and I'm sure they told me it was anthracite. I never looked for any coal dealers but I was only about six miles from the Utah boarder.

You're talking about the huge open pit mine near Diamondville WY and it's only bituminous coal there as far as I know. Coal is sent directly to a big power plant nearby .
If I find out anything different, I will pass it along.