Drawbacks to stoker stoves?

Probably with a dozen Kero lamps and half as many stoves...maybe more. My grandmothers house was built around 1880, I believe she said it had six coal stoves before steam heat was installed.

Rob R. wrote:Probably with a dozen Kero lamps and half as many stoves...maybe more. My grandmothers house was built around 1880, I believe she said it had six coal stoves before steam heat was installed.

Taking care of all of those stoves was what God made Sons for. It least that's what my Grand Dad told me when it was time to bring in the wood and coal.

1880 for the front part, other additions in 1930 and 1950. As to the 1880 part two chimneys, regular fireplaces in the two ends on the ground floor and one 6" flu in the upstairs bedroom. 30s part steam heat - oil -twin flu. 50s - 55' double flu chimney fireplace in the apt upstairs. Lots of separate rooms . Many other nightmares but I don't wish to scare you so near to bedtime.

coalnewbie wrote: but it no way is a substitute for the AnthraKIng "fire breather" as my wife calls it.

I Love that quote. I have had people say the 220 looks like the fires of HELL when you open the door . LOL

I keep hearing about generators to operate our stoker stoves through power outages, you can keep a simple A.C. D.c converter and a battery handy... But anyway, I wanted to get back on topic, I installed my stoker stove and in the first year saved $3200.00 on oil. I paid $1800.00 for my stoker stove about $20.00 per month extra for electric for the six months I operated it. I used 5 ton of coal at $200.00 per ton total bill $1000.00. Total bill $2920.00 for my stove and all expenses in the first year. I keep my house about 5 degrees warmer then I did with oil, and my wife does not complain about that!. The way I see it I have a happy wife and I paid off the stove the first year plus pocketed about $300.00 Each yea after its about $2000.00 per year savings or more deending on oil cost.

Is it nice to not have to worry about losing power and still have heat? Sure! But it's even nicer to not be a slave to the stove every 12 hours all winter. While I will admit I end up hanging around my boiler more often then I need to tend it, this time of the year I only need to tend it every 5-6 days. And if we lose power I've got the generator and plenty of propane in the tank if needed.

I think Simon has the right idea, have a "fire breather" to carry the load when the power is on and a hand-fed to step up when the lights go out. My brother is in the process of building a new house...an EFM DF520 will keep the house warm via radiant heat and make all the hot water they can use...sitting right next to it is a big bad Hitzer 82, which is currently heating the house at half-throttle, even though the ceiling isn't insulated yet.

I have used both stoker and manual stoves. Without a doubt, the manual stove was a lot more fun to operate but also more of a pain due to our lifestyle. As a minister it is not unusual to leave the house in the morning and not get back home until late at night due to appointments and "emergencies." With a hand fired stove, I would load it, shake it, dump the ashes, set it for the day and then head out hoping I could get back home before it burned down so far I had to baby the fire for an hour or so to get it back. Not a fun thing to do when your dead tired, sleepy, and all you want to do is crawl in bed. My wife refused to touch it knowing that if it did go out I would take care of it when I got home. As she put it, "That's your toy, not mine."

I sold the hand fired and bought an old used LL Econo 1 stoker. I load it in the morning and it will go for two days without a reload. Every other day I pull the pan and dump the ashes. The not having to tend the stove twice a day without fail means more to me than saving about $20 a month in extra electricity to run the motors on the stoker. Wife is warm and happy.

Happy wife is a happy life.

Pastor Larry

I agree that the most comfortable and efficient method to heat a home is by stoker boiler, especially a large and difficult to heat home. However, a hand-fired stove is essential for the well-being of the family during power outages and should be thought of in the same context as candles and generators.

However, a hand-fired stove is essential for the well-being of the family during power outages and should be thought of in the same context as candles and generators.

BINGO, except candles are as useful as FEMA and the Red Cross are to NJ this morning.

wsherrick wrote:
Two quick questions. When your house was new, how was it lighted and heated?

Not very well.... Oil lamps for light and inefficient wood stove for heat. Before that candles for light and a very inefficient kitchen fireplace for heat. Before that we sat around the campfire outside the cave for light and heat! Although I have a fire pit and camping gear, I'd rather not go back to that during a long term power outage.

So I have a hand fed mark III sitting in the corner of the basement ready to replace the stoker stove if needed.
Couple coleman camping lanterns for light. The kind that have the mantles and use what we call "white gas".
Small 5k watt gas generator for essential's that I run intermittently.

After the generator rush is over next spring I will replace my gas generator with a propane powered unit sized to run the sump pumps, refrigerator & freezer, well pump, septic pump & stoker. We already have a 1k gal propane tank that is a better fuel source for us than trying to source gas and keep the stored gas fresh and carb clean from infrequent use.

buffalo bob wrote:i wonder how many of them n.j. people would rush out and by a stoker??? luv the old simple way i am warm!!!!!

I have a old Alaska with the older tri burner motor. I have lost power for days and run the stove motor on my big boat battery with a little 100watt converter. The coal stove has been our only heat source for 20 years. I have even used the battery when we go on vacation for a couple days just in case the power goes out. I can't do this with any hand fired stove.
I love this simple stove,only couple parts to go bad.
1-glass,replace with steel.No more problem.
2-burner grate and carpet
3-moto, gearbox and plastic fan
Couple hundred bucks for spares

In 20 years I have only replaced the motor once.

If I ever decide to get another stoker again I would make sure I didn't make the same mistakes.

1). Top vent only. The fly ash was a big problem with my bottom vent.

2). Big or Bigger! The more btu's the better.

With a stoker, the output is a fixed number and you can never change it. The stoker I bought was too small and the manufacturer made a mistake in his recommendation. If you buy a stoker that's too small you are stuck with the consequences.

According to my Kill O Watt meter my highest electricity usage for my Pioneer was almost $10 for the month of January.

Convenience means a lot to me an if I can't afford the ten bucks a month I will switch off the lights to the Xmas tree. Bah humbug.

1). Top vent only. The fly ash was a big problem with my bottom vent.

Right on the money there but sometimes the extra efficiency is worth it

2). Big or Bigger! The more btu's the better.

As I have posted b4, overkill is good and more overkill is better.