Good coal add on furnace on a budget

Hi all,

I was hoping I could get some advice from the many knowledgeable people on this forum. I was looking to purchase a coal fired add on furnace to heat my home in the coldest months. I currently have a propane furnace in the basement and a woodstove on the first floor. My setup is OK, however I am getting tired of cutting, stacking, hauling, restacking the wood, not to mention the mess on the first floor, and the ever rising cost of the propane. I was thinking I would give coal a shot. I have an extra chimney that was previously used by the oil furnace. I was looking at possibly a wood/stove furnace or a stoker since I do have the wood stove on the first floor. My house is approx 1500 sq ft living area and it does have blown in insulation with all new windows. Cost is an issue as I imagine I would be in this house approx 8-10 more yrs and I would like to see a return on my investment. If anyone could provide some input on their setup and the cost it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Ian

Hi Ian,

Here is a link to a company selling DS Machine Stoves.

http://www.garysinc.com/ds_machine.htm

I did call a dealer in Falls Creek, Pennsylvania and was quoted a few prices. These price examples should help anyone looking for a DS make a decision. This particular dealer was very helpful and friendly. And I also got a call back from a dealer in Hunlock Creek who was equally as friendly and knowledgeable. Very impressed with the dealers!

DS 1500 Circulator with hopper: $ 1,488.00

DS Energy Max 110: $ 2,030.00

DS 300-9 Furnace with blower. $ 2,950.00

I'll check these out, never heard of them..

Ian

As a former 100% woodburner myself I can assure you that you WILL LOVE COAL. While coal isn't free like wood can be, you just can't beat the heat output and the simplicity of use. I have said it before and I will say it again... I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BRNING COAL 30 years ago.

Enjoy!

Mark

Leisure Line stoves have some good add on type stoves/furnaces.

There are Keystoker, Leisure Line, Alaska and a few others that offer a add on type of coal stoker furnace.

If you do a little searching and reading on the forums, you will we all have many different types, check out the Photos of your stove thread to get more ideas of our installs.

Pictures of your stove

Hitzer Model 82 furnace is a good coal burning furnace that can also burn wood.

How much do you currently spend on propane?

If you add your general location, that might allow you to go visit a forum member to see up close and personal, a hand fired unit. If funds are tight, believe me you can find a very good unit used to suit your purposes. Please describe the type of unit you have now, and just some general details about your plan. EFM, Keystoker, Leisure Line, Alaska, Patriot Coal, Harman, Hitzer......and a few more, are available right now. DO NOT be afraid of any of the stoves, however do your homework before you spend the cash. Payback should be less than 3 years, and the comfort for you any your family is immediate. My $.02 says to cut the propane usage as much as you can, because the coal cost will be less than 1/2 of the propane cost.

Welcome to the forum, and ask anything you like!

To answer a couple questions I am from Wilkes Barre area in PA. I spent $1200 on propane last year but that was with burning the wood stove. My propane furnace is 80,000 btu Ultimately I would like to just burn the coal and not have to deal with the wood unless I have a tree come down on my property. I would like to get the heat source in the basement to keep the mess down there, heat the basement (it stays pretty cool when burning the wood stove) and to get the radiant heat through the floor. Having never burned coal it seems like with the stokers once you get them lit all you do is feed the hopper and empty the ashes? The hand fired units seem to be a little less user friendly? I am gone at work roughly 10 hrs with the commute and would like to not have to deal with a fire going out when I get home.

I was looking at these two anyone have any experience with either?

http://www.readingstove.com/heating-stoves/coal-stoves/juniata-stove.php

http://www.keystoker.com/products.php#waf

the A80

Also anyone know where to find stove/furnace prices online ?

Ian121 wrote:
Also anyone know where to find stove/furnace prices online ?

This dealer is on the "LEFT" side of the state...but should give you an idea of pricing for Leisure Line and Keystoker.

http://www.countryhearths.com/home

Ian121 wrote:Also anyone know where to find stove/furnace prices online ?

You can call Keystoker and ask them where the closest dealer to you is located.

Ian121 wrote:I am gone at work roughly 10 hrs with the commute and would like to not have to deal with a fire going out when I get home.

The stokers are certainly easier but 10 hours is no big deal, hand fired stove can go much longer than that. Most people get on a schedule of shaking and adding coal about every 12 hours. Having said that the only real benefit of a hand fired stove IMO is that you don't need electric to make it run.

blrman07 wrote:

Ian121 wrote:Also anyone know where to find stove/furnace prices online ?

You can call Keystoker and ask them where the closest dealer to you is located.

Also if no dealers in your area, You'll be able to go directly to Keystoker.

I use a hitzer 82, the fa model is designed to be an add-on stove and is very nice, 10 hrs is no problem for a coal stove, most can go for 18hr or more. I like that if there is a power outage, im not going to freeze.

The Hitzer 82FA with a 980cfm three-speed blower is a great hand-fired stove. The best part is that a new one only costs about $ 1900 dollars.

I have a Yukon-Eagle whole house furnace, but here is the link for their Super Jack add-on furnace. It might meet your needs. I love my Klondike IV wood-coal furnace. It's superb! http://www.yukon-eagle.com/FURNACES/BIG ... fault.aspx