Wondering About a Coal Boiler!!

 
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whistlenut
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Location: Central NH, Concord area
Stoker Coal Boiler: AA130's,260's, AHS130&260's,EFM900,GJ & V-Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Franks,Itasca 415,Jensen, NYer 130,Van Wert
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska, EFM, Keystoker, Yellow Flame
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska, Keystoker-2,Leisure Line
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Alaska, Gibraltar, Keystone,Vc Vigilant 2
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Ford, Jensen, NYer, Van Wert,
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwoods
Coal Size/Type: Barley, Buck, Rice ,Nut, Stove
Other Heating: Oil HWBB

Post by whistlenut » Tue. Nov. 04, 2014 8:45 pm

Definitely go for more GUSTO. If Keystoker, an 8 or a 10. I'd go for the 10 myself, and if EFM, a 520 would be a stretch, and a 700 might be also. A 900 is safer. Van Wert...800 or 1200 is safe, LL, the 220 might be enough, AHS or AA, it is the 260 (safety factor). Plan ahead and like others suggest, and allow for more complete heat from the single source. Do it once, do it right, and don't 'undersize' based on your current equipment. It takes lots of BTU's to maintain the agricultural load of a milking parlor. :idea:


 
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McGiever
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Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 9:50 am

My question would the KA-6 be big enough???
Yes, for the house and 2 occupants you describe.

 
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Sting
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Post by Sting » Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 10:18 am

Without a proper heat loss calculation of any project = YOUR GUESSING "Is this big enough"

on a project this large - All suppositions are defiantly in question

A better question might be = "Is this the right size?"

IT DEPENDS - yes thats over used here but one dwelling of xx square feet might be heated with two candles if its built for that.

and another of exact size built like a corn crib may not heat correctly with the Star Ship Enterprise running at WARP speed.

 
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whistlenut
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Location: Central NH, Concord area
Stoker Coal Boiler: AA130's,260's, AHS130&260's,EFM900,GJ & V-Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Franks,Itasca 415,Jensen, NYer 130,Van Wert
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska, EFM, Keystoker, Yellow Flame
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska, Keystoker-2,Leisure Line
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Alaska, Gibraltar, Keystone,Vc Vigilant 2
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Ford, Jensen, NYer, Van Wert,
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwoods
Coal Size/Type: Barley, Buck, Rice ,Nut, Stove
Other Heating: Oil HWBB

Post by whistlenut » Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 1:30 pm

Depends.....Pull-ups.....whatever you want to call it, don't bring a 'Knife to a GunFight'. See it every day, work on it everyday....bitch about it every day. It is like today's manufacturing......"On Time" delivery of parts and pieces. That is wonderful in theory, but if you live where it snows, floods, gets dicey, then it ALL DEPENDS. I'm old enough to see the difference in the streamlined production of most everything, and when I go to visit someone in a cold time of the year and the POS house can't make 60 on a -10 day, I want the heat engineer to show his face. Nuff said, do as you wish.

 
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McGiever
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Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 2:13 pm

CNY Farmer wrote:I'm back :shock: I don't know why I wait until the fall to start thinking about changing over heating systems :P :P Maybe it's when we start hauling wood??
Anyways I'm thinking about just installing a coal boiler in the main house.. I've been looking at the Keystokers.. I was thinking a KA-6 would be big enough?? I called a local dealer today and told him what I wanted to do he suggested the KA-8?? I thought that would be to big??/
The furnace thats in the cellar is a 126,000 BTU.. The house is an old farmhouse that measures roughly 40x40.. It's has plank boards but has been wrapped with foil insulation and sided..Also the heat exchanger in the plenum is 20x20..
My question would the KA-6 be big enough??? I also would like to heat the hot water for at least the winter months with the boiler..I'm not sure it would be feasible to run the boiler in the summer?? There is only 2 of us that live in the house..Thanks for any help you can provide.. I've been reading quite a bit on the forum...
Not discounting the heat loss study...

But, the game has changed here.

Supplying heat for a 20" x 20" H/X in plenum with a proven track record on wood and the daily DHW required for 2 people.

I won't even mention the existing furnace size. :roll:
Last edited by McGiever on Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 9:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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Sting
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Post by Sting » Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 3:06 pm

whistlenut wrote: when I go to visit someone in a cold time of the year and the POS house can't make 60 on a -10 day, I want the heat engineer to show his face. Nuff said, do as you wish.
Image

 
Dirty Steve
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Location: Finger Lakes Region, NYS
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Oil- Off line

Post by Dirty Steve » Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 3:57 pm

Ka 6 is too much of a stretch for two houses let alone a milk house and water needs in the milk house. Suprised a K-8 is big enough. Think 10 degrees and 30 mile an hour winds at 2 in the morning. Go bigger.


 
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windyhill4.2
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Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
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Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 5:24 pm

As McGiever said,if he is only heating the 1 ( ONE) house then he does not need A real big unit. BUT, to do all the buildings & the DHW ,then BIG is better.

 
rmattes
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Post by rmattes » Thu. Nov. 06, 2014 8:58 pm

wonders if the pex would need to be changed out OSW furnace are open Coal stokers are pressurized :(

 
CNY Farmer
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Soon to be Keystoker K-8

Post by CNY Farmer » Sun. Nov. 30, 2014 7:43 pm

Yes I'm only going to heat the one house and the hot water in it.. I called Keystoker and talked to Don he said go with the 8 instead of the 6 because the size of the house and style is borderline max for the 6 to take care of efficiently..So now I just need to call the nearest dealer and see if they have any in stock.It shouldn't be much work getting it switched over from the wood furnace to the coal boiler.

 
Pacowy
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Stoker Coal Boiler: H.B. Smith 350 Mills boiler/EFM 85R stoker
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Post by Pacowy » Sun. Nov. 30, 2014 8:33 pm

CNY Farmer wrote:Yes I'm only going to heat the one house and the hot water in it.. I called Keystoker and talked to Don he said go with the 8 instead of the 6 because the size of the house and style is borderline max for the 6 to take care of efficiently..So now I just need to call the nearest dealer and see if they have any in stock.It shouldn't be much work getting it switched over from the wood furnace to the coal boiler.
Please check your private messages.

Thanks.

Mike

 
CNY Farmer
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Post by CNY Farmer » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 8:47 am

I am going to pick up my boiler today :D I have a few questions...at least for now.. :)
1-my heat exchanger in the plenum now has 3/4" fittings should I buy a new one that has 1"?? or run as far as I can with 1" then drop to the 3/4"??

2-will pex be ok to run almost to the boiler??or should we run some copper?? and should it be the oxygen barrier type??? It's not going to be very far from the existing furnace..

Thanks for any help.. I might have some more questions after we get it in the cellar :o

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 8:53 am

If the existing heat exchanger is working good, I would leave it alone. 1" pipe would be my choice. Copper or black iron is preferred, but if you must use pex it should have an oxygen barrier.

What did you get for a boiler?

 
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windyhill4.2
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Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 9:03 am

Is it just the fittings that are 3/4",if so you could sweat new 1" fittings on & gain some volume.

 
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Sting
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Post by Sting » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 9:14 am

windyhill4.2 wrote:Is it just the fittings that are 3/4",if so you could sweat new 1" fittings on & gain some volume.
False

You could fit a two inch pipe supply to the 3/4 fitting and what will you have - a 3/4 fitting limiting the flow, is
no different than a 3/4 branch off a secondary loop - it will only flow the amount that the 3/4 fitting will pass in a fault tolerant manor

There are some rules of thumb which have appeared in various threads. For heat transfer, maximum gpm: 1/2” - 1.5 gpm, 3/4” - 4 gpm, 1” - 8 gpm, 1-1/4” - 14-17 gpm, 1-1/2” - 22-25 gpm, 2” - 45-50 gpm.

One gallon per minute of flow (GPM) will move NO MORE THAN 10,000 BTU's of energy in a fault tolerant manor.

using that = will the potential of 40,000 BTU off that existing heat exchanger heat the load?

or are you still guessing


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