New Guy Needing Help...

duncanheat · Post by **duncanheat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 3:05 pm

I ahve a 3000-3200 sq. ft. home with a new peerless oil boiler that is currently using 1400 gallons of oil and I'm not happy. I have adequate attic insulation and all new thermal pane windows in this 100 year old girl. I need your advice as to how large of a coal stoker boiler I would need to heat my home. I have done some online heat loss calculations and was in the ballpark of needing 100-150,000 BTU boiler. The closest dealers are Harman and Keystoker. I grew up with soft coal which wasn't fun when that was your three times a day chore but then the old man bought a Yellow Flame hopper fed hard coal boiler and I finally had time to start going out. My question is this "From your experience are these boilers good boilers and about the size I need?"

av8r · Post by **av8r** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 3:35 pm

Have you done a Manual J calculation on your home yet?

http://www.acdirect.com/spacepak2/spacepakapp.html

There are many online calculators. Worth doing or having someone do it for you.

U235a4 · Post by **U235a4** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 4:25 pm

Question for you where about are you? what are your heat emitters aka baseboard, cast iron radiators, or some other means.... if it's baseboard how many feet, if it iron rads what are sizes.

duncanheat · Post by **duncanheat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 4:31 pm

cast iron radiators and lots of them

duncanheat · Post by **duncanheat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 4:33 pm

I have 12 rooms and each one of them has at least two 3x3x1 foot or at least two 2x1x5 cast radiators

duncanheat · Post by **duncanheat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 4:36 pm

avbr...i did that online heat gain/lost program and it came up with (48401.34 total residence heat gain)

Post by **stoker-man** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 5:09 pm

An efm DF520 would do the job if the calculations are correct. efmheating.com

duncanheat · Post by **duncanheat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 5:54 pm

how many btus would that have

duncanheat · Post by **duncanheat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 5:57 pm

here are some pics

Yanche · Post by **Yanche** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 7:47 pm

duncanheat wrote:avbr...i did that online heat gain/lost program and it came up with (48401.34 total residence heat gain)

The heat gain number is for sizing the A/C system. What's the Heat Loss number?

Post by **coaledsweat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 8:13 pm

duncanheat wrote:how many btus would that have

It can vary from the low 20s to about 215,000 BTUs at its max.

Post by **stoker-man** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 8:26 pm

I have the sizing charts for cast iron radiators at work, but they will tell you the BTU rating of any old radiator. The DF520 has a gross BTU of 215K and a net of 188K.

I'll look for them tomorrow.

cArNaGe · Post by **cArNaGe** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 9:03 pm

stoker-man wrote:I have the sizing charts for cast iron radiators at work, but they will tell you the BTU rating of any old radiator. The DF520 has a gross BTU of 215K and a net of 188K.

I'll look for them tomorrow.

So this confuses me. Gross verses Net. What does it but out? BTW: DF520 with oil back up in the PaperSHop for $950. Missed it!!!

Post by **coaledsweat** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 9:17 pm

Gross is the amount of energy used up in total, net is what you get out of it after the losses. Losses would be mostly the heat that goes up the chimney that can't be used to heat the house. Gross is the heat input used to heat the water, net is the heat it can output to your home to warm it.

A steal at $950.

lincolnmania · Post by **lincolnmania** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 10:05 pm

i cant speak for the efm boilers, but if one of their hot air furnaces can sit in a leaky tin shed for 20 yrs or so in pieces, and be rebuilt for about 300 bucks, I would call that excellent.......the efm man has all the parts in pictures now with part numbers.....where were you this time last year efm man?

New Guy Needing Help...

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