Want to Switch From Outdoor Wood Stove to Coal Boiler

Thanks, McGiever ,Axeman Anderson is a brand that I have not followed as well as others,i see lots of members have them. I didn't realize that about the 5" stack,so he could leave his existing 6" & add a reducer ? That would eliminate the stack expense if current one is proper spec. will82,you might want to take a real hard look at that masonry chimney & maybe rethink your layout plans,but that AA info is good to know too.

Not that I am a big fan of power venting or direct venting, but usually DV and PV can go in a 6" also.

Keystoker for one, make the 6" direct draft models... maybe others make those models also.

How hard would it be to remove his double wall stovepipe and raise a masonry 8" in it's place?

He (OP) did say he's got a budget to do it a way that pays off in the long run...this sure fits that mentality.

McGiever wrote:

lzaharis wrote:I don't see you spending much less that what I was quoted
being $10,000 including parts, labor plus interest as the
smallest keystoker KAA-2 is going to cost you $4,300 + tax + shipping + parts.

You looking at changing the flue piping as it has to be the heavier black
22 guage stove pipe too.

Putting a KAA-2 or 4-1 direct vent unit in a well built uninsulated shed minus the wood
floor where the forest eater is using the exisiting plumbing would be the most cost
effective and more quickly installed method keeping everything out of the basement.

Not sure why you are not getting it.???

He wants this in his basement...so please get over it.

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I got it from the beginning,

1 he wants to eliminate the Water Stove, it uses sand for the fire box bottom
if I remember correctly.
a. the existing water stove sits on a cement slab that
could simply be covered with shed with no floor.

b. he has a wood shed he could store coal in for the boiler

2. he said he was not interested in an energy audit
3. the HVAC duct work was poor(according to him).
4. HE is a landlord. He has a tenant. Having the boiler in a shed outside
reduces the chance of carbon monoixide poisining.
5. He has a tenant in the basement and he wants to put a coal boiler in the basement
with poor ductwork and unknown issues with an existing chimney.

He may be better off just getting a coal stoker furnace with a direct vent system
has he examined that?

Who is to day he cannot gain by installing energy upgrades for even less money?

1 existing chimney is ok just wasnt sure if I could use for coal stove...but from what I have gathered it may be possible
2 owb is in the way of where I want to put my garage and I am going to be ripping down the shed and digging pad out....couple post ago I said it was in the way!
3 if proper vented anyone in the house will be ok with carbon monoxide detectors which I already have cause im anal like that.
4 bottom line is its going in the basement no matter what..if have to redo my chimney then so be it.
5 duck work is only poor cause it sets ontop of the block walls...and as we all know the further away the more heat you lose. and hence why I went with a over kill air handler to push the heat which it does fine.

I will not be halfa$$ing this and im not afraid of investment. as I didnt with the owb. Dont get me wrong I loved it, never let me down but I just don't have the time and would rather spend that time with my kids. And also I want a garage and the way my property is set up its the only spot to put it.

And where the boiler will be there is a basement window not far from it so the coal will be going down a chute I plan to make and then all I have to do is back up the dump trailer to it...... point taken yet??

Now with all that being said. What are some opinions on type of boiler. I know I said I was looking at leisure and keystoker. But im open to suggestions. All I need is the boiler with a water jacket cause I already have the exchanger and blower there and ready to go..

will82 wrote:Now with all that being said. What are some opinions on type of boiler. I know I said I was looking at leisure and keystoker. But im open to suggestions. All I need is the boiler with a water jacket cause I already have the exchanger and blower there and ready to go..

There are also AHS and Axeman Anderson.

will82, don't get pissed at the forum or most of its members because of #### posts,he is slow to comprehend what anyone else desires to do,can afford to do,& what HAS TO be done for survival during the cold months. All of us get tired of these kinds of posts because a member fails to read what you the OP desires to accomplish. Good grief how many times do we need to read these off directional posts. It is quite evident from your last post or 2 that you are already formulating a plan & there will be more questions from you along the way.I am always scared that his posts are going to drive newer members away b4 you get the help that you desire & good helpful info that is so freely given here by many knowledgeable people. As far as a boiler to look at......The AA220 from Leisure Line is worth a good look,the other less expensive route would be to go with a used boiler.

McGiever wrote:Axeman Anderson 130 uses a 5" stove pipe.

REALY!? I did not know that. The Axeman Anderson's I do not know much about, they are very interesting machines though. 5" pipe coming out of a 130,000 BTU boiler. Maybe our man Will should search for an AA 130?

-Don

StokerDon wrote:

McGiever wrote:Axeman Anderson 130 uses a 5" stove pipe.

REALY!? I did not know that. The Axeman Anderson's I do not know much about, they are very interesting machines though. 5" pipe coming out of a 130,000 BTU boiler. Maybe our man Will should search for an AA 130?

-Don

The AHS S-130 also uses 5" flue pipe.

Windy I'm not pissed at the forum by any means. I appricate all the info so far as it has been very helpful to me. I like to do my homework just like everyone else before I lay the cash down. But it was obvious he wasn't getting the point so I resorted to being blunt about it. I do not want to offend anyone either and nor do I like to do personal attacks. I was just stateing my direct point.

But again all Info you guys have posted I thank you and yes I will prolly have more question soon. Prolly the wrong time of year to do this but oh well if I get all set up all I gotta do after that is cut the pex and tie in. And some other person can enjoy a used owb. Lol

windyhill4.2 wrote:will82, don't get pissed at the forum or most of its members because of Izzy's posts,he is slow to comprehend what anyone else desires to do,can afford to do,& what HAS TO be done for survival during the cold months. I'm sure you can realize what I have just posted is the truth & all us us get tired of these kinds of posts because a member fails to read what you the OP desire to accomplish. This post is not intended as a personal attack but good grief how many times do we need to read these off directional posts. It is quite evident from your last post or 2 that you are already formulating a plan & there will be more questions from you along the way.I am always scared that his posts are going to drive newer members away b4 you get the help that you desire & good helpful info that is so freely given here by many knowledgeable people. As far as a boiler to look at......The AA220 from Leisure Line is worth a good look,the other less expensive route would be to go with a used boiler.

Really? it sure seems like one. I agree that things need to stay on topic, and I don't agree with putting the boiler outside either, but that doesn't mean all of Izzy's comments should be tossed out the window. Steps DO need to be taken to ensure carbon monoxide is not going to be a problem, and for a few hundred bucks a blower door test can reveal some pretty big air leaks in places you may not be aware of. A friend of mine just had one done and I was pretty surprised at the results. Objective #1 is to get a boiler installed and be warm, but it needs to be safe and generate a return on the investment.

I haven't done any fancy experiments, but based on the people I know that have coal boilers in the house vs. an outbuilding, there is no doubt the houses with boilers in the basement are more comfortable and burn less coal.

There are multiple units that will fit the bill for this application. In my opinion 8k is a generous budget when the chimney is already there and you just have to connect to a heat exchanger.

Out of curiosity has any one priced a anderson axman 260m or the aa-220 leisure lately. Was just wondering the price before I make my trips to the dealers.

After all the info I have gotten I thinking of going with one of these two. any recommandations of where to buy or just go to closest dealer by me? and also should I just let them do the install? and if I use using existing chimney, with that being said these are 8" vent will it be ok to reduce to 6" or should I just power vent it?

I know I have a lot of questions but I only want to do this once and do it right the first time.

I just goggled LL & found Woodford Brothers site has prices,should be a good ballpark to go by,they have the LL - AA220 @ $5200. You can reduce from a chimney size of 8" down to stove pipe of 5,6,7" but NEVER reduce the 8" stove pipe down to a smaller chimney. Either reconfigure your basement layout plans & hook to your masonry chimney or replace the 6" metal chimney with an 8" OR as McGiever said,go with the Axeman Anderson with the 5" outlet.

About the AA 260M, you should be able to find one used for a lot less money.

Best not to reduce from boiler breech size down to thimble size.

You have a clear chimney route now up through house, best to have masonry laid up for avoiding all the PV drama.

ok thanks Guys. I kinda figured it wasnt good to go from 8 to 6..but only stupid question is one not asked. Looks like I will be searching hard for a good used one or just going to go new...