Modify My Current Boiler or Purchase a New One?

Hello, this site has been a great source of information, but I still seek answers.

My location is northeast Ohio. I have a 1969 2 story home, about 2,500 sq ft. I have been using an older custom outdoor wood boiler with stainless steel jacket, the past year for heat. It does keep the house warm. I have 1 inch lines and a 175k heat exchanger. The firebox on this thing is huge, I can throw in 2 foot diameter logs with slabs around it twice a day, Once in the morning and once in the evening. This thing loves wet green logs and wood. I can pretty much burn anything in it.

I am sick of messing with wood. I am kind of a neat freak and all the mess I have to clean in the spring is crazy. I mostly have slab wood delivered and big logs.The amount of time I have spent trying to get wood and stack it etc etc, nothing is free. 2 years ago I had an add on wood furnace. Trying to find someone that had properly seasoned wood was a pain. When I was little mom used to burn coal at the old farm house we used to live in. I want to go back to that.

My shop sits 80 feet back from the house. The wood boiler sits beside it on a concrete slab. I plan on enclosing the area plus the length of the shop to store the coal as well. I plan on burning anthracite. I will post some photos of the boiler but I would like to get some experienced advice from the members here.

I thought I could convert the boiler to burn coal but the way it is designed now I wouldnt have too much room to feed the fire, maybe 2 feet in height. The blower is in the back and sits above the grate. From my understanding the blower must sit below the grate on a coal boiler. Once I raise the grate above the blower , the grate sits center when you open the door. Even switching the blower to the door doesnt make a difference. Aside from that I have been looking online to find shaker grates and the ones I have come across that are custom don't have great reviews.

So I am in the process of buying a coal boiler for next season, it doesnt have to have the steel housing because it will be enclosed . I am sure the new boilers are more efficient, but I want to hear from the experts. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Stay warm!

Sell the OWB and buy an appliance designed for anthracite.

procyrus,WELCOME to the forum. Check out the EFM section,i went from an OWB to EFM520 installed in a truck box. Look at the thread... pics of your boilers,these should help you make some kind of a decision on what to purchase. I went with a refurbished 1960 EFM520,there are still many of these still operating today. Modifying the OWB that you currently have is not a good option,study these threads,you will come to understand why.

PC,

There are quite a few of us here that have made the switch from wood. Coal is much easier and cleaner and well, cheaper. Even if you have free wood and love to cut it up, you do that and sell it and buy coal and come out ahead in btu's.

I put my coal stoker in the 26x35x10h garage ,which is 30' from the house, and I have an insulated cabinet around the boiler. I have a unit heater on a switched T-stat for heat when Im working out there.
The heat loss from the boiler and piping is enough to keep the space from freezing even in the cold we've been having this year. I don't park vehicles in there unless Im working on them so no fire hazard .
I think enclosing the pad you currently have for the wood unit is a great idea and will save you from re-plumbing the whole operation. If boiler room gets to warm you can knock a hole in the adjoining wall at the ceiling and blow excess heat into the garage. Everything is above grade and makes handling the coal and assoc. ash easier to handle. If you have a tractor with a loader, you could even elevate your boiler some and use an auger remove the ash to a pit outside. Im assuming your going with a stoker boiler here. (highly recommended if you can afford it). youll get lots of good advice here and likely start a few heated debates but no worries were all big kids here.

good luck and get crackin,
waldo

wow I do love that EFM 520! I've been watching the youtube videos on it, closest dealer is an hour and half away. Ya I'm going to sell that OWB, place a smaller EFM in the shop, and make an outside bin for the coal right next to the shop and enclose it. One thing I don't know yet...what models of EFM heat 2 spaces? Id like to heat the 1,000 sq ft shop and 2,500 sq ft home.

There isnt much plumbing to do, the main part has already been done with the underground lines. I would just run a couple new lines inside the shop for the heat exchanger in there.

Im excited, seeing how that auger works at floor level. Thats a sweet setup.

I am also looking at a keystoker K8, its cheaper than an EFM. I have plenty of time to decide and hopefully come across a used one somewhere.

Misc thoughts regarding previous posts:

1. I wouldn't make a blanket assumption that newer units are more efficient. I agree with Rob that the square door EFM has convenience advantages relative to the older round door models, but I believe those units also have smaller heat exchange areas, so there are tradeoffs involved.

2. I don't think either a 520 or a KB-8 would need to be elevated to accommodate automated ash removal. That said, I'm not sure adding ash removal would be worth the effort, especially since you're already talking about installation in an outbuilding.

3. I agree a used 520 is likely to cost less than a new KB-8, but all else equal a used KB-8 is likely to cost less than a used 520. As fate would have it, I had a used KB-8 for sale in the forum classifieds, but the listing seems to have expired, so thanks for the reminder.

4. I think a decision between a KB-8 and a 520 may depend in part on your plans for using the unit in the summer, when the differences between the 2 stoker types tend to be most evident.

Mike

Word of caution from what I read of your post. Putting your coal outside, while even covered leaves the coal to freeze. Typically when coal is delivered it's a little moist. If your planning to store coal outside plan on heating it's storage facility. Otherwise it WILL freeze. There have been several threads about this happening. Typically coal will freeze when you need it the most, (when it's coldest) and your left with a great auger system and no way to get the coal from the bin to the burn pot. That's a big factor in why my coal is indoors and kept warm.

I'm also a big fan of axeman anderson boilers. They prefer to burn pea sized coal, and don't require much attention once setup and dialed in. But that's my .02

Good call about the freezing of coal. I may just build a conditioned room off the side of the building. Or I can bring in a few barrels at a time and let them warm up for a few days before I dump the coal into the hopper. How much space/pallets does 1 ton of bagged coal occupy? Id rather just order bagless since it is cheaper that way, but if I may have enough room in the shop to store bagged coal.

General rule is 40 cubic ft for 1 ton of coal, a pallet is generally about 4x4x4 or 5 ft high.