Can I Use Existing Oil Burner SS Chimney for New Coal Boiler

 
BuckShot
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Location: upstate NY, near Whitehall (on the Vermont border)
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite buckwheat

Post by BuckShot » Wed. Sep. 16, 2015 7:46 pm

Thanks guys!
titleist1, that's a good idea about placement. Unfortunately, I don't really have a good place to put this boiler that will work with the current SS chimney and that would also be a good place for a new, potential, masonry chimney in the future. I think I'll simply have to do what was suggested and install a T for an annual cleaning. But thanks for an excellent idea!

McGiever, I'm hoping you're right on all counts. :) I discussed this with my dealer and he showed me a section of "Class A" (as he called it) chimney in his workshop - it looks just like my chimney. He said a "Class A" chimney is top quality and he thinks its gonna be fine. Just keep it clean.

BTW, Keystoker responded to my email and I spoke with them today too. They seem to be great people and very helpful! They said that a manometer is not a requirement. Does anyone have thoughts on the usefulness of a manometer for this boiler install?

Keystoker also agreed that "the existing chimney would be perfect for the coal boiler as it doesn't get hotter then 300 degrees." He did say that corrosion will likely be an issue eventually, but I'm hoping with proper maintenance, it'll be a long time from now.

He also gave me some info I couldn't find elsewhere on this forum. Figured I'd share it in case anyone else was wondering:
The Keystoker KAA-4 boiler has a shipping weight of 800lbs (on a standard pallet), but the boiler ships unassembled, so the largest piece (the boiler itself) is about 650lbs. This is a lot less weight than I was expecting. My dealer thought it was maybe 1200lbs. :shock:

Looking for good deals on a tractor trailer load of bagged rice coal now. Any recommendations?


 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Wed. Sep. 16, 2015 9:29 pm

Any recommends on a TT load of coal ?? I looked to the right at your profile info,no clue of where you live,how do we know who to recommend if we have no place in mind as to where on this earth you are ? No one will come & steal you. As for the magnehelic or manometer ~~~~~ Nope they are not necessary,just like the thermostat on the wall in your house,or the oil pressure gauge in your car/truck engine,all unnecessary ,but all very useful. :) :)

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Sep. 16, 2015 9:33 pm

BuckShot wrote:Does anyone have thoughts on the usefulness of a manometer for this boiler install?
It may not be a requirement, but it is very useful. There are a couple things that you don't want to happen. For example, you never want a situation where there is positive pressure in the combustion chamber. This condition can lead to carbon monoxide leaking into the stove room. Secondly, too much negative pressure could mean that there is a lot of excess air being pulled (or Paul would say being pushed ;) ) thru the combustion chamber. This leads to excess heat going up the chimney instead of it being transfered to the heat medium (water).

Long story short, the manometer is needed to dial in the negative pressure so it's just right. They are cheap and easy to install, my opinion is that every coal appliance should have one. Just a suggestion.. :)

 
BuckShot
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Location: upstate NY, near Whitehall (on the Vermont border)
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4
Hand Fed Coal Stove: looking for one...
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite buckwheat

Post by BuckShot » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 11:44 am

Thanks guys. Great info!
Sorry, I had mentioned my location earlier in this thread, but that was back on page 1. Not really visible from page 2. I'm in upstate NY, between Whitehall and Granville (on the Vermont border). I'll add it to my profile just as soon as I find that setting. ;)

I'll get a manometer and learn all about it. You guys make it sound very desirable/useful. The Keystoker guy sounded willing to help me make sure it's installed properly. He also said that if I don't have any issues now (my existing boiler has a barometric damper installed on the flue), I shouldn't have any issues with the new coal boiler, assuming I continue to use a barometric damper.

My wife did some checking yesterday and found a company in Saratoga Springs, NY - $265/ton for bagged Blaschak anthracite (rice) delivered, 1 ton per pallet, 24 pallets. But they said we need to provide a pallet jack and a forklift to offload. :o Apparently it comes on a TT with a box trailer, not a flatbed. I have a tractor with pallet forks on the loader, so I can offload it, but I don't have a pallet jack. Who the heck keeps one of those in their basement? :|

Still checking around...

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 11:48 am

Are you sure your tractor can safely lift 2500 lbs? Blaschak pallets are normally 2400 lbs. Kimmels and others are usually 2500 lbs.

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 1:25 pm

When I drove semi,i always carried enough chain to reach the entire length of the trailer & I made an L-shaped piece to slip into the pallet,hook the chain to it & then pull the pallet to the back of the trailer with a forklift/tractor,unhook the chain,lift pallet with forks & repeat.

 
BuckShot
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Location: upstate NY, near Whitehall (on the Vermont border)
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite buckwheat

Post by BuckShot » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 2:48 pm

windyhill4.2 wrote:When I drove semi,i always carried enough chain to reach the entire length of the trailer & I made an L-shaped piece to slip into the pallet,hook the chain to it & then pull the pallet to the back of the trailer with a forklift/tractor,unhook the chain,lift pallet with forks & repeat.
Thanks windyhill, good idea. We're still trying to sort this out, but that might be an option. I have 2 chains (rated at 10k lbs) I occasionally use to life things with tractor loader. Not sure if they're long enough though. Still working on it...


 
BuckShot
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Joined: Mon. Sep. 14, 2015 7:52 pm
Location: upstate NY, near Whitehall (on the Vermont border)
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4
Hand Fed Coal Stove: looking for one...
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite buckwheat

Post by BuckShot » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 3:05 pm

Rob R. wrote:Are you sure your tractor can safely lift 2500 lbs? Blaschak pallets are normally 2400 lbs. Kimmels and others are usually 2500 lbs.
Rob, you're reading my mind. You've probably done this before. ;)

I believe they told my wife that each pallet weighed 1 ton. Think they're mistaken?

My loader is rated for ~1800lbs at max height (it's a Kubota Grand L3540 with a LA724 loader [quick attach] and an aftermarket pallet fork that's rated for 3000lbs). I'm pretty sure I will max out the loader getting these pallets off the truck. Any thoughts/tricks are welcome.

I have a 6' bush hog on the back that I could leave attached for some counter-balance, but I don't want to break anything on the loader, etc. :confused: I may have to borrow one of my neighbor's big JD tractors or just remove 10+ bags from each pallet before forking it down off the truck. There is always a hurdle. :(

I've seen a couple of dealers online that send a flatbed TT with that little forklift attached to the back, but they're in PA. Probably don't deliver this far north. I'm still looking. If anybody has any other good ideas/input, I'm all ears.
Thanks

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

Post by windyhill4.2 » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 5:35 pm

IF,they send your coal in a box trailer,be prepared for up to a 53' long trailer. Sounds like you need to borrow your neighbors bigger tractor & maybe more chain,or maybe he has a pallet jack.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 8:26 pm

BuckShot wrote:
Rob R. wrote:Are you sure your tractor can safely lift 2500 lbs? Blaschak pallets are normally 2400 lbs. Kimmels and others are usually 2500 lbs.
Rob, you're reading my mind. You've probably done this before. ;)

I believe they told my wife that each pallet weighed 1 ton. Think they're mistaken?

My loader is rated for ~1800lbs at max height (it's a Kubota Grand L3540 with a LA724 loader [quick attach] and an aftermarket pallet fork that's rated for 3000lbs). I'm pretty sure I will max out the loader getting these pallets off the truck. Any thoughts/tricks are welcome.

I have a 6' bush hog on the back that I could leave attached for some counter-balance, but I don't want to break anything on the loader, etc. :confused: I may have to borrow one of my neighbor's big JD tractors or just remove 10+ bags from each pallet before forking it down off the truck. There is always a hurdle. :(

I've seen a couple of dealers online that send a flatbed TT with that little forklift attached to the back, but they're in PA. Probably don't deliver this far north. I'm still looking. If anybody has any other good ideas/input, I'm all ears.
Thanks
Yes, I have done it every year since 2008. I had a few van body deliveries, each time the trucking company brought a pallet jack with them to unload. Now I use a local carrier that has a nice flatbed, so no more pallet jacks. I just got a load of rice coal from Coopersburg Bagging company, cost me $240 per ton delivered. Considering you are closer to PA your trucking would probably be a little less. Find out what that tractor can lift before you order a load, the last thing you want is to have a truck in the driveway that you can't unload.

 
Olllotj
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Post by Olllotj » Thu. Sep. 17, 2015 8:57 pm

order bulk coal and load your bin w your bucket. I have a very simillar tractor and it wont even come close to lifting them.

 
BuckShot
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Post by BuckShot » Mon. Sep. 21, 2015 2:59 pm

I got the official quote from the coal company in Saratoga. $267/ton of coal; 24 pallets on the truck; 2100lbs/pallet. The truck may be a box/van or a flatbed. If it's a van, I need to supply the pallet jack. Either way, I need a bigger tractor to remove the pallets. :( Still working on a solution to that dilemma...

Are there any companies in PA that will deliver a TT load to a residential customer all the way to upstate NY? Should I post this question to a different category?

Got some good news today:
The boiler is at the local shipper's warehouse and can be delivered any day this week. :D
Coordinating that now. More to follow...

 
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plumberman
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Post by plumberman » Mon. Sep. 21, 2015 3:40 pm

might want to call pennkeystone, ordered bulk from them,so did a couple of guys from work,all were happy. according to their site they offer bagged coal, might be worth a call? if you were closer I would offer up the palletjack in my garage(never know what might be in thy neighbor's barn) :D

 
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plumberman
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Post by plumberman » Mon. Sep. 21, 2015 3:47 pm

for got to add in, chances are ss chimney is from selkirk(metalbestos), they are rated oil/wood/coal. hook up and I wouldn't look back good luck with all!

 
BuckShot
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Joined: Mon. Sep. 14, 2015 7:52 pm
Location: upstate NY, near Whitehall (on the Vermont border)
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4
Hand Fed Coal Stove: looking for one...
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite buckwheat

Post by BuckShot » Mon. Sep. 21, 2015 4:01 pm

plumberman wrote:might want to call pennkeystone, ordered bulk from them,so did a couple of guys from work,all were happy. according to their site they offer bagged coal, might be worth a call? if you were closer I would offer up the palletjack in my garage(never know what might be in thy neighbor's barn) :D
Thanks PM! I'm emailing pennkeystone now...
I appreciate the offer. I have a buddy who may have a pallet jack at his business. Calling him later. I should ask my neighbors though - good point.
plumberman wrote:for got to add in, chances are ss chimney is from selkirk(metalbestos), they are rated oil/wood/coal. hook up and I wouldn't look back good luck with all!
It may well be a metalbestos chimney. It seems pretty stout. I'm not sure how to tell for sure, but I am driving on...
As we used to say in the Army, FIDO! :woot:
Thanks!


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