Stoker Boiler W/ H2O to Air Heat Exchanger for FHA

chemung · Post by **chemung** » Sat. Mar. 29, 2008 11:42 pm

In a previous post (diff. thread) LSFarms said:

"A stoker boiler would heat your domestic hot water, and using your existing hot air ducts and a water-to-air heat exchanger heat the whole house... If you want, you could use the boiler year 'round to heat domestic water."

When I came here a couple nights ago my interest was a hand fired unit. After reading a lot of the posts I have become intrigued by the above quote.

Looking at the various coal fired manufacturers I haven't see any product equipped like this. Guessing an air handler/heat exchanger would be a separate supplier? Do any of the common boiler manufacturers have an add on air handler? I assume by adding an air handler/heat exchanger I would be able to incorporate my whole house summer air conditioner.

Anyone using your boiler year round, how many tons of coal do you use a year?

What do some of you experienced people think?

Thanks,

Al

cArNaGe · Post by **cArNaGe** » Sun. Mar. 30, 2008 12:05 am

You can find the air handlers at most Outdoor Wood Boiler manufacturer sites as they are common in that application.

http://www.crownboiler.com/Products/Hydronic-Air- ... nta_Fe_III
This is the air handler I have.

But there are others.

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Sun. Mar. 30, 2008 12:28 am

**Broken Link(s) Removed**
This is what I use, works great. It sits on top of my FHA furnace and uses the same ductwork and fan, the FHA is still hooked up and acts as a backup if I go away for a week. I did change the fan speed to the highest setting to overcome the additional resistance of the coil, but it wasn't really necessary. I bypassed my hot water tank as well and just use the boiler year round. It's nice to have backup systems in place for heat/hw, it prevents emergencies.

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Sun. Mar. 30, 2008 8:45 am

chemung wrote:In a previous post (diff. thread) LSFarms said:

"A stoker boiler would heat your domestic hot water, and using your existing hot air ducts and a water-to-air heat exchanger heat the whole house... If you want, you could use the boiler year 'round to heat domestic water."

When I came here a couple nights ago my interest was a hand fired unit. After reading a lot of the posts I have become intrigued by the above quote.

Looking at the various coal fired manufacturers I haven't see any product equipped like this. Guessing an air handler/heat exchanger would be a separate supplier? Do any of the common boiler manufacturers have an add on air handler? I assume by adding an air handler/heat exchanger I would be able to incorporate my whole house summer air conditioner.

Anyone using your boiler year round, how many tons of coal do you use a year?

What do some of you experienced people think?

Thanks,

Al

Al,
That's the system I use. I added the heat exchanger to my A/C's duct system. Works great. Heres a pic of the heat exchanger. you can find them on ebay or many other places on the web.
I don't use it year round, just winter. I burn 4+ tons. some here do use them year round though.

.JPG | 127.4KB | IMG_1464.jpg

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Sun. Mar. 30, 2008 1:54 pm

Hello Al, I think the above posts answer your question about the water-to-air heat exchanger, if you plan on using coal year 'round to heat domestic hot water, you would want a domestic hot water coil in the boiler, or an indirect hot water heater to use the coal-heated water for your domestic hot water.

Greg L

>

Yanche · Post by **Yanche** » Sun. Mar. 30, 2008 8:55 pm

Take a look at this link:
**Broken Link(s) Removed**From http://www.heatinghelp.com. It will answer many of your questions about heating air with a hot water in a duct system. A well designed system will allow you to heat, cool, humidify, and de-humidify your home as the season requires. It's a common design for the expensive McMansions being built today that demand zoned complete comfort control year round.

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Mon. Mar. 31, 2008 1:05 pm

I wouldn't remove a baseboard or old fashioned radiator type system to install forced air, but if that's what you got no reason not to use it. I like the benefits of humidification, air filtration, and the simplicity of plumbing in a forced air setup but I like radiators best, nothing says nostalgia like putting your mittens on a 500 pound cast iron heater.

Post by **coaledsweat** » Mon. Mar. 31, 2008 7:25 pm

It is probably easier to install a coil and plumb in a boiler, than it is to do the ductwork for another furnace or stove. A lot less blood too.

Your home will be a lot more comfortable with a boiler and it will be cheaper to operate.