COAL BIN Pics

Steve.N · By: **Steve.N** On: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:24 am

I also have a silo for grain that was intended for corn fuel before corn went to 5 dollars a bushel. I debated using it for pea coal but I am afraid of the weight of storing coal in it. Corn weighs 56 pounds a bushel coal weight 86, my silo is 1600 bushel capacity and would weigh in around 69 tons loaded. It sure would make a good coal bin though.

Does anybody on the forum have experience using a grain auger to move coal?

Steve

Dallas · By: **Dallas** On: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:35 am

You don't have to "fill" it :!:

Sting · By: **Sting** On: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:43 am

Well thats another revelation for me

My 6 ton corn bin may hold 9 or 10 ton of coal

My expected needs for the year :idea:

Dallas is right - we really wouldn't have to top it off, but wouldn't it be sweet to be set for the season

It does hinge on filling and moving out with grain augers doesn't it? Yours is higher and would feed out by gravity and that is still a possibility for me but using the system already in place would be less work.

What were you going to burn the corn in and what now are you burning the coal in?

Sting · By: **Sting** On: Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:51 am

Dallas wrote:The first thing, which I would do ... drop a piece of perforated 4" PVC pipe vertically in the center of the bin, to allow for some air flow. Done deal
Of course that might fill will coal and be of no use.

Rigging a ring at the bottom of this pvc "vent" the same size as the top opening ( to drop it in) would hold it off the bottom - simple bars to support would not impede the coal to fall thru - same thing up top to center- a rubber cap will stop up the top - PVC y at the top or the bottom then a supply air from the side near the top ( or bottom ) could be forced or gravity air circulation vented out a remodeled top cap with a one way 4inch dryer vent.

Steve.N · By: **Steve.N** On: Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:06 pm

Sting wrote:What were you going to burn the corn in and what now are you burning the coal in?

I own a retail store and was planning a corn fuel business but with corn over 5 dollars a bushel that dream evaporated. Currently my store is heated with oil but I just purchased a couple of Axeman-Anderson 260 boilers for heat next year. If you look behind the silo in the photo there is a 30x100ft greenhouse that hasn't been planted in two years because of the high cost of heating it. I had some thoughts of a smaller bin to feed the AA's and using the silo for primary storage filling the small bin every three or four days. I have a 20 foot auger to fill the silo and a shorter one to transfer the coal to the small bin the big question is the suitability of grain augers for moving coal.

Dallas · By: **Dallas** On: Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:17 pm

Steve.N wrote:the big question is the suitability of grain augers for moving coal.

I would think, it would work. The short coming being, "wear" of the coal, as opposed to grain. I imagine, all of the stoker augers are stainless.

Rob R. · By: **Rob R.** On: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:53 am

Steve.N wrote: I have a 20 foot auger to fill the silo and a shorter one to transfer the coal to the small bin the big question is the suitability of grain augers for moving coal.

I don't think you would have any problems. Grain can be very corrosive and abrasive depending on how much salt/minerals are in it. We have some 30-ton bins on our farm that are used for grain, pellets specifically. The augers were the flex-tube kind. The ones with the PVC tube and spring-type auger inside. Those augers lasted over 10 years, we recently replaced them with 6" solid-tube augers made in Quebec.

The biggest problem I can forsee is wet coal freezing in the bin. As mentioned above, it would be important to fill the bin during warm months and provide enough airflow to keep the coal dry.

Jack Magnum · By: **Jack Magnum** On: Fri May 09, 2008 5:33 am

rocklayer wrote:These 4 55 gal drums I got for free and they do great job holding my coal.

I am new to this forum and hope this gets thru. I was just wondering how much coal weight each 55 gallon drum holds ?
Jack

Richard S. · By: **Richard S.** On: Fri May 09, 2008 6:00 am

A 55 gallon drum is about 400 lbs. I just added some volume information to the new KB : http://nepacrossroads.com/kb/Anthracite_Coal

Jack Magnum · By: **Jack Magnum** On: Fri May 09, 2008 9:58 am

Richard S. wrote:A 55 gallon drum is about 400 lbs. I just added some volume information to the new KB : http://nepacrossroads.com/kb/Anthracite_Coal

Thanks for the info Richard
Jack

steevesj · By: **steevesj** On: Sun May 18, 2008 6:19 pm

Just finished mine up today and started dumping coal into it. Thanks to Redman for the coal bin idea. I used sliding doors instead of hinged. I should be able to get 5 tons in it.

26Weeks · By: **26Weeks** On: Sun May 18, 2008 8:28 pm

Heres a coal bin question, first let me thank you all for the advice that I have been receiving. I have a barn wall 26 foot wide what I would like to do is put a another wall 7 foot out 6 foot high. 26x7x6 divided by 40=27.3 tons +or-. Has anyone done this how much push is there I'm used to holding back concrete and do not want to over build it, the $ are running low. Thanks Brian

Richard S. · By: **Richard S.** On: Sun May 18, 2008 10:31 pm

26weeks, at 6 foot high I wouldn't be concerned about as long as you have a good wooden frame structure (3/4 plywood and studs on 16 inch centers). If you are really concerned get some cable or wratchet straps and run them from one side to the other using eyehooks inside the bin half way down about every 2 or 3 studs, preferably going through a stud on the outside of the bin running horizontally. Assuming a decent wooden frame structure the biggest issue is how well the base is anchored, every bin I've ever been in... and there's been a few... has always broken on the bottom. Usually due to rot or poor construction.

coalnewbie · By: **coalnewbie** On: Sat May 31, 2008 7:58 am

Well I'm new and struggling to learn. Screw the Arabs, I give up. I'm older now so manual stuff is getting harder, LaFarm I Noticed that you have a Axeman-Anderson 260M (I assume anthratube) but seem to have large coal and no dog house like they show in the literature. Firstly, is the stove any good and I am laying down concrete block 2'x2'x6' to form a large coal bin with the screw feed. Any tips to a less than wise man( should have done this years ago!)

LsFarm · By: **LsFarm** On: Sun Jun 01, 2008 3:11 am

I made my own wood 'doghouse' for the auger in the bottom of the coal hopper, I lined the sloped bottom of the hopper with sheet aluminum to help the coal slide down to the 'sump' around the auger end.. It works pretty good,, I should have made the slope a bit steeper, but it does work.

The Axeman Anderson 260 and 130 are very good boilers.. in fact all the currently in production boilers are very good,, each has their own features and differences,, It's really what works for you and your installation.

Welcome to the forum !!

Greg L

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