Coal Bin Pictures and Designs

 
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Rick 386
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Post by Rick 386 » Mon. Jul. 28, 2008 10:27 pm

Richard a question........

I just installed a plastic 55 gallon barrel tonight. Bin is getting a little low. And the coal delivery driver is awaiting the go ahead from the doctor on his shoulder problem so we are waiting for delivery . Probably gonna happen next week. Do we remove it prior to filling the bin or leave it in place????? Our current bin holds about 6 ton but we are ordering 4 to fill it. How would the normal gravity feed work with the barrel in place. Seems like a lot of shovelling into the barrel to me.

Rick


 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Jul. 28, 2008 10:46 pm

If you place the barrel over the worm on four blocks there will be enough room for the coal outside of the barrel to get to the worm. You only need to provde na access point for it to get to the worm. The only thing that is going to feed through gravity is whatever can. You'll have to utilze the barrel eventually but you'll be shoveling it no matter what you do.

The only way to have a fully gravity feed bin is to build it that way. As I explianed you need a very high ceiling and its a lot of extra construction too.

 
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Sting
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Post by Sting » Tue. Jul. 29, 2008 10:00 am

If your shoulder is bad

if the boys will not be around to shovel

if you want a far less "hands on" feed system

Since you already have gone thru all this trouble to make a mighty fine bin and have a great stoker picking fuel out of it

--->Get the 6 foot extension and sell the 4 foot. - set up your bin so you won't have to interact with the coal as much -- sloped floor to the pick up point - rebuild the dog house so you can get at it if it jams

it sounds like if you don't - you may as well have installed a hand feed boiler :oops: I was a teen; standing in my dads 10 ton bin shoveling, from the bin corners, to that darn screw too many nights after school.

 
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billw
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Post by billw » Tue. Jul. 29, 2008 2:25 pm

Sting actually you have a good idea. I'm going to go with what I've got this year though. I still have a ton of work to get done before heating season. Right now I'm running in low gear cause I truly screwed the pooch this weekend moving that radiator. If the coal bin becomes the pain in the butt it seems to be, next summer I'll change it around. Until then my youngest son just inherited a new chore. :)

 
bzizzi
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Post by bzizzi » Sat. Aug. 02, 2008 1:28 pm

I am building two of these bins,one stays put in the basemant and the other will be hauled on the trailer to go get the coal and for storage.When finished the front will have a hinged removable panel half ay up the front for easy access.Each should hold approx 1.5 tons of Anthracite Rice.I will also install a hinged lid.I made them out of 3/4" plywood and used 6X6 SPT timbers cut in half diagonally for added strength in the corners.I secured them from the bottom with 3/8"X 7" lag bolts
through the 4"X4"s for added strength,I then locked them in place with 2X4's on the bottom.
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Mon. Aug. 04, 2008 3:47 am

billw wrote:I always over-think problems also. Always gets me in trouble. :D

The extension I have is 4' I know I could've gone to 6', not sure what the max is. Problem is you can't add an extension to an extension. The extension I have isn't threaded at both ends. I like Richard's idea. Instead of hunting for a barrel I think I'll just build it out of lumber and block. I'm a gluton for punishment. :)
Bill look at Page three in the link it will show the extension a 6ft is the easies way to fix your Problem Take a ride down and get one bring the 4ft Auger & Auger Tube back and get the 6ft it is the easies way and a lot less work ;)

http://www.efmheating.com/manuals/Stoker%20Manual.pdf

 
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Post by bzizzi » Mon. Aug. 04, 2008 9:58 pm

Here is a pictures of the finished bin that should hold 1.5 tons of Anthracite rice coal,it just fits under my steps and is out of the way but 8' straight across from my stoker.When the coal gets too low to reach I just remove 2X4 cross brace and lower hinged flap to access the rest.
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vtec350
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Post by vtec350 » Mon. Aug. 04, 2008 10:16 pm

I like the way you strategically placed the bin next to the 12 pack of Labatts Blue :cheers: Oh Yeah, and there's a fire extinguisher too :D

 
ScottD
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Post by ScottD » Tue. Aug. 05, 2008 10:25 pm

OK, got my coal bin built and shoveled 4 1/2 tons of rice into it from the back yard :) . I was going to build it in the back yard but then thought to myself :idea: where do I want to be getting the coal from when I fill the hopper every night? Definitely the attached garage! So here are the pics. The bin is 10'x6'x4' deep. Should hold 6 tons when needed. 2x4 studs from floor to ceiling for strength. I made the door opening 26" wide to accommodate my wheelbarrow. The door is made of three equal panel each 16" high. This way I can use a ramp with the wheelbarrow. As you can see I load what I can, then add one panel, load again, add another panel, and I'm done. (needless to say after the second board I went to 2/3 of a wheelbarrow) I can also reverse the process as the coal is being used. This also works for me when someday I get a boiler. Put it in the garage with the coal and would help keep floor to bedrooms toasty as well as working in the garage very nice! Just plumb it into the oil boiler in the basement.

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This is where it all started.

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Finished bin.

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After loading at ground level and adding first panel.

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Finished with 4 1/2 tons of rice!

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bzizzi
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Post by bzizzi » Wed. Aug. 06, 2008 6:30 am

What I enjoy most about this whole coal thing is sticking it to the Arabs !!! They think they have us by the nuts and
can keep raising the price of fuel and we will just keep paying no matter what.Well,we are Americans and know how to adapt
to adversity.I even got a small car to run around in that gets 35 mpg and am now in a carpool at work and so far am saving a ton of money.I know this coal stove will do the same !!!!! :D

 
ScottD
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Post by ScottD » Wed. Aug. 06, 2008 6:38 am

bzizzi,
I agree. Everyone thinks I'm working too hard at this and it's not worth it. One woman next door saw my bin and shrugged at me saying "your not being very green are you?" I laughed (she burns oil) and said "I'm greener than you"! She stumbled at that. I hate when people show their ignorance when the have no I idea what they are talking about :mad: . The best part is when I tell them 100% of my heating costs go to hard working Americans in PA where the money is then circulated back into the economy. Then I ask them "where do your heating costs go"? That usually makes them think and they generally shut up :D .

 
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billw
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Post by billw » Wed. Aug. 06, 2008 9:02 am

coal berner wrote:
billw wrote:I always over-think problems also. Always gets me in trouble. :D

The extension I have is 4' I know I could've gone to 6', not sure what the max is. Problem is you can't add an extension to an extension. The extension I have isn't threaded at both ends. I like Richard's idea. Instead of hunting for a barrel I think I'll just build it out of lumber and block. I'm a gluton for punishment. :)
Bill look at Page three in the link it will show the extension a 6ft is the easies way to fix your Problem Take a ride down and get one bring the 4ft Auger & Auger Tube back and get the 6ft it is the easies way and a lot less work ;)

http://www.efmheating.com/manuals/Stoker%20Manual.pdf
Thanks J.C. uh, it's a little to late to do anything about it now. I've got 8 ton of coal in the bin and 4 more on the way. My home computer is down so I'm not online much until I can figure out what's wrong with it. Maybe next summer we can make a trade. BTW, I had my coal delivered. The guy was ribbing me about the bin. He said it was 'prettiest bin he's seen in a long time and I shouldn't get it dirty with that nasty coal.' :)

 
TPK
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Post by TPK » Thu. Aug. 07, 2008 11:25 pm

Just finished our 8x8 bin in time for 5 ton of nut coal tomorrow. :D
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GettingStoked
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Post by GettingStoked » Mon. Aug. 11, 2008 1:57 pm

I noticed most of the coal bins have the plywood on the inside (coal side) of the studs... Does it make a difference if the plywood is on the inside or the outside?

Thanks
Chris

 
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coalkirk
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Post by coalkirk » Mon. Aug. 11, 2008 2:11 pm

It's stronger that way. The coal helps hold the plywood in place. You could do it the other way but the plywood wouold have to be really well secured. Also, coal will get hung up between the studs.


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