COAL BIN Pics

I just (almost) finished my indoor bin just need a top for the fan. It holds 260# of coal ,took 3hrs to build,and $50.00 + the fan cover(not sure what it will be?) I just fill it with a 5gal buckets or bags so, I hope it helps with the black dust, just not sure how long the filter will last?I like the wagon Idea but it would not fit through my narrow a-- doors so this is what I came up with.The next will be the outdoor bin, maybe this winter or next spring.

My coal bin - window in side wall is for the loading conveyor.

~Rebecca

Nice and clean, there is nothing like a good setup come winter time when everybody is struggling to do things that come so easy in nice weather. You will not regret having to dealing with frozen tarps and frozen bags.

When building a coal bin, especially starting from scratch, one should never build a square or a rectangular box, the process of removing the coal on daily basis during the winter time, should be as easy as possible, a housewife or an older child should be able to remove the coal until the last particle as easy as possible, I have built one in the past that holds 4 tons, and its lowest point was about 1 1/2 foot off the ground, it has a sloping inside, when it's empty or close to empty I promise to post the pictures.

Here is the last one I built, and I tried using as much recycled lumber as possible, kept the cost to a minimum, it holds easily 6 tons, it's equipped with a flex auger to move the coal from the bin to the hopper, total travel distance of coal is about 28 feet, and it moves upwards about 4 feet, it fills up the hopper in about 15 to 20 minutes; which is not a long time to wait, of course the process can easily be automated. I have done the testing of moving coal horizontally, and was able to fill up the 12 gallons cooler in 8 minutes.

My next design, if time permits and "If God's willing " will have an ash removal system as well, then coal stokers will be able to easily compete with other type of fuel furnaces, since inconvenience will be brought down to a minimum.

The auger is totally accessible and serviceable without disturbing the coal, you can replace the entire mechanism with the coal bin full. I'll dig the pictures out when the bin was empty, and show some of the inside details upon request.

reckebecca wrote:My coal bin - window in side wall is for the loading conveyor.

~Rebecca

Wow, I'm jealous! I'm stuck with bags until we can escape from suburbia. Lisa

Very nice. That is what I will be looking to do for sure. Once I get the EFM going, Ill build and outside bin. Great Job.

Thanks for showing us that George, I've wondered about those flexable augers for awhile.

reckebecca wrote:My coal bin - window in side wall is for the loading conveyor.

~Rebecca

I wish I had those kind of skills, Great job.

reckebecca wrote:My coal bin - window in side wall is for the loading conveyor.

~Rebecca

Looks good to me and would easy to move if necessary (empty of course) I like movable outdoor coal bins....Just as soon as you build a permanent one with concrete etc. something comes up and you need to move it.

Just a minor correction:

It took me a while to figure out the volume of the cooler I was using, as it turned out, it's a Coleman 100 QTS Cooler, and according to the test of moving coal horizontally, it took 8 minutes, I guess that's much more than 12 Gallons as I thought earlier

lowfog01 wrote:

reckebecca wrote:My coal bin - window in side wall is for the loading conveyor.

~Rebecca

Wow, I'm jealous! I'm stuck with bags until we can escape from suburbia. Lisa

Thanks Lisa - it is nice having it easily accessible.

~Rebecca

k9 Bara wrote:

reckebecca wrote:My coal bin - window in side wall is for the loading conveyor.

~Rebecca

I wish I had those kind of skills, Great job.

I actually can't take the credit - my mother designed and built it! She also built the garage that it sits beside.

~Rebecca

rockwood wrote:

reckebecca wrote:My coal bin - window in side wall is for the loading conveyor.

~Rebecca

Looks good to me and would easy to move if necessary (empty of course) I like movable outdoor coal bins....Just as soon as you build a permanent one with concrete etc. something comes up and you need to move it.

Thanks! Yes, could be moved if need be - it sits up on pressure treated boards.

~Rebecca

YZF1R wrote:Well, I did get two ton of coal in my bin with a couple inch's to spare. Here is a before and after pic. One problem though. When filling it the inside walls got all black. (LOL) I painted Dryloc inside and my wife is going to white wash the outside.

Steve

Why would it bother you that the bin "got all black"? It's COAL. No matter what you do, it will always have dust. Do you really expect the bin to be 'clean' by applying Dryloc?

poconoman wrote:

YZF1R wrote:Well, I did get two ton of coal in my bin with a couple inch's to spare. Here is a before and after pic. One problem though. When filling it the inside walls got all black. (LOL) I painted Dryloc inside and my wife is going to white wash the outside.

Steve

Why would it bother you that the bin "got all black"? It's COAL. No matter what you do, it will always have dust. Do you really expect the bin to be 'clean' by applying Dryloc?

No, you see the "Lots Of Laughs” after that comment? I was just being sarcastic. I'm sorry, didn't mean anything. I really don't come off that well in print. Never was very good at e-mail and such. Anyway, the two coats of Dryloc are to hopefully help with guarding the wood from moisture. An idea I got from someone on the forums here.

Steve