Harman DVC-500 Stoker / New to Coal :)

Hello. My name is Andrew, live on Long Island (New York).

After reviewing my oil usage over the past few years and applying the current oil pricing, I started looking into alternative heating solutons. Long story short, I chose coal and the Harman DVC-500, direct vent stoker. I've lurked on the board here for weeks and wish to thank all who participate here, I learned alot that helped me in my decision.

Anyway; I have a couple of questions Im hoping th group can assist with. I tried searching the boards and tried to call Harman but no luck.

- After passing through the wall, the Harman intake/exhaust pipe requires a "tee" and a vertical 18" pipe with an elbow at the top. Why? My guess is to keep the intake and exhaust seperated. I ask becasue the Key Stoker and hte Alaska Stoker brands terminate to a nice flat hood. Anyone know?

- Any reason the hearth has to be elevated? Most I see seem to be about 4" high off the floor. I want to have a tiled hearth flush with my pergo floor. thoughts?

BTW, Coal quote around here today are $260-$275 per ton on a 3 ton delivery.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
andrew

Congrats on your purchase & welcome Andrew. Not having a power vent I can't answer your specific questions but I wanted to advise you that your choice of coal can either make or break your coal burning experience. Take the time to read a few threads & I'm sure you'll find good quality coal in your area. Poor coal can make your life miserable & make you hate any coal stove.

The DVC exhausts through the center of the vent pipe and takes in combustion air along the outside casing. It needs the exhaust exiting away from the intake.- I dont't know if the alaska and the kodiak take in outside air? If you only have an elbow instead of the tee, ash would build up – the open bottom of the tee lets the ash fall out. I went with the stainless, the galvanized quickly corrodes.

ablumny wrote:snip... After passing through the wall, the Harman intake/exhaust pipe requires a "tee" and a vertical 18" pipe with an elbow at the top. Why? My guess is to keep the intake and exhaust seperated. I ask becasue the Key Stoker and hte Alaska Stoker brands terminate to a nice flat hood. Anyone know?

- Any reason the hearth has to be elevated? Most I see seem to be about 4" high off the floor. I want to have a tiled hearth flush with my pergo floor. thoughts?

Welcome to the wonderful world of coal burning Andrew.

The DVC 500 draws in fresh air, as you surmised the fresh air intake must be a little bit separate from the hot air being expelled by the DV unit.

No reason you can't make your tile flush, mostly folks use the hearth units that are made on a piece of plywood thus they sit on top of the floor.

Hope this helps.

Thats great. Thank you all.

Coal quality? YES! I've done a ton of research and have hooked up with Bethlahem Coal here on Long Island for Rice coal. I visited his yard, and am confident int he type and quality BUT am certainely willing to take advice from the experts.

I suspected the venting/exhaust thing, thanks again for confirming. Dealer want $250 for the stainless kit which I will do as advised to avoid having to replace the galv stuff frequently.

Appreciate the hearth advice. Thanks

New question: I have this vision of building my coal bin into the side of my garage with a pvc pipe extending into the garage with some sort of door to displaense coal into a bucket, all done from inside. I imagine a bin with pitched floor that led to the pipe. Insane?

When I get it all going, I'll post a pic or two......

Andrew.