Alaska Stove Coal Usage

Hi coal people, . I think I'm using too much coal

OK, first the history, and remember this is my first time at this.

I have had my Alaska Hearth running from last Saturday until now. It is a fourth generation I'm told. Not a tri-burner. I have the original control which is the 1-5 dial setting for feed rate. I have had it on 1 the entire time and 1 1/2 for 2 nights. I burned 210 lbs of coal in 7 days (30 lbs a day). If I turn down the control to 1/2 the fire will stay lit but the blower will blow cool so that doesn't do any good. My space I am heating is approximately 1500 sq. ft.. I just finished installing all new windows just before starting the stove. Insulation is poor I guess. It's original to the 1957 house. Thin layer in attic and walls. The house is a tri-level similar to a ranch but bedrooms over the garage. So pretty much outside walls, floor, and ceiling all around. The draft on setting 1 is .02 and setting 2 is .03 Had it on 2 for an hour to check the operation of the stove. It does have a baro set to .04 and a manometer.
The house is around 72 downstairs and 57 upstairs (all six of them) over the garage. Outside from 30's to 50's.

I think that's all the pertinent stuff Now the questions:

1) Should I be burning 30 lbs a day in this weather? Seems like a lot. Thats almost half a ton per month just on the lowest heat setting. Regardless of house insulation, I can't turn it lower and still produce heat.

2) How does coal consumption vary with the 1-5 dial? So far 30 lbs. on setting 1, how much for setting 2,3,etc. I'm trying to figure my coal usage for the year and not run out. I have 4 1/2 tons and already used 210 lbs this not so cold week.

3) Is there anything I'm missing as far as airflow to feed rate to make consumption less? I know you don't use a damper (the last owner of the stove did, he said it did help with his tall chimney), but combustion air maybe? I don't know.

Thanks for the help as usual, Scott

What were you burning previously and how much? How does that compare? If it is insulation, you should see a comparable BTU loss/usage.. right?
Todd

Insulate the ceiling better,, 80% of heat loss is through the ceiling..

Next,, have you looked at some of the threads with pictures of ash from a stoker stove?? Does your ash have more black, unburnt coal than those photos show??
You may consider adding a full time combustion fan to get more heat out of the idling fire.. this increases the stoker's efficiency.

Where in the house is the stove?? is it trying to heat an uninsulated basement as well as the house?? Have you read some of the 'heat distribution' threads about ducting heat and return air??

30# of coal may seem like a lot, but you are trying to heat an admittedly poorly insulated house... I'd spend a few bucks and a weekend and insulate the attic.

Greg L.

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Thanks guys,

Todd,
This is the first year and I have nothing to compare it to.

Greg,
The stove is in the living room which is just around the center of the house. It does have a full time combustion fan. The unburned coal does seem a little high. I assumed with the lower outside temps and lower stove temps I would get that. Wasn't sure. Coal is from Jeddo if that matters. My attic, which spans over 60', has one thin lousy layer of insulation. Old wool-rock. It's about 1 1/2" thick now. I definitely need to do that for sure. I priced it around $600 to get an additional layer of 6" if I do it myself. And I will have to do it myself. I would put more but that's all I can afford right now with x-mas coming soon.
I just wasn't sure that 30lbs. a day was right for a stove that is basically idling. I mean, the feed rate is "a given" to a point. A setting of 1 is my lowest setting and that's what it has been on. If I feed at 1/2 instead of 1 I get very little heat (you can pretty much touch the stove). any setting less than that and it will go out from lack of coal. This is regardless of insulation or temperature of my house. Just to keep it going at all takes almost 30lbs a day. Just seems high to me considering what I have seen on some threads here.
Like I said, I'm new to this but I didn't think I was going to add coal to the hopper every 24 hours in this weather. I can go 2 days but I wouldn't risk it running out so I top it off with 30lbs. every night (70lb. hopper) . I'm hoping that as the temps really start to drop, I will be using a nominal increase in coal and nothing outrageous. Does a poor gasket someplace have any bearing on this? It has a combustion fan blowing constantly underneath. Maybe I'm loosing combustion air not keeping the fire hot enough or am I thinking too much and it just uses 30lbs. a day?

Thanks guys, sorry it's so long.
Scott
There is a member that I PM'd and he has the Keystoker 90dv with coal-trol and used 50lbs the entire week!
Mine would have gone out on day 2 at that feed rate.

Sounds like the jeddo coal is the real problem and is the brick inside the stove in the right position. I can idle my channing (same feeder) on about 14lbs a day with the coal-trol.

Jpen1,
Thanks for the reply. What brick? There is nothing but a big open steel shell. I would think I should Idle down to that, coal trol or not. Like I said, if I feed that much less, my fire will go out.

Scott

sorry I was thinking of a channing top vent not a kast konsole. Probably the jeddo coal as the quality I was getting at the end from them was poor at best. Deep mined only for me from now on. No reclaimed stuff in this house

Does it produce any heat at 14lbs a day? I don't have coal-trol, just the factory 1 to 5 setting. At setting 1 it just pushes 30lbs of coal out in a 24 hour period. If I set it less, it will still burn some but only heat the room it's in because I have to turn the blower off. It will blow cool air.

Is the ceiling above the stove [in the living room] part of the attic? I'd insulate it right away. This part of the ceiling will have the greatest temperature differential, and therefore the greatest heat loss.. I'd spend a bit extra and add 8" or 10" in this area.. Then, when you can, insulate the rest of the attic.

There are several projects you can do that will greatly improve your heat distribution, the main one being hooking up a return air duct from the farthest part of the house that you can access, run a 6" duct from there to the back of the stove, and end this duct at the inlet to the distribution fan.. This will provide a positive cold air return from the far corner of the house.. and complete the circulation loop. Not all houses are constructed such that this project is easy or practical.. but it does work well.

The other item is air infiltration. The air going up the chimney has to come from somewhere,, the chimney puts a slight vacuum on the whole house, and this draws in outside air [cold air] through every crack, crevase, poor seal, and joint in the house.. your new windows help a lot with this, but the make-up air has to come from somewhere..

What many people do is to install a small duct, a piece of PVC tubing works,, from outdoors to the back of the stove, some hook the pipe directly to the combustion fan... this way only cold air through the duct feeds the combustion in the stove, instead of pulling cold air through gaps, heating it, then burning it and sending it up the chimney..

You may also try to get a half ton of Superior coal, it is pretty high BTU coal,, and see if it makes a difference in your heat output... I didn't personally have good luck with Jeddo coal, but this was two seasons ago, and many people report that Jeddo coal is much improved..

Hope this helps.. Greg L

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Thanks Greg!
The attic carries completely across the whole length of the house. It's ALL attic. I am insulating there anyway because last year I got ice dams and water in the house from them. That is where the stove is and the stove temps would most definitely make that worse this year. I didn't think of extra insulation in that area specifically. Good idea. I can do a fresh air combustion pipe. I have that clean out hatch in the bottom of my fireplace that goes to the basement. I can get a tube down there and right outside. Good suggestions and I will try to find some Superior coal. I'm hoping the Jeddo coal will burn more efficiently as the stove revs up more versus this warmer weather. This coal is last seasons coal also. Who knows.

Scott

I'm not sure why your feeder at #1 would push 30lbs. down the shute, thats pretty fast. Although yours is different then a my Channing.

So, would having your combustion fan on high and your feed at a low setting give a better burn on the coal? I have an alaska II and it seems that I'm going through alot of coal too. How often should I have to fill that hopper?

this is my first week burning in this kast console(stoker II)
still adjusting the burn rate
the first day I wasted a lot of coal because I did not check the stoker rod
i measured it and it only had about a 1/2" play ...i adjusted it to 7/8" and it burns much better
most of the coal burns....i was using a alaska kodiak last year and I can swear it burned hotter(used it for 3 years)
adjusting the temp with a thermostat....i still feel this stove needs adjustment before it gets really cold
burning about 20 lbs now....house is nice and warm
planing to finish installing hot water coil next week(you can check out the pictures in the plumbing section)
i think when I get this stove set up right I will be very happy
mike s.

OK so I just talked to the guy I bought the stove from. He PM'd me after reading this post.
It seems I was on the right track. Jeddo is a harder coal that likes to be burned hot. He said it likes setting 3 the best.
Anything lower and it still burns well but not as efficiently. Tends to burn cooler.
What is the rod setting everyone is talking about? I don't believe mine has that. It seems to be a "set and forget" type of stove.
Well we can't totally forget them .
So I am insulating this weekend if I can get my hands on some money.
This house with new windows and insulation is going to feel completely different.

Thanks everyone and I am putting some of your ideas into motion.

Scott

My LLPioneer has been running for 40 days,nightime thermostat set at 73,daytime at 70,have used 38 buckets at 25 lbs per bucket,950 lbs to date, some 80 degree days,some 29 degree nights,old 1800 sq ft house circa 1880,absolutely no insulation except the enclosed porch where the stove is(2 walls outside insulated),L shaped house,probably not quite as much exterior wall space as yours,your consumption doesn't sound extreme but is a bit higher than mine,I've been told about 5 tons/year but am thinking it will be closer to 7, with 22 ton in the driveway it's not a concern this year.What's cheaper,2 extra tons of coal or the insulation?,if you file yer taxes early the refund could cover both of the bases if your coal will last that long.Before purchasing this stove I never realized how interesting coal could be,a bit obsessive at times.Good luck. RichB