Considering Coal in new home... Questions!!

Hello!
I am building a new house in NH and am seriously considering an "in-basement" stoker coal stove. I have many questions, but I'll begin with two;

1. What are the exaust/chimny requirements for a stoker coal stove (can they be direct vented through the foundation or do they require a standard block/brick chimney with a tile flu)?

2. I've had someone tell me that years ago they burned Anthricite and found a fine black dust throughout the home. Essentially they said it was a bit dirty. I've also been told that this isn't a problem with the newer stokers..... I figured I'd go to the experts (you folks), for an opinion on the newer stoakers. Do you find any of this "dust" that was mentioned?

As this is a new home, I can go with an in-basement unit or perhaps even one of the out door units. I'm partially disabled and think the in-basement unit will be more convienient.

Thanks Soooo much,

Okay, I am no expert. All of the experts are on the lake fishing! But I'll try and help. I would highly recommnend building the flue with tile and installing a stainless steel liner the same diameter as the outlet of the appliance. Maybe you can build the flue without the tile and still add the liner safely. I just do not know. But a good draft is essential with coal and a ss liner will improve the draft.

The 2nd question concerning black dust...I never see any in my home. I burn from late mid-Nov till Apr 1. You will see coal ash dust if you aren't careful removing the ash.

Good Luck and report back later in the fall.

Thak you for the tips.

I'm considering an "in the basement" type coal stove (coalgun, Alaska, etc.) and installing it in my garage/shop. I'll build a chimney of block and tile with a Stainless liner (good tip!) on the garage. I hope to build the coal bin in the garage also, and auger from it into the hopper.

My question concerning the above arrangement; Will I be able to connect the stove to the house via buried piping as you would with the "out door" type of stoves? Normally, the out door type of stoves are designed to be connected into the home via burried pipes... Will an "in the basement" type of stove also function this way? My garage/shop is a detached type.

Thanks!

Timsa--

Unlikely. You will not enought cfm's to push the heat and besides, you will loose the radient heat from the firebox. You will also loose the warm cozy feeling one receives when having the stove in a room in which you spend time.

The newer units have a very nice appearence and I suspect 1/2 the amount you pay for such unit is in the appearence alone. i.e glass & brass door, nice paint, etc. Put the unit in your basement and allow the heat to rise thru open floor vents. Or if you purchase a unit with the optional heat accumlator, ( Harman stoker carries this option ), you can use 6" round stove pipe and pipe the hot air thru a single floor vent into the living area of your home. But the run can't be much more than 12' to 16'.

Do your research. This is a good place to start but wrong time of year. The experts are all out enjoying summer.


Cap

Thanks for the insights...
I'm not considering an "attractive" type coal stove for the installation in the garage though. Just an ugly ol' basement type coal furn. (ala CoalGun or Harmon SF-260 type etc. http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/coalboilers.htm ). No bells and whistles when it comes to appearance. Standard furn. with 250lb hopper etc. I'd go with a unit that is designed to go outside (ala http://www.heatinnovations.com/addstoker.htm) but the folks here advise that local fire code would probable prohibit the installation of an "outdoor" type stove inside a garage/shop.

I suspect that I probably could install something like a Coal Gun or a Harmon in my garage and then feed the heated water into my house as you would with an "outdoor" type coal furnace... perhaps I couldn't... that's why I'm asking.

Can a Coal Gun, or Harmon type stove (that's normally installed in the basement), be installed in my garage and piped into my home?

I'm trying to keep the stove mess (coal bin... coal dust... ash... etc.) out of the basement. 5 ton coal bin in garage. Automatic auger from bin to Furnace's 250lb hopper... never have to touch the stove except to remove ash. No fuss, no muss in the basement. Additionally... it will be cheaper to build a chimney in a garage (build it on the slab), rather than building a chimney on the side of the house/basement.

Thanks for the tips all!
Tim

Hi Timsa,
I'm interested in an auger for my Keystoker - where can I find information on these? Do you have any info on problems with these clogging?
Thanks!
Ron

I think your description is kind of throwing people off. You would need a boiler in your garage to do this. Not a stove or furnace.
I used to have an outdoor furnace. ( which is actually an outdoor boiler) I sold it and got an indoor AHS multifuel boiler and put it in my garage.
You certainly can pipe the hot water from you boiler in the garage into your house. It works the exact same way as an outdoor unit. The only difference is you are inside the garage tending the fire and not freezing to death outside. . It is no big deal at all. Just be sure to insulate your pipes well. If you have any questions about the specifics of my system just PM Me.