Considering Hot Air Stoker Coal Stove in New Home

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Timsa20
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Post by Timsa20 » Fri. May. 12, 2006 8:23 am

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 four;

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. I'm going with forced hot water by the way, probably with an LP backup for summer/times when I'm away.

3. As I've been reading other posts, someone mentioned putting a stoker in their garage. Sounds like a great idea. I'm building a 2-car with an attached wood working shop and need some heat for the shop as well as the house. Could I install a stoker in the garage/shop and feed the house's forced hot water heating system AND my domestic hot water AND heat my swimming pool some how?

4. If I'm putting a stoker in the garage/shop, should I be looking at a stoker furnace (like you'd install in the basement of a home?) or should I be considering one of the "out door" units that I could chimney out of the shop?

Thanks... everything posted here is VERY helpfull... you folks are gems!
Thanks Soooo much,

 
FedFire47
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Post by FedFire47 » Fri. May. 12, 2006 1:25 pm

1. As far as the requirements check with your local code official for fire and building code requirements. They will probably tell you that the chimney will have to go past the roofline due to the high concentration of CO2 that will be discharged from it. I have seen people that have made chimneys out of flue pipe so I would assume that is exceptable.

2. Anthracite is dirty. I don't think anyone will dispute that. Most of the dust comes from transferring the coal from the bin to the hopper. To alleviate this problem you have to simply keep the coal wet before you move it. This will not effect the burning characteristics of the coal but may give off a brief sulfur smell. Another dirt problem is ashes. Just like anything else the more you clean it the cleaner it will be. As far as a black dust in the house I have never had that. Most dust and dirt is confined to the furnace area.

3. If I had a garage or ouside building to put mine in that is what I would have done. It will keep the unit away from the living area and you wouldn't have to keep going up and down steps everyday to take care of it. I'm sure it would make the delivery man happier also. Your welcome coal man :) .

4. I'm not sure what your asking with your 4th question. I can say I have a K5 boiler from keystoker. It heats my 2500 sq ft home, does the domestic hot water, and I'm sure if you wanted to add it to a pool heating system it would do that also.

Good luck and you won't regret going to coal. It is cheap and only requires a little labor on your part. It is well worth the investment.

 
ktm rider
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Post by ktm rider » Sun. May. 14, 2006 6:11 pm

I think I know what you mean with your fourth question, maybe.
I think you mean that the furnace you are going to put into your homes basement is a hot air furnace. The units that sit outside are almost always boilers. ( meaning they heat up water ) although they are called outdoor furnaces. You will almost have to have a boiler if you want it outside in the garage, No big deal however.
You can not put an outdoor furnace inside any structure. I tried this and the insurance company shot it down. It has to be 6 ft away from anything pretty much.
There are quite a few boilers that are designed to go indoors and are approved by insurance companied ( reluctantly I'm sure )

http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com This is the one I have. Although there are others.
Having it inside the garage is great. It keeps the whole mess outside. There are no issues with getting the coal down the steps ,etc.. and the wife can not complain about the mess ( big bonus ) and you don't freeze to death standing outside shoveling coal into an outdoor furnace.


 
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Cap
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman SF 250, domestic hot water loop, heat accumulator
Coal Size/Type: Nut and Stove
Other Heating: Heat Pumps

Post by Cap » Wed. May. 31, 2006 9:57 pm

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.

 
Timsa20
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Post by Timsa20 » Fri. Jun. 02, 2006 5:28 am

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!

 
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Cap
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Location: Lehigh Twp, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman SF 250, domestic hot water loop, heat accumulator
Coal Size/Type: Nut and Stove
Other Heating: Heat Pumps

Post by Cap » Fri. Jun. 02, 2006 8:08 am

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


 
Timsa20
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Post by Timsa20 » Fri. Jun. 02, 2006 9:19 am

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 Harman 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 Harman 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 Harman 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

 
ktm rider
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Post by ktm rider » Mon. Aug. 28, 2006 10:48 am

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. :)

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