When You Hear AHS? (Please Explain Your Choice)

Why did you sell the ahs and now want a axeman. They are like a model T ford, that is what a friend said the first time he saw mine,(AND HE HAS A '27 T) ( BUT I DO LOVE THE OLD GAL ) If you are so in love with oil, why not an EFM with the oil back up, if I was going to buy new, I would think on one. NO OFFENCE TO THE AHS

its all been decided, the General (wife) said were getting the new oil boiler and thats that. Not enough additional Capital and timing is bad (december) to be "monkeying around" as she stated with an entire new system. The oil furnace will be swapped out in a matter of hours and we'll be warm. That pretty much settles that one, but I tried....

Tom, your timing is not good. Remember, you can find many used and reconditioned units that are affordable. Look over the forum, and you will see a few listed right now. I know of a couple AHS's for sale, only because the houses were sold and the new owner was scared of coal. I think they don't read much about alternative fuels, and think NG, Propane and Oil are the only fuels available. I have seen and owned many AHS products, that are all operating very well, using not much coal, and keeping families warm every day. They are excellent and they upgrade their products much the same way automobiles and equipment is today. They make it more efficient, easier to maintain, and safer.

Look at AHS's literature......WHY BURN CASH......coal will be less than 1/2 the cost of oil.....every dollar you save buys down the price of a new or new to you coal boiler. I'm putting my money on the folks in and around PA who allow us the luxury of staying warm afford-ably.

I sent scrapper a PM about an EFM unit. I really like an auger driven unit. The EFM 350 would be perfect.

My third winter with coal. Looking around this is my impression. I don't want hydronics - too complex and the more I fiddle around the more sure I am of my choices but I respect those that have a different opinion. If I did change my mind, AA, EFM and AHS seem well made units. However, when I look at AHS I see a hopper 8 feet from the ground and I am a girlie man that is too fragile to shovel hundreds of pounds a day into the hopper. There must be auger set ups to do this but it looks to be too much trouble. So AHS remains a best kept secret, well made, long lasting and very efficient. If I am President of AHS and one of my products is a best kept secret I would fire the head of sales and marketing. If it's so good, the promotional material is wrong. Look on Ebay and Craigslist, the world is full of coal stoves being sold. Why? Coal is too much trouble for them and they lack the knowledge and of course are swayed by popular opinion (sheeples). Now I am lazy, untrained and stupid but I understood the need to get off of oil but I got the message somehow and went to coal college, got a minimal passing grade and now I will never go back. That is the marketing challenge and you are not rising to it. Oil is over $90 and headed north and a lot of people are getting the message. That presents a great opportunity to create more business for yourself but whining on this board perhaps shows you are not up to the challenge. HAH, and my wife tells me I lack sensitivity.

Sooo, marketing 101 - set up a focus panels from board members here mixed with other neophytes and include those that have bought coal stoves and given up, craft questions carefully and pay attention to the output. Oil will be $150 by the end of 2012 and you have a product that solves a lot of problems. As Charles Darwin said - "adapt or die".

the AHS hopper is 69" high.... not even close to the 8ft you stated.

Hydronics is the best way to heat, you can more evenly spread heat throughout your home, and its not rocket science.

....and as I said I respect those with alternative opinions, So, it's still a long way to shovel - too long and I disagree about the best way to distribute heat. Also look at where copper prices are going and that will continue. Disagreeing about disagreeing is a fundamental basis for mutual respect.

coalnewbie wrote: Look on Ebay and Craigslist, the world is full of coal stoves being sold. Why? Coal is too much trouble for them and they lack the knowledge and of course are swayed by popular opinion (sheeples).

The price you have to pay for a used stoker boiler/stove is much higher than a used oil burner. Is it no one wants the a used oil burner ? Craigslist has them for a couple hunderd, try to find an axeman,ash,efm or keystoker for that.

coalnewbie wrote:My third winter with coal. Looking around this is my impression. I don't want hydronics - too complex and the more I fiddle around the more sure I am of my choices but I respect those that have a different opinion. If I did change my mind, AA, EFM and AHS seem well made units. However, when I look at AHS I see a hopper 8 feet from the ground and I am a girlie man that is too fragile to shovel hundreds of pounds a day into the hopper.

The hopper on the AHS coal gun boilers has been redesigned. It's now square rather than round and sits deeper into the boiler. Hopper volume capacity is the same but the height is much lower. For example the smallest boiler, the S130, is now 45" overall height vs. the previous 69". Another example how the AHS boiler continues to improve.

See:

http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/CoalBurners.aspx

So AA and Yanche it looks like the tide is subtly turning - better coal products and a creeping awareness. Good for NEPA and the converts.

I don't see where it says 45" high for new units. It does show the height of the unit being 42", how can the top of the hopper only be 3" higher?

Yanche wrote:

coalnewbie wrote:My third winter with coal. Looking around this is my impression. I don't want hydronics - too complex and the more I fiddle around the more sure I am of my choices but I respect those that have a different opinion. If I did change my mind, AA, EFM and AHS seem well made units. However, when I look at AHS I see a hopper 8 feet from the ground and I am a girlie man that is too fragile to shovel hundreds of pounds a day into the hopper.

The hopper on the AHS coal gun boilers has been redesigned. It's now square rather than round and sits deeper into the boiler. Hopper volume capacity is the same but the height is much lower. For example the smallest boiler, the S130, is now 45" overall height vs. the previous 69". Another example how the AHS boiler continues to improve.

See:

http://www.alternateheatingsystems.com/CoalBurners.aspx

tom69z wrote:I don't see where it says 45" high for new units. It does show the height of the unit being 42", how can the top of the hopper only be 3" higher?

Yea, something isn't right with the numbers on the AHS web site. I have seen the units at the factory and the hopper height is noticeably lower. What the actual height is I don't really know. Someone from AHS will have to respond. I just quoted Jeff as to how they made it lower as we were looking at a new unit.

I think its a good idea that it is lower, and after looking at the S130 photos on AHS website, I'm going to guestimate that the hopper height is now about 60", which works out pretty nice.

Yanche wrote:

tom69z wrote:I don't see where it says 45" high for new units. It does show the height of the unit being 42", how can the top of the hopper only be 3" higher?

Yea, something isn't right with the numbers on the AHS web site. I have seen the units at the factory and the hopper height is noticeably lower. What the actual height is I don't really know. Someone from AHS will have to respond. I just quoted Jeff as to how they made it lower as we were looking at a new unit.

whistlenut wrote: WHY BURN CASH......coal will be less than 1/2 the cost of oil.....every dollar you save buys down the price of a new or new to you coal boiler. I'm putting my money on the folks in and around PA who allow us the luxury of staying warm afford-ably.

Last night I had an extra $10 off per table coupon (expires today) at Outback and as I gave it to a nearby table, a guy said "Don't I know you from somewhere". Hadn't seen him for 10 years, but I recognized him as a former co-worker. When I-78 opened up, he used to pass me with his crotch rocket doing 140 MPH, so he said.

When I told him I was at efm, he said he had a DF in his house and was using oil for the last 8 years, since he bought the house. He said the auger and everything else is there, but he didn't know what to do with it. Anyway, he said his oil bill was only $20 a day, so he didn't care. When I told him that coal was half the price of oil, he still didn't care, but at least it peaked his interest in coal.

coalnewbie wrote:My third winter with coal. Looking around this is my impression. I don't want hydronics - too complex and the more I fiddle around the more sure I am of my choices

Maybe hydronics is more complex initially, but you'll never find a more comfortable form of heat. Chances are, after it's installed, you'll never "fiddle" around with it again.