Keystoker KA-6 Anthracite Boiler

Hello all,
I am new to this tread but I have read alot on here. I am looking into installing a Keystoker KA-6 144,000 BTU boiler with more fin tube as there is far more room for expansion of piping for my old 1876 farm house. The house is about 2,000 sq. ft. sealed pretty good in the winter and has a 1980's Utica 150,000 BTU propane boiler in the basement right now. I mainly heat with wood in our wood stove (not efficient at all old wood stove and most heat is out chimney) and keep the propane as a back up. Even heating with wood this year we went through a full tank of propane (and 25 face cord of wood) which will cost about $1,000 to refill propane. I have read and come to the conclusion that coal stoker is far more efficient than any other heating fuel. We plan to leave the propane boiler in the basement hooked up but as a backup along with the wood stove upstairs to help out on those below zero nights. I have multiple questions maybe a few experienced coal burners may be able to answer.

1) With a Keystoker KA-6 I do believe I can hook it up to my clay chimney no problem. My chimney is 8" dia. inlet and 8" square up. Would I need anything to make this work?

2) I plan to stock about 5 ton of loose coal in my basement in a coal bin I plan to make. Would this be enough?

3) What all do I need for the KA-6 besides the unit and plumbing (rehostat, powervent, etc...)?

4) What all should I need to know before making the ultimate decision in joining the coal burning community?

The 8x8 chimney should be fine as long as it is high enough to produce adequate draft. A barometric damper would be needed to maintain the proper draft.

5 tons would be about right for a normal 2000 sf house, but carries less BTU's than the fuel use you described. You might want to be prepared to get some extra. For figuring purposes each ton of coal will need about 40 cubic feet of bin space.

The unit would normally be wired to run on demand off a thermostat, with a timer used to maintain the fire the rest of the time. It normally wouldn't use a rheostat, and if your chimney is good you won't need a powervent for the KA-6. The propane boiler should have a separate flue or vent arrangement if it doesn't already have one.

Are you planning to use the KA-6 to make DHW?

How much radiation is already installed in the house? How much are you planning to add? Where/why?

Do you already have a KA-6?

Mike

I do not have the boiler yet. This is a cheaper alternative than propane. Part of the plan is to heat DHW with the KA-6 with a boiler mate acquired from family. As to how much radiation is installed I'm not entirely sure but I was told to figure about 700 BTU per foot in a drafty house and I know I have much more room for expansion. Each room will get about another 5-10 feet of radiation to help heat each room efficiently

I'll defer to the hydronics guys, but my suggestion would be to avoid adding radiation to rooms that already are heated comfortably. In addition to the unnecessary cost, it may have some unintended drawbacks. Even where a room may tend to be cold, it would be good to make sure the current radiation is functioning properly (e.g., not blocked by carpet or clogged with pet hair) before making substantial changes to the system.

Mike

The only reason I would be adding radiation to rooms is because they are under heated. The rooms that can maintain heat will remain with the same radiation. But my kitchen for instance has one radiator with a fan on it for heat. That's the coldest room of the house so it's going to get heat. My father in law is a contractor dealing with most that stuff and I wanted another opinion. Rick do you have an opinion on the Keystoker. The reason I ask is that's the only boiler I found that's auto fed and will fit in my basement with restrictions, flu placement, etc...

Nate5266,

Please check your private messages (envelope icon at top of page).

Thanks.

Mike

I'd go with 7 tons of anthracite for starters.

Another question,
My woodstove in the living room will be sharing the same flu pipe in the chimney, would this be a problem with the drafting???

Nate5266 wrote:Another question,
My woodstove in the living room will be sharing the same flu pipe in the chimney, would this be a problem with the drafting???

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Tiss much more than a problem, it is illegal to have this
type of installation with a fossil fuel burning appliance
and a wood burning appliance.

You should plan on ordering your KA6 with the direct vent
piping system if you intend on using the wood stove.

Can you power-vent the propane boiler and use that flue for the Keystoker?

It is a bad idea to have a wood stove vented into a flue that also serves something with a barometric draft control. In the event of a chimney fire, the baro will open and feed the fire all the oxygen it needs to destroy the chimney and possibly burn the house down.

Nate5266 wrote:Another question,
My woodstove in the living room will be sharing the same flu pipe in the chimney, would this be a problem with the drafting???

Good points by lzaharis and Rob R. In addition to those issues, the wood stove will influence the draft. If the wood stove isn't sealed properly, it could cause a low drafting situation for the stoker underneath it which means carbon monoxide could leak into the basement and pollute the living space. Very dangerous. If you are using the wood stove while the stoker is running it could cause the stoker to have too much draft and make it run inefficiently, that's not good either. (Wood fires create huge draft.) Then if the wood stove is cold but sealed well, opening the load door on it to build a fire could cause the chimney to pull most its draft from the wood stove instead of the stoker until the wood fire is established and the load door is closed.. That's also how carbon monoxide could leak into the basement.

So you see, there are too many opportunities for disaster with a situation like that. A coal appliance should have its own flue. Some people get away with combining flues with other appliances but its just not safe and both appliances could suffer efficiency. Just my view point..

First, do not share anything in a flue with wood...big no_no!

Only use a direct vent for coal as a last resort, direct vent the propane as suggested, and put the coal in the masonry chimney. The propane will run almost never anyhow.

Good points by all. Thank you so much in saving my a**. I will look into venting the propane boiler directly and the coal in the masonry chimney.

I agree power vent the propane, and vent the Keystoker in the masonry, as it will be doing most if not all the work. My son and his girlfriend may be looking at the same setup with an oil boiler as backup. I have been thinking of how best to set the oil boiler as a backup, and I too will recommend power venting it. It just make sense, as the oil or propane are far less corrosive than the Keystoker when it comes to power venting.