What Should My Expectations Be?

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ad356
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Post by ad356 » Sat. Aug. 22, 2015 1:55 pm

when I was heating my home with pellets and a Harman P61 I was going through about 6-7 tons with winters being what they have been. what do I expect to burn in coal to heat the same 1895 1,500 sq ft home? its an old farmhouse, two floors. I have been thinking I will end up going with freestanding stove as my basement ceiling clearances arent the best. im going to go with a stoker type stove and its going to be my primary source of heat. my windows are all new within the last 4-5 years and the house had has some insulation but its an old home so its only going to be so great. so I expect to have a warmer home, but what should I expect to burn in coal for the same space heated with pellets. I am thinking 4 ton, is that out of line? it has been getting extremely cold here the last few years negative double digits.

i can get bulk coal for $240 and bagged for $280

so lets go with the bagged $280....
$280x4=$1120 for coal
$250x7=$1750

am I thining correctly because that would save me $600 per winter, and if I went bulk delivery well I could go even cheaper by another $140, saving $740

am I nuts or is this about what the difference in price is?

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sat. Aug. 22, 2015 2:05 pm

Wood pellets yield about 2/3's the BTUs as coal for the same weight. So, if you've used up to 7 tons of pellets that would equal 4.6 tons of coal. I recall you saying that the pellets only kept you marginally comfortable so I would say you could use as much as 5 tons of coal if we continue to get the severe cold like last winter.

Save the money and build a bin. Get bulk :)

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Aug. 22, 2015 2:21 pm

If you are going with a stoker forget the bagged crap. It might be a little more convenient to move around but, it always comes out of the bag wet. Putting wet coal in a stoker is asking for all kinds of problems.

I think I would do as Lee suggested, budget for about 5 ton. It doesn't hurt to have a little extra.

A few years ago I was renting a small stone farmhouse built in 1817. It was about 1,000 sq ft. The ONLY heating it had was a wood stove. The previous tenants always froze their buttz off in winter. I put in a Harman MK2 and one box fan. The landlord was always amazed when he came over to find my house at 75 to 80 degrees. He was lucky if he could get his house into the 60's. I went through about 2.5 ton a year then.

-Don


 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sat. Aug. 22, 2015 2:55 pm

If you want the cold hard facts...ask no one. There are no approximates needed to be taken.
One can see any fuel cost comparison, N.G., heating oil, electric, propain, wood pellets, even cord wood.

You can see for yourself any and all possibilities by learning and using this sites great calculator...

NEPA_Fuel-Comparison-Calculator

 
titleist1
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Post by titleist1 » Sun. Aug. 23, 2015 7:40 am

5 ton is a good starting point. Check your usage early january and pick up another ton or two at that point rather than waiting since it can get scarce as late feb approaches the further you get from NEPA.

It won't go bad over next summer if you don't use it all.

 
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StokerDon
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Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Aug. 23, 2015 11:49 am

titleist1 wrote:

It won't go bad over next summer if you don't use it all.
Ha Ha! Yah this isn't like pellets!

The coal is already millions of years old. No danger of it going bad anytime soon.

-Don


 
oilman
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Post by oilman » Mon. Aug. 24, 2015 7:09 pm

I'm not too far from you and I don't think 4 tons is out of line. Probably real close. Like the others said, try hard to get bulk, not bag.

 
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Horace
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Post by Horace » Fri. Aug. 28, 2015 12:26 am

StokerDon wrote:If you are going with a stoker forget the bagged crap. It might be a little more convenient to move around but, it always comes out of the bag wet. Putting wet coal in a stoker is asking for all kinds of problems.
-Don
Don is spot-on. It might be marginally easier to handle (but only marginally) but it causes more problems than it solves.

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