Coal stoker

Jim_39

Does anyone know anything about the availability and cost of a coal stoker. I currently have two boilers, one oil fired HW, the second (seperate unit)is a New England Boiler Manufacture coal/wood boiler that I hand fire with wood or coal.
I have been doing this for many years and usually don't mind tending it. But I am curious as to what might be available in the line of a new or used coal stoker that I could adapt to my exisitng boiler.
This is for my home, the wood / coal boiler is rated for about 180,000 BTU

Patheat

coal boilers

cant be sure but might be approved in us


http://www.deckerbrand.com/

Ed_13

Coal Stokers

EFM has been around forever, and they make a good unit. Also you oould try keystoker.

Regards

Ed Carey

http://www.efmheating.com/d520.html

http://www.keystoker.com/boiler.asp

Floyd_5

I have installed two brands...

the Keystoker and the Axeman Anderson. Both are made in Pa., the Keystoker in the coal country of Wilkesbarre-Scranton area, the Axeman Anderson right here in S. Wiliamsport. They both work very well. The Keystone burns "Pea" and the Axeman Anderson "Nut" coal. The Keystoker shown is a hot air unit, but the hot water model is very similar. The Keystoker will hold enough coal in the bin for a couple of days, the Axeman Anderson is made to run coal up the auger out of a large coal bin. There is a shroud that can be put on the Axeman Anderson to insulate it and make it "purtty". This install was in a veal barn and the owner didn't spring for the extra....

Floyd

J.C.A._3

Jim,

The biggest problems I've seen with these dual fired units is the storage. All of the units I've worked on were basically fired by the main means and the backup was a PITA.

Dust and dirty were the biggest complaints about the coal/oil units,as well as lack of suppliers in the area. The wood fired units sufferred because people found out they had to get up and "stoke" them earlier than they would like to.Then, of course, was the cleaning out the ashpit and where to put it, aspect.

I think of about 15 either/or boilers I worked on, the preferred method ended up being the power method. People like to sleep and the "other method" required a bit of work. Lessons learned....Unless the folks owning these units were born and bred during the Depression,it was easier to just work it the easiest way. JMHO. Chris

Ed_13

Coal Boilers

Jim,

Chris makes a good point here. Coal stokers are not truly “automatic heat”. You still have to feed the “hopper” for the boiler with coal, and the issue of ashes is also to be considered.

One other thing that Chris stated about the secondary heating mode of the boiler is a fact. I grew up in “coal country”, north east Pennsylvania, and I have worked on many stokers over the years.

The oil back up, or “secondary” in the coal stoker boilers was normally found to be fowled with fly ash from the coal, and they were problematic. More important, when someone decided that they wanted to finally heat long term with the oil instead of the coal, they found that the oil did not provide near as good operation in comparison to an oil boiler that was designed from the ground up, as an oil boiler.

You have to remember that the flu passages on the oil boiler are normally designed with much closer tolerances than the larger coal boiler. The closer tolerances for the oil boiler provide better overall system efficiency, in comparison to a coal stoker that is used for long duration with the oil secondary.

Just things to consider before you spend (a fairly large quantity of) money on a coal stoker. If you hire a well trained professional to install a boiler such as that 520 EFM, expect to pay upwards of $6000.00 for the complete install.

If you don’t hire a professional to install that type of a boiler, you’ll pay more in the long run. Not being a smart a**, but setting up a coal stoker to feed and burn properly is as much of an art form as a skill.

Good luck