Coal stoker furnace (renting, house, water heater)

[emanon]

Anybody familiar with Coal fired furnaces with stokers?
Cost of coal compared to oil or gas?
Is it smelly? I remember coal furnaces from 50 years ago when my grandfather had to shovel in the coal and it sure smelled in the basement.
I have had gas heat for the last 30 years in NJ but coal seems to be in a lot of older PA homes.

Any opinions?

E

[Dawne]

I remember when my grandparents went from the shovel-by-hand coal furnace to the coal stoker. My grandmother had a very difficult time getting used to the fact that she didn't have to be there constantly to make sure the furnace didn't go out. I don't know much about them other than that they're pretty self sufficient. I think the coal bin is contained so any coal dust stays inside the area. I would think you'd still have to shovel out ashes, but I don't really know. Maybe they completely burn away eventually.

Hopefully my answer, in bumping this up, will encouage someone else to chime in.

[Summering]

You know I do know someone who has one of these but, I havn't seen how they run it.
I know while they are away in the South in the winter someone comes checks on it and takes out the ashes. I was surprised to hear they could run like that. Just left to roar, while they are away. There must be some safety factors added into the design.

I too remember the shovel-by-hand coal furnace. My dad shoveling coat into it........
Gosh, a hot, big mighty thing. Only one vent area up in a hallway. Gezzz, it was not
good at getting to all the areas. It was old for its time there at that house, and although he was renting, I think he finally talked the owner to put in a regular furnace.
That was a gosh, awful thing....

[virangos]

Friends of mine had one put in about 7 years ago. It burns rice coal. There is a heat exchanger on it that heats there water using the water heater as a storage tank. The house is a very comfortable temp even on the coldest days.

It is thermostatically controlled. He pours two buckets of coal in it every other day and emptys the ash bin once a week. The furnace does the rest.

No smell in the house or basement with it either. Coal heat has come along way.

[emanon]

Thanks for the input guys, I was just wondering if I should stay away from coal?

E

[virangos]

It's a "hands on heat" as opposed to gas oil or electric. Not really set it and forget it. I would think you can get a true stoker for the new furnaces with the auger that runs into the coal bin and at that point you light the fire, ( a bag of Match Light Charcole works well) and only have to deal with emptying the ashes.

Personally I've been looking for a deal on one for a while. Even just a stove for supplemental heat. Good luck.

[Jerseyjenn]

In the stokers I've seen, the coal is delivered to your home through the "coal chute" and stored in the coal bin (looks like a closet filled with coal). The coal is automatically moved into the stoker by a "worm" attachment. Yes, you need to empty out the ashes. In coal region towns, you put them in a bucket and the local municipality collects them and uses them to treat the roads in winter.

[kkids2]

I purchased one (made in Pa) three years ago because the geo-thermal system we had installed would not heat our 3K sq ft house comfortably. If you don't mind an hour or so of work every three to four days it is a great system. We are now very warm. There is some ash dust, and you have to carry the ashes out and then dispose of them but we are now warm! Burn rate is about 3/4 ton per month in below 25 degree temps. I like it.

[kettlepot]

A question about a coal stoker furnace. What would you do if you went away on a trip during the winter? You need to leave the heat on at 55 so the pipes won't burst, but if you are gone too long you'll need to empty the ash from the furnace but won't be home to do it. What would be the solution to this problem?

[geos]

Do you enjoy mercury, radioactive particles and other pollutants?

Geotimes - September 2006 - Health Impacts of Coal: Should We Be Concerned?

http://www.mercurypolicy.org/new/doc...eBombFinal.pdf