Minus 20 degrees and falling

[madman4570]

Real temp not wind chill.

guys, i know you will not believe me but that coal stoker same setting but still keeping house as warm.

cannot understand how,still using same amount of coal about 28 lbs a day

boards on our wooden raised deck are randomly making popping sounds.

[Blaine]

Real heat....not just blowin' hot air around.

[madman4570]

I cant understand how blaine.

when it is 30 degrees the stove keeps basement 78 degrees and upstairs about 70 degrees.
same now.
last night was 5 below but very windy, i got up thinking better check hopper, same amount used also had same amount of ashes in bucket.

[Blaine]

I cant understand how blaine.

when it is 30 degrees the stove keeps basement 78 degrees and upstairs about 70 degrees.
same now.
last night was 5 below but very windy, i got up thinking better check hopper, same amount used also had same amount of ashes in bucket.

Then, I join you in the quandary .....

[7.62 Precision]

Insulated well?

Coal makes good heat. Dusty, though. Got it off the beach by the pickup load when I was a kid. Doesn't seem like I remember running much more through the stove when it was -40º than when it was 0º. Didn't really run it in the summer.

[SJPrice]

Perhaps the coal stove has been inefficient when operating during the warmer weather. In other words it was generating more BTU' then you needed and was bleeding off heat, but now that it is colder it is using the heat it produces to warm your house.

[madman4570]

Perhaps the coal stove has been inefficient when operating during the warmer weather. In other words it was generating more BTU' then you needed and was bleeding off heat, but now that it is colder it is using the heat it produces to warm your house.

Might have something there!
When they installed it the outside temp was around 35 degrees. They installed a thermostat which is located in the stairway about 4 steps up from basement floor. the Stoker is about 25ft from thermostat. It is still set at same temp. 74 degrees

The installer did show me on the back of stove there is a turn screw with a handle and said if you ever want more heat over and above the thermostat by turning that handle clockwise that adjust the amount of rice coal it drops from hopper each time. He said just do it whichever way when the threaded rod is always coming backwards towards basement wall, not when its going forward towards stove. I have not screwed with either that or the thermostat.

It is simple to see it is not using any more coal just by 1) seeing how much I dump in hopper which has always been the same since day one.
And yesterday for example seeing the the normal small amount of ashes was the same, it was.

Example it is right now 26 degrees and sunny. The temp is still the same being 46 degrees warmer outside

I could see being it has a thermostat it could do that. what boggles the mind is it is using the same amount of coal.

now, my wife's uncle and aunt told us "when you put on that extra air space and new addition decking and with the metal roof you are going to see a vast difference in how much slower the house loses heat in winter and how much cooler it stays in summer??


7.62
The coal here is really cool. It is "washed" rice coal when it comes it is in a slurry type configuration. The coal looks like thousands of little onyx gems all washed and shiny. Totally different than the stuff we used growing up. The big stuff not washed.

What I have done is I have coal bags, they fit over a Lowes bucket.I fill the bucket 3/4 the ways full and that is one coal bag.
I then always have 30bags inside next to stove about 15ft away from stove. The first day on basement floor I can see slight moisture small damp spot below bag when I lift a bag, if you just keep it there for 24hrs. next day its dry. I always use dry bags. Actually my manual says in hopper do not use wet coal but most people I know just go out and get theirs outside however they store it. Some just in the open on the ground or in a old metal horse water trough container and uncovered with just small holes punched in bottom etc.

They gave me metal bag ties and this special metal tying tool. But I have found easiest way go out and fill 15 bags takes about 10 minutes.leave them untied and fill all right at that spot.then after the 15 are filled carry them inside and grab each one spin it and use a small piece of masking tape to just keep it closed. when ready to open bag just break the tape. 15 bags last 15 days and each bag hold just about 28 lbs of rice coal. Comes to 840lbs a month.

Then I grab bag unspin it and slowly let the open end first into hopper and slowly pull bag up. All that clean washed little gems are out and no dust. In fact my hopper has no lid. After the first week of use when we first got it the wife did a clean inspection and said where is the dust?

Only dust I get. No matter how careful I am when I switch bushel baskets each day for ashes on the concrete floor below door after I shut ash door there is 1 tablespoon worth of ash on floor. I use my little 3" wide putty knife scrap it in tiny pile with finger on knife and in the garbage bucket. Done! Everything clean and tidy. Have about 1/2 gallon of ashes daily.

What amazed me with these units they test out at just about 90% efficiency.

Think my old unit shown below tested out at only 82% ??
http://www.harmanstoves.com/Products/P3 ... Stove.aspx

Before that my soapstone Vermont Casting woodstove tested at 71% efficient which for wood was then amazing!

But 90% for a solid fuel combustible heat source, absolutely unreal! getting close for medium grade propane heat effcientcy

[.45colt]

Keep the reports coming Madman, I had my last words with Amerigas Propane last week. I told them after the tank is empty they can come pick it up.....the sales clerk said sounding like a dork said "OK". I will be replacing the propane with coal. we already have a Harmon Coal stove in the upstairs but now as we are getting older we need to think about keeping the basement warm as well.

[madman4570]

Keep the reports coming Madman, I had my last words with Amerigas Propane last week. I told them after the tank is empty they can come pick it up.....the sales clerk said sounding like a dork said "OK". I will be replacing the propane with coal. we already have a Harmon Coal stove in the upstairs but now as we are getting older we need to think about keeping the basement warm as well.

I have Amerigas (for our range in kitchen cause the wife insists on cooking with gas, have a 100lb outside tank) not going to say anymore. What's with all the tack ons ???

$$$ employee safety training fee ?
$$$ hazmat fee ?
$$$ transportation safety fee ?
$$$ environmental something fee ?
$$ filling fee ?

without pulling out a bill seems like there is all these extras almost equaling used gas.


If you are usually home that Keystoker cook stove is really nice. About $1200 and I am hearing it only needs tending to twice a day?
70,000 BTU's , no electric needed, that is going in my kitchen this summer. My coal bin I am going to make will have a separate side bin for chestnut coal. This sounds stupid but if you had too why couldn't rice coal be used? Is it because of the opening size of its grates? If so if I had to I would make a removable plate that would have smaller openings so the rice coal would not fall through?

[new pig hunter]

how cold is it ???

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video ... k.hln.html


Cheers,

Carl

[madman4570]

how cold is it ???

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video ... k.hln.html


Cheers,

Carl

cool