Shopping for Wood/Coal Furnace

HEC · Feb 16, 2015

HillStreet said:
Thanks HEC,

I priced coal at the hardware store yesterday and it is $399 per ton for anthracite nut coal. The store says that it will be readily available in the future. The DS stove and furnaces are reportedly good at burning both fuels very well but I have not seen one other than on the web.

So, you burn coal exclusively, and it seems to work for you. Tell me, what size are you heating, and how much coal are you using? I thought with both fuels I might be able to switch over to meet low and high demands.

I only burn coal and use about 5 ton per year heating a 1450 sq. ft. cape . It also keeps my uninsulated basement 60 plus degrees , depending on how cold it gets . My house is 25 years old and not the best windows for sure. I also live in an open area where we get lots of wind . I set the temp at 71 and it stays that way all winter with baseboard heating . Coal up here is $300/ton delivered bulk , $400 seems quite high , you might want to check around . Bag coal is just slightly higher by the pallet . I get my coal from Center Farms , not sure if they could drop you off some on the way up north or not as they haul their own from PA. . You would need a way to unload the pallets I would imagine.

Dutch445 · Feb 16, 2015

coal burner here also, i should do about 4 ton this year, and similar to HEC a cape on a hill
in the wind!
i payed 275 a ton for bagged coal, delivered. Tractor Supply has been selling coal also for
a pretty good price, esp for folks not near PA...

HillStreet · Feb 17, 2015

Thanks HEC,

That is good information. It looks like I will go with the coal + wood burning unit. I probably will continue to buy log length firewood and buy a couple tons of coal to switch over. I can use the exercise with the wood, and have the coal for real cold weather.

I guess the key now is to buy the right stove or furnace--- still looking but have a short list now. I figure it this way, if I'm going to burn, I might just as well eliminate the propane company as much as possible.

HillStreet · Feb 17, 2015

Dutch445 said:
coal burner here also, i should do about 4 ton this year, and similar to HEC a cape on a hill
in the wind!
i payed 275 a ton for bagged coal, delivered. Tractor Supply has been selling coal also for
a pretty good price, esp for folks not near PA...

Yeah Dutch,

I am up on a hill too, lots of wind here too. That will get the chimney drafting that's for sure.

HEC · Feb 17, 2015

Once you try out coal you will never turn back, providing you get the right unit . It puts out an even heat , no creosote , and easy to maintain . I burned wood for over 35 years and don't miss it at all. I never have to handle the coal until it's time to go in the hopper . I bought wood log length too and handled it so many times I would lose count .

roadhunter · Feb 17, 2015

Man you guys are really tempting me to go buy some coal and give this a try. I'm not far from the PRB in Wyoming so I should be able to buy coal dirt cheap. Have to do some checking.

roadhunter · Feb 17, 2015

HillStreet said:
Road hunter,

That is an impressive stove, will look at it closer.

I just burn wood with mine but I believe they offer a forced induction kit for coal burning. I'm going to give coal a try as soon as I can locate some in my area.

fishheadbob · Feb 18, 2015

I've had a Royal wood and coal furnace for 35 years. Good for 20 cords a year, keeps the old farmhouse toasty in all but the worst of conditions like -15 and windy when I had to kick in the oil to supplement. Over 35 years I've had to do very little to it. Some of the wiring got old and brittle a few years ago and needed replacement, other than that just a few firebricks most years cause over the course of loading 20 cords i'd throw a few in wrong and crack the occasional brick. Mine came with a shaker grate, thermostat for the induction blower, and a 2 speed circulation blower. Oh yeah, I did have to replace the circulation blower 20 years ago; it was maybe $100 for a new one at Graingers back then.
Royal is still around somewhere in Wisconsin; their stuff isn't cheap but sure lasts a long time with minimal problems.
Got tired of fooling around making 20 cords yearly and went geothermal this year, but same story. When it's -15 and windy the geothermal wants to kick in its' supplemental electric component but rather than pay the electric company I fire up the Royal.

JRobyn · Feb 18, 2015

HillStreet said:
Thanks Jay,

I will google that stove but never heard the name before. Ga and TN is much warmer than Maine-- getting down to -14F tonight and expect wind tomorrow to 70 reportedly.

They are based in Minnesota IIRC. Two things I liked about them were the ability to control them (air door) with a standard low-voltage thermostat, and the ability to add an oil burner if desired.

I did have some install issues with getting it plumbed in parallel with my electric heat pump system ducting. I added two back-flow preventing airflow dampers, one to insure that the heat pump air handler didn't backflow the furnace, and another to insure that the furnace didn't reverse-suction the heat pump system's cold-air return. These guys were a great source for reasonably-priced dampers; https://www.famcomfg.com/hvac-damper/backdraft-damper.html I used one 14" round "regular" backflow preventer and one 12"x24" counter-balanced one (pressure relief model) with an adjustable counterweight. Both very nicely made.

- Jay

p.s. I forgot to add that I ordered mine with the optional water-heating tube, and it does produce GOBS of very hot water. I use a "tempering tank" (old water heater) as they suggest and plumbed in a tee for a big thread-in thermometer in the hot line from the furnace to the tank. It routinely hits 180 to 200deg when I have a good burn going. I've got a thermostatic mixing valve to add in where the furnace hot water is piped back to the regular (electric) water heater, but I have not yet installed it. Since you have hot-water radiant heat, you would likely need this too.