Me & husband are searching ways to combat the HIGH price of oil, we have an old (1901) farmhouse, not well insulated, (probably about 4,000 square feet) Oil Furance is 140,000 BTU's. We can NOT put any Furnaces in the house at all, Basement ceiling too low, plus insurance issues, so we Must get some kind of Boiler--to either put in a shed we build or pipe to garage 130 feet away from house. We wanted to use Wood and coal, but it seems most only allow you to use ONE fuel, but not both. We normally use 700 gallons of oil a winter season. Please give advice on what we should do ??? Anthracite coal in our area costs $220 a ton. BItumous coal is about $100 a ton. Wasn't sure if you get a Gasification boiler, if you have to use one or the other ? Need lots of advice. Thank you.
Help, I am New --should I buy an outdoor Furnace or a Wood/coal Gasification Boiler in a shed?
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muncybob
Minister of Fire
Good luck! We are in a very similar situation. Currently weighing the cost of underground insualted pipng 100+ ft. to the house versus gassifier in the basement(ceilings also low but proabaly not as low as your's? 6'). If you can afford the gassifier then it's the way to go in the long haul...it's a substantial increase in up front cost though.
I'm not sure about coal in a gasifier.. Check around...... If I could get coal cheaply, I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven!
Definitely the way to go.. Also look and see if you can get a purpose built coal-only system if coal is cheap and you don't really have to burn wood.
Definitely the way to go.. Also look and see if you can get a purpose built coal-only system if coal is cheap and you don't really have to burn wood.
WoodNotOil
Minister of Fire
Can you build a small shed off the house with a new chimney? I think a gasifier close to the house is the way to go if your going to burn wood. I know nothing of burning coal, but check out www.cozyheat.net. They seem to list a lot of different boiler options.
webbie
Seasoned Moderator
In general, I would not suggest soft coal. As to which fuel you should choose, you have to look at the price and also the life style of it - wood takes stacking, loading, seasoning, etc.
The best boilers are those which burn one fuel - so either buy a coal or a wood unit....depending on your decision. It might be that Pellets/Corn or even LP gas (at a certain price) could beat oil....so look into it.
Check our fuel cost calculator for comparison of fuel costs:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/
Also, keep in mind that wood boilers can very greatly in efficiency, with some models using twice the amount of wood...for the same heat...than others.
As to indoor/outdoor/shed, consider your use - do you mind being outside in the snow and cold when you load? Etc. etc.
The best boilers are those which burn one fuel - so either buy a coal or a wood unit....depending on your decision. It might be that Pellets/Corn or even LP gas (at a certain price) could beat oil....so look into it.
Check our fuel cost calculator for comparison of fuel costs:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/
Also, keep in mind that wood boilers can very greatly in efficiency, with some models using twice the amount of wood...for the same heat...than others.
As to indoor/outdoor/shed, consider your use - do you mind being outside in the snow and cold when you load? Etc. etc.
Yep, craig nailed it on the head.... I say that soft coal is fine if you're ok with the smoke.... Think steam locomotive here folks.... Anthracite is the killer stuff!
All in all, I would pay more to heat with coal than wood just because it is alot easier to deal with.......
All in all, I would pay more to heat with coal than wood just because it is alot easier to deal with.......
First I want to say, going out in the cold to fire a furance does not bother me at all. Or husband. Now all the work to get THAT much wood on hand -that bothers me some but this is not new to us, as we installed a wood/coal furnace in our last house & chimeny, it was ablock house with no insulaton, and it saved us a fortune on Gas bills before we sold that place. Have always missed having that extra wood/coal option. I fear going with one or the other, but want BOTH options, cause who knows what the price of coal will be doing, some predict they will ban the bitumous kind for residential, then I am sure the price for the other will skyrocket. And I did not want to go with just wood--cause of all the work involved, what if we do not have enough? If I get gasification, I will have to have it ALL seasoned & dry, correct? I would have to end up buying it this year for sure if that is the case. At least with the outdoor boilers, you can throw anything in there, yes, we know about the smoke, I guess I worry more about not affording coal or not having enough dry wood on hand compared to the smoke. And if antricite is $220 a ton now where I live, what will it be when they stop selling the bitumous? Does anyone hear think this will happen?
WoodNotOil
Minister of Fire
If you have good access to wood, it will save you the most in the long run. The price of free wood never changes! If you cut standing dead wood now, it could be burned in a gasifier this winter. It comes pre-seasoned! Ash is very dry once the sap stops running. You can cut it in November and burn it later in the season. That could offset some of your need for the first year. Even buying one season doesn't average badly over the life of your furnace.
If you have to buy all of your wood, then figure out how much of each fuel you would need for a season and run a cost comparison. There are lots of threads here which discuss wood consumption in various boilers. Remember that efficiency saves the most money and sweat in the long run.
If you have to buy all of your wood, then figure out how much of each fuel you would need for a season and run a cost comparison. There are lots of threads here which discuss wood consumption in various boilers. Remember that efficiency saves the most money and sweat in the long run.
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