Coal/Pellet Burning Stoves versus Propane Heat

I'm not sure this topic is within the scope of the thread specs, excuse me if so.

My situation is I have a 3-bedroom mobile home - 1100 square, that came with the original propane furnace. It works fine, no problems. I got whacked with the first propane bill for the gas remaining in the tank when I moved in, amounting to $535.00, which should last me into January when it should go down to 20% capacity. Then it will be time to pay again, the same, possibly more, and I doubt that will carry me through the rest of the winter.

I am considering to purchase either a coal or pellet burning stove 70,000 capacity with a vent system running to each bedroom.

New coal stoves at that capacity include installation and cost $2700-3300, pellets slightly higher.

Here's my questions for the experts:
1) Can I actually rely on the stove as my primary heating system or will I still need to lean on the propane heat?

2) How much more time do I realistically have on the propane heater?

3) Can you recommend a "brand"---like the Stoker, or are they all basically the same? One stove company told me they manufacture their own.

Thanks.

I've never owned either a pellet or coal stove. But, I've had friends with them. Storage of the stuff is potentially a problem. The coal probably won't get hurt if it gets damp or wet other than it potentially clumping, but the pellets certainly will. Most of the systems have a hopper that can hold a fair amount of fuel, but the colder it is, the quicker you need to fill it back up. Compare how long they will run on a full load at max output, and at the minimum...that will give you an idea how often you need to fill it up.

The better systems will self-ignite, at least with the pellets, not sure about coal. You'll have very little ash from a pellet stove, but there will be a bunch more from the coal. The quaility of the fuel will change how much ash you get and will also give you a different amount of heat per bag.

My guess is that you may be able to turn a pellet stove down more than a coal one.

If you go away for awhile, more than a day or so, you will likely need some sort of backup heat, or things could freeze (depends on where you live). So, you might have to maintain the propane furnace as well.

jadnashua said:

I've never owned either a pellet or coal stove. But, I've had friends with them. Storage of the stuff is potentially a problem. The coal probably won't get hurt if it gets damp or wet other than it potentially clumping, but the pellets certainly will. Most of the systems have a hopper that can hold a fair amount of fuel, but the colder it is, the quicker you need to fill it back up. Compare how long they will run on a full load at max output, and at the minimum...that will give you an idea how often you need to fill it up.

The better systems will self-ignite, at least with the pellets, not sure about coal. You'll have very little ash from a pellet stove, but there will be a bunch more from the coal. The quaility of the fuel will change how much ash you get and will also give you a different amount of heat per bag.

My guess is that you may be able to turn a pellet stove down more than a coal one.

If you go away for awhile, more than a day or so, you will likely need some sort of backup heat, or things could freeze (depends on where you live). So, you might have to maintain the propane furnace as well.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that helpful information regarding the ash and fuel efficiency. I have a decent-sized shed for storage, shouldn't be a problem. How often I have to dispose and refuel is a big issue, definitely. The pellet sounds better overall from what I'm hearing.

The furnace sales person I spoke with told me something about the stove requiring a chimney and vent thru wall, which is an additional charge. I was also wondering whether it requires stone on wall and floor.

I've read some info online but never spoke with anyone who actually installed or owned one, or knew somebody that owned one and what they thought.

Thanks again. Any other thoughts appreciated.

If you are in a park, my guess is that no solid-fuel burning is allowed. Beyond that, I believe pellet stoves are usually used like boilers for heating water in an exchanger system, meaning it would take much more than the purchase of a stove, chimney and pellets to use one for ultimately heating a living space.

One friend's pellet stove had a built-in heat exchanger with a fan, but I don't know how easy, or if even possible, it would be to connect it to a duct system. His place was multi-level, open design and the stove was on the lowest level, so ceiling fans did a lot of the heat circulation along with convection. After a day, there might be only a very small amount of ash. I think you'd have more with coal, but the coal is denser. the coal would more likely need to be stirred up a little. It will take a bunch of reading and research to really quantify their operation and make an informed decision.

Pellet stoves can be purchased as small standalone units (rather like a Franklin stove) that sit inside the house and they can be fairly automatic. There is a hopper that is filled and feeds the unit. I have only seen one being used but it was not very big and heated the small (maybe 900 sq ft) house nicely. It was a very open structure and some air circulation would help. The circulator fan of your propane unit might do that for you. Probably lose some heat through the furnace. You need to make sure it has combustion air available and the chimney is installed properly.

I am assuming that there is little space where the propane furnace is installed. Are you thinking an external shed or something to house a new burner with a stoker?

You ought to get some idea of how much energy you need to keep warm and price the two fuels allowing for efficiency. You said you needed a 70,000 BTU unit. If you are out of the house for extended time you will need the propane for backup or a big stoker.

Go find a fireplace and stove store or look around the web.

Coal is messy and comparatively difficult to use. Particularly in a living space.