Anyone using coal heat and outdoor boilers?

[poorboy]

In checking the other day, I can buy a coal fired outdoor boiler and storage building, pipe, etc for about 16000. Coal costs about $33/tonne, plus delivery. It has an automatic stoker and ash dump. Looks like I could heat my old farm house for about $900/yr on coal, as compared to expensive gas which is costing me about 2-300/month in the colder months. Looks like about a 3 year payback.
How easy is coal to use? Does the automatic stoker and hopper bin setup work, or should I stay away. I already have a boiler system in my house, and the outdoor boiler would tie right into it. Someday I would also probably heat a shop if it's that cheap. Looks like a good deal, just not sure of the downside.

The price of coal seems to have influence from the price of gas or oil. It has only modestly increased in price over the years. Natural gas seems to increase every year.

[TOM4CWB]

Lakenheath;

Guess which two speakers in the ABC annual meeting... and didn't have a bad word about the CWB "single desk" monopoly?

[lakenheath]

fill me in....

[TOM4CWB]

Lakenheath's multinationals.

Multinationals can adapt to any system, anywhere, and create channels of profit out of a CWB system "single desk" that would otherwise not be possible.

I do not hold a reasonable profit expectation against any entity...

Especially if each partner is willing to encourage and foster the respect of other partner's right to existance...

And equal right to prosperity in the chain between the production and consumption phases of the chain itself.

This is necassary especially if the Chain is a closed loop system.

Judgement of the equality of wealth distribution within the chain is somewhat in the eye of the beholder... no doubt.

Risk participation within this process also determines the participation in wealth distribution... further complicating the equality of wealth distribution within chain partners.

I said I would rather partipate with Cargill 10 times sooner than the CWB...

Even though at times real concerns existed to the chain commitments...

Each time Cargill delivered on a reasonable and fair conclusion that We on our farm could live with.

The same conclusions cannot be reached regarding our CWB engagements.

1. PPO CWB Hedge contracts are not honoured... they have always been honoured by every Marketer we deal with... including Cargill.

2. PPO CWB Basis contracts are written with a real bias in favour of the CWB... with unreasonable termination clauses...

Basis Contracts with every other marketer we work with... including Cargill; have dealt with our farm on an equitable... if not more than fair termination result and liquidation compensation arrangement.


Respectfully, Lakenheath... I do not believe the CWB will respond in a responsible manner till they actually own assets... and are responsible for them.

I do not see a "single desk" monopoly CWB attaining an asset base in the current WTO atmosphere... or "designated area" poisioned environment.

[lakenheath]

I hope with all my heart you are right Tom. Give me an open market as you describe. But you can't blame people for being gunshy or leary of dealing with a few multi-national grain companies. We have seen this system go wrong in the U.S. I would rather fight the root causes of agricultural problems like overproduction and subsidies. Not much I can do as individual about the subsidies, but i can hopefully make farmers aware that our corporate model of agriculure is far from perfect. Look at what the corn model in the USA has done to that country. A simple crop like corn has turned a nation obese, diabetes raveged and cancer filled. Do we contiue as "bricks in the wall" farmers are do we change for the better or ourselves and our nations?

[Cattleman]

We use a boiler heated with wood, so it has some extra labour involved. We use it to heat our house, shop, and pumphouse, seems to be working very well. In the outbuildings we have just piped the water around the building and back out so it is heated by radiating through the pipes, in the house it is through a rad and our forced air system.

It is new this year, and is a bit expensive to get all set up, but we sure don't miss those heating bills!!
Lots of dead fall around the pasture, and you can throw in 4 foot logs, so make fire at least twice a day. It does use a lot more heat/wood, by having to heat the extra buildings

[cropduster]

Another option is used oil.Try econoheat.com.

[countryguy]

Poorboy,I don't know if this interests you or not but I came across it and figured I'd let you know.

There is a used outdoor wood/coal furnace for sale.It has a 450 gal water jacket and was heating 10 000 sq ft of buildings and it is CSA approved.Asking $5000.00
Phone 780-878-3515 in the evenings.

[poorboy]

Thanks for the lead, I will check it out. Not sure what goes wrong with them as they age.