Portage & Main Outdoor Water Furnaces FAQ
Please note that the questions have come from our customers. They have been asked when inquiring about the Portage & Main Outdoor Water Furnace; however the industry has acquired terms such as boilers, stoves, furnaces, outside wood stoves, hydronic-heaters, etc therefore if the question was asked using such terms we used it as asked.
FAQ Categories for Coal Stokers:
- Under construction...
1. General Question for Coal Stokers
Coals Facts & Benefits
- Coal is the most plentiful fuel on the planet. At the present rate of use it has been estimated that North America has a 900 year supply of coal and less than 30 year supply of natural gas. Using coal as your source of heat energy , the cost is less than 1/6 the cost of some other sources of heat energy.
- Coal is ranked on the percentage of fixed carbon and it's heating value.
- Anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite are the four ranks of coal.
- Bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite are common with numerous mines across North America.
- When purchasing coal, beware of high moisture content. Coal with high moisture content may be cheaper but when one considers the heat energy needed to dry the coal-it may not be economical at all.
- Lignite coal has a high moisture content and lower heating value which can increase the maintenance required on a boiler/furnace which will ultimately increase the overall heating cost.
Sub-Bituminous Coal Specs
| Source |
Moisture |
Ash |
Volatitle Matter |
Fixed Carbon |
Heat Value |
| Utah |
7.5% |
5.6% |
39.7% |
47.2% |
12,510 btu/lb |
| Illinois |
7.9% |
9.1% |
40.7% |
42.3% |
11,521 Btu/lb |
| British Columbia |
6.7% |
11.3% |
34.8% |
47.2% |
11,694 Btu/lb |
| Alberta |
7.4% |
7.1% |
32.1% |
53.4% |
11,651 Btu/lb |
| Pennsylvania |
3.4% |
5.3% |
35.9% |
55.4% |
13,714 Btu/lb |
| Nova Scotia |
3.4% |
8.4% |
32.2% |
55.4% |
13,327 Btu/lb |
Bituminous Coal Specs
| Source |
Moisture |
Ash |
Volatitle Matter |
Fixed Carbon |
Heat Value |
| Wyoming |
23.4% |
3.6% |
33.6% |
39.4% |
9,372 Btu/lb |
| Alberta |
15% |
6.3% |
33.3% |
45.4% |
10,877 Btu/lb |
Anthracite Coal Specs
| Source |
Moisture |
Ash |
Volatitle Matter |
Fixed Carbon |
Heat Value |
| Pennsylvania |
3.2% |
11.5% |
9.6% |
49% |
13,027 Btu/lb |
Lignite Coal Specs
| Source |
Moisture |
Ash |
Volatitle Matter |
Fixed Carbon |
Heat Value |
| Montana |
37.5% |
6.1% |
26.8% |
29.6% |
6,578 Btu/lb |
| North Dakota |
36.8% |
5.1% |
28.2% |
29.3% |
7,180 Btu/lb |
| South Dakota |
39.2% |
8.4% |
24.7% |
37.7% |
6,320 Btu/lb |
| Texas |
33.7% |
7.3% |
29.3% |
29.7% |
7,352 Btu/lb |
| Ontario |
46.7% |
7.4% |
30.2% |
16% |
5,288 Btu/lb |
| Saskatchewan |
33.5% |
6.7% |
24% |
35.8% |
7,567 Btu/lb |
Can the Portage & Main Outdoor Water Furnace be installed by Joe the Plumber?
We are looking for Joe the Plumber to do installs.
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