Q. Who are Homesteader and Coalman furnaces for?
A. Any individual or business that wants to crush high heating bills and ensure long term price stability.
Q. Why will a Homesteader and Coalman furnace save me money?
A. Homesteader and Coalman furnaces save you money by allowing you to burn free or very low cost fuels to heat your buildings and hot water. You can burn wood, square bales, pellets, coal or any combination of these fuels. You'll never be tied to any one fuel. If a fuel becomes too expensive you can switch.
Q. Is there a mess or risk of fire?
A. All Homesteader and Coalman furnaces are self contained and designed to be set up away from your buildings. As a result any mess from hauling wood and ashes is kept out and away from your home and out buildings. Any risk of fire that may result from hot ashes or a chimney fire is also kept away from your home and buildings.
Q. How do you heat a building with the furnace outside?
A. All Homesteader and Coalman furnaces heat a water/glycol mixture. The heated liquid is pumped through insulated underground plastic pipes to all the different locations that need heat. The heat is then transferred out of the liquid and the cooled liquid is pumped back to the Homesteader or Coalman for reheating.
Q. Will it work with hydronic (hot water) heating systems?
A. Yes, it works with hydronic, forced air and radiant heating systems or any combination of these. With a forced air heating system, a specially designed water to air heat exchanger is installed in your duct system. A fan then blows air through the heat exchanger and warm air is distributed throughout your home. Forced air and hydronic heating systems, including radiant floor heating, can be installed in virtually any new or existing building.
Q. How much work can I expect with a Homesteader or Coalman furnace?
A. The amount of work will depend on your heating load and the type of fuel you burn. With wood, you'll have to cut and haul the wood home but it doesn't have to be split and it only has to be cut into 4' lengths so it really isn't all that much work. The extra large door makes it easy to load the Homesteader and when you burn wood it has to be refueled every 12 to 36 hours. Flax straw bales last anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. When you burn bales you'll have to refuel more often.
The Stoker Add-On system (available as an attachment for the Homesteader or integrated into the Coalman), which allows you to burn coal or pellets, is available with a small hopper or it can be directly coupled to a hopper bottom bin. The small hopper holds enough coal or pellets to last for about 24 hours and is generally filled manually. The integrated hopper in the Coalman can last up to a week.
Regardless of the type of fuel you burn the firebox walls will have to be scraped down periodically to maintain maximum efficiency. Scraping the walls takes about 5 minutes of your time and the type and quality of fuel will determine how often it has to be done. Burning damp wood creates more creosote than properly dried wood. Low grade coal also results in more deposits than higher grade coal and certain pellets create more fly ash that also has to be scraped off the walls. The chimney has to be inspected and cleaned as required and the ashes have to be emptied. There's no need to put the fire out as the full length scoop type ash pan can be removed and put back in at any time. In addition to the above, the water level has to be monitored and an annual water sample has to be sent to the factory for analysis.
Q. What happens when we go away?
A. Depending on the fuel and heating load, a Homesteader may hold a fire for several days. With the stoker systems such as the Coalman and the stoker attachment on the Homesteader, the automated refueling will sustain itself much longer. A backup system is recommended if extended periods of absence is expected. For existing buildings you leave your present heating system in place and for new construction, your hot water tank or boiler can be plumbed for backup.
Q. What can I heat with a Homesteader or Coalman furnace?
A. With one furnace, you can heat virtually everything you want to heat, new or existing. You can heat one or more homes, all their domestic hot water, the pool and the hot tub. With the same Homesteader and Coalman furnace you can also heat your garage, barn, shop, and greenhouse. Each heating load can have its own thermostat for individual temperature control in any building. On the farm your Homesteader or Coalman can also provide heat to assist grain drying with aeration. Elsewhere it could be used to heat everything from the water at the car wash and cement plant to factories, warehouses, office buildings, motels, restaurants and more. In some cases, where neighboring houses are reasonably close together, several neighbors can share one furnace. There are several different models to match most heating loads.
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