Coalpail.com Forum

I usually get bulk coal delivered which is oiled. Last week I had 3 tons of coal delivered without any oil. I was wondering if there is any way I could oil the coal that is already in the bin. I have been spraying the coal with water but it seems to dry out right away. Has anyone tried oiling their coal after it has already been delivered. If I used a garden sprayer filled with vegetable oil and sprayed the top of the coal would the oil travel down to the bottom or would it just lay on top of the coal?

Ideally you want to use warm or hot water, have you
thought about using mineral oil instead?

My delivery guy oils it as it it's delivered with a garden sprayer as it comes down the tube, Definitely helps keep the dust down. I believe he uses mineral oil.
you should be able to spray it in your bin without too much difficulty. mix it around a bit if you can.

WNY wrote:My delivery guy oils it as it it's delivered with a garden sprayer as it comes down the tube

Would you happen to recall the ratio of oil to coal? Say 2 gal sprayer to 5 ton of coal? I have a covered gravity bin and lately it is getting dustier. I was thinking of trying some oil on it also.

it looked like about a 2 gallon sprayer and I got 3 ton of coal. he used prolly 3/4 of it. it was down pretty low.

I have tried oiling it once it is in the coal bin, it does not work very well. In my experience you have to oil it either at the breaker as it is being loaded into your trailer/truck, or as it comes down the chute into your bin. I used to oil mine after they loaded it into my trailer. Recommended amount is 1 qt./ton, but I always used 2qt./ton. Doesn't hurt a thing, and keeps wifey from complaining about the dust. Word of caution: USE ONLY MINERAL OIL! Do not use vegetable oil, I speak from experience, it quickly turns rancid and trust me, if your wife complains about dust from coal, she will def. complain about the smell from the rancid veggie oil. Mineral oil will never go rancid, and is available at Tractor Supply in gallon jugs in the equine section for around $20. Also, if the coal is wet, the oil will not stick to it as well.