Kimmel Coal Quality
Checking to see if anyone can enlighten me about/ vouch for the quality of Kimmel. I saw a post on here from 2006 that pretty much summed it up as hit or miss, but that they might be opening a different mine and bagging a little better quality product.
We have an outlet locally that has some pretty decent pricing, but you can't burn a price.
Anyone?
We have an outlet locally that has some pretty decent pricing, but you can't burn a price.
Anyone?
- Adamiscold
- Member
- Posts: 1116
- Joined: Fri. Feb. 29, 2008 7:09 am
- Location: Winchendon,Ma
- LsFarm
- Member
- Posts: 7383
- Joined: Sun. Nov. 20, 2005 8:02 pm
- Location: Michigan
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Self-built 'Big Bertha' SS Boiler
- Baseburners & Antiques: Keystone 11, Art Garland
It's still hit or miss, depending on what and where they have been buying thier coal from, or if they have been pulling only from their own mines..
Greg L
Greg L
Mike said he picked up several bags last month and reported great results. I don't know if they get all their coal from their own deep mines so in essence it's a gamble but in all fairness many of the breakers are running out of rice so they could be buying their rice from another source too.
- SMITTY
- Member
- Posts: 12526
- Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
- Location: West-Central Mass
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
- Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
- Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler
Kimmel's is all I have ever used -- it's all that's available here without driving 40 miles (not happening -- I like to overload to save trips! ).
I've never had a problem with the way it burns (nut coal), but in the past, I have had several pounds of trash out of 3.5 tons: Once had a grapefruit-sized boulder in the bag, I've had smaller rocks jam my grates open requiring more than one cleanout, I've had sticks, roots & what looked like pieces of railroad tie (don't care much about those -- their light & they burn) & once had a ball of dried mud bigger than a grapefruit with a few rocks inside & weighing about 10 lbs, in one bag. I've also found strands of electrical wiring ( those burn/melt ). This was all in one season! When I picked up that load it was loose bags. I didn't have a bigger trailer at the time & a 2500# skid would have blown out the tires as soon as the forklift set half the weight down! I think the kids working there were handing me stuff out of the rejected/returns pile. Now I just buy sealed pallets & count the bags as I stack them in the basement.
Last season, I had not one piece of anything out of 4 tons.
I've never had a problem with the way it burns (nut coal), but in the past, I have had several pounds of trash out of 3.5 tons: Once had a grapefruit-sized boulder in the bag, I've had smaller rocks jam my grates open requiring more than one cleanout, I've had sticks, roots & what looked like pieces of railroad tie (don't care much about those -- their light & they burn) & once had a ball of dried mud bigger than a grapefruit with a few rocks inside & weighing about 10 lbs, in one bag. I've also found strands of electrical wiring ( those burn/melt ). This was all in one season! When I picked up that load it was loose bags. I didn't have a bigger trailer at the time & a 2500# skid would have blown out the tires as soon as the forklift set half the weight down! I think the kids working there were handing me stuff out of the rejected/returns pile. Now I just buy sealed pallets & count the bags as I stack them in the basement.
Last season, I had not one piece of anything out of 4 tons.
I have burned Kimmel nut from time to time with no major complaints. They do have the best packaging of all of the bagged coal I have used. I tend to use bulk as I can get Reading for $218 a ton -vs- bagged Kimmel at $280. Kimmel burns to ash better than Reading but from what I can see it dosent burn as hot. I have never had a true show stopping clinker burning Kimmel.
I burned Kimmel's for six years, from a local farm store dealer here in western Maine, then we hit a year with so much dust and grit in the bags that we had to sift EVERY BAG through 3/8ths mesh hardware cloth, just to seperate the trash from the nut coal. It appeared they stopped washing it and even sorting it, as the lump-size was all over the place as well. The next season I declined to use Kimmel's and found a dealer who was selling Blaschak's and it has been excellent product.
I'm nearing the end of four tons this season, went looking for more Blaschak's but not successful....so I picked up a single bag of Kimmel's to see if they had improved. NO, they are bagging the same gritty stuff that required sifting. I was losing about 10 to 12% percent by weight from every bag...not to mention the colossal pain in the butt of sifting it all.
NO MORE KIMMEL'S FOR ME.....NOT EVER.
muradsay, in western Maine, where snow just reached the level of a moose's butt.
I'm nearing the end of four tons this season, went looking for more Blaschak's but not successful....so I picked up a single bag of Kimmel's to see if they had improved. NO, they are bagging the same gritty stuff that required sifting. I was losing about 10 to 12% percent by weight from every bag...not to mention the colossal pain in the butt of sifting it all.
NO MORE KIMMEL'S FOR ME.....NOT EVER.
muradsay, in western Maine, where snow just reached the level of a moose's butt.
- the snowman
- Member
- Posts: 611
- Joined: Mon. Sep. 29, 2008 10:38 pm
- Location: upstate NY Tug Hill area
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul 507
- Coal Size/Type: Nut, Stove coal, Egg coal
I have had mixed results burning Kimmels. I burned a quarter ton early this winter and found the bags to have a lot of fines which amounted to a couple of pounds per bag. I have had a few bags that were perfect. Nice sized coal and little fines. I have a hand sifter set up due to the fact that all of my Blaschak needs to be cleaned, so it was no real problem cleaning the Kimmels. The Kimmels does have considerably more fines compared to Blaschak. Even the Kimmels stove coal has a lot of fines in each bag. I agree that it is a hit or miss with Kimmels.
the snowman.
the snowman.
-
- Member
- Posts: 5791
- Joined: Sun. Feb. 17, 2008 1:08 pm
- Location: Harrison, Tenn
- Other Heating: Wishing it was cold enough for coal here....not really
My brother in law and I bought a 22 ton load of Kimmel and he reports that it is burning great. I have not burned any as I do not have a stoker yet.
The snow here is also up to a mooses butt.
Kevin
The snow here is also up to a mooses butt.
Kevin
- whistlenut
- Member
- Posts: 3548
- Joined: Sat. Mar. 17, 2007 6:29 pm
- Location: Central NH, Concord area
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AA130's,260's, AHS130&260's,EFM900,GJ & V-Wert
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Franks,Itasca 415,Jensen, NYer 130,Van Wert
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska, EFM, Keystoker, Yellow Flame
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska, Keystoker-2,Leisure Line
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Alaska, Gibraltar, Keystone,Vc Vigilant 2
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Ford, Jensen, NYer, Van Wert,
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwoods
- Coal Size/Type: Barley, Buck, Rice ,Nut, Stove
- Other Heating: Oil HWBB
How does that compare to the "tall Indian's butt", or the 'nuts on a giraffe'? I'm thinking the Giraffe has em beat. I've seen a Moose REAL close and too personal (Man they don't smell too good!) and it's hard to believe an Indian could be that tall, however in downtown Skowhegan, ME, there is a REAL tall wooden Indian...also one in Freeport as I remember.
I'm still laying down the gold on the Giraffe!
You need to replace the old Memco, and get a stoker..........
I'm still laying down the gold on the Giraffe!
You need to replace the old Memco, and get a stoker..........
-
- Member
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed. Dec. 26, 2007 10:06 pm
- Location: Glens Falls NY Area
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Older Ashley Cabinet ( pre US Stove gobble up)
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Energy King 480 EK
- Coal Size/Type: Warm weather smaller coal. Cold weather larger coal.
- Other Heating: Oil Furnace Backup when repairs are needed
Seems like a majority of the posters on this topic are worried about a little dust or under/over sized pieces.
Your burning a hand feed stove so I gotta ask is it really that much of a major problem?
If it was a stoker and you got chunks clogging the works maybe but picking the bag apart because of dust sounds like way too much time on your hands.Chunks of stove coal wont hurt a hand fired nor will a little dust
Some of the best coal I used this winter was stuff hand bagged in used bags and it was dusty ,dull had pieces of wood in it but burned as good as any I have used. It started fast and burned well.
I have found it all burns so I don't worry about it. next time try another
The only problem I had all winter was some soaked coal that was full of water but even that dreid and burned fine.
As to Kimmels being this or that I would get a few bags and try it.
I am using mostly Blashak nut bulk and it 100% every load even from diferent delivered loads to my dealer.
All bagged Blashak I used was also 100%
Your burning a hand feed stove so I gotta ask is it really that much of a major problem?
If it was a stoker and you got chunks clogging the works maybe but picking the bag apart because of dust sounds like way too much time on your hands.Chunks of stove coal wont hurt a hand fired nor will a little dust
Some of the best coal I used this winter was stuff hand bagged in used bags and it was dusty ,dull had pieces of wood in it but burned as good as any I have used. It started fast and burned well.
I have found it all burns so I don't worry about it. next time try another
The only problem I had all winter was some soaked coal that was full of water but even that dreid and burned fine.
As to Kimmels being this or that I would get a few bags and try it.
I am using mostly Blashak nut bulk and it 100% every load even from diferent delivered loads to my dealer.
All bagged Blashak I used was also 100%