Coal sources in and around the Idaho area?

 
renaissanceman
Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun. Aug. 29, 2021 7:47 pm
Location: SW Idaho
Other Heating: 20" New Columbian fireplace

Post by renaissanceman » Thu. Oct. 21, 2021 1:30 pm

Tractor Supply has bagged anthracite and one local place in Caldwell, ID has ~1" bituminous for $300 per ton. I'm new to coal and looking for more sources. My new house has a turn of the century coal insert with shaker grates, so I'm going to be burning a decent amount of coal this winter. $300 seems pretty steep, but I don't think I have many other options. I was looking at Wolf Mountain Coal in Montana since I have heard their prices are much lower, but that's a long drive, and I'm not sure how one might go about shipping coal other than picking it up in a big trailer.

I got a couple bags from the place in Caldwell and lit my first bituminous fire (in a cubic mini woodstove, not the big fireplace) this morning by piling about 1/2lb on top of a bed of wood coals, and the heat was impressive.


 
User avatar
warminmn
Member
Posts: 8108
Joined: Tue. Feb. 08, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: Land of 11,842 lakes
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Junior, Efel Nestor Martin, Riteway 37
Coal Size/Type: nut and stove anthracite, lignite
Other Heating: Wood and wear a wool shirt

Post by warminmn » Thu. Oct. 21, 2021 4:35 pm

Hi. Some pics of the fireplace stove you have, and if it has a name and model name or number. Not all stoves burn any coal. If it tells where the stove was made thats a clue too. Im not going to be a lot of help with what it will burn but others here can tell you if they have some more info.

Im sure Wolf can set you up with someone to deliver a load. But you may want to get a small load to try first. Anthracite is better but the price you can get the wolf for means thats what you should try to burn.

1" bit coal is likely hard to burn as thats awful small. Theres another burner or two from your neighboring states that have posted in the last couple years if you can find their posts. one burns the Wolf coal I think.

 
renaissanceman
Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun. Aug. 29, 2021 7:47 pm
Location: SW Idaho
Other Heating: 20" New Columbian fireplace

Post by renaissanceman » Thu. Nov. 11, 2021 4:41 pm

I don't know the model at the moment, but there is a bit of discussion about the stove here:
Post by renaissanceman - Antique fireplace -- coal insert?

Also, a photo of the interior can be seen here:
Image

 
User avatar
warminmn
Member
Posts: 8108
Joined: Tue. Feb. 08, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: Land of 11,842 lakes
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Junior, Efel Nestor Martin, Riteway 37
Coal Size/Type: nut and stove anthracite, lignite
Other Heating: Wood and wear a wool shirt

Post by warminmn » Fri. Nov. 12, 2021 3:54 pm

Thats real pretty but im at a loss as to what it would burn. The link thats on the link you provided has quite a bit of info on a similar stove.

Do you know if anthracite was available in your area about when this was installed? Its a long ways from PA to ID to haul coal back then. If not, then they may have burned soft coal or wood.

 
waytomany?s
Member
Posts: 3747
Joined: Fri. Aug. 16, 2019 3:02 pm
Location: Oneida, N.Y.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harmon Mark II
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Looking
Baseburners & Antiques: Looking
Coal Size/Type: Nut
Other Heating: newmac wood/coal combo furnace

Post by waytomany?s » Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 7:23 am

That is beautiful! I would never use it because I'd be afraid I could never get it clean. It looks like the fireplaces in Europe. When I first became interested in coal I saw a video on YouTube where the guy went through the whole procedure of getting a coal fire started and his fireplace looked just like that. He was using those ovids or whatever they call them. Could you take a picture further back in the room to show the location versus part of room? Curious as to the layout.

 
renaissanceman
Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun. Aug. 29, 2021 7:47 pm
Location: SW Idaho
Other Heating: 20" New Columbian fireplace

Post by renaissanceman » Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 2:29 pm

warminmn wrote:
Fri. Nov. 12, 2021 3:54 pm
Thats real pretty but im at a loss as to what it would burn. The link thats on the link you provided has quite a bit of info on a similar stove.

Do you know if anthracite was available in your area about when this was installed? Its a long ways from PA to ID to haul coal back then. If not, then they may have burned soft coal or wood.
The town had a busy railroad depot in it about the time the house was built, so I imagine that they burned bituminous coal of the same type that the locomotives used.

 
renaissanceman
Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun. Aug. 29, 2021 7:47 pm
Location: SW Idaho
Other Heating: 20" New Columbian fireplace

Post by renaissanceman » Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 3:21 pm

waytomany?s wrote:
Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 7:23 am
That is beautiful! I would never use it because I'd be afraid I could never get it clean. It looks like the fireplaces in Europe. When I first became interested in coal I saw a video on YouTube where the guy went through the whole procedure of getting a coal fire started and his fireplace looked just like that. He was using those ovids or whatever they call them. Could you take a picture further back in the room to show the location versus part of room? Curious as to the layout.
It is in the dining room:
Image


 
User avatar
warminmn
Member
Posts: 8108
Joined: Tue. Feb. 08, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: Land of 11,842 lakes
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Junior, Efel Nestor Martin, Riteway 37
Coal Size/Type: nut and stove anthracite, lignite
Other Heating: Wood and wear a wool shirt

Post by warminmn » Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 4:41 pm

Wow, that looks beautiful.

Bit comes in many qualities. Your area likely sold lumps of the sub-bit that is close by but also likely hauled the good bit in from Kentucky. We had Kentucky here until the railroad left in the 1970s. There is still at least one dealer in Iowa with it but it isnt cheap.

If you have access to microfilm of old newspapers from your area, look thru them at about the 1900 time period and there should be advertisements in the fall and winter for coal telling what types were sold there. They can be found online too but sometimes for a price. You'll find stoves for sale too.

I'd just try burning your somewhat local coal first.

 
renaissanceman
Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun. Aug. 29, 2021 7:47 pm
Location: SW Idaho
Other Heating: 20" New Columbian fireplace

Post by renaissanceman » Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 5:16 pm

Great ideas on the microfilm! I'm planning on grabbing a ton of coal from the local guy, even though it might be a touch small for my grates and seeing how she burns. Still trying to find someone to inspect the chimney on the old gal. I'm a bit hesitant to just light up a basket of coal without a bit of due diligence.

If I really enjoy it once I get her lit, I'll contact Wolf and see about getting a big shipment of the larger stuff if the price is right.

 
waytomany?s
Member
Posts: 3747
Joined: Fri. Aug. 16, 2019 3:02 pm
Location: Oneida, N.Y.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harmon Mark II
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Looking
Baseburners & Antiques: Looking
Coal Size/Type: Nut
Other Heating: newmac wood/coal combo furnace

Post by waytomany?s » Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 5:47 pm

renaissanceman wrote:
Sat. Nov. 13, 2021 3:21 pm
It is in the dining room:
Image
Wow! Sorry, that's all I can say. It's stunning.

 
lzaharis
Member
Posts: 2366
Joined: Sun. Mar. 25, 2007 8:41 pm
Location: Ithaca, New York
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4-1 dual fuel boiler
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: former switzer CWW100-sold
Coal Size/Type: rice
Other Heating: kerosene for dual fuel Keystoker/unused

Post by lzaharis » Mon. Nov. 15, 2021 9:08 am

renaissanceman wrote:
Thu. Oct. 21, 2021 1:30 pm

Tractor Supply has bagged anthracite and one local place in Caldwell, ID has ~1" bituminous for $300 per ton. I'm new to coal and looking for more sources.
My new house has a turn of the century coal insert with shaker grates, so I'm going to be burning a decent amount of coal this winter.

$300.00 seems pretty steep, but I don't think I have many other options. I was looking at Wolf Mountain Coal in Montana since I have heard their prices are much lower, but that's a long drive, and I'm not sure how one might go about shipping coal other than picking it up in a big trailer.

I got a couple bags from the place in Caldwell and lit my first bituminous fire (in a cubic mini woodstove, not the big fireplace) this morning by piling about 1/2lb on top of a bed of wood coals, and the heat was impressive.
=======================================================================================================

Good morning,

A great deal of Sub Bituminous Coal used in Idaho came from the states of Alaska, Washington, Wyoming, Montana and Iowa to feed the Great Northern, Union Pacific and Northern Pacific and other short rail lines that operated in the northwest.

After you have your chimney cleaned and inspected you may want to remove the existing coal burning fireplace hearth frame and replace it with a coal burning console heater like the US STOVE made ASHLEY CONSOLE HEATER.

This would require stove pipe and an adapter for the firebox flue and refractory cement to seal any voids.

The ASHLEY CONSOLE HEATER can burn wood and coal as they are a coal stove with a large cook top under the cover.

The draft controls and the damper door in the fireplace would have to be removed to allow the use of a console heater or electric powered stoker stove. This would allow you to heat the home with the console heater with little work or worry as long as the stove pipe and flue pipe connections to the firebox flue are tight and leak free.

A coal burning fireplace like this would normally have a window slightly open to allow a better draft and to reduce any chance of a down draft from high winds to a minimum.

If your chimney does not have a cap and you intend to use the fireplace with the coal hearth or without it using a console heater it should have a cap installed.

A small Anthracite Rice Coal burning stoker stove insert would be an option as well but they all require electricity to power them versus a console heater from US STOVE/ASHLEY that does not require electricity in most models and they have cook tops that would allow you to have pots of water adding humidity to the home to prevent zapping the cats or dogs nose with static electricity.

The console heater would allow you to use the local Sub Bituminous Coal from the Wolf Mountain mine or the Sub Bituminous Coal from the other mines in the Powder River Basin in it as well as they are firebrick lined.

Contacting the Canadian Pacific Historical Society; Canadian National Historical Society, The Union Pacific Historical Society and the Great Northern/Northern Pacific Historical Society and providing them with a photographic image of the fireplace coal hearth you have will provide you with many dividends of information as they all used Sub Bituminous coal to heat thier buildings and to make steam in thier locomotive.

WE all look forward to hearing more from you about the coal hearth you have.

 
renaissanceman
Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun. Aug. 29, 2021 7:47 pm
Location: SW Idaho
Other Heating: 20" New Columbian fireplace

Post by renaissanceman » Mon. Nov. 15, 2021 2:06 pm

Thanks for the detailed reply -- I'm going to stick with the original insert if at all possible. The home is a turn of the century classic and is essentially a time capsule back to that period as far as aesthetics go. I have less interest in efficiency and more in ambiance. A bit of radiant heat is a plus. The house has natural gas piped in and a 97% efficient forced air furnace and Idaho's gas rate is dirt cheap, so burning coal is going to be way more expensive than just switching on the heat.

The chimney does not have a cap it seems, but I'm going to have one installed. I'm open to recommendations on what works well. I'm also a bit at a loss as to why a cap would keep downdrafts from occurring. I'm guessing with anthracite the combustion gasses are more or less odor free, hence the CO danger? I'm planning on installing a CO detector in the fireplace room as well.

Tractor supply has bagged anthracite, and the locally available bituminous burns pretty well in my woodstove, so I imagine it will work fine in the coal insert too. It's good to have a couple options, even if they are expensive.

 
lzaharis
Member
Posts: 2366
Joined: Sun. Mar. 25, 2007 8:41 pm
Location: Ithaca, New York
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4-1 dual fuel boiler
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: former switzer CWW100-sold
Coal Size/Type: rice
Other Heating: kerosene for dual fuel Keystoker/unused

Post by lzaharis » Mon. Nov. 15, 2021 2:34 pm

A chimney cap will keep a down draft from entering a chimney at a great velocity and it will also keep rain out of the chimney as well which will play hell on the damper doors, seals and hinges due to rust.

If you have a tree line nearby it will affect the chimneys ability to create adequate draft and you may require a chimney extension but a good chimney sweep will know right off the start at your location if you need one as any tree line/wind break has been growing for a century at least.

 
User avatar
Duengeon master
Member
Posts: 1958
Joined: Sun. May. 06, 2007 7:32 am
Location: Penndel, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harmon Mark III
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite pea and nut mix. Bituminous lump

Post by Duengeon master » Sun. Dec. 26, 2021 7:39 am

There is a supplier near Salt Lake City. I found this on CL.

https://provo.craigslist.org/for/d/mona-coalwood- ... 31083.html

Utah coal is supposed to be amongst the highest quality around.

 
fig
Member
Posts: 1137
Joined: Fri. Feb. 12, 2016 2:36 pm
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Harman SF360
Hand Fed Coal Stove: T.O.M (Warm Morning converted to baseburner by Steve) Round Oak 1917 Door model O-3, Warm Morning 400, Warm Morning 524, Warm Morning 414,Florence No.77, Warm Morning 523-b
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 7.1/DS Machine basement stove/ Harman SF1500
Baseburners & Antiques: Renown Parlor stove 87B
Coal Size/Type: Bituminous/anthracite
Other Heating: Harman Accentra, enviro omega, Vermont Ironworks Elm stove, Quadrafire Mt Vernon, Logwood stove, Sotz barrel stove,

Post by fig » Sun. Dec. 26, 2021 6:09 pm

Wow those prices are great. Especially the cherry pits. I know of a guy that heats his house with those. He claims they work great.


Post Reply

Return to “Coal Prices & Quality, Coal Dealer Inquiries & Reviews”