Anthracite newby coal quality ?

Post Reply
 
zachary193
Member
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue. Jun. 21, 2022 4:10 pm
Location: South Western Pennsylvania
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Ds machine energy max 160
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Ds energy max 160
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak nut
Other Heating: Oil/electric

Post by zachary193 » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 12:04 pm

I started burning coal this year inside . Installed a ds stove energymax 160 this summer . When I purchased the Stove. I got 2 pallets of blaschack bagged nut . I burnt some of it. seems ok not what I expected from ash results and sizing . Today I got a ton of bulk reading nut and it seems very shiny more uniformed in size . The blascheck burns good heats fine I wanted to try something else maybe better quality . Hopefully I didn’t waste my money this stuff is like black gold anymore !

What can anyone tell me about visual quality aspects of the coal looking at it , seems more harder than the blaschack .

With the Santa bags I felt like I got a lot of black coal coming through the grates into the ashpan.

I expect with the Santa bags I was calculating on burning mild temps
My usage was around .9-1lb hour . So I’d assume I’d burn 2.5 tons maybe 3 depending on winter temps .

I’m heating 2300 sq/ft from the basement , works very well so far.

What can anyone tell me about visual quality . I wanted to try some pea coal. But I was scared to pull the trigger when nut was working well .

Attachments

0B436172-711B-4AB7-B5C0-26C5929C45B2.jpeg

Reading nut coal

3C47378E-8863-4697-A741-BF1699FEB61E.jpeg

Santa bagged

.JPEG | 879KB | 3C47378E-8863-4697-A741-BF1699FEB61E.jpeg
image.jpg

Reading nut

.JPG | 693.2KB | image.jpg
image.jpg

Santa nut

.JPG | 629.1KB | image.jpg


 
User avatar
Sunny Boy
Member
Posts: 25547
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 12:31 pm

The 6 tons of Blaschak bagged nut that I got back in October is exactly like what you're describing the Reading as - black, shiny, and very uniform in size.

Don't know of any Reading dealers around here, but I've always been very pleased with Blaschak compared to other brands I've tried.

Has the Reading been oiled ? Some companies use water, some a form of oil to keep dust down. I still have oil stains on a bare wood floor from some Tractor Supply Kimmels bags that leaked. Both make the coal look shiny. The wet coal dries out within hours after removing from the bag, the oiled coal does not.

Paul

 
zachary193
Member
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue. Jun. 21, 2022 4:10 pm
Location: South Western Pennsylvania
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Ds machine energy max 160
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Ds energy max 160
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak nut
Other Heating: Oil/electric

Post by zachary193 » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 1:04 pm

Sunny Boy wrote:
Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 12:31 pm
The 6 tons of Blaschak bagged nut that I got back in October is exactly like what you're describing the Reading as - black, shiny, and very uniform in size.

Don't know of any Reading dealers around here, but I've always been very pleased with Blaschak compared to other brands I've tried.

Has the Reading been oiled ? Some companies use water, some a form of oil to keep dust down. I still have oil stains on a bare wood floor from some Tractor Supply Kimmels bags that leaked. Both make the coal look shiny. The wet coal dries out within hours after removing from the bag, the oiled coal does not.

Paul

It may have Ben oiled at some point lightly , maybe that is the difference ? I haven’t burnt any reading yet as I just got it today

 
User avatar
Rob R.
Site Moderator
Posts: 17979
Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
Location: Chazy, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr

Post by Rob R. » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 1:09 pm

In my experience you can’t tell much about how the coal will burn unless there is something obviously wrong, like the coal is full of fines or debris.

The best burning nut coal I ever had was some of the worst looking.

 
zachary193
Member
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue. Jun. 21, 2022 4:10 pm
Location: South Western Pennsylvania
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Ds machine energy max 160
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Ds energy max 160
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak nut
Other Heating: Oil/electric

Post by zachary193 » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 5:07 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 1:09 pm
In my experience you can’t tell much about how the coal will burn unless there is something obviously wrong, like the coal is full of fines or debris.

The best burning nut coal I ever had was some of the worst looking.

That sounds about the normal . The worst looking is usually the best !

 
User avatar
freetown fred
Member
Posts: 30293
Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
Location: Freetown,NY 13803
Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut

Post by freetown fred » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 5:46 pm

:lol: BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

 
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 » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 6:29 pm

zachary193 wrote:
Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 5:07 pm
That sounds about the normal . The worst looking is usually the best !
I dated a girl like that.


 
User avatar
Lightning
Site Moderator
Posts: 14658
Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Olean, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 6:40 pm

Seems like there was an expression about mopeds that was similar to that... 😆

 
zachary193
Member
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue. Jun. 21, 2022 4:10 pm
Location: South Western Pennsylvania
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Ds machine energy max 160
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Ds energy max 160
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak nut
Other Heating: Oil/electric

Post by zachary193 » Sat. Dec. 10, 2022 6:13 am

Lightning wrote:
Fri. Dec. 09, 2022 6:40 pm
Seems like there was an expression about mopeds that was similar to that... 😆
We got a saying here “ somerset county is known for its red barns and big a@$ women (good cooks) , it’s true I married one 😀

 
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. Dec. 10, 2022 7:00 am

zachary193 wrote:
Sat. Dec. 10, 2022 6:13 am
We got a saying here “ somerset county is known for its red barns and big a@$ women (good cooks) , it’s true I married one 😀
:D we won't tell her you said that.

 
zachary193
Member
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue. Jun. 21, 2022 4:10 pm
Location: South Western Pennsylvania
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Ds machine energy max 160
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Ds energy max 160
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak nut
Other Heating: Oil/electric

Post by zachary193 » Sat. Dec. 10, 2022 8:02 am

Anyways back to business , loaded 20ish lbs of Reading this morning . Takeaways

1. Much easier (faster to get a blue flame )
Less fear of sonic booms

2 . faster temp rebound

We’ll see how the ash turns out

Here in the land of somerset county, temps are in the 30s -40s . So mild weather !

Attachments

image.jpg
.JPG | 661.7KB | image.jpg

 
User avatar
davidmcbeth3
Member
Posts: 8505
Joined: Sun. Jun. 14, 2009 2:31 pm
Coal Size/Type: nut/pea/anthra

Post by davidmcbeth3 » Sat. Dec. 10, 2022 9:33 am

Coal quality question ? Oh my. .45 cal better than 9mm !

I ran Santa coal, Reading, Lehigh, and Tractor Trailer supply. My "rating": Lehigh, Reading, Santa, TRS.

I've had clinkers with Santa coal .. but was first 2 seasons burning and I think I over ran the stove. Running with Santa coal now due to cost increases and availability of supplier to "lock in price" in July w/ delayed delivery in late Sept. No clinkers yet but it has not been run too hot yet. We'll see.

Lehigh I was v. pleased with but not pleased with the cost (due to # of suppliers and shipping cost of the bagged product v. coal cost except for this year, which was both-Lehigh went nuts this year).

A plus with Santa is the bag. My Reading comes in 50 lb bags v. 40 lb Santa bags...getting old sucks

 
WESOman
Member
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun. Dec. 01, 2019 5:29 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: WESO HSK125C
Other Heating: Oil-fired hot water boiler

Post by WESOman » Tue. Mar. 07, 2023 3:13 pm

This is strange. I just put my WESO stove back in service this year and even though my house has a coal bin, I thought I'd start with bagged to do some experimentation. I found the bagged Reading nut coal to be covered in fines and small pieces and there was also a lot of pieces of wood that looked like roots. I did not find the size to be consistent. This product was definitely not washed. I went to a local place in Pottstown who sells coal. The last time I went he no longer had nut coal from Reading. He said Reading shut down. I don't know if he meant the mining or just the bagging. The guy told me the nut he had this time was from Centralia Coal. He did not know if the have a mine or merely broker coal from other sources. The new coal came in unmarked woven plastic bags. It was washed and possibly lightly oiled. The size was more consistent than Reading and there were very few fines in the bags. I went back the other day and bought two bags of Stove coal. The stove and rice they have are still from Reading. The stove coal was really loaded down with fines and small pieces. No way this stuff was washed. While there were some larger pieces, it appeared to be more nut size than stove size and lots of sub-nut size. I'd be very hesitant to but Reading Anthracite again.

 
DirtyJack
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat. Nov. 26, 2022 6:21 pm
Location: Boston Area
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Coal Stove

Post by DirtyJack » Thu. Mar. 09, 2023 9:56 am

I'm new this season to coal stoves, got a Chubby. Started with a full ton of Lehigh, then split a pallet of Blauschak with a buddy. I can easily get a 12 hour burn from Lehigh. But it's $600/ton in the greater Boston area. Blauschak was ($480/ton), found it to create a bit more ash, and on most days I only seem to get 10-11 hours per burn. I had a few bags of Lehigh buried under the Blauschak, so now that I'm back burning that, I can confirm it definitely burns longer. I found Rausch Creek for $536/ton, may try that next. I can also get Reading at $490/ton.

 
User avatar
davidmcbeth3
Member
Posts: 8505
Joined: Sun. Jun. 14, 2009 2:31 pm
Coal Size/Type: nut/pea/anthra

Post by davidmcbeth3 » Thu. Mar. 09, 2023 4:58 pm

DirtyJack wrote:
Thu. Mar. 09, 2023 9:56 am
I'm new this season to coal stoves, got a Chubby. Started with a full ton of Lehigh, then split a pallet of Blauschak with a buddy. I can easily get a 12 hour burn from Lehigh. But it's $600/ton in the greater Boston area. Blauschak was ($480/ton), found it to create a bit more ash, and on most days I only seem to get 10-11 hours per burn. I had a few bags of Lehigh buried under the Blauschak, so now that I'm back burning that, I can confirm it definitely burns longer. I found Rausch Creek for $536/ton, may try that next. I can also get Reading at $490/ton.
I prefer Lehigh to other mines (incl. :Santa Claus aka Blauschak, what I'm burning this season ; Reading ; and TSC coal) but its rare for me to get it as I am too cheap to pay with the one supplier that has it around me just due to delivery charges that I think are excessive). Reading I liked, burned for 5 seasons .. would have this year but for $$$/Santa Claus coal was $50/ton cheaper).

I did look around for ya..but suppliers I have used are out of coal now. Never heard of Rausch Creek coal. I'll burn anything really...my Hitzer stove eats it all.

There was notice on the forum that Lehigh jumped its prices up more than others.

We should open a mine in Rob's backyard.


Post Reply

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