Shopping for Fireplace Insert Burn 50% Coal 50% Wood Advise?

 
clint
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Post by clint » Sun. Sep. 06, 2009 9:09 pm

I am not trying to argue with you, but as I stated above I have been burning my native east ky coal in a Buck Stove insert designed for wood since 1983 the year the stove it was installed. I don't mean like 1 or 2 times a year, I mean probably 40-50 days per year. Almost anytime the temp got under about 30 degrees. I do like to use a iron grate in the stove for wood but you can burn coal fine without it as long as you postion the coal it so it can get air underneath it, like on top of some kinlin.
You also have to keep your fireplace damper open, and keep in clean. I also have a close neighbor who does the same thing as has been as long as I can remember. I am not saying everyone should do it, or its the right thing to do eithically, or that it might not be dangerous with certain stoves or whatever. Just saying it can be done.

Thanks everyone for the stove information. We debating right now between a model made by Applatichian stoves, and the hitzer which the salesman recomended. I will keep anyone interested posted of my results this winter.

 
Pete69
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Post by Pete69 » Sun. Sep. 06, 2009 10:34 pm

Yes I agree as I stated earlier I also know people who burn bituminous that way and there is nothing ethically wrong or dangerous with it.
What I was trying to say is that anthracite will not burn that way and if you want to burn a deep bed of bituminous it will burn better in a stove designed for coal, as there is a fundamental design difference between coal and wood stoves that goes beyond EPA ratings.
When burning bitt. coal in a wood stove you can't load it completely full, like you can in a coal stove.
I think you would be pleasantly surprised with the function of a coal stove. You would be able to load it completely full of coal and obtain 12-14 hour burn times between reloads. If you like the hitzer 983 I would also recommend purchasing the unit with the double doors if they still sell it, I think that is the only one that has the secondary air control knobs on the loading door.

 
Josh H
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Post by Josh H » Mon. Sep. 07, 2009 9:10 pm

If you get a stove that is properly set up for coal you won't mess with wood anymore! If your stove is set up for bit coal you will find it is so much less work, mess, incredible burn times, 12 hours in the bitter cold and 36-48 hours in the warmer months. I could go on. Make sure the model you pick has an aggressive shaker grate and the biggest ash pan feasable. I love my Hitzer 354 but it could use a much bigger ash pan. I have 10 cords of good wood that will either be sold to buy coal or rot.
Good luck,
Josh


 
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coal berner
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Location: Pottsville PA. Schuylkill County PA. The Hart Of Anthracite Coal Country.
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1986 Electric Furnace Man 520 DF

Post by coal berner » Tue. Sep. 08, 2009 12:57 am

The best two inserts to burn Anthracite Bituminous & wood would be the Hitzer 983 & the Baker fireside insert being they both have underfire air for burning Anthracite coal and the overfire air for burning Bituminous coal and Wood.
Which you need to burn either one well .

http://www.hitzer.com/products/stove/Model-983-Fi ... ce-Insert/

http://www.bakerstoves.com/baker-stove-models.html

 
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Berlin
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Post by Berlin » Wed. Sep. 09, 2009 6:20 pm

those baker stoves look pretty good. never heard of the company before. btw, what people on this thread have been saying is correct; once you go from a "wood stove" to a "coal stove" you won't go back. a coal stove w/ primary and secondary air controlls such as the ones jc pointed out will burn wood as well as your wood stove with the added convenience of an ash pan and grates, but most importantly will allow you to burn coal alone - very successfully. I would highly reccomend a "coal insert" and then just burn wood in it when you would like to.

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