Cookin' With Coal

 
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Sunny Boy
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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 » Sat. May. 15, 2021 2:28 pm

ReidH wrote:
Sat. May. 15, 2021 1:52 pm
I am using a -0.05 - 0 - +0.20 magnehelic manometer. It is plumbed to read on the positive side of the scale.
It is zero or thereabouts with no fire. When I fired up with wood and tested , the draft crept up to 0.04. Switching from direct to indirect changed that value to 0.05.

Just finished my Christmas shopping today. 20 bags of black shiny rocks.
Ok, that explains why your getting an increase in mano reading when most of us are using the Dwyer and plumbed into the "low" port, which reads negative pressure.

Merry Christmas,... now fire that beauty up and lets see what it can do. :D

Paul


 
ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Sat. May. 15, 2021 2:46 pm

Here is the draft with the charcoal bed going well.
The stovetop is over 600 now so I think good for added coal.

Reid

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ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Sat. May. 15, 2021 5:11 pm

It's fired up now and I have damped it down.
To begin a set the range with the 2 side primary and the front ash door primary damper turned out 2 revolutions. Secondary damper was also open.

-Started the fire with charcoal. No issues at all with that.
-When the left hand side of the cook top reached over 700 degrees, I added the first layer. No drama, coal stated quickly.
-Added another laver each time the cooktop reached 700 until I had about 8 to 9 inches of depth.
-The draft after the first couple of layers stayed at 0.08
-After the last layer was cooking good, I slid the damper into indirect mode. The draft increased to 0.085 for about a minute then stabilized back at 0.08.
-Then adjusted the primary dampers. Closed the ash door damper completely and reset the side primary dampers to 1/4 turn. Little change in the draft was observed, but I didn't wait long before the next step.
-Adjusted the MPD to set the draft to 0.015.
-Closed the secondary damper

No drama so far. You would think the stove was designed to burn coal. ;)

Reid

 
Countryside812
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul, Glenwood x3, Blaze Princess x2
Coal Size/Type: Nut, rice
Other Heating: Geothermal

Post by Countryside812 » Sat. May. 15, 2021 10:43 pm

Enjoyed ur post

 
ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Sun. May. 16, 2021 11:22 am

The Oval ran fine through the night. Left side cooktop was 600 degrees. Had the windowstats open on the first floor
Shook it down and refilled at 7AM today
Waking it up again now at 11am to cook pancakes and scrambled eggs.
Was set a little slower this morning only 40 degrees on the cooktop.

Reid

 
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Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25567
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 » Sun. May. 16, 2021 12:11 pm

Remember that dampers are not the only way to control heat output and burn times. By changing the size of the coal you fill the firebox with, you can change the burn rate.

Using mostly the smaller chunks will fill the firebox with a greater density of fuel, plus also slow air flow through the coal bed. Both work to give a longer lasting fire, such as you'd want for overnight.

When you need higher temps for cooking/baking, using mostly the larger chunks will allow more airflow through the firebed, thus speeding up refueling recovery and increasing heat output. However, because of the firebox having less fuel density you'll need to refuel sooner.

Paul

 
ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Sun. May. 16, 2021 12:32 pm

ReidH wrote:
Sun. May. 16, 2021 11:22 am

Was set a little slower this morning only 40 degrees on the cooktop.

Reid
Typo here. It should read

Was set a little slower this morning only 400 degrees on the cooktop. Not 40 degrees

Reid


 
ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Sun. May. 16, 2021 1:15 pm

I only loaded up to 7 inch depth in the firebox.
Will push this up to 10 for the night after I roast a chicken.

Don't have much of selection of coal sizes yet. Only 2 bags opened. Increasing the depth should allow for an increase in control. Not that I am having any issue with that. It is more a test of how low I can control it with the 72 F temps we're having now. I see no issue controlling it during winter or shoulder seasons. We are heading increasingly warmer temps through the week.

Reid

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User avatar
Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25567
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 » Sun. May. 16, 2021 1:50 pm

ReidH wrote:
Sun. May. 16, 2021 1:15 pm
I only loaded up to 7 inch depth in the firebox.
Will push this up to 10 for the night after I roast a chicken.

Don't have much of selection of coal sizes yet. Only 2 bags opened. Increasing the depth should allow for an increase in control. Not that I am having any issue with that. It is more a test of how low I can control it with the 72 F temps we're having now. I see no issue controlling it during winter or shoulder seasons. We are heading increasingly warmer temps through the week.

Reid


Yeah, that should easily burn for a long overnight. Possibly even as long as 24 hours ? 10 inch depth of firebed is more like what long-running heating stoves have. ;)

I've had my small range go for 14-16 hours before it burned out and it can only hold about an 8 inch depth filled up to the top plates.

Plus, with the increased heat volume (BTU) of that depth of coal, you should be able to get some very high cooking/baking temps without having to over-fire the firebed.

Bags can have quite a range of sizes mixed together. And gravity and coal size can help sort out the sizes. If you have some heavy plastic or a large wide tub, pour the bags out in a pile trying to pour them into a pyramid shape. The larger pieces will more easily roll down the outer slope, making a higher concentration of them to the outside of the pile. That is the "cooking coal" part of the pile. The middle "cone" will be a higher concentration of smaller pieces and fines because they don't roll down the slope as easily as larger chunks. That's the long burn times "cruising coal".

Paul

 
ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Sun. May. 16, 2021 4:07 pm

Paul,

How long into the late spring/summer do you run you range now? When do you usually start in the fall?

I will see what I can do to sort the coal by sizes.
Currently not sure if I am going to buy more Blaschak "locally" or have delivered from Lehigh. No problem with the quality from Blaschak. Very nice and shiny and only a few fines in one of the bags I have opened.
Problem is the price has increased from the supplier here, though that may be a supply timing issue. There wasn't much he had in stock so it appears he will need to replenish. The bags supplied to me were produced late November 2020. The Canadian dollar has improved since then making importing 4 tons probably the better bargain. Ideally I would like to buy bulk so I will need to see what kind of bulk arrangements I can arrange.

Need to get ready do some Cookin' with Coal for dinner.

Reid

 
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Sunny Boy
Member
Posts: 25567
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 » Sun. May. 16, 2021 4:37 pm

ReidH wrote:
Sun. May. 16, 2021 4:07 pm
Paul,

How long into the late spring/summer do you run you range now? When do you usually start in the fall?

I will see what I can do to sort the coal by sizes.
Currently not sure if I am going to buy more Blaschak "locally" or have delivered from Lehigh. No problem with the quality from Blaschak. Very nice and shiny and only a few fines in one of the bags I have opened.
Problem is the price has increased from the supplier here, though that may be a supply timing issue. There wasn't much he had in stock so it appears he will need to replenish. The bags supplied to me were produced late November 2020. The Canadian dollar has improved since then making importing 4 tons probably the better bargain. Ideally I would like to buy bulk so I will need to see what kind of bulk arrangements I can arrange.

Need to get ready do some Cookin' with Coal for dinner.

Reid
I run it until the nights stay 50F or above to keep the chill off the house - which around here is only about three months of the year. And, it's cheaper to cook with coal than using pro-pain to cook with the gas stove.

It doesn't matter if the day temps get up to 80F because the tall brick chimney built for a coal range in the late 1800s will draft well enough to still keep a coal fire going.

To reduce over heating the kitchen on warm days, I can shut off the flue to the water tank end. Then, rather than having all that water reservoir casting extracting heat, it gets sent up the chimney to help maintain draft while the stove is running slowly. Plus the water reservoir then becomes a heat shield for that end of the range, thus further reducing kitchen heat. And if it gets too warm, I put it in direct draft and close the primary to a sliver and fully close the MPD. That idles the range down, reduces the surface area extracting heat into the kitchen, yet sends enough heat up the chimney to maintain a safe draft.

I've used both and I prefer the Blaschak. You can get both in bulk by contacting the companies directly. And sometimes you can get more savings per ton if you split a larger load with another coal user near you. How close are you to member Wren ? She's another Canadian coal user.

Paul

 
ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Sun. May. 16, 2021 4:48 pm

Thanks Paul, I will see what Blaschak can offer me as well.

I am about 500km from Wren, I believe. We were discussing something along those lines, but 500km does impact the feasibility.

Reid

 
Hoytman
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Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
Coal Size/Type: nut coal
Other Heating: electric, wood, oil

Post by Hoytman » Sun. May. 16, 2021 10:12 pm

Hey Paul, have a question.

I’d love to have a coal cooking stove here but I’m not sure about the sizing.

I mean, I have a hard time keeping this Hitzer 354 from running me out of this house. That said, with a cook stove having a much smaller fire box, but far more metal with which to extract heat, don’t you think that would present an issue with me using a coal cook stove, or not? Obviously the size of the stove would play a part but I’m not familiar with cook stove sizing.

This 354 has no issue at all heating this 1350 sq ft and most here have helped me come to the conclusion that I need a smaller stove or at the least shrink the fire to burning off of one grate versus two.

I guess I have to wonder if they made a coal cook stove small enough for this house. Sure would save on the propane cook stove. It’s a 4 ft tall tank about 24”-30” wide. I forget how many gallons it is. They filled it to 80% and we’ve used it for 4 years now and it’s still at about 45%. It’s cheap for us...at least it seems so.

What’s your thoughts?

 
ReidH
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Location: Ontario, Canada
Hand Fed Coal Stove: AGA 47/10 Cooker, Heartland Oval Cookstove

Post by ReidH » Mon. May. 17, 2021 9:29 am

Hoytman wrote:
Sun. May. 16, 2021 10:12 pm
Hey Paul, have a question.

I’d love to have a coal cooking stove here but I’m not sure about the sizing.

I mean, I have a hard time keeping this Hitzer 354 from running me out of this house. That said, with a cook stove having a much smaller fire box, but far more metal with which to extract heat, don’t you think that would present an issue with me using a coal cook stove, or not? Obviously the size of the stove would play a part but I’m not familiar with cook stove sizing.

This 354 has no issue at all heating this 1350 sq ft and most here have helped me come to the conclusion that I need a smaller stove or at the least shrink the fire to burning off of one grate versus two.

I guess I have to wonder if they made a coal cook stove small enough for this house. Sure would save on the propane cook stove. It’s a 4 ft tall tank about 24”-30” wide. I forget how many gallons it is. They filled it to 80% and we’ve used it for 4 years now and it’s still at about 45%. It’s cheap for us...at least it seems so.

What’s your thoughts?
Bill,
I will add my 2 cents.
I would start with determining if there is room for a coal range in your kitchen.
My kitchen is 11 by 17 and I have a 5 x 5 space set out for it. My range is UL/ULC rated so there are specific clearances. Earlier ranges will need to follow the non rated stove guidelines.
You may able to reduce the space needed if you have masonry walls to back it onto. A shield on the back such as what Paul constructed for his range will allow reduced clearances. I have installed the factory shield on mine so it is possible to reduce the clearance to the back to 2 inches behind the shield. 5 inches was what was necessary in my case to allow for the flue pipe arrangement.
You may able to reduce the space to the back to nil if you have masonry walls to back it onto. Otherwise, plan for 12 inches from the back if you have a shield. The hearth side will need more room usually to tend it.

As far as house size, my house was originally 1000 square feet including the summer kitchen and was originally heated with coal. From what I can determine, a parlor stove and a range originally.
I am in Ontario so the climate is more harsh in the winter then your location, but would be very similar to what those in central/western NY would experience for winter climate.

Reid

 
Hoytman
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Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
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Coal Size/Type: nut coal
Other Heating: electric, wood, oil

Post by Hoytman » Mon. May. 17, 2021 10:15 am

No room in the kitchen. I have two options to place a cook stove.

1. Being where the current coal stove is. I have will certainly need a heat shield for close clearance as I only have 42" of hearth space...4 1/2" of concrete and rock below the stove and behind the stove. The hearth floor is 4 1/2"x 42"x 7' and the wall is 4 1/2"x 8'x7'.

2. As a last resort I do have a breezeway where I could put a coal range which would make for a nice summer kitchen. I've thought about building removable screens for this area just so we could use the space more in winter, otherwise the stove would be exposed to a lot of moisture...and really would be anyway even in the summer, though if it's kept burning I'm not sure that would be an issue. This location is sort of something I hadn't thought of until just now and is unlikely, but is easily doable.

I'd much rather the stove be in the house.


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