Will coal work for me

Ford farmer · Post by **Ford farmer** » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 9:16 pm

I am in the process of buying my first house and am very interested in heating with coal. I have purchased 2 used stoves both warm mornings one with about 40 lb capacity and the other is around 100 lbs. The only issue I'm concerned with is that I am regularly not home for 12 plus hours at a time. Is that to long to leave stove un-attended? How often does grate need to be shaken? How often will I have clinkers build up? Thanks for any help I can get

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 9:20 pm

Depends how long that "plus" is--if your talkin 13-15 hrs, you should be fine in the dead of COLD season

Post by **Lightning** » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 9:27 pm

Oh yeah, not sure about the little one but pretty much anything that will hold a 100 pounds of coal will easily burn for 12 hours at a rather high firing rate. Closer to 24 hours at a moderate firing rate.

Hambden Bob · Post by **Hambden Bob** » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 9:37 pm

Christmas Greetings and Welcome To 'Da Coal Board !

Well Ford,what the Hell.... You already bought 'em,so now it's time to learn all about 'em.

search.php?keywords=Warm+Morning+Stove+&sf=firstpost

The above link is from Our search bar in the upper left corner. I took the Liberty of doing a little Homework for You. You've now got a few miles of reading ahead of You. You've come to the right place. Fill in the rest of Your Profile,as this is a Mystical,Weird Place ! Folks actually help each other out in amazing ways here. Don't worry,'Ol Freetown Fred won't come off of his Hill to Scalp 'Ya ! He can be downright charming at times...

Good Luck,and Good Learning !

Pacowy · Post by **Pacowy** » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 9:03 am

Hambden Bob wrote: ↑
Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 9:37 pm
The above link is from Our search bar in the upper left corner.

I think the search bar on the upper left only searches this thread, and it's the one on the upper right that does wider searches, but I'll defer to forum poohbahs on that.

Mike

rberq · Post by **rberq** » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 9:24 am

12 to 15 hours should be fine as long as you aren't pushing the stoves for maximum output. I notice your profile says "nut and stove" coal. I have used both. Both burned perfectly well for me. But because the chunks of stove coal are so much larger, they don't pack together quite as closely as nut. I found I could fit about 15% less weight of coal in the firebox when using stove coal, and it reduced burn time (naturally) by the same 15%. That doesn't sound like a lot, but 15% is almost 1 out of 6, so my "comfortable" shaking/reloading time dropped from 12 to 10 hours, which was significant as I too was away for 12 hours many days. The stove I was using at the time was barely adequate for the area heated. If your stoves have enough capacity it may not matter to you.

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 10:06 am

Damn it HB, I thought we been workin on that lefty--righty thing???????????

Pacowy wrote: ↑
Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 9:03 am
I think the search bar on the upper left only searches this thread, and it's the one on the upper right that does wider searches, but I'll defer to forum poohbahs on that.

Mike

Post by **Rob R.** » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 3:32 pm

You can easily put the stoves on a 12-15 hr tending schedule, but you may or may not be able to keep the house the temperature you want. Either way, the stoves on will add some economical heat to the house.

Hambden Bob · Post by **Hambden Bob** » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 5:56 pm

freetown fred wrote: ↑
Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 10:06 am
Damn it HB, I thought we been workin on that lefty--righty thing???????????

What do you mean ? Like Hell it isn't Christmas Day ! Where's my World's Fair Spoon ?

Thanx,Mike and Fred ! That's just what I deserve for typing tired and trying to help this poor guy out ! Now,Dammitt,I know today's Saturday and yes,the steering wheel of my car is on the passenger side........

Ford farmer · Post by **Ford farmer** » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 8:39 pm

All very good information. Thanks for the advice!! This may sound like a dumb question but does the grates only have to be shaken when it is re loading time or does it have to be shaken periodically during the day?

Post by **coaledsweat** » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 10:51 pm

Basically you rev the fire up, shake it down and reload. The interval between servicing depends on demand and the appliance size. A big monster once a day, a medium unit twice a day and a small one may require it every 8 hours.

Post by **Lightning** » Tue. Dec. 19, 2017 3:33 am

Ford farmer wrote: ↑
Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 8:39 pm
does the grates only have to be shaken when it is re loading time or does it have to be shaken periodically during the day?

The grates do not need to be shaken between loading times as long as ash is cleared properly at loading time.

The more coal your stove will hold, the longer duration between loading times it will give you.