It's Time to Ignite the Anthracite
- wilder11354
- Member
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 29, 2011 10:48 pm
- Location: Montrose, Pa.
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Harman SF260 Boiler
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: nut or pea, anthracite
- Other Heating: crown oil boiler, backup.if needed
No coal yet! Guess tomorrow morning gonna get 8 bags to hold me over till coal delivery of 5 tons friday!
- jedneck
- Member
- Posts: 181
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2017 9:02 pm
- Location: South Central PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DSM Antramax
- Baseburners & Antiques: Florin 20-12, red cross oak double heater, 3 columbians a epoch, emblem and palace
- Coal Size/Type: nut or stove
- Other Heating: Southbend Banner range
1st 50lbs of pea makin heat. Cant wait till i can put it in cruise, hot a few wndowstats open already.
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- 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
Nice on the bin S!!
- Jjones6840
- Member
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 12, 2018 9:04 pm
- Location: Cecil county, MD
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Hot blast 1357m
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: Electric/heatpump
Just fired mine up tonight for the first time this season
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- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14660
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
Well welcome aboard Jones! I see yer using a Hotblast there. You got anthracite burning? Let me know if ya need any help with it.Jjones6840 wrote: ↑Fri. Oct. 12, 2018 9:08 pmJust fired mine up tonight for the first time this season
- SawDustJack
- Member
- Posts: 116
- Joined: Fri. Jan. 15, 2016 6:12 pm
- Location: Cape Cod
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Newcastle/Ironhouse;Warm Morning 617a
- Coal Size/Type: Stove/Nut
Started her back up tonight like a lot of you. Used some matchlite for the first time and it was easy and keeps everything nice and clean! Great tip!
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- Member
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 24, 2015 11:22 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
- Other Heating: natural gas central forced air
Not to be argumentative, but my stove's manual says never use starter fluids or other other combustibles (no self-start charcoal either), but does not say why. I guessed that maybe since there is no secondary air in it to let them burn off, the volatile gases could go boom at just the wrong time, like when I open it to add more coal. Mine only holds 40 pounds, so there is not a lot of room for gases to dissipate. Am I wrong about the reasons?
Lightning wrote: ↑Fri. Oct. 12, 2018 7:24 pmWe have our fire lit with the fine assistance of my daughter. Here she is posing while coal is tumbling off her shovel lol. I started with a layer of Royal Oak hardwood lump charcoal and soaked it real good with lighter fluid. I also used a small brown paper bag pulled partly down thru the grates to act as a wick right at the front of the stove. Then before lighting we added about 5 shovels of stove size and half a bag of nut size. I had Daisy light the wick, she was entertained lol. "Is it gonna work Dad?" "Oh yeah, give it few minutes"
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And this is the first layer taking off, with flash on and with flash off.
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The second layer is on now, got about 75 pounds in the stove currently. As I'm finishing this post the second layer has some pretty blues on top.
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- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14660
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
No, I don't disagree with that. While lighting mine with lighter fluid soaked lump charcoal there is a point when vapors above fuel bed accumulate and try to ignite BEFORE the chimney draft gets flowing. It's within a few minutes of first lighting. It's almost like a very "gentle" puff back happens and pushes some fire downward and out the ash door a few inches. At that point I'll prop the load door open an inch to dilute those vapors as the chimney starts to pull.charlesosborne2002 wrote: ↑Sat. Oct. 13, 2018 9:41 amNot to be argumentative, but my stove's manual says never use starter fluids or other other combustibles (no self-start charcoal either), but does not say why. I guessed that maybe since there is no secondary air in it to let them burn off, the volatile gases could go boom at just the wrong time, like when I open it to add more coal. Mine only holds 40 pounds, so there is not a lot of room for gases to dissipate. Am I wrong about the reasons?
I can understand the warning in your manual. I suppose there could be some risk of things going wrong with using lighter fluid. A cold stove and first fire is the ONLY time I would use lighter fluid. Putting lighter fluid on a fire that seems to be dying, or to rekindle a fire could absolutely be lethal and people have been injured or worse by attempting that.
- wilder11354
- Member
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 29, 2011 10:48 pm
- Location: Montrose, Pa.
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Harman SF260 Boiler
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: nut or pea, anthracite
- Other Heating: crown oil boiler, backup.if needed
fired up... got 400# in bags for the week, till coal delivery comes. Still building coal bed before i fill hopper and adjust for low steady heat, Wood flames bring temps on stove on body/chimney fast but its slowly settling back down as Anthracite takes hold.
- Homesteader
- Member
- Posts: 299
- Joined: Sat. Aug. 13, 2016 4:24 pm
- Location: Goshen, CT.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Mark II
- Coal Size/Type: Nut, Stove
- Other Heating: H.B. Smith oil fired boiler
Been burning wood a few times over the last few weeks but this morning it was 43deg. and raining so I said what the heck, started the wood fire and got the black rocks cooking. Supposed to be cool all week with on and off rain. Got around 2 1/2 tons Lehigh left and Santa came last week with a pallet so I should be all set.
Sure feels nice and toasty in here now. Attachments
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- Member
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 24, 2015 11:22 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
- Other Heating: natural gas central forced air
Sometimes when getting a wood stove going I would put a few wads of newspaper on top of the wood as well as under it--that raging paper on top starts an updraft but is not really too hot in itself. The updraft is like blowing air on the wood. In the case of coal, I assume that by the time I start the coal there is already a good updraft.
Lightning wrote: ↑Sat. Oct. 13, 2018 11:01 amNo, I don't disagree with that. While lighting mine with lighter fluid soaked lump charcoal there is a point when vapors above fuel bed accumulate and try to ignite BEFORE the chimney draft gets flowing. It's within a few minutes of first lighting. It's almost like a very "gentle" puff back happens and pushes some fire downward and out the ash door a few inches. At that point I'll prop the load door open an inch to dilute those vapors as the chimney starts to pull.
I can understand the warning in your manual. I suppose there could be some risk of things going wrong with using lighter fluid. A cold stove and first fire is the ONLY time I would use lighter fluid. Putting lighter fluid on a fire that seems to be dying, or to rekindle a fire could absolutely be lethal and people have been injured or worse by attempting that.