Newbie questions

Hello , I’ve been reading about coal stoves and I think I’m sold on heating with coal . I have been heating with wood for over 20 years and enjoy it except that I would like a stove that heats through the night , actually heats not just closed down so much for there to be coals in the morning. I’ll still cut and split wood but sell some cords to pay for coal. I love the look of the coal chubby stoves and just about everything I’ve read about them . One of my questions is how long of a chimney is necessary for proper draft . I have a ranch with a class A 6” flue and without measuring I’d guess it’s about 12’ from the top of the stove to the top of the chimney . I have plenty of draft for my jotul woodstove . Would that be a tall enough chimney ? I live in New Jersey so coal is available and it does seem to be cheaper than anything else and of course I like tending to a fire. Thanks

Twelve feet would be about a minimum. Best if it goes straight up and through the roof, rather than through the wall.

Welcome, Tell us what town you are or near. Nobody will steal you, Someone near you may be able to look and help you. Welcome to the dark side

Thanks for the replies. I’m in port republic , south jersey .

do a search on here for a "Manometer" about $40 bucks but will tell you your draft in different weather conditions.if not enough draft then add on.one rule of thumb is chimney top should be above the peak of your roof. good luck& welcome aboard. tom

Howdy, i also burned wood for about 15 yrs. I had free access to wood i just had to cut/haul/unload and split. I grew tired of having to get up in the am to start a fire only to come home from work 10-12 hrs later to do it again. So I gave coal a chance and i have never gone back (for primary heating). As far as expense, coal is a lot more expensive compared to free wood but a lot cheaper than oil or electric heat. The stove is in our "finished" side of our basement (ranch house) so i have a 12' above ground 8" chimney, it then goes about 3' below grade to the pipe vent. The only time i have draft issues is during the late fall and late spring, or the days when its 60d and nights when its 35 when i go back to burning wood to "take off the chill". I am located in NW Lehigh county pa near backoven knob. Good luck!

Thanks , I’m looking forward to warm nights in the house and learning a new way . I’ve got a small house under 1000 sq ft so I’m not to upset about having to buy coal . Buying a new stove is another matter but I guess you have to look at it as an investment, I do anyway . Thanks guys

I did the math and my coal stove would start "saving" dollars in about 1.5 years.

It turns out my math was very bad, and I will start "saving" money by March.

My electric bill has gone down 100 dollars a month and, of course, my LP tank should last about 4 years instead of filling it up twice a season.

Once you get the hang of coal you'll love it. I had a Gibraltar hand fired in my old house for 7 years, was the warmest house in town. Moved to a new house that had a Hearthstone Heritage soapstone woodburner. Gave wood a try last year, ton of work and barely any heat. Watching the "Yule Log" channel on TV puts out more BTUs than a soapstone woodburner. I think the soapstone actually acts as an insulator and just send all the stove heat up the flue. Nice looking stoves but just abysmal heating ability.

Just replaced that joke of a stove with a Hitzer 354 coal stove. It's a beast. Bottom line is that coal is for burning and wood is for building stuff.

I’m not sure how long it will take for the stove to pay for itself but it sure will , just last night it was in the 20’s and my woodstove was closed down to make it thru the night which puts out very little heat and creates creosote in the chimney . Anyway my oil furnace kicked in and I hate hearing that oil is ridiculous. I really like the coal chubby but my wife prefers the Hitzer 254, I guess your happy with the 354 that you have ? Thanks

Morning Roofer I heat a small 2 story house (< 900 sq ft) in northern Maine with a Coal Stove Chubby. Nothing like waking up to a warm house in the morning. If you look around on CL and FB Marketplace you'll find many used Chubby stoves in the 3-4 hundred dollar range. A lot of folks on the forum talk about Lehigh coal producing the best coal fuel. I imagine it should be available to you there in South Jersey. You'll probably want a barometric damper somewhere north of the stove before the pipe goes into the chimney. And you may also want to have some CO detectors in the house if you don't already have them. I imagine if you've been using your chimney with a wood stove and it has a good enough draft it would be okay to use it for coal. If your town requires and installation inspection they will advise you. Burning coal is a little different from wood. I expect you'll be posting questions. This forum is a great resource for you in that regard. Welcome.

I appreciate all the positive responses . I’m sure I will have questions. Hey keegs I raced in the canam sled dog race some years back in fort Kent Maine , beautiful north country up there .

crazy4coal wrote: ↑

Sun. Jan. 13, 2019 3:17 pm

Welcome to the dark side

Beautiful

Roofer wrote: ↑

Sun. Jan. 13, 2019 5:14 pm

...so I’m not to upset about having to buy coal .

If anything, it will be the firing part that will make you crazy. The buying and handling part is easy. It gives me a feeling of empowerment, and I relish every bag. I feel such joy opening a bag, pulling out those beautiful, shiny black diamonds, and carefully depositing them into the stove. I don't know, they're almost too beautiful to burn. But burn we must, and we are rewarded with heat, and delight! I really hope you have a window in your stove to see those blue flames, the "dancing blue ladies", reaching up, from hell, and summoning you to their world. It's magical, and its the best part. But like I said, it can make you crazy. Wood is flashy, it talks a lot, and it's easy to fire. Coal is quiet, like a cat, and its impossible to know what it wants by listening or staring. Its counter-intuitive. You think it wants air, but it really wants heat. It goes out. You think it wants coal but it wants air. It goes out. Trust me, you will talk to it. You will ask questions. You will say, "I've done all I can! What more do you want? What! What!". Then you will close the holes in despair and go to bed, only to awaken 2 hours later by the whir of the fan... Good luck my friend, and like at least one other has said, "welcome to the dark side". Ha-ha-haaaa.

Wow GGordonWoody ! Thanks . It will have a glass window , have to see the fire , and I do see some frustration coming .