Ideas for bad coal

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Eb426
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Post by Eb426 » Sat. Dec. 12, 2020 9:38 am

Hello everyone.
Ive been burning Lehigh nut coal in my chubby stove for years. Also blashak, south tamaqua coal pockets, and reading.
All burned great.
This year while I was in the tamaqua area I decided to try another place only because of time constraints. I just happened to be near a distributor at their closing time and said why not try them since I’m here.
I bought two tons.
Big mistake.
It seems to burn a bit faster.
I have way more ash. I’d estimate 1/3 more than I am used to.
But the worst part is the ash.
It burns down to hard like rocks. It’s very difficult to break it up. I have a massive amount of clinkers forming. Both huge and tons of little ones.
I am spending an enormous amount of time tending to the stove during shakedown.
I also noticed that if I use a poker to poke around through the top of the fire it’s almost like the coal while burning is melting together.
Almost in a taffy like consistency.
I’ve thought of shoveling it back into my truck and trying to return it!
I’ve thought of mixing it with good stuff but I’m not sure if that’s really going to help that much.
I’ve thought of spreading it on my driveway to fill in potholes.
Any advice on how I can get this stuff to burn better so the ash turns more powder like would be greatly appreciated!!


 
Gian4
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Post by Gian4 » Sat. Dec. 12, 2020 10:25 am

I'd try a test burn (buy a few bags) of mixing it with good stuff. If that doesn't work use it to fill pot holes and chalk it up to lesson learned.
Gian4

 
Hounds51
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Post by Hounds51 » Sat. Dec. 12, 2020 1:09 pm

Curious on what breaker you got it from? Some of the older southern coal region (very lower Schuylkill county and northern Berks county) have the quality of coal in which you are describing. I get mine bulk from a local hardware store and they are telling me it's Blaschack. It seems to burn nice and white, so far with no clinkers. Last year I got some from DiRenzo's breaker , and that also burned nice and white. I have some range coal (stove and nut) that has been sitting in one of my coal bins. That was Superior breaker coal, and that ash burns red and has clinkers in it. I have been mixing that with my good coal and so far everything is ok. You might be able to get away with mixing it with good hard coal, but the ratio might be a 5 to 1 or even a 10 to 1. So you might be burning that stuff for a while. Might be worth a try.

 
CorrosionMan
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Post by CorrosionMan » Sat. Dec. 12, 2020 2:39 pm

Crappy coal sux. Deliver it so me, I'll take it.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Dec. 13, 2020 2:05 pm

I would try mixing it in with some different coal.

 
bksaun
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Post by bksaun » Sun. Dec. 13, 2020 6:56 pm

Christmas stockings! Surely you know someone who has been bad this year!
I’d just mix it with the good stuff and burn it. I’ve had to do this before.

 
fig
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Post by fig » Sun. Dec. 13, 2020 8:20 pm

Sounds like bituminous.


 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sun. Dec. 13, 2020 8:30 pm

Coal is interesting because of it's variable.. Sometimes you get awesome coal, sometimes not quite as awesome... it's neat that we burn a mineral pretty much straight out of the ground other than being sized. We get all the variables that nature can throw at us.. it's all part of the interest.

 
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oliver power
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Post by oliver power » Sun. Dec. 13, 2020 9:23 pm

CorrosionMan wrote:
Sat. Dec. 12, 2020 2:39 pm
Crappy coal sux. Deliver it so me, I'll take it.
You have a Hitzer. Hitzer's aren't fussy :lol: :lol: Going back to Hitzer is one of my recent better moves.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Dec. 13, 2020 9:40 pm

BINGO Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

 
Eb426
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Post by Eb426 » Wed. Dec. 16, 2020 5:53 am

These pictures are after one night of burning after I cleaned out the stove!
I’ve gotten down deep enough in my coal bin to the leftover Lehigh from last year. It is helping a bit but it’s gonna be a battle burning this stuff.
I don’t want to say where I got it from. If anyone really wants to know you can pm me. But I will say buyer beware!! Lesson learned!!
Coal certainly is a interesting fuel. This past summer I was down in West Virginia riding on the Hatfield McCoy atv trails. There were visible coal seams everywhere. I mined my own gallon bag of coal and threw it in a bonfire that night. It lit right up and burned very well!

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Hounds51
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Post by Hounds51 » Wed. Dec. 16, 2020 10:52 am

Looks like a lot of slate in that. That stuff looks like it came from the fringe area of the coal field. There used to be a coal miner in the southern end of Schuylkill county that mined stuff like that. Needless to say he ain't in business any more. Every body used to joke when we got bad coal. We used to say yea that's some of Schnecky's fresh mined coal. Lots of slag. You really need a hot fire to keep those rocks fired up. You probably need a 5 good to 1 bad to get a more complete burn. And then you will then need to burn it hot to break down the slag.
Just my opinion.

 
Eb426
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Post by Eb426 » Wed. Dec. 16, 2020 11:56 am

I was thinking the same thing with burning it hotter. The next few days are gonna be very cold so I’m gonna give it a try.

 
fig
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 7.1/DS Machine basement stove/ Harman SF1500
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Coal Size/Type: Bituminous/anthracite
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Post by fig » Wed. Dec. 16, 2020 6:04 pm

I had 20 bags of Tsc coal last year left the same stuff behind. I was already burning it hot just to get the heat upstairs. Usually about 700*

Needless to say I didn’t buy any more from them last year. I got about 60 bags this year and so far so good. Leaves some rocks but that might be operator error.

 
Eb426
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Location: berks county pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby
Coal Size/Type: Nut anthracite
Other Heating: Oil

Post by Eb426 » Sat. Dec. 19, 2020 8:00 am

Well I’ve been burning at a much higher temperature while also mixing it with last years Lehigh. Now the problem has become it burns way faster than I am used to. Which in a way is a good thing.
I would need to mix it as hounds has said at a 5-1 or greater ratio to get a normal burn time.
But the ash/ rocks do seem to break up a little easier at the higher temperatures.
After 2 loads in the stove (about 24 hours) I’ve found that if I load the stove up with dare I say wood and let it burn down to coals I am able to smash the rocks through the grate into my ash pan.
But doing that has created a problem for my better half........
Lots of dust!!!!
Oh well lesson learned


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