Considering coal.....

 
bobdog2o02
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Post by bobdog2o02 » Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 6:45 pm

Hello and TIA for any and all advice.

I currently heat with cord wood using a catalytic stove, a Blazeking Princess Ultra. I use about 3-4 cords per year. I scrounge my wood and only pay to maintain my equipment; hydraulic splitter, 3 chainsaws.....

Recently we have found that we will be having a child and i'm not sure I will be able to dedicate the time to scrounge wood and process it.

The question. Are there any good coal stoves that can run cord wood efficiently and what is the difference between a stoker and non-stoker.

I do have a dump trailer and live not far,1.5hr, from Shamokin PA where i can buy anthracite at reasonable pricing....

Thanks again.


 
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Post by cabinover » Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 7:00 pm

In short, no. There are stoves that claim to do both but the general consensus is pick one, wood or coal. They will burn but not as efficiently as a stove designed for just wood or coal.

A stoker usually has a hopper and pretty much self-feeds. Load the hopper, take ashes out every couple days. A non-stoker is simply a stove that has grates designed to burn coal. It's also known as hand fed. You will have to attend to it like your wood stove only not as often.

I think most stokers utilize rice sized coal. Most others will use pea, chestnut, or stove sized coal.

Someone will be along to correct anything I've said that isn't exactly right. I'm a stoker boiler guy with a hand fed stove on the side so that's what I know.

Welcome to the forum. Once you've used the coal, I'm betting you won't go back to wood with the exception of shoulder months. It seems to be the way folks here end up.

Congrats on the child! (For $20 I can tell you how that happens so's to avoid it in the future) :lol:

 
grumpy
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Post by grumpy » Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 7:05 pm

My Florence 77 burns wood very well.. I can even get blue flames out of the upper air ring.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 8:18 pm

bobdog2o02 wrote:
Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 6:45 pm
Hello and TIA for any and all advice.

I currently heat with cord wood using a catalytic stove, a Blazeking Princess Ultra. I use about 3-4 cords per year. I scrounge my wood and only pay to maintain my equipment; hydraulic splitter, 3 chainsaws.....

Recently we have found that we will be having a child and i'm not sure I will be able to dedicate the time to scrounge wood and process it.

The question. Are there any good coal stoves that can run cord wood efficiently and what is the difference between a stoker and non-stoker.

I do have a dump trailer and live not far,1.5hr, from Shamokin PA where i can buy anthracite at reasonable pricing....

Thanks again.
===========================================================================================================


You can purchase a US stove coal stove circulator model or a Vogelzang coal fired circulator model to burn coal only.
Both brands are cabinet type stoves and they also have cook tops as well.

You can always use your current stove and the cabinet model circulator by just disconnecting one stove pipe and changing out the stove pipes when needed.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 8:22 pm

You could choose a good hand fed stove or furnace designed for coal, you would also be able to burn wood in.

The second thing I wanna say is that coal is awesome. I've burned coal for 7 seasons in a modified dual fuel furnace. Dual fuel meaning it was designed for both wood and coal, but burned anthracite with a lot of struggle until I made some mods to it. This task isn't for everyone though lol.

A hand fed coal appliance can be controlled very easy, it's just a matter of controlling the combustion air. The more it gets, the hotter it burns. 12-24 burn times are easily achievable between tendings with steady smooth consistent heat output in the meantime. Wood tends to have a severe heat output peak and trough thru the burn cycle, coal on the other hand can maintain a heat output within 10 degrees (surface temp of the stove) for 12+ hours, depending on heat demand of course.

 
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Post by warminmn » Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 8:38 pm

Get a good coal stove and forget you ever saw wood. 3 or 4 cords of wood means 3-4 (likely 3) tons of coal. The hand fed coal stoves will also burn wood but not as efficient. I burn anything that is volatile in my stove and it does ok with anything, but I think a lot of that is learning how to use your stove and not being afraid to modify things a little to make it burn better.... you have cheap coal there so wood is not so important. You can idle most coal stove down to 20 pounds a day or less in mild weather.

New Mommy will never tell you that she is cold either, but might want to crack a window sometimes if too warm. Congrats!

 
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Post by bobdog2o02 » Fri. Jun. 08, 2018 9:17 pm

Thanks all for the comments so far.

side notes. my wood stove is 87% efficient and has burn times into about 20 hours so tending the stove isn't an issue. Just looking to shed the burden of preparing the fuel and maybe be able to burn my current stash, 12 cord, in the new appliance also.


 
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Post by coaledsweat » Sat. Jun. 09, 2018 6:22 am

Go with the stoker.

 
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Post by McGiever » Sat. Jun. 09, 2018 9:27 am

Stoker being auto feed of rice or even buckwheat would never burn cordwood.
Selling the cordwood would finance the purchase of more coal and solve your conflict.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sat. Jun. 09, 2018 2:36 pm

McGiever wrote:
Sat. Jun. 09, 2018 9:27 am
Stoker being auto feed of rice or even buckwheat would never burn cordwood.
Selling the cordwood would finance the purchase of more coal and solve your conflict.
There ya have it, simple and effective lol :)

 
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Post by rberq » Sat. Jun. 09, 2018 5:31 pm

Your Blazeking is VERY impressive to give you 20-hour burns. The catalyst must be working extremely well. Does it do all that without lots of creosote buildup in the chimney?

If you replace the Blazeking with a coal stove but continue to burn wood, you will probably find lots of creosote and much shorter burn times and more wood needed. And a combination stove probably won’t do coal all that well, either.

The Blazeking sounds great. Don’t panic and do something dumb just because a kid is on the way. Been there, done that. Wait until the little one arrives and see how your time works out over a couple years. Eventually coal may well be your choice, and it really IS lots less work, but it won’t be nice without the right stove. There’s my free advice, and worth the price … ;)

 
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Jun. 09, 2018 5:59 pm

If you want to burn wood, keep your current stove and buy good firewood.

If you want to burn coal, plan on selling what little wood you are able to cut yourself. Most coal stoves are poor wood burners compared to what you are used to.

 
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Post by Richard S. » Sun. Jun. 10, 2018 7:11 am

Just to clarify you can't burn coal in most wood stoves. You can burn wood in a coal stove but it may not burn as efficiently. Also if you find an older unit labeled dual fuel make sure it's from a coal stove manufacturer.

I believe they have all dropped the dual fuel label because of EPA regulations but it's still the same exact unit. These were best suited coal stoves for wood because they will have things to accommodate wood like over fire air. The Harman/Legacy TLC for example.

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Sun. Jun. 10, 2018 7:19 am

What other heat do you have besides the wood stove? Hot air or hot water?

 
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Post by bobdog2o02 » Sun. Jun. 10, 2018 4:29 pm

hotblast1357 wrote:
Sun. Jun. 10, 2018 7:19 am
What other heat do you have besides the wood stove? Hot air or hot water?
Propane hot air


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