Coal Fatigue
- coalkirk
- Member
- Posts: 5185
- Joined: Wed. May. 17, 2006 8:12 pm
- Location: Forest Hill MD
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1981 EFM DF520 retired
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul 507 on standby
- Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite/rice coal
Every year about this time I find myself starting to get tired of dealing with the boiler. Not so tired that I'm going to burn oil, it just starts to become a chore. I'm not tired of being warm though so I'll keep at it. Am I alone in this? Maybe I'm just getting lazy in my old age.
- SMITTY
- Member
- Posts: 12526
- Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
- Location: West-Central Mass
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
- Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
- Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler
I was getting that BIG time with the handfired. Not so much this year with the boiler - the amount of work this thing has saved me is AMAZING.
Thanks Jim ol' buddy!
I am sick and tired of cold and snow though. I want to look out the window and see something besides WHITE. Been 2 months at least ...
Thanks Jim ol' buddy!
I am sick and tired of cold and snow though. I want to look out the window and see something besides WHITE. Been 2 months at least ...
- windyhill4.2
- Member
- Posts: 6072
- Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
- Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
- Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both
We got 1 cord of hardwood dumped off Sat. P/M ,the last of that will go in the owb tonight, you can only imagine how sick we are of this winter. I think the extreme cold & it hanging on with repeat snow storms has most people winter weary,spring is out there somewhere
I like the change of seasons because of this too.
I get tired of the hot weather and associated chores (cutting grass) about September. Then I get tired of raking leaves about December. I get tired of cold weather and associated chores about March (like snow removal, even though we usually don't get much). Since I am more automated this year I am not tired of dealing with the stoker quite yet, but I would like a few more warmish days to start doing some spring time stuff and start swinging the clubs. And of course I will get tired of doing the spring stuff in a couple months too (pressure washing, lawn tractor prep, blow down clean up, etc.) and be ready to cut grass again.
I just don't have the attention span to live in a single climate area!
Good Lord WH.... a cord per week?!?!?!?!
I get tired of the hot weather and associated chores (cutting grass) about September. Then I get tired of raking leaves about December. I get tired of cold weather and associated chores about March (like snow removal, even though we usually don't get much). Since I am more automated this year I am not tired of dealing with the stoker quite yet, but I would like a few more warmish days to start doing some spring time stuff and start swinging the clubs. And of course I will get tired of doing the spring stuff in a couple months too (pressure washing, lawn tractor prep, blow down clean up, etc.) and be ready to cut grass again.
I just don't have the attention span to live in a single climate area!
Good Lord WH.... a cord per week?!?!?!?!
- windyhill4.2
- Member
- Posts: 6072
- Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
- Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
- Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both
We will be relieved when we can again go a full week on a cord, we are really anxious for the $$ to go with a coal boiler & cut the dreadful work load . BUT,no other heat source & all is warm in 2 houses + DHW & a warm shop to work in.
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 14669
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
This is where I fit into it too. I'm looking forward to milder weather for the 24 hour burns so I won't need to shake and load before work. I'm still excited about burning though. Its a sad day to let her go cold...
titleist1 wrote:I like the change of seasons because of this too.
I get tired of the hot weather and associated chores (cutting grass) about September. Then I get tired of raking leaves about December. I get tired of cold weather and associated chores about March (like snow removal, even though we usually don't get much). Since I am more automated this year I am not tired of dealing with the stoker quite yet, but I would like a few more warmish days to start doing some spring time stuff and start swinging the clubs. And of course I will get tired of doing the spring stuff in a couple months too (pressure washing, lawn tractor prep, blow down clean up, etc.) and be ready to cut grass again.
I just don't have the attention span to live in a single climate area!
Good Lord WH.... a cord per week?!?!?!?!
- Scottscoaled
- Member
- Posts: 2812
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 9:51 pm
- Location: Malta N.Y.
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520, 700, Van Wert 800 GJ 61,53
- Baseburners & Antiques: Magic Stewart 16, times 2!
- Coal Size/Type: Lots of buck
- Other Heating: Slant Fin electric boiler backup
I'm usually chompin' at the bit for spring to come. Yes, with the coal fatigue syndrome too. This year is different. Even with the much colder than usual winter, I'm still only using a fraction of the coal I was before with the underground problem. This Van Wert has been unexpectedly tight on the coal. I haven't even noticed the chore
- 2001Sierra
- Member
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
- Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34
Coal fatigue, non here 33 years of fine tuning tends to take the chore out of it. I actually enjoy the efforts of my tweaking of the coal handling, I am making my life easier and the family benefits as well. Really how much more beer can be consumed in the 10 minutes a day ritual it takes with the stoker
- joeq
- Member
- Posts: 5743
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
- Location: Northern CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson
I wish I could brag about long burn times, but because this is relatively new to me, it hasn't gotten "too" old yet. As a matter of fact, I'm glad I've kept the stove burning, cause our cold spell is continuing. It was nice to come home to a 72* house, rather than an expensive oil fired 65*. Plus the wife has helped out a ton. I will admit the R+R-ing (riddle and raking) in the morning before work isn't very pleasant given my time frame. But the afternoons don't bother me.
Now they're talking about the time change, and 1st day of spring around the corner, which disappoints me, cause my winter projects are so far behind. But on the plus side, "because" the cold is here for a little longer, I get to buy a couple more weeks of Santa coal.
Now they're talking about the time change, and 1st day of spring around the corner, which disappoints me, cause my winter projects are so far behind. But on the plus side, "because" the cold is here for a little longer, I get to buy a couple more weeks of Santa coal.
-
- Member
- Posts: 286
- Joined: Wed. Jan. 29, 2014 1:42 pm
- Location: N/W Pa. Meadville, Pa.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Sears circulator air tight stove.
- Other Heating: Crown 115,000 BTU oil fired boiler(house) Weil Mclain 150,000BTU oil fired boiler(Shop)
I have been tired of the cold weather and the snow. The cold weather has shut me down in my shop. Heating with fuel oil at 16°F outside is a non starter for me. The shop is not tight enough or insulated enough and fuel at $3.78 to $4.28 a gallon, makes heating it impossible. I really need to build my new shop. If the weather would warm into the 30's°F than I could heat it. I have a 30Ton press project to finish up before I can start on anything else.
I need to cut more wood tomorrow as I am about out. I have logs in several piles that all I need to do is cut and split. The problem being my splitter is powered by a Wisconsin TJD 2 cylinder engine, I need to bring the engines oil temperature up to 40°F before starting it. I dislike changing from 30wt summer oil over to 20wt oil for the winter. That costs $16 every time I do it. I have a magnetic block heater to do that with. But when it is this cold (0°F at the time I wrote this) It takes all day for it to heat the engine up.
I need to fix my propane turbo heater and get a tank of propane. I can bring the engines temperaturee up to 100°F in under a half hour with it.
I have a bunch of small logs 5-7" in diameter that I will cut up tomorrow.
I had a plan to cut up all my wood for this year last fall but pulled two muscles in my right arm doing something dumb and that put me behind. This year I am going to my firewood starting the first dry day after "Mud Season" is over.
Dan.
I need to cut more wood tomorrow as I am about out. I have logs in several piles that all I need to do is cut and split. The problem being my splitter is powered by a Wisconsin TJD 2 cylinder engine, I need to bring the engines oil temperature up to 40°F before starting it. I dislike changing from 30wt summer oil over to 20wt oil for the winter. That costs $16 every time I do it. I have a magnetic block heater to do that with. But when it is this cold (0°F at the time I wrote this) It takes all day for it to heat the engine up.
I need to fix my propane turbo heater and get a tank of propane. I can bring the engines temperaturee up to 100°F in under a half hour with it.
I have a bunch of small logs 5-7" in diameter that I will cut up tomorrow.
I had a plan to cut up all my wood for this year last fall but pulled two muscles in my right arm doing something dumb and that put me behind. This year I am going to my firewood starting the first dry day after "Mud Season" is over.
Dan.
- Carbon12
- Member
- Posts: 2226
- Joined: Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 6:53 pm
- Location: Harrisburg, PA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
- Coal Size/Type: Rice/Anthracite
- Other Heating: Heat Pump/Forced Hot Air Oil Furnace
Seems like there may be some NEPA Crossroads fatigue too. Is it me or does there seem to be a lull in out playful, online banter???
Usually the banter has something to do with someones experiment on trying to get more efficiency, more heat transfer, and/or the proper way to calculate the relative aspects of BTU replacement therapy. With it this cold, nobody is touching anything on or near their stoves, furnaces, boilers, heaters, etc etc etc for fear something amiss will occur and the spousal unit/significant other will unleash the Kraken.
The only thing I'm doing is adding coal and taking out the ash and I do that realllllly quickllllly.
Rev. Larry
New Beginning Church
Ashland Pa.
The only thing I'm doing is adding coal and taking out the ash and I do that realllllly quickllllly.
Rev. Larry
New Beginning Church
Ashland Pa.