Coal Used in Pellet Stoves

 
Breakerboy
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Post by Breakerboy » Fri. Mar. 07, 2014 12:13 am

I personally would not try it for all reasons posted above.. I could not close my eyes and rest proper knowing it's burning in my home.. But hey I guess u will never know until u try.. If u are determined to do this please please be careful good luck and god speed to ya lad


 
43Yankee
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Post by 43Yankee » Fri. Mar. 07, 2014 8:43 am

Wow!!! Never thought there would be this much emotion. You guys must love me...Tee hee!! There appears to be a bit of limited knowledge out there regarding my 'test' unit. It has a few bells and whistles to control feed and burn rate. The thermostat is linked to a control panel which controls the air distribution blower, auger feeder, and combustion blower. When it's too hot in the house the auger feeder shuts down and lets the stove stabilize by not feeding to the burn pot. I also have a 'stove temp' setting instead of 'room temp' setting. Based on this ability to control feed to the burn pot I doubt that the coal will concentrate sufficiently to 'melt' the assembly. I've seen stoker stoves with less robust construction, BTW. Wow, if coal has the potential to do damage like you guys say, I wanna see it!!

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Mar. 07, 2014 8:47 am

Wellll, get to it, take notes & get back to us--PIX????

 
titleist1
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Post by titleist1 » Fri. Mar. 07, 2014 9:03 am

One thing we are never short on here is opinions!! Usually this much emotion is saved for the MPD vs. baro debate! :lol:

If I was in the same fuel predicament I would be experimenting with it just like you plan to. But I'd probably do it early on a Saturday morning so I had all day to stand in front of it watching it and I'd be real nervous about leaving the house without babysitting it for a few days!

We absolutely require pictures!! I would love to see a pic of the grates and auger feed while empty so I get an idea of the mechanics since I obviously cant find the correct manual on their site :doh:

I believe the controller on yours is the same as the Super Mag coal stoker, using the ESP or the room sensor to control the burn depending on which mode you're in.

 
43Yankee
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Post by 43Yankee » Fri. Mar. 07, 2014 9:34 am

'titleist1' YES - I plan on staying with the unit tomorrow. I have a local distributor for bagged rice coal. Also, yes, the unit has the 'ESP' controls. Not sure about the 'super mag' stoker. Harman calls the control process the 'Pellet Pro'. All in all I think it will work. My biggest concern is starting the coal and getting it fired up enough to 'kick in' the feed controls.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Mar. 07, 2014 3:00 pm

By all means do try.

Unlike pellets coal does NOT like air around each piece... Coal want more coal all around it...remember, thick bed.

Coal likes packed... Pellets like scattered.

 
Breakerboy
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Post by Breakerboy » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 2:10 am

43Yankee wrote:Wow!!! Never thought there would be this much emotion. You guys must love me...Tee hee!! There appears to be a bit of limited knowledge out there regarding my 'test' unit. It has a few bells and whistles to control feed and burn rate. The thermostat is linked to a control panel which controls the air distribution blower, auger feeder, and combustion blower. When it's too hot in the house the auger feeder shuts down and lets the stove stabilize by not feeding to the burn pot. I also have a 'stove temp' setting instead of 'room temp' setting. Based on this ability to control feed to the burn pot I doubt that the coal will concentrate sufficiently to 'melt' the assembly. I've seen stoker stoves with less robust construction, BTW. Wow, if coal has the potential to do damage like you guys say, I wanna see it!!
Coal has the potential to melt metals with ease !! Never saw a black smith work over wood pellets but seen a few work over coal.... So don't underestimate it! People just curious but also concerned for well being is all .. Excuse me for speaking for others .. Yes I don't see a melt down but there is potential for other dangers not easily seen going on behind the scene.. But hey don't let me or others hold u back .. Pictures please or it didn't happen !!! Sorry can't help myself!!


 
Breakerboy
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Post by Breakerboy » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 2:12 am

Where ya located I will supply the coal !! Lol

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 8:42 am

Breakerboy wrote: I will supply the coal !! Lol
Accessory before the fact! :P

 
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Carbon12
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Post by Carbon12 » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 11:21 am

Soooooo,......how's the experiment going???

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 11:48 am

Coal gasses will destroy any sensors in the exhaust stream...
It may take awhile...
Rock on...

 
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Post by Lightning » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 11:50 am

Temp sensors are external on mine..

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 5:01 pm

Aside from temp sensors, there are other sensors, and some are in the wood pellet exhaust stream. :)

 
Breakerboy
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Post by Breakerboy » Sun. Mar. 09, 2014 12:31 am

rberq wrote:
Breakerboy wrote: I will supply the coal !! Lol
Accessory before the fact! :P
Ooooooooooooo burn...

 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Sun. Mar. 09, 2014 6:36 am

No CO detector, no coal. If you have CO detectors, OK, it's your stove!

Well.... If you still have a working pellet stove, keep reading...

I just went to the Harman website & looked up your stove. About four grand for a new one... ouch! It has a limited lifetime warranty. But you won't be needing it as once the coal hits the burner the warranty burns with it. Warranty states it's void with "use of fuels other than those specified in the operating instructions" And from what I read they seem to know how to check to see if other chemicals have hit the exhaust pipes. But, I digress...

If the pellet stove is over 5 years old, then most of the warranty is gone anyway.... so... I have one major question before the black rocks ignite : Are the burn pot and flame deflector cast iron or steel? If they are not cast iron, and you manage to get a successful coal fire, I would guess.... after day one you'll find the flame guard is sagged beyond use, and after day three you'll find the burn pot is the same. Of course there's always the chance the burn pot will collapse, but that's why everyone is suggesting the video footage for YouTube. If they are cast iron, then we move on to the ash. Emptying the ash will be done every one hour, by the clock. You'll find the coal ash does not do what the wood ash does. In the small burn chamber of this stove you will expect to remove the fire with the ash, so have plenty of starter supplies on hand. Then, assuming the hourly ash chore goes well, after a few days you'll be wanting to shut down & clean the fly ash out of the exhaust tubes. The tubes in a pellet stove are quite small and will soon plug. (Hence the CO detectors)

This may sound like I'm breaking my rule of "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all", but, truly I believe that you'll find that burning coal in this pellet stove will be an expensive experiment, hence, if I save you the cost of replacement parts (or stove), and if I save you evacuating the house because of CO, then I am in actuality saying something nice.


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