Coal Sizes and Efficiency?

I'm interested to know if there are different burn efficiencies related to coal size. Do you get more rock and clinkers with larger sizes? Does rice and buckwheat coal burn better than bigger stuff like pea coal? Create fewer grate jams? How about ash development? Does smaller size coal produce less ash and more complete burn? Will different sizes make for easier and less frequent cleaning? This is all of interest becuase I'm trying to research which boilers are good for me to buy. Getting lots of great advice from forum members! This will help as well. Thanks in advance. Mike 62

Hi Mike, the answer to all your questions is no, nope, no difference.. The coal source, not the size is what is important and what determines how clean, free of rocks, the ash content, and other coal related issues..

Your decision for what stove/furnace/boiler you want is determined by your heating needs, heating system, chimney available, and BTU requirements to heat your house...

As long as you are able to get good quality coal in your area, or are willing to truck in good quality coal [this is what I do], then buy and install the heating appliance that fits your needs best. Don't worry about the coal.

Hope this helps.. Greg L

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[quote="LsFarm"]Hi Mike, the answer to all your questions is no, nope, no difference.. The coal source, not the size is what is important and what determines how clean, free of rocks, the ash content, and other coal related issues..

Your decision for what stove/furnace/boiler you want is determined by your heating needs, heating system, chimney available, and BTU requirements to heat your house...

As long as you are able to get good quality coal in your area, or are willing to truck in good quality coal [this is what I do], then buy and install the heating appliance that fits your needs best. Don't worry about the coal.

Hope this helps.. Greg L

That being said, I was wondering if I was to burn stove size instead of nut like my handfired manual says to, will it work a little better?? My firebox is a pretty decent size.......

Different sizes allow for more or less air in hand fired stoves, more air with the larger sizes equals more heat but it'ss also less controllable and will burn for shorter length of time. Having said that I'd imagine using a larger size burning full bore would be less efficient simply because you're going to have more jeat loss out of the chimney... Overall if you could two sizes to burn at the same rate they should have equall BTU output.

The choice of coal size for a stoker has already been determined for most models, most burn rice but those that burn rice will usually burn buckwheat. Others like my van-wert function best with buck and still others like the AA's and AHS's can burn a variety of sized coal. most of my customers that had them used pea.

As far asefiiciency and burn rate in hand fored stove I really think its a non-issue. It's going to burn at whatever the demand is...