Kimmel Coal Quality

 
KLook
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Post by KLook » Tue. Feb. 24, 2009 10:30 pm

Yeah you are right whistlnut. I almost said it was up to Paul Bunyun's nuts. But not sure how many in here have been to Bangor, ME. Please, don't remind me that I don't have a stoker. I am green with envy for the guys that got their lately.

kevin


 
Paulie
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Post by Paulie » Tue. Feb. 24, 2009 11:17 pm

I have burned 3 tons of Kimmel rice so far, no problems. No junk, uniform size, big heat. I have been selling both rice and
nut size Kimmel coal. Customers report big heat, no problems, they are happy. Happier than with the previous brand.
So far so good! :D

 
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the snowman
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Post by the snowman » Wed. Feb. 25, 2009 8:46 am

Timv:

I burn a hand fed Jotul and yes it is that big of a deal. When you put a lot of fines in the stove, it smothers the fire. My wife shoveled in a large amount of fines from a bag of coal once and it almost put the fire out. Small amount of fines are ok, however, when you get to the bottom of a bag and you have a couple of pounds of fines; this is not ok. As for size: I can burn a large variety sized coal in my stove; I can burn egg coal, stove coal, and down to pea coal. For me and this may be different for other users of hand fed stoves, consistent sizing is not a specific requirement, however, it is most desirable. Let me explain. If I am burning nut coal, I set my draft and my over the fire draft at a certain setting which gives me a certain stove temp and set burn time. If the nut coal I have has inconsistent sizing such as more larger pieces or smaller pieces of coal than normal; this requires a change in draft setting every time I load the stove and it effects the temperature of the stove and the length of burn time you get from a load and every time you load the stove your guessing whether the draft settings are going to be right for the mixed sized coal you just dumped in. With consistent sized coal there is no guessing every time you load the stove. Once you get your draft setting set for that sized coal all you have to do is shake and reload with no worries concerning whether this load is going to fire too much with the current draft settings or fire not enough and wonder what kind of burn time this load will produce. I don't believe that those of us using hand fed stoves wanting a uniform sized coal is a sign of being a panzy and having too much time on our hands or not willing to deal with inconsistent sized coal; but a desire to have a consistent burn and the piece of mind that when you leave the house and the stove you just loaded is going to safely burn while your gone. For me I run my Jotul very close to its maximum temp and large swings in stove temp especially higher are not something I desire. If I'm able to be around the stove and can check it often I don't mind inconsistent sized coal. If I had to constantly go from my wood shop to the house to check on the stove every fifteen minutes or so, I would not get anything made for my customers.

the snowman.

 
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sterling40man
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Post by sterling40man » Wed. Feb. 25, 2009 9:56 am

I've burned about 1400lbs of Kimmels bagged rice so far with no complaints. But, I haven't burned any other coal. Kimmels coal is very wet. No dust when I dump it into the hopper. :D I have noticed that there are a few small pieces of wood (twigs) in each bag.

 
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lowfog01
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Post by lowfog01 » Wed. Feb. 25, 2009 10:46 am

the snowman wrote:I burn a hand fed Jotul and yes it is that big of a deal.
the snowman.
I hand feed a Harman Mark II and consistency in coal size is a big deal to me, too. Like the Snowman, one benefit to burning coal that I depend on is being able to set the draft and knowing what length and heat of burn I’ll get for each load. I’m in and out of the house all day - without coal size consistency who knows what the fire will be doing. I burn coal so I don’t have to look at the stove but every 12 hours. Inconsistency in coal size negates that.

As for the dirt, it seems obvious to me that those who don’t care about the extra dirt/dust in the coal, don’t have to clean it up either because some one else does it or it just doesn’t matter to them for whatever reason. My stove is in the family room and I spend a lot of time trying to minimize the amount of flyash and coal dust I fight everyday. It matters to me and it is a big deal! I’m not complaining mind you – just stating a fact. Why would I knowingly add to the mess. If I can reduce the amount of dirt/dust from the get go, I’ll do it even if it means spending a little more money.

 
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Post by muradsay » Wed. Feb. 25, 2009 6:03 pm

I am using a Vermont Castings Coal II, and the problem I ran into with the Kimmel coal wasn't just a little dust....it was so much, not dust but fine granular coal in each bag that it would prevent air from flowing up through the bed of coals as it tried to burn. I have burned coal for eight years, exclusively, and I know how to run a stove, how to load it and when it's not working right. I didn't spend an entire winter sifting every bag for the fun of it.

So, when I bought a single bag of Kimmel's yesterday, I was hoping to see something like I used to see, and it was the same crap that made me go elsewhere. I also don't like taking entire cans of wasted coal to the landfill, which is what I had to do winter before last.

I did write Kimmel about this, including photographs of their product being sifted and the results of that....no response of course.

 
Paulie
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Post by Paulie » Wed. Feb. 25, 2009 7:24 pm

the snowman wrote:Timv:

I burn a hand fed Jotul and yes it is that big of a deal. When you put a lot of fines in the stove, it smothers the fire. My wife shoveled in a large amount of fines from a bag of coal once and it almost put the fire out. Small amount of fines are ok, however, when you get to the bottom of a bag and you have a couple of pounds of fines; this is not ok. As for size: I can burn a large variety sized coal in my stove; I can burn egg coal, stove coal, and down to pea coal. For me and this may be different for other users of hand fed stoves, consistent sizing is not a specific requirement, however, it is most desirable. Let me explain. If I am burning nut coal, I set my draft and my over the fire draft at a certain setting which gives me a certain stove temp and set burn time. If the nut coal I have has inconsistent sizing such as more larger pieces or smaller pieces of coal than normal; this requires a change in draft setting every time I load the stove and it effects the temperature of the stove and the length of burn time you get from a load and every time you load the stove your guessing whether the draft settings are going to be right for the mixed sized coal you just dumped in. With consistent sized coal there is no guessing every time you load the stove. Once you get your draft setting set for that sized coal all you have to do is shake and reload with no worries concerning whether this load is going to fire too much with the current draft settings or fire not enough and wonder what kind of burn time this load will produce. I don't believe that those of us using hand fed stoves wanting a uniform sized coal is a sign of being a panzy and having too much time on our hands or not willing to deal with inconsistent sized coal; but a desire to have a consistent burn and the piece of mind that when you leave the house and the stove you just loaded is going to safely burn while your gone. For me I run my Jotul very close to its maximum temp and large swings in stove temp especially higher are not something I desire. If I'm able to be around the stove and can check it often I don't mind inconsistent sized coal. If I had to constantly go from my wood shop to the house to check on the stove every fifteen minutes or so, I would not get anything made for my customers.

the snowman.
Guess my girly man stove was the right choice after all . I suspect that rice and buck are so small any way, that the
fines you all are talking about is the size we are looking for! Who you callin Pansy, Tulip? PANZY sounds like some german
kill brigade, not a delicate flower! :D


 
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the snowman
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Post by the snowman » Thu. Feb. 26, 2009 11:04 am

paulie:

In this context the term panzy does not refer to the delicate flower but is a reference to the urban slang definition of the word. The fines I am referring to are smaller than rice or buck coal. It is very fine granular sized coal. Muradsay described it well in a previous post.

the snowman

 
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Cheetah
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Post by Cheetah » Mon. Mar. 02, 2009 12:17 am

I have burnt 1300 lbs of Kimmels pea coal. Some of the bags were marked "low ash" while others were "Quality anthracite". Don't know if there is supposed to be any difference or if they were just bagged at different times. Either way they seem about the same. The biggest difference is that the low ash bags were not as wet. The bags are not water tight and were stored in an unheated shed. The bags that are wet were frozen when I got them. When brought in to the house they thaw and leave a puddle on the floor. The low ash bags did not leave puddles but were damp enough to keep the dust down. The first wet bag I brought in and dropped it on the cement floor to break up the icy block. There was a lot of crackling when I put it in the hopper and it seemed like it might have partly killed the fire, so I filled the bucket I load the stove with so it could thaw out overnight. Next morning the hopper was empty and there was a hot fire going when I poured the bucket in. It was quite exciting when the water that had collected in the bottom of the bucket hit the hot coal! Then I noticed the puddle around the bag on the floor. Since then I make it a point to let the bags thaw and drain before opening them.

I do see an occasional twig in the coal, maybe one in four bags, and have seen no rocks. I have also seen a few nut size chuncks mixed in, again fewer than one per bag. Other than that the size has been consistant from one bag to the next even between "Low ash" and "Quality" lots. Overall I have been happy with Kimmel's quality.

 
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coal-cooker
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Post by coal-cooker » Mon. Mar. 02, 2009 6:32 am

Like everyone else, I would rather have something better than Kimmels, but the reality is when that is all you can readily get you burn it. I am just finishing up my sixth ton this winter and while all of the above comments hold true, I have been able to burn it. The nut seams to have a lot more junk in it than the pea, but I only burn nut during the coldest days now. I don't try to clean it up or sift it, however using a hand fired stove does make it easier, since for the most part it will burn anything. We have three basic choices in Maine that I have found, Kimmels, Blashak, and Reading. Everything I have read about Reading has lead me not to even try it. Blashak is probably as good as we can get locally, but even then I have had some real junk in their bags as well. I opened one bag last fall and found it was almost all fines and junk. Looked like they had cleaned out the hopper with that bag. Sure wish some of our local dealers would start carrying bulk coal again and get something good like Superior. They could sell all they can get up here.

 
cbc6
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Post by cbc6 » Wed. Mar. 04, 2009 8:05 pm

the last half ton I bought,the dealer asked if I would mind 5 bags of centralia and 15 kimmels.....have burned all of the centralia and about 5 of kimmels without any problems....oh and its rice.i also found a chunk in a reading coal bag that 2 1/2" long, 3/4" thick and 1 1/2" high...just glad I caught that one before it made it to the feeder.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Mar. 05, 2009 7:00 pm

I have burned about 9000 lbs of Kimmel's Nut coal so far. It has burned excellent and I haven't encountered any rocks.

 
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lowfog01
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Post by lowfog01 » Thu. Mar. 05, 2009 7:42 pm

coal-cooker wrote: We have three basic choices in Maine that I have found, Kimmels, Blashak, and Reading. Everything I have read about Reading has lead me not to even try it. Blashak is probably as good as we can get locally, but even then I have had some real junk in their bags as well.
I have been burning both Blashak and Reading nut this year and I'm not real happy with either but like someone earlier said, you burn what you can get. The Blashak is awfully wet and makes a huge mess but at least it is sized correctly. The Reading nut is huge! Really, some of the pieces are 3 X 5. My Harman can burn just about anything but if the coal is not consistent in size I don't know what the burn is going to do. I had considered going to the breakers and getting my 3 tons of bagged coal all at one time but after renting a truck/trailer there really isn't anything to gain financially by doing so. Both the Reading and Blashak kept my house warm with minimal trouble and ok amounts of ash so why bother? Lisa

 
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Post by mr1precision » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 6:49 pm

I just brought in another 1.25 ton of kimmel pea. I can honestly say I like the coal but HATE the bags. What a frigging mess! I just unwrapped a brand new pallet and some of the bags are draining black ashy water all over my basement floor. I cant imgagine how that nuch water can be inside of a woven plastic bag. I'm starting to think that I should just by loose coal. Does this happen to anyone else?
Steve

 
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whistlenut
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Post by whistlenut » Thu. Mar. 12, 2009 7:05 pm

The 'water retention' in a woven bag has to be one of the best kept secrets in 'Anthracite World'. It is truly masterful as to how they can bag it, ship, it, store it, deliver it again and when you unpack the pallet get everything within 50 feet all covered black juice. I particularly love the sneaky way that they have crafted so that when you pick up a seemingly dry bag and walk with it and then are mysteriously covered in the staining black juice. Perhaps there will be a TV episode on 'How do they do that' upcoming. :?

Short answer, yup, we all get covered with black slurry............Bulk, no.


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