Is Coal a Dirty Heat Source?

I've searched the forum and didn't really get a definitive answer. I want to put a coal stoker in my basement. When I tell this to people they say my house will be covered in black dust and they are just sooo dirty. My thought is If the coal stoves burn box is air type the dirt isn't coming for there. I would think the only source of dirt would be from filling the coal hopper and emptying the ash....by the way the coal is stored outside. Is there any truth to what they are saying?

I would think the only source of dirt would be from filling the coal hopper and emptying the ash....by the way the coal is stored outside.

You are correct. Anthracite burns without any smoke, the only "dirt" you will get is from handling coal or ashes. If you are careful with the coal, and carry the ashes directly outside, there should be very little dirt/dust around the stove.

dont eat the blue jello....

bit coal is somewhat more easier to get dirty with than anthracite.... its not bad at all

You will get dirtier sleeping outside in the alley after the fuel oil cost makes you get evicted for lack of house payment having had pay up or freeze...

Bituminous I don't know. Certainly it has the potential to make an awful mess. Most of us here burn anthracite. That's "hard coal". It's much cleaner than bituminous and it's why most residential coal heat is anthracite. With just a tiny bit of care anthracite can be very clean. The most you should get is to notice a bit of gray ash dust on the windowsills when you do your Spring cleaning. It's much easier to clean a bit of dust than it is to watch your checking account get cleaned out by the oil man.

How many of these people saying it is really dirty have burned coal?

Having said that if you're a clean freak coal might not be for you. There is some amount of dirt and is involved but that's the way it is with any solid fuel. Keep in mind there is people using these stokers right in the living space.

ddersch4 wrote: I would think the only source of dirt would be from filling the coal hopper and emptying the ash...

You can eliminate a lot of the dust involved with the coal by dampening it with a small garden type sprayer. If you're putting in a boiler you can put it in it's own room. If you wanted to get crazy and had a boiler like the EFM you could make the entire coal bin a giant hopper and never have to touch the coal. Even taking that step further you could auger the ashes outside.

That's a bit extreme but there is many ways you can make it less dusty and less work.

.by the way the coal is stored outside.

If you can put it in the basement I'd suggest doing so, it's just so much easier. The coal will be wet if you get it delivered and dust is very minimal.

ddersch4 wrote:I've searched the forum and didn't really get a definitive answer. I want to put a coal stoker in my basement. When I tell this to people they say my house will be covered in black dust and they are just sooo dirty. My thought is If the coal stoves burn box is air type the dirt isn't coming for there. I would think the only source of dirt would be from filling the coal hopper and emptying the ash....by the way the coal is stored outside. Is there any truth to what they are saying?

If you are using anthracite in a coal stoker you should not have any problem with black dust or flyash. As you suspect the only source of dust would be from filling the hopper(coal dust) and emptying the ashpan (flyash); both of which you can control to reduce or eliminate the amount of dust. The people you have been talking to are remembering pictures from Charles Dickens' London with the billowing black smoke and ash filling the air. Like Freddy says, anthracite burns clean and no one will even know you are burning it unless you tell them. I've been burning it for 5 years and no one on my court even has a clue. Good luck, Lisa

Spring cleaning is Spring cleaning--no matter how careful you are you will get a dust film on things.It's a given. My stove room also happens to be my knick knack room--useing coal & the savings entailed are well worth the small amount of work involved.

now if you could put those couch-potatoe doggies to work cleaning.....

Time to tend to the stove.

No more dirty than a woodstove,,,,yet alot less work !!!

Hey freetown,,, I see the dogs in the background tending to the stove!

No matter what you guys say about the dogs, at least my dogs know better then to get up on the furniture.

hi all ive burned wood for awhile,,you have to go get it ,cut it bring home split ,stack ,cover, then lrt sit for a year to dry,,carry in the house to stove ,set on floor ,load the stove, my basement floor got dirtier with wood than coal, plus the bugs unthawed sometimes!!! and there was some dust my wife had to clean,,,,now with coal, go to breaker or have it deliverd, load bin, load stove if handfed or hopper , take out ashes,, half the work,,some dust ,no smoke out of chimney,my house is 70 to 75 deg all the time ,,noway id be that warm runnin oil, don't know why I burned wood all those years,, coal is the way to go,,a little mess but its worth bein warm

There you have it...... coal is a beautiful thing

If you get your coal oiled or wet, it will keep the dust down while handling the coal, you will have some dust in/around the stove, but if you keep it clean (vacuum, broom, etc..) shouldn't be that bad.