Coalpail.com Forum

Oh and thanks to the above for the complements. I do enjoy the work I put into it. Wish I could keep it dust free all the time but my wife doesn't want me dumping ash over the 15' bank in my back yard anymore she says it causes more dust to blow into the house in the summer time. Women I will never figure them out. So instead of walking all the way over to the dumpster 350' away with each bushel she insists I dump the ashes in a 55gal drum and wheel the drum over to the dumpster once a week and my back can only take so much according to my doctor. So out of laziness I dump the ashes in the container in the room. Makes one hell of a dust cloud. I still dump them over the bank when she's not home. He'll she's never outside in the summer anyway.

At first I was concerned about ash percentage, it's all about being warm and not buying oil.

I have my ash timer call me when the stoker has accumulated 14 hours of run time and my daughter has forgotten to take the ashes out.

The boiler only produces this much ash on the coldest days of the year. I am using the round tubs. To get every BTU out of the ash, we put a lid on the tub, slide it out of the boiler and slide the other tub into the boiler, leaving the first tub sitting in the cellar. We take out the now cooled full ash tub the next time we go down to change the ashes.

To dispose of it, we have 4-30 gal metal trash cans outside. I have drilled 4 opposing holes 6 inches down in each one and strung mechanics wire in a cross between them. We can just throw the whole tub upside down into the can and run. The wire prevents the tub from going down into the can. Once the dust settles, we walk back over and take the tub out.

Will coal prices ever start to go down? Seems like a stupid question to ask because mostly across the board everything goes up. But figured I would ask. Probably need to check a different topic..

Will coal prices or for that matter...the price of anything ever go down?????????????????????????????????????

Have you looked toward the sky for a 'gaggle of pigs flying over'???? If you see one, please PM me immediately!!!

Frytown wrote:Will coal prices ever start to go down? Seems like a stupid question to ask because mostly across the board everything goes up. But figured I would ask. Probably need to check a different topic..

They have gone down slightly since last season. I wouldn't wait for prices to drop any farther...order what you need in the spring or early summer and be ready for next year.

I empty my ash pan every two days. Not sure what that means ash wise though. The ash is reddish in color though.

vermontday wrote:To get every BTU out of the ash, we put a lid on the tub, slide it out of the boiler and slide the other tub into the boiler, leaving the first tub sitting in the cellar.To dispose of it, we have 4-30 gal metal trash cans outside. I have drilled 4 opposing holes 6 inches down in each one and strung mechanics wire in a cross between them. We can just throw the whole tub upside down into the can and run. The wire prevents the tub from going down into the can. Once the dust settles, we walk back over and take the tub out.

Man you think of everything I like the mechanics wire and the ash dumping concept Now I have to build another thing because somebody came up with a really cool idea Will good ideas ever stop here?

I have a little different take on the ash situation.Since I am using UAE Harmony coal,I only take the Keystoker supplied ash tub out every other day.When I drop down,turn around and lift that bail,I grin and think those ashes represent approximately $16-$17 [savings over 2 days fuel oil] that stayed away from export to a foreign country. Still smiling, Mike

Just a thought for those who dump or transfer ashes inside......hook up a shop vac to an area above the container and turn it on. It is remarkably easy to suck up the airborne particulate...... Let's face it, if you can take it outside, then you are a winner. Easy on the back to you guys who manhandle a 35 gallon drum.......work smarter, not harder.