Why is my coal burning red not blue
- Lydo
- New Member
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Fri. Sep. 21, 2018 3:35 pm
- Location: Quebec, Canada
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Oak No 3 1899
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite rock
- Other Heating: Wood
We are just beginners with regards to burning coal. We normally burn wood but when trying a couple of loads of BBQ coal (we couldn’t find anthracite in our area) we liked it but found it very expensive to burn. We found someone that had coal in his basement and wanted to get rid of it. The coal had been sitting there for about 30 years. When we burn it (in our Glenwood Oak No 3), the flames are red, not blue like when we used to burn the BBQ coal. Why is that?
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- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
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- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Are you getting any smoke? Generally the point at which air mixes with a gas determines color. When air mixes with a gas before ignition the flame will be blue. When air mixes after ignition, the tiny particles of carbon burn yellow as in a candle flame. The base of the candle flame is blue and further up yellow.
Perhaps you coal had a coating of some sort, or some mineral as part of it, to account for the red flame.
With a hot enough environment wood will burn blue.
Perhaps you coal had a coating of some sort, or some mineral as part of it, to account for the red flame.
With a hot enough environment wood will burn blue.
- McGiever
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- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
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- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
BBQ is mostly if not all charred wood...no coal in it.
Charring wood process done in the absence of oxygen burns off all the volatile tars and gases leaving only pure carbon to which some filler and a binder is added to hold the compressed mix in to the familiar molded briquettes shape.
And starter fluid or matchlight can burn blue until the charcoal is ashed colored all over...
Blues should come later into your burning anthracite coal, that is the carbon monoxide gas burning at that stage.
Really, your 30 year old basement coal could possibly be not coal at all...but be actually coke.
Now, coke is to coal, as what, charcoal is to wood.
- Lydo
- New Member
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Fri. Sep. 21, 2018 3:35 pm
- Location: Quebec, Canada
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Oak No 3 1899
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite rock
- Other Heating: Wood
Thank you McGiever for your info.
Well, I just ordered anthracite and hope (at least that’s what I read in all the discussions) that I’ll get a better control of the heat with it. That stuff, what ever it is, burns soooo hot! I spread not even a quarter of a pail on a few wood coals from a starting fire and it burnt to 725+ degrees. I had to put it out, what a scare!
Well, I just ordered anthracite and hope (at least that’s what I read in all the discussions) that I’ll get a better control of the heat with it. That stuff, what ever it is, burns soooo hot! I spread not even a quarter of a pail on a few wood coals from a starting fire and it burnt to 725+ degrees. I had to put it out, what a scare!
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
Better control comes from better control of any air entering to accelerate combustion process...reduce air and reduce combustion.Lydo wrote: ↑Fri. Jan. 11, 2019 10:11 amThank you McGiever for your info.
Well, I just ordered anthracite and hope (at least that’s what I read in all the discussions) that I’ll get a better control of the heat with it. That stuff, what ever it is, burns soooo hot! I spread not even a quarter of a pail on a few wood coals from a starting fire and it burnt to 725+ degrees. I had to put it out, what a scare!
Any air leaks around doors etc. gives up that control.
- Lydo
- New Member
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Fri. Sep. 21, 2018 3:35 pm
- Location: Quebec, Canada
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Oak No 3 1899
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite rock
- Other Heating: Wood
Ok thank you. So should we add some kind of fibreglass insulation in the doors? The stove was given to us and was apparently used as is (without any kind of cement or insulation between the parts.
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
There is a "Dollar Bill Test" for gauging door gaps...
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