Bit/Sub Bit in a Hitzer 254?

I live on vancouver island bc and am considering purchasing a hitzer 254 my coal is bituminus stove coal aprox 3/4-2inch lumps how will this stove burn it? it will have aprox 30 ft of ss chimney , what kind of burn times can I expect? its only for supplimental heat in the finished basement odf a 3 story 3600 sq ft house, we currently have an olsen duo matic woo/coal furnace but would like to cut down on coal consumption...we also have a wood insert on the main floor, any input?

Is the coal you have bit, sub-bit, or a mix? Good bituminous has similar BTU content as anthracite and should burn for a similar amount of time. The burn times will drop as the BTU content goes down.

its sub bit c,? works good in my furnace composition is
3% moisture
-36.5% volatiles
-47%carbon
13.5%ash
-.25%sulphur
-11800 btu/lb
im a bit of a newbie and wood is gettin more expensive and further out. once I figured out how to burn it correctly its great, a bit ashy but not bad I also heat my shop with an old pot belly ..cost is 110 a ton plus our f..cking carbon tax of 70/ton....a ton is as much as the guys can stuff into a pickip box (to date aprox 3200lbs)..its a pretty generous ton!

I have never burned bit but from the nature of the fuel and learning from posts by Berlin I think almost any modern stove, with the exception of some stokers, will do a bad job.

This is because a stoker feeds small amounts at a steady rate so that proper air and fuel can be in balance.

With hand firing a large batch is loaded which overloads the ability of the stove to cope with the copious amount of gas produced which ends up as smoke and soot and probably tar.

Modern wood stoves have addressed a similar problem by specially designed secondary air fixtures within the stove. Antique stoves designed for bit also have followed this route. Pellet stoves are more like stokers in feeding small amounts steadily and are probably the best way to burn a fuel like wood which is half gas.Bit coal has the same problem.

If I were determined to burn bit, I think one of the antiques designed for it would be my first choice. There is also a great deal of variability in bit coal from different areas.

problem is you cant insure an antique stove here it needs a ul/csa label, my furnace works great(hand fired), I have zero issues with clinkers neither my furnace or the 254/354 are stokers or hoppers all hand fired, as is the old pot belly in my shop, I have never had any experience with a modern coal stove ..im just wondering what to expect.....i think im the only one who burns coal on the island! way less work than wood and storage isnt an issue. from what ive read the hitzer hand fired stove should work fine with it ? I was just looking for some input from anyone who has a similar setup.

Carbon tax!!!!!!!?????????

yes I live on vancouver island bc canada, all petroleum products have a carbon tax, gas is 11 cents/ liter the same for propane, diesel fuel, coal is no different, it costs me over 1200 bucks to fill my oil tank, so 180 for a "ton" of coal is great!...everything costs more in canada. its b.ll s.it.!..the tax only applies in bc and ontario .

fordman wrote:yes I live on vancouver island bc canada, all petroleum products have a carbon tax, gas is 11 cents/ liter the same for propane, diesel fuel, coal is no different, it costs me over 1200 bucks to fill my oil tank, so 180 for a "ton" of coal is great!...everything costs more in canada. its b.ll s.it.!..the tax only applies in bc and ontario .

I have been to Naniamo several times. There is a carbon tax on the $280.00 ferry boat ride as well. $1.414 Ltr. for regular??? WTF. It's only $1.13 in Alberta.

BTW, B.C. stands for BRING CASH!!!! It is more expensive than the Maritimes.

280 is for an over height/ length vehicle and passengers and gasoline settles down to 1.20 a liter in the off season.... Bc has a pst as well ...we have too many greenies trying to prevent resource development. Some things cost a lot but on the island heating your home thru winter is peanuts compared to anywhere in Alberta!! We get snow for about 2 weeks and it ain't much!..

fordman wrote:280 is for an over height/ length vehicle and passengers and gasoline settles down to 1.20 a liter in the off season.... Bc has a pst as well ...we have too many greenies trying to prevent resource development. Some things cost a lot but on the island heating your home thru winter is peanuts compared to anywhere in Alberta!! We get snow for about 2 weeks and it ain't much!..

That is true. I'd rather spend winter in Naniamo then Edmonton. I go to both often. Have you ever flown on Harbour Air to YVR? The scenery is beautiful!!! I deliver trucks there several times a year and get to fly on the planes. Although the ferry is second to none for scenery. There is oil drilling in the Dawson Creek and Prince George areas.

ive never flown harbour air...like a lot of islanders I don't have much need to head to the mainland much, and yes in northern bc we have a ton of nat gas and oil activity... finally but there is such an outcry against any expansion of anything remotely fossil fuel from the lower mainland (concentration of population that doesnt have to deal with winter!)...people seem to forget that canada is first and foremost a resource export economy and has been for 300 years! but expansion is happening ....not as fast as I would like! but its going....on the island there is another coal mine on the island coming on line soon! good news for me!.....its sub bit but it sure beats wood or oil!

fordman wrote:ive never flown harbour air...like a lot of islanders I don't have much need to head to the mainland much, and yes in northern bc we have a ton of nat gas and oil activity... finally but there is such an outcry against any expansion of anything remotely fossil fuel from the lower mainland (concentration of population that doesnt have to deal with winter!)...people seem to forget that canada is first and foremost a resource export economy and has been for 300 years! but expansion is happening ....not as fast as I would like! but its going....on the island there is another coal mine on the island coming on line soon! good news for me!.....its sub bit but it sure beats wood or oil!

As the Chinese start up another coal fired power plant every week!!!! Canada and the States will keep on exporting coal to keep them running.