Lehigh coal vs Reading coal

Post by **Rob R.** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 7:25 pm

A long time ago someone told me people either swear by Reading, or swear at it. My experience with it pretty much confirms that statement.

I have burned Reading rice, and some of their buck in my EFM. The coal was very clean and produced a fine white ash when burned hard. My brother bought a ton of bagging Reading nut and was very disappointed in it. Lots of fines and debris, and tons of ash when burned.

mntbugy · Post by **mntbugy** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 7:36 pm

All the coal companies have special nicknames for their product.

Not going to single anyone out.

Qtown1835 · Post by **Qtown1835** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 7:46 pm

CoalisCoolxWarm wrote: ↑
Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 7:04 pm
I have some pics earlier in this thread. I think the troubles were mostly due to inconsistent sizing and fines in what was supposed to be Buckwheat. Probably says more about the batches than the quality of the coal.

Maybe it is better this year?

The Reading has always been rock solid sizes and quality. You know as coal burners, we are pretty stubborn against changes, LOL.

I'm glad the "fix" was this simple for my KA6. Returning to what I was using and no more problems is simply the confirmation that the problem wasn't some failure in my system. Last piece of the puzzle

I guess others aren't having the same problem, which is good. Won't say I'll *never* try the Lehigh again, but for the foreseeable future, I'm sticking with the consistency and reliability of the Reading coal. Happily they are the same price this year, so Bonus!

Good deal, glad its working out for you. I cant imagine needing to workthrough 5-6 tons of not-so-good coal. Never considered burning buck. Is there a reason you burn buck over rice?

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 8:06 pm

It was not the coal that was 'bad' rather the sizing of the coal was not held 'tight'...
If there is too broad a range of the pieces then it is difficult to burn well...
The voids are filled in by the smaller pieces...
The air flows poorly through the stoker bed of coal...
Creating a pis-poor condition for the operator...

CoalisCoolxWarm · Post by **CoalisCoolxWarm** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 9:00 pm

CapeCoaler wrote: ↑
Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 8:06 pm
It was not the coal that was 'bad' rather the sizing of the coal was not held 'tight'...
If there is too broad a range of the pieces then it is difficult to burn well...
The voids are filled in by the smaller pieces...
The air flows poorly through the stoker bed of coal...
Creating a pis-poor condition for the operator...

^True words, this^

CoalisCoolxWarm · Post by **CoalisCoolxWarm** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 9:05 pm

Qtown1835 wrote: ↑
Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 7:46 pm
Is there a reason you burn buck over rice?

Previous experience from others with an understood rationale.

Rice is consistent, but FIXED burn capability. Buckwheat has larger pieces and room for air, which allows for varied burn rates and some say a bit more forgiving.

The initial setup and dialing in was simple.

I've considered switching to rice in the past, but when faced with the requirement to set it all up and dial it in again (usually winter), and my recent unstable health....well, stick with what works for now.

I don't know that one is better than the other, though

swyman · Post by **swyman** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 11:07 pm

I had 10 ton of Lehigh buck last season and thought it had to many fines also and was very dusty. This year I went back to rice and am very happy with the consistency and zero dust so far.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Mon. Nov. 25, 2019 11:18 pm

It is my understanding that some 'adjustments/improvements' were made to the breaker for this season...
It is not 'fines' per se but rather 'chips' and very undersized pieces of coal that were getting into the load...
This last delivery of nut looks much better...
But I need to explore the 24 ton pile more thoroughly...
LOL...
The coal sans the 'chips' burns great...