Bit Coal in a Fireplace...

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Nov. 01, 2020 12:19 pm

How so failed I? That's quite a fire ya got goin. PS--thanx for pix. :)


 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Nov. 01, 2020 12:23 pm

I, how tight is your house. Ya should be gettin enough air just frpom the house unless it's VERY air-tight.

 
lrobb97
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Post by lrobb97 » Sun. Nov. 01, 2020 12:28 pm

The up close pic was the anthracite fire. The far away one was of the burning logs. I can’t get the anthracite to stay like that. It burned hot like that for maybe 20 min. And that’s with me adding probably 3 or 4 pieces of wood on top to keep it going. And the house is very much NOT tight at all. Built in the 20s. Very drafty.

 
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Berlin
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Post by Berlin » Sun. Jan. 10, 2021 1:56 pm

you need a bigger grate and larger mass of coal, the air isn't the issue. i make my coal grates from 1"bar stock. 1" gaps, 6" legs 8" vertical bars in front. Fuel bed 6"-12" deep.

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ron138
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Post by ron138 » Fri. Jan. 07, 2022 10:36 pm

Have you tried the viper mine in central IL?

 
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Post by lrobb97 » Fri. Jan. 07, 2022 10:41 pm

ron138 wrote:
Fri. Jan. 07, 2022 10:36 pm
Have you tried the viper mine in central IL?
I don’t think Viper is in central IL

 
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Post by fig » Fri. Jan. 07, 2022 10:57 pm

It’s in Elkhart Illinois or that’s where the belt terminates. The mine is actually in Williamsville but you pick up the coal in Elkhart.

I’m not sure it would work very well in your circumstances though. Their coal is quite small. You need big lumps to burn like that.


 
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Post by vanguy » Thu. Feb. 17, 2022 12:13 am

Looks like you've got a pretty good anthracite fire in that grate. A coal grate would probably work better as coal likes a deep bed to burn and that grate ain't it...but you did pretty well with what you had.

 
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 2:36 pm

Don’t see possible to control primary air for a anthracite fire to not just go around all sides of any fireplace grate…so when wood burns out the hard coal will go out every time.

Soft coal burning just like wood is a different story however.

 
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Post by gardener » Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 7:55 am

lrobb97,

Similar to what Berlin and vanguy said, the coal grates I have seen in person and in old catalogs, they are shaped like baskets.

 
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Post by McGiever » Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 12:16 pm

gardener wrote:
Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 7:55 am
lrobb97,

Similar to what Berlin and vanguy said, the coal grates I have seen in person and in old catalogs, they are shaped like baskets.
Yeah, BUT they are both talking about BITUMINOUS coal in a open fireplace grate not the Anthracite like *lrobb97* is failing with.
No comparison between burning the two coal types .
lrobb97 wrote:
Sun. Nov. 01, 2020 11:47 am
The one pic is a log fire, the other is my second or 3rd failed attempt at using Ant. Coal.

 
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Post by gardener » Thu. Feb. 24, 2022 12:12 pm

McGiever wrote:
Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 12:16 pm
Yeah, BUT they are both talking about BITUMINOUS coal in a open fireplace grate not the Anthracite like *lrobb97* is failing with.
Not sure what you are trying to correct about my post. Berlin and vanguy, who I assume use bituminous since this is a thread about bit, they replied to lrobb97, who said he is using anthracite. I addressed lrobb97 specifically about his anthracite.

McGiever wrote:
Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 12:16 pm
No comparison between burning the two coal types .
I was not comparing bituminous and anthracite. I was pointing out that open grates I have seen for use with anthracite are more of a basket shape.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Thu. Feb. 24, 2022 4:00 pm

Alright, thanks. You know your anthracite open fireplace grates/baskets better than I. 😊

 
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Post by gardener » Thu. Feb. 24, 2022 5:06 pm


 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Thu. Feb. 24, 2022 6:05 pm

Nice read for historical value. I did read it all and must say thanks! :)
But there have some improvements since this first discovery and no one today trying their hand at wood, soft and hard coal should need to revert back to the very beginning.
Again, thanks, it was a nice read none the less. :)

Samuel Smyth along with some other fellows made a good business enterprise out of manufacturing and selling a improved version called the Duplex Grate. This was patented in 1879 and his company was the U.S. Duplex Grate Company. His design was a giant leap forward as it better addressed the clogging ash difficulties of earlier simple versions.


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