Coalpail.com Forum

Hello,

I have just moved into a cabin that has a Weso ceramic radiant head wood and coal stove. I have been told that before I burn coal in it I need to make sure it has a coal grate and not a wood grate. Can anybody tell me how I can discern the difference? This stove does have a grate and below it is an ash pan. I would also appreciate any information on how to use this stove and whether any maintenance might be needed. It looks rather rusty. I am thinking that I might burn some wood and some coal. Wood is cheaper here and I'm not a huge fan of using coal. I will look at some of the old posts on the forum also.

Thank you,
Gina

Hi Gina and welcome to the forum. If you post some pictures of your stone and grates, I'm sure members will chime in.

Fred should be on soon and will give you some additional information.

Paulie

If the grates are fixed you aren't going to burn anthracite, if they move, you can. Anthracite may not be as cheap as wood but it burns hotter and longer than wood so it may be cheaper to heat with. There will be a lever or crank to shake the grates if it is a coal burner.

Hello All,

Thanks for the quick replies. The grate does move. I've taken a couple of pics with my computer so everything is mirrored, but you'll recognize the stove I think.

Welcome Gina.

An other member was recently asking about Weso stoves. If you type "Weso" in the search box just above the list of topics in this hand-fired section, next the button for "New Topics" , there's a lot of threads about them.

Paul

You betcha Paulie. Welcome G.-- Orrrr, ya could put in your profile where you're from & somebody might be close enough to check out the whole system. I promise, nobody's gonna Steal ya. G, just curious, why not a big fan of burning coal?

I live in Chittenden, VT, and would love to have someone stop in a take a look at the stove. It's a pretty cool stove, I'm thinking.

Why am I not a fan of coal? Well, for one it is not renewable. Two, the mining of coal is pretty hard on the environment. Three, mining is pretty hard on miners. Wood is renewable and, at least up here, it is cheaper per BTU, but not by a lot.

It's not cheaper per BTU because coal will burn more efficiently in that stove than wood.

For efficient wood burning you need an EPA approved stove. Even then it will need more tending than coal.

As a coal stove those grates do not shake aggressively enough. You will have to clear ash with a flat poker slid back and forth over the grate.

gina wrote:Why am I not a fan of coal? Well, for one it is not renewable.

Sure it is, just takes a few hundred million years instead of fifty years. Seriously, it's great to ride a bicycle when you can, too, rather than put gasoline in a car. But practicality is also important, so most of us use cars for the longer harder trips in spite of the non-renewability.

gina wrote:Two, the mining of coal is pretty hard on the environment.

Don’t confuse anthracite mining with the mountain-top-removal for coal used by power plants.

gina wrote:Three, mining is pretty hard on miners.

But working in the woods harvesting trees is one of the most dangerous jobs there is. I wouldn't be surprised if it is more hazardous than coal mining. Personally, just cutting up and splitting four-foot wood I came SOOOOO close to serious injury enough times that I decided to quit before my luck ran out.

gina wrote:Wood is renewable and, at least up here, it is cheaper per BTU, but not by a lot.

Wood is vastly more work for the person burning it, what with cutting it down/cutting it up/stacking it up to dry/moving it under cover and stacking it again/moving it indoors to burn it. Wood also makes a LOT of mess in the house – my wife (who cares about mess, I don’t understand why ) was delighted at how clean coal is by comparison. Not to mention, that business of getting up at 3 AM to replenish the wood stove is annoying; a properly sized coal stove should easily burn all night without even reducing the heat level if you don't want to.

Anthracite coal is mostly reclaimed coal, not mined per say. There are a heck of a lot more people killed and injured cutting wood than mining coal, but anyway you are entitled to your opinions. (typed before previous post)

Are these stoves shakers or slicers as far as the grate? (Thats a question for someone that has one). Nice looking stove.

Good points, all. I shall think about burning just coal. I've never burned coal, so, it's a bit foreign in many ways.

I am a bit confused by something francob wrote: "As a coal stove those grates do not shake aggressively enough. You will have to clear ash with a flat poker slid back and forth over the grate." Can someone clarify. Does he mean that I will have to clear the ash if I use coal, or if I use wood, or both?

Hi Gina,
As a former Anthracite miner, I feel obligated to express my view

1. Coal may not be renewable for thousands of years but neither is gas or foreign oil. That being said there is a vast amount of coal deposits remaining right here on US soil.

2. There is no question that mining operations in the past have scarred out nations land. The combination of new technology, higher safety standards, and strict environmental controls, can and will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and bring jobs back to America.

3. In my honest opinion, I feel the hardest thing for the miners today...... Is being forced out of work.

4. The BTU's for coal per pound outweigh wood by far, with about 10% of the work and time feeding a wood fire.

LOL........ Time is up on the podium. These are just my views and are in no way a reflection of the rest of the forum, or its members. Just had to add my 2 cents worth.

Paulie

gina wrote:Good points, all. I shall think about burning just coal. I've never burned coal, so, it's a bit foreign in many ways.

I am a bit confused by something francob wrote: "As a coal stove those grates do not shake aggressively enough. You will have to clear ash with a flat poker slid back and forth over the grate." Can someone clarify. Does he mean that I will have to clear the ash if I use coal, or if I use wood, or both?

The grates pivot back and forth, moved by pretty wimpy levers. This just is not effective for coal, but probably work OK for wood or that european soft coal.

To clear ash it is very easy to slide a flat poker of about 3/4 inch wide by about 20 inches long by 1/8 inch thick, under that small door and just above the grate. Moving it back and forth breaks up the ash and lets if fall into the pan.

A hard coal fire burns from the bottom up, so air is fed to the bottom from under the grate. When ash builds up that air cannot get through and the fire dies.

I will add, don't confuse soft coal used in power plants with hard coal we use in our stoves. Being about 95% carbon, Anthracite (hard coal) is much cleaner burning.

To give you some idea about wood stove impact on the environment. The EPA has for many years now had restrictions on new stove allowable levels of wood stove emissions. Those restrictions are being further increased. The EPA doesn't require any restrictions for new anthracite coal stoves. Many municipalities have banned outside wood boilers because they pollute so much. If you want a real eye opener about how un-environmental burning wood is, Google "carcinogens in wood smoke".

Anthracite coal ash is not considered a hazardous waste by the EPA. Many of us use the ash in our driveways, lawns, and gardens,

And since anthracite has no creosote like wood does, there's no need to clean the chimney as often and zero risk of a chimney fire. In fact a coal stove can be run very low and slow in not-so-cold weather (winter's "shoulder months") and not have to worry about clogging a stove pipe with creosote.

Paul

Maybe you all will convert me We shall see.