EFM Bituminous Boiler Testing Is Next Week

i hope all goes well on the testing. if things do work out , how would you get the coal in the size you need?

Our dealer shipped us coal from Wyoming, so it must be the right size from out there. I didn't actually look at it.

ken wrote:i hope all goes well on the testing. if things do work out , how would you get the coal in the size you need?

Bituminous coal also comes in different sizes that can be purchased at a coal yard, just like anthracite.

I have only found 'run of the mine', and nut size coal at Bituminous breakers.. I've read about 'stoker' size, but it seems to be nut size too..

There is no rice, buckwheat or pea size that I've found. Bitum is so soft that it always has lots of fines.. If a person could get clean washed pea size,, I'd give it a try again in my iron fireman.

Greg L

I have been watching with great anticipation--like others I see--if something great is about to come forth. I am anxious to start a bituminous coal boiler project--I have some money and labor to help with a project if I do so within the next month. Does anyone have a suggestion for a soft coal boiler that is available now. I am familiar with the Royall line and also the alternate heating system wc40-100 line. I have time to stoke it, remove clinkers if needed. I am preparing to install 500 to 1000 gallons of storage capacity. Somewhat rural location (Idaho) provides some tollerance for smoke. Prefer wood/coal. Enough rambling...any suggestions

Hello bituminous1, with a coal boiler, either bitum or anthracite, you don't need to spend the dollars on hot water storage.. That is the latest attempt by the wood burning folks to burn their wood hot and efficiently and store the heat, letting the fire go out for a day or so, ending the smoke and smoldering low fire.
With coal,, you can let the fire idle, and produce heat when needed,, no need to run it hot and store the hot water..

Check out Pease farm and heating, http://www.peasefeedandcoal.com/ .. they sell a line of stoker bitum boilers.

Welcome to the forum.

Greg L

I was checking out http://www.peasefeedandcoal.com .... Make sure you look at the bottom of every page, many unit's have been discontinued. You'd think they might remove the pages?

Hi Freddy, I noticed that too, but I'm wondering if they have some still in stock, or are hoping that enough interest comes along to go back into production??? Or maybe it's for the parts lists?? Don't know.

Interesting units though,, with 'made to burn bitumious' features and engineering.

Greg L

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LsFarm wrote:Hi Freddy, I noticed that too, but I'm wondering if they have some still in stock, or are hoping that enough interest comes along to go back into production??? Or maybe it's for the parts lists?? Don't know.

They probably get a lot hits on the pages and don't want to remove them. Can't say I blame them but they should have them marked up top that they are discontinued.

Bituminous-1 wrote:I have been watching with great anticipation--like others I see--if something great is about to come forth. I am anxious to start a bituminous coal boiler project--I have some money and labor to help with a project if I do so within the next month. Does anyone have a suggestion for a soft coal boiler that is available now. I am familiar with the Royall line and also the alternate heating system wc40-100 line. I have time to stoke it, remove clinkers if needed. I am preparing to install 500 to 1000 gallons of storage capacity. Somewhat rural location (Idaho) provides some tollerance for smoke. Prefer wood/coal. Enough rambling...any suggestions

Conversion of a Hand Feed Boiler to a Stoker Boiler

I just tried the WillBurt stoker link - its broke - but it worked last month ?????

They re-did the website - if you search for Residential Stoker it will come up.

**Broken Link(s) Removed**
I got it to come up again

But it appears they have lost interest in displaying their stokers!

There is no reference on this site map - or maybe I missing the link!

Here's what it looks like so far. Using parts from different units and some newly designed parts for this experiment. Trying to keep it as simple as possible. Air over the top of the fire can be tapped from the air tube.

LsFarm wrote:I have only found 'run of the mine', and nut size coal at Bituminous breakers.. I've read about 'stoker' size, but it seems to be nut size too..

There is no rice, buckwheat or pea size that I've found. Bitum is so soft that it always has lots of fines.. If a person could get clean washed pea size,, I'd give it a try again in my iron fireman.

Greg L

Bituminous is typically just run-of-mine size and "stoker" size, which equates to betweeen anthracite pea and nut size. That is the size of coal that all of the classic underfeed conversion stokers were designed for like the Iron Fireman, Combustioneer, etc.

Maybe at the Eastern bituminous fields there are more sizes available, but out here those are the only choices.

This rotating burn pot???

Is that the key to keeping the clinker small enough to remove via the ash pan

vs what I am used to with my big old Iron Fireman --- busting the clinker into manageable chunks, and picking them out thru the fire door

I would assume less than complete combustion of all material if not allowed to cook on the plate long enough. Is that now simply a matter of fuel input control vs combustion air to vessel performance under variable load.....

Wouldn't simpler be better???? Just burn the bit coal into a clinker tower and tend to that clinker twice a day. Make the appliance user friendly to that end ---- have the fire door hi enough and large enough so the user doesn't have to stoop too much to see in and the chunks can be easily picked out!

Maybe I am simply too old school or still lost in my past. But just random thoughts to pass along - please don't anyone be offended! I would tend to wish to burn the cheapest fuel I can find in the cheapest fashion to the highest return of BTU out per dollar spent in - others -- maybe the larger market for these appliances, would want more "automatic" operation.