After 33 Years of Exclusively Wood Heating, I'm Trying Coal

Post by **stoker-man** » Sun. Dec. 05, 2010 3:36 pm

I'm trying chestnut in my hand-fired efm boiler after 33 years of wood. It's only for about 8 weeks of the coldest part of Winter for this experiment and for the other 10 months, it's back to wood. Let's see if $180 of coal, one ton, is worth the extra work of cutting and burning pallet wood.

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Dec. 05, 2010 4:37 pm

Anthracite will spoil you once the learning curve is over. I sometimes burn wood in my Itasca, but nut size anthracite burns much cleaner and provides burn times three times as long. You should be warned that once you get the hang of anthracite in a hand-fed boiler you will start looking for a DF520.

If you burn wood with the grates covered be sure to take the brick/plates out before trying coal. Don't be bashfull with the coal either; start it with a good wood fire then add 8-10" of coal in layers.

-Rob

Brian · Post by **Brian** » Sun. Dec. 05, 2010 4:41 pm

Stoker-Man

Once you go black you'll never turn back.

Good Luck

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Sun. Dec. 05, 2010 9:31 pm

Well it's about time!!!

What brand coal?

Post by **stoker-man** » Mon. Dec. 06, 2010 5:58 am

I don't know what brand; I bought it at the local yard and didn't ask.

It was nice to have heat all night and still have red coals after 9 hours of inattention. I'll have to re-hook up my dump zone and start using my thermostats again for the next 8 weeks, or whenever my ton runs out.

Post by **stoker-man** » Fri. Dec. 10, 2010 5:03 pm

I kind of like this coal heat.

I'm building a small coal bin, on wheels, like a Garden Way cart, with removable slats in front that should hold about 500#. Might as well make it easy.

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Fri. Dec. 10, 2010 9:44 pm

You've seen the light.

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2001Sierra · Post by **2001Sierra** » Fri. Dec. 10, 2010 9:53 pm

Here is my coal bin. I tow it behind my lawn tractor to the woods in the off season.

Post by **stoker-man** » Sat. Dec. 11, 2010 8:04 am

I can see that some serious work went into that baby.

Will you explain about the drop leg? I know it doesn't drop into a pan.

coal berner · Post by **coal berner** » Sat. Dec. 11, 2010 9:51 pm

stoker-man wrote:I'm trying chestnut in my hand-fired efm boiler after 33 years of wood. It's only for about 8 weeks of the coldest part of Winter for this experiment and for the other 10 months, it's back to wood. Let's see if $180 of coal, one ton, is worth the extra work of cutting and burning pallet wood.

Well that one ton of coal = 1-1/2 cords of wood as far as BTU value goes Plus you get ant skid from the coal ash in winter
time and a hell of lot less work then burning wood . What no more free Pallet wood from work Being your in the haven
building

2001Sierra · Post by **2001Sierra** » Sun. Dec. 12, 2010 11:27 pm

Drop leg is actually a strut arm from my neighbors Ford Aerostar. Just so you know they do have a direction, when fabricating I had it facing with the piston in the other direction, and it acted weird. Now it moves smooth in both directions. Who would have thought

Post by **stoker-man** » Mon. Dec. 13, 2010 5:52 am

No, I mean the chute on the bottom. It's low to the ground. What does it drop the coal into?

VigIIPeaBurner · Post by **VigIIPeaBurner** » Mon. Dec. 13, 2010 6:01 am

Looks like he's got a round tubular coal scuttel under the knife valve. The scuttel is sitting on the tray, right?

Short Bus · Post by **Short Bus** » Mon. Dec. 13, 2010 2:06 pm

It look's like a vertical drop tube and I assumed he pulled his hopper over a chute into the basment, but if this is the case he lost alot of storage area with that long vertical drop.

Still not sure what I'm looking at, but the coal scuttle, makes the most sense.

Scottscoaled · Post by **Scottscoaled** » Sun. Jan. 09, 2011 11:29 pm

Well,,,,,, it's been a month

Nothing good to report?

After 33 Years of Exclusively Wood Heating, I'm Trying Coal

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