After 33 Years of Exclusively Wood Heating, I'm Trying Coal
- stoker-man
- Verified Business Rep.
- Posts: 2071
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 19, 2007 9:33 pm
- Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: 1981 efm wcb-24 in use 365 days a year
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Hearthstone wood stove
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.
- Rob R.
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 18004
- Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
- Location: Chazy, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr
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
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
- CoalHeat
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- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 10, 2007 9:48 pm
- Location: Stillwater, New Jersey
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Magnafire Mark I
- Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
- Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
- Other Heating: Fisher Fireplace Insert
Well it's about time!!!
What brand coal?
What brand coal?
- stoker-man
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- Posts: 2071
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 19, 2007 9:33 pm
- Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: 1981 efm wcb-24 in use 365 days a year
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Hearthstone wood stove
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.
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.
- stoker-man
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- Posts: 2071
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 19, 2007 9:33 pm
- Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: 1981 efm wcb-24 in use 365 days a year
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Hearthstone wood stove
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.
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
- Member
- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 10, 2007 9:48 pm
- Location: Stillwater, New Jersey
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Magnafire Mark I
- Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
- Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
- Other Heating: Fisher Fireplace Insert
You've seen the light.
- 2001Sierra
- Member
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
- Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34
Here is my coal bin. I tow it behind my lawn tractor to the woods in the off season.
Attachments
- stoker-man
- Verified Business Rep.
- Posts: 2071
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 19, 2007 9:33 pm
- Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: 1981 efm wcb-24 in use 365 days a year
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Hearthstone wood stove
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.
Will you explain about the drop leg? I know it doesn't drop into a pan.
- coal berner
- Member
- Posts: 3600
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 09, 2007 12:44 am
- Location: Pottsville PA. Schuylkill County PA. The Hart Of Anthracite Coal Country.
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1986 Electric Furnace Man 520 DF
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 winterstoker-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.
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
- Member
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
- Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34
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
- stoker-man
- Verified Business Rep.
- Posts: 2071
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 19, 2007 9:33 pm
- Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: 1981 efm wcb-24 in use 365 days a year
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite/Chestnut
- Other Heating: Hearthstone wood stove
No, I mean the chute on the bottom. It's low to the ground. What does it drop the coal into?
- VigIIPeaBurner
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- Joined: Fri. Jan. 11, 2008 10:49 am
- Location: Pequest River Valley, Warren Co NJ
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker(down)
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Casting Vigilant II 2310
- Other Heating: #2 Oil Furnace
Looks like he's got a round tubular coal scuttel under the knife valve. The scuttel is sitting on the tray, right?
- Short Bus
- Member
- Posts: 510
- Joined: Sun. Jan. 10, 2010 12:22 am
- Location: Cantwell Alaska
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Kewanee boiler with Anchor stoker
- Coal Size/Type: Chestnut / Sub-bituminous C
- Other Heating: Propane wall furnace back up only
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.
Still not sure what I'm looking at, but the coal scuttle, makes the most sense.
- Scottscoaled
- Member
- Posts: 2812
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 9:51 pm
- Location: Malta N.Y.
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520, 700, Van Wert 800 GJ 61,53
- Baseburners & Antiques: Magic Stewart 16, times 2!
- Coal Size/Type: Lots of buck
- Other Heating: Slant Fin electric boiler backup
Well,,,,,, it's been a month Nothing good to report?