Throwing in the towel on coal

[Dustycloud]

Just curious, is your coal bit coal, or anthracite? Can't believe a Clayton furnace doesn't perform better. And if you're admitting to "bad coal", why don't you give another source a try?

Yes it's bit coal, I'm am sure alot of its the coal but I don't like the tending times for bit coal either or the soot. I am not opposed to trying another source but you would have to talk my wife into it. She can't stand the mess or the smell. She grew up on wood plus she now helps keep the furnace running if I'm not home, she wouldn't touch the coal at all. I like wood the more I use it. Way more heat and I don't have to babysit it like I did when burning bit coal. It's 30 outside right now and it's 75 in my house with wood. Before I would be fighting keeping my oil from kicking with coal. Stuff never burned the same I swear every shovel full acted different. Sometimes I would get a decent burn with good heat other buckets I'd put in would burn fast and furious the there was hardly any heat. What do you do when you have a bed of nice glowing coals clear up to the fire brick plus humped up in the middle? I had to let it burn and let the oil furnace kick on while the coal was burning. I got lots of awesome advise from guys way more knowledgeable that me. Took alot of there suggestions too. I think someone needs to figure out what they wanna burn and buy a furnace specifically designed to burn what ever it is they decide. Now if I had a dedicated coal stove and anthracite was better priced I'd be going that route without a dout. But I don't and anthracite is 400.00 a ton.

[Dustycloud]

Im running flat out full feed this week 24/7 on hi-fire trying to put out the K2 max output of 2 million BTUS a day to keep this 3000SF 100 year old barn warm for a week now. The crappy coal dont help but iv been able to stay above 74 all week. Normally i dont have to run at maximum feed for there temps.

I know what you mean. Except I could not keep the house above 70. 1600sq.ft. 2 story house. Really sucks when your shoveling coal 3 times or more an hour while your expensive oil furnace is running and its set to 68. Put a bad taste in my mouth to say the least. I'm not saying I wouldn't ever try coal again. I like coal even though this batch sucked really bad but it's too far into the winter to run around testing coal and then having to pay to have it delivered. It burnt me out on coal for the rest of this year. Plus I can haul wood in my wife's car if I had to if for some reason my truck went down. Coal here is priced well at 120.00 a ton when I checked last week but you have to buy 3 tons at a time to make delivery worth it. My truck is old and I don't trust loading it up with heavy coal.

[k-2]

I know what you mean. Except I could not keep the house above 70. 1600sq.ft. 2 story house. Really sucks when your shoveling coal 3 times or more an hour while your expensive oil furnace is running and its set to 68.

No expensive oil running here since 2001. Im changing to gas but leaving the coal boiler in place just to be safe. If the gas price goes crazy ill have another option.

[Dustycloud]

No expensive oil running here since 2001. Im changing to gas but leaving the coal boiler in place just to be safe. If the gas price goes crazy ill have another option.

That's a good idea. I like burning wood, suits me better to my schedule. The oil furnace in my house is an older one so I'm sure it's not that efficient either. I just may put an epa rated woodstove in my living room in the future all depends on the insurance company. Hopefully next year I will be better prepared and have plenty of good seasoned wood ready to go. I'll do about anything to get away from the high oil prices. My old place had natural gas but it had not only a gas furnace but the water heater was also gas.

[k-2]

That's a good idea. I like burning wood, suits me better to my schedule.

I have a very good woodstove as a backup as well but its a lot of work. With my home on 3 floors i have to move the hot air around with several fans. Hot water heat is so much easier to regulate the same temp in each room. The woodstove is more of an emergency backup in case of a power failure.

[Dustycloud]

I have a very good woodstove as a backup as well but its a lot of work. With my home on 3 floors i have to move the hot air around with several fans. Hot water heat is so much easier to regulate the same temp in each room. The woodstove is more of an emergency backup in case of a power failure.

Yea I get that. I can stack my wood outside, under roof right by my basement door. Makes it convient cause I can just open my basement door and grab wood to throw in.

[Dustycloud]

It's going very well, burning pretty good. Now that I know it works well I'm looking for a FAD to install so u can run it off a thermostat. Can't seem to find 1 yet...