Well as most of you know, I have a refractory mass boiler, not exactly a Seton. However, this may work in Seton's, Greenwood's, Adobe's, Greenfire's, etc... I have read on these forums about this trick , but never in a refractory mass boiler. I had the opportunity to get 4 tons of Anthracite Coal for free. Of course I jumped at it. In today's market the coal is worth $1,000 to $1,200.
I felt confident my Greenfire boiler would burn coal fairly well with a few adaptations. Especially since Greenfire's (the first ones made) have a bottom grate with combustion air feeding the fire from underneath the coal bed. My plan eventually was to make homemade shaker grates and set them higher then the inlets in the refractory. After experimenting for a few weeks, I don't think I am going to bother with new grates.
I simply throw about 20 to 30lbs of coal on top of the firewood when reloading. The coal extends burn times. The objective here is not to depend on the coal for main source of BTU's , rather to lengthen burn times and use 25-35% less wood per day. Also, the added benefit of having live coals to reignite a new fire 12-16 hours later is a most welcome bonus!
I am still entertaining the thought of making shaker grates, installing them on a refractory base so the grates are positioned above the combustion air ports in the refractory. This would allow all the combustion air to originate under the coal bed. If this is attempted, a barometric damper should also be installed on the stove pipe. I do not think I will try this experiment since things are working nicely as they are. The coal is burning thoroughly enough so emptying ashes is still accomplished through use of the ash pan.
I felt confident my Greenfire boiler would burn coal fairly well with a few adaptations. Especially since Greenfire's (the first ones made) have a bottom grate with combustion air feeding the fire from underneath the coal bed. My plan eventually was to make homemade shaker grates and set them higher then the inlets in the refractory. After experimenting for a few weeks, I don't think I am going to bother with new grates.
I simply throw about 20 to 30lbs of coal on top of the firewood when reloading. The coal extends burn times. The objective here is not to depend on the coal for main source of BTU's , rather to lengthen burn times and use 25-35% less wood per day. Also, the added benefit of having live coals to reignite a new fire 12-16 hours later is a most welcome bonus!
I am still entertaining the thought of making shaker grates, installing them on a refractory base so the grates are positioned above the combustion air ports in the refractory. This would allow all the combustion air to originate under the coal bed. If this is attempted, a barometric damper should also be installed on the stove pipe. I do not think I will try this experiment since things are working nicely as they are. The coal is burning thoroughly enough so emptying ashes is still accomplished through use of the ash pan.
