I'm thinking I should have got a coal stove

[forya]

I was looking around to find the best prices for pellets at some of the local shops yesterday, and noticed that a 40lb bag of rice coal is the same price as a 40 lb bag of pellets, and they produce a lot more heat. I guess Pa is coal country.
Oh well at least when i spill pellets on our off-white carpets, I don't get black stains!

 

[imacman]

Coal stoves are a BIG pain to clean.....VERY dirty!

 

[gfreek]

I burned coal for 10 + years. The heat was awesome, long burn. I bought bagged coal cause it was cleaner than bulk, still dusty. Sulfur smell outside. I don't miss handling coal,dumping ashes everyday, shaking the grate, worry that I'd lose draft when above 30 degrees, black dust etc.. Burning pellets is a different type of heat that I'll get used to along with the blowers, dropping of pellets, controls, etc..

 

[Turbo-Quad]

I live about 10 miles from a coal mine and they won't sell a morsel of it to the public. Stingy bastards. Otherwise, I would be burning coal right now.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I guess Pa is coal country.

Duhhh. :-S

If I lived back in Reading, Pa, I'd have a coal burner again in a minute! If you get good, low ash coal, it's a no-brainer. Plenty of heat and the blue flame is nice and relaxing. Cleanup and ash removal is no big deal! I heated with a Franco Belge for many years. Built a holding bin in the corner of my garage that would hold 3 tons, which was enough for the whole winter.
I don't understand why the coal mine won't sell to you, Turbo-Quad. There are quite a few 'family' bootleg mines that sell directly to you for reasonable prices less than $200 a ton. One is in Shamokin, according to my brother-in-law who heats now with coal.

Never, ever had a problem with draft, gfreek. I had double wall pipe up through 2 stories and the attic, so I had plenty of draft.

 

[lecomte38]

stupid thought of the day - could coal chips/ dust be mixed in the wood chips and saw dust as they are extruded to make pellets? It would increase heat output substantially.

 

[tjnamtiw]

stupid thought of the day - could coal chips/ dust be mixed in the wood chips and saw dust as they are extruded to make pellets? It would increase heat output substantially.

I wouldn't see why not as long as you used enough binder.

 

[jtakeman]

stupid thought of the day - could coal chips/ dust be mixed in the wood chips and saw dust as they are extruded to make pellets? It would increase heat output substantially.

I wouldn't see why not as long as you used enough binder.

Mixing coal dust with saw dust in small ratio's should work. Might have to try that some day!

 

[tjnamtiw]

Of course we are assuming the coal dust stays encapsulated in the pellets. Coal dust in high enough concentrations goes boom just like flour or grain dust or wood dust.

 

[jtakeman]

Even with moisture present? Me no likey BOOM!

 

[tjnamtiw]

Even with moisture present? Me no likey BOOM!

Si!!

 

[arnash]

But really, does any company actually sell coal dust? Seems unlikely. That would be asking for trouble. Static electricity is a sure ticket to nirvana.

 

[Lousyweather]

other POSSIBLE problems might be increased ash (for sure), and increased flame temp which could very well cause degradation of the burn pot and/or feeder assembly (one reason Harman no longer makes their auger driven coal unit, the 44 Magnum).......also, factor in the increased sulfur in the exhaust of an uncleaned unit plus humidity makes sulfuric acid...decidedly unfriendly to metal (oh, I know, EVERYONE cleans spotlessly, so not an issue)

 

[jtakeman]

I know, I know! If you wanna burn coal, buy a coal burner! Just thinking out load is all. Pook rubbed off on me some! :cheese: ;-P

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I know, I know! If you wanna burn coal, buy a coal burner! Just thinking out load is all. Pook rubbed off on me some! :cheese: ;-P

And here I just thought you were showing a picture of your prototype high speed igniter system ;-) .

 

[tjnamtiw]

But really, does any company actually sell coal dust? Seems unlikely. That would be asking for trouble. Static electricity is a sure ticket to nirvana.

I doubt it. That's why your coal is always wet when you get it. That keeps the coal dust down. No black lung here.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

But really, does any company actually sell coal dust? Seems unlikely. That would be asking for trouble. Static electricity is a sure ticket to nirvana.

I doubt it. That's why your coal is always wet when you get it. That keeps the coal dust down. No black lung here.

What are they using these days to wet it with?

 

[Sting]

Coal stoves are a BIG pain to clean.....VERY dirty!

You really have no clue do you? That's like saying burning pellets is Filthy and you will die from the dirt!

IMO = Pellet stoves are a pain too!

OH -- Wait --- I don't have a pellet stove and I don't know anything about them either :>)

 

[tjnamtiw]

But really, does any company actually sell coal dust? Seems unlikely. That would be asking for trouble. Static electricity is a sure ticket to nirvana.

I doubt it. That's why your coal is always wet when you get it. That keeps the coal dust down. No black lung here.

What are they using these days to wet it with?

the last time I used coal was when I lived in Pa in the '80's but my brother in law still heats with a coal heater in the basement fed with a stoker. As far as I know, it's always been wet down with water when they transfered it to keep the dust down. It always was dry by the time I used it.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Coal stoves are a BIG pain to clean.....VERY dirty!

You really have no clue do you? That's like saying burning pellets is Filthy and you will die from the dirt!

IMO = Pellet stoves are a pain too!

OH -- Wait --- I don't have a pellet stove and I don't know anything about them either :>)

Way to go, Sting. You took the words right out of my mouth! For the amount of heat you can get from a ton of coal, I'd put up with some clean up. Just like with pellets, it depends on the ash content of the fuel.

 

[Fsappo]

Sure, coal makes more ash than pellets, but from a retailers view:
I tell folks that have to empty the ash pan once a day, but they dont have to worry about
1. circuit boards
2. vaccum switches
3. auger motors
4. secret hidden passages that can collect dust
5. A burn pot that clinkers up

As a retailer who actually services what they sell, Id rather sell 1 coal stove than 5 pellets stoves.

 

[mascoma]

Sure, coal makes more ash than pellets, but from a retailers view:
I tell folks that have to empty the ash pan once a day, but they dont have to worry about
1. circuit boards
2. vaccum switches
3. auger motors
4. secret hidden passages that can collect dust
5. A burn pot that clinkers up

As a retailer who actually services what they sell, Id rather sell 1 coal stove than 5 pellets stoves.

Or you could just become a Harmon dealer...

 

[Fsappo]

True, never see any Harman pellet stove issues on these forums.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I have a HARMAN DVC-500 burning next to the Heatilator PS-50. I have to empty the ashpan on the DVC-500 after every three bags of coal. I can go up to three months on the Heatilator. As soon as I open the door on the DVC-500 there is ash everywhere. If I had that in the frontroom and a rug surrounded the hearth pad I would be in big trouble with the Bride.

The DVC-500 is an awesome unit but the three bag thing sucks A$$.

Eric

 

[slls]

All pellet stoves break down, even the BMW class.