Currently i have a Tarm OT-50. This past winter I burned both wood and coal. I tried the coal because it looked like I was going to be a little short on wood. As it turned out, I don't think I needed to supplement because I have some wood left over. I really liked burning coal. It can burn at different rates and it doesn't produce smoke or creosote so I don't have to worry about cleaning the chimney or creosote buildup in the boiler. The other thing that I really like is that the boiler can easily hold about 100 lbs of coal so I only need to go down and shake the grates once in a while. The boiler would easily go all night without any attention. The other good thing about coal is that it comes in bags and is easy to pack into the basement verses cutting and splitting wood. I currently don't have any thermal storage but I do wan't to get some as i know that it can improve efficiency and make the boiler more user friendly. Has anyone on here ever used thermal storage while burning coal? Are there good and bad things about using coal with thermal storage verses wood?
thermal storage with coal
- Thread starter Carl Webber
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I burned a few tons of good hard coal some years ago, in a Harman, not a gasser. Biggest thing I saw different was the amount of ash, had to pull the pan every other day, instead of once a week with wood. Pan was heavier, you need a place to dump too, as it will add up fast.
Yeah, I did notice that when I burned a little coal this winter. I burned 20 50lb bags of coal and got about 3 1/2 to 4 bags of ash. I did have a good place to dump it until we got 4 feet of snow in one month and then it was difficult. What I ended up doing was putting it in an ash bucket for 24 hours to let it cool and then I would put it in an empty coal bag. After the bag was full I would staple it shut and put it out with the trash. The trash guy seemed to take it without a problem.
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