Can coal be used legally these days in my DutchWest FA stove?

[DutchWest]

Finally finding a place I can get answers, Can coal be used legally these days in a stove where wood burning is legal? I've a Dutchwest FA stove, and not using the flat pans on the bottom while burning firewood. I thought the grills on the bottom were an air source necessary for wood, but have never asked, researched or gave the subject a second thought before finding this great site.
Thanks in advance for anyones' time.

 

[Stump_Branch]

What exact model do you have? I suspect an older unit which has the shaker grates, if so yes you can. Its different than burning wood youll find out. Different air contols etc. If your model has the cat make sure you take it out as coal can ruin it.
Burning coal is more caustic then wood, 304ss is okay, but better to have a chimney thats 316ss.
Burn "nut sized" anthracite coal for the best results.

Again still depends on your model of DW.

Good luck. And welcome.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Yea, it sounds like you have shaker grates under there. Go for it. You will be amazed at the increase in heat and steadiness in output. Just learn how to burn it properly. You must have a complete bed of coal covering the grates so that air flows through the coal rather than around it. Go to some of the sites like www.readingstove.com, http://www.leisurelinestoves.com/, or http://www.keystoker.com/ for pointers.

And don't worry that Al Gore will be coming after you. Burning coal releases only slightly more CO2 than burning oil. And somehow I don't think your 3 tons for the year will have much impact when China burns well over 3 BILLION TONS A YEAR.

 

[pen]

www.nepacrossroads.com is a place you can go for some good coal burning advice as well.

pen

 

[Dune]

www.nepacrossroads.com is a place you can go for some good coal burning advice as well.

pen

Dude, you have like no sense of humor.

 

[DutchWest]

I have an FA264 Model DutchWest with all attachments sitting tucked behind the stove for 12 years now. Grates and plates big and small. It's a little late in the season but never too late to plan for the next. I was getting tired of waking at 4 am most days to keep it burning hot. After often seeing the temp up to 1200º, avg. of 900-1000º and thinking coal might burn cleaner(hopefully), and definitely longer, I thought I'd ask. Thanks for the help!

 

[raybonz]

I have an FA264 Model DutchWest with all attachments sitting tucked behind the stove for 12 years now. Grates and plates big and small. It's a little late in the season but never too late to plan for the next. I was getting tired of waking at 4 am most days to keep it burning hot. After often seeing the temp up to 1200º, avg. of 900-1000º and thinking coal might burn cleaner(hopefully), and definitely longer, I thought I'd ask. Thanks for the help!

I had an old CDW FA264CCL that I burned for 20+ years but never tried coal and it came with all the coal burning accessories and would be interested in how that works out for you..

Good Luck!

Ray

 

[tcassavaugh]

just make sure that model has the shakers and is rated for coal. some of my old dutchwest stoves just had some big grates for the ash do drop in the pan for the wood stove but werent rated for coal. if its not, you'll burn up the stove or probably warp it. i remember the first time i saw a lumb of coal burn....i must have already been @ 30 and living in WV after getting out of the army (thats where i landed a job). absolutely unreal, fire from rocks......lol.....me being a northern boy from the n.y. mass border near the berksheres, always burned wood, never coal. hear its great if available althought the coal dust can be a little bit of a pita. good luck.

cass

 

[raybonz]

just make sure that model has the shakers and is rated for coal. some of my old dutchwest stoves just had some big grates for the ash do drop in the pan for the wood stove but werent rated for coal. if its not, you'll burn up the stove or probably warp it. i remember the first time i saw a lumb of coal burn....i must have already been @ 30 and living in WV after getting out of the army (thats where i landed a job). absolutely unreal, fire from rocks......lol.....me being a northern boy from the n.y. mass border near the berksheres, always burned wood, never coal. hear its great if available althought the coal dust can be a little bit of a pita. good luck.

cass

Cass,
His stove sounds like my old CDW FA264CCL as his came with all the coal burning accessories as well so yes it is rated for it and has the shaker grates, hopper etc. like mine did.. Never tried coal and the accessories were new when I sold it.. How well does it burn coal is the question..

Ray

 

[tcassavaugh]

yup, sorry, knew they had a model that would do both. if it does it half as well as the one i had that burned only wood, i'm sure it will keep him smiling.

cass

 

[geoxman]

As you can tell by my signature I have the L and XL CDW stoves and I have burned coal in the XL because it came with the coal bin and secondary replacement for the catalyst. I have burned bit, that is what is around here, and coal will blow your socks off! LONNNGG HOT burns! There is a slight learning curve and our stoves are not the best for coal, but they work quite well. IMHO

Here are the coal instructions for your stove pg 16 & 15. good luck!

http://www.wood-stove.org/assets/Dutchwest-Federal-Airtight-Manual.pdf

 

[LDPosse]

I burned coal in my FA264CCL for the first time this year. It actually does a decent job on coal, I can get this thing to purr for 30+ hours on one load of coal if I'm going to be away. I generally tend the stove on 12 hour intervals. It is awesome, nice, even heat.



There are a couple of downsides though with the stove -

#1 - Anthracite coal burns HOT. The front grate (fits behind the front doors) was still brand new and used the first time on Dec 10, 2011. I shut the stove down on Mar 14, 2012, and the grate is ruined. It's warped, and 2 of the grate sections have cracked and broken out. I am going to try fitting some firebrick next year.

#2 - There isn't a ton of room to shovel coal into the stove. Getting a full load of coal is a pain. Coal burns best with a deep coal bed, and I will fill the firebox as full as possible.

Aside from these nuances, I would definitely recommend giving coal a try. I've enjoyed it, and if you have to buy firewood, it's probably cheaper to heat with coal. I would second the recommendation to check out nepacrossroads.com. There is a wealth of coal burning info there.

Also, if you need directions, I have scanned in the original owners manual for the Dutchwest stoves, not the "Pre-1990" reprint. It is available here :
(broken link removed to http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29193457/Consolidated%20Dutchwest%20General%20Instructions.pdf)

There are a few minor differences between the manuals. It is good to have both versions as a reference. Good Luck!

 

[nate379]

My Dad switched from wood to coal this year. The unit he has is like a pellet stove where it auto feeds coal into a firepot. From what he was telling me it was about 3 tons used this year. Normally burned ~3 cords of wood.

Less work than wood, though the coal is close to $300 a ton so it costs more.

 

[LDPosse]

My Dad switched from wood to coal this year. The unit he has is like a pellet stove where it auto feeds coal into a firepot. From what he was telling me it was about 3 tons used this year. Normally burned ~3 cords of wood.

Less work than wood, though the coal is close to $300 a ton so it costs more.

Good quality anthracite should be able to be had cheaper than that where the original poster is from (central NY), probably could find it for $250 or less.

I'm only about 30 miles from anthracite "coal country", and I pick it up at the mine for $160/ton.

 

[nate379]

The stuff he has is small though. I think they call it pea coal or rice coal.

 

[LDPosse]

The stuff he has is small though. I think they call it pea coal or rice coal.

Yes, rice is most typically used with "stokers", which is the type of stove you are describing. At one time, rice coal was cheaper than the larger sizes, but with the popularity of stoker stoves, the price has come up to match the rest of the sizes.

 

[geoxman]

though the coal is close to $300 a ton
Wow! bituminous in southern IL can be had for $100 a ton- picked up

 

[tjnamtiw]

though the coal is close to $300 a ton
Wow! bituminous in southern IL can be had for $100 a ton- picked up

Bituminous coal is NOTHING like Anthracite, though. It's like comparing tofu to a banana split! Yes, I'm warped. Seriously, anthracite is so much better in all respects from heat value to cleanliness. go to that nepacrossroads site to learn more.

 

[nate379]

I'd have to ask my Dad for the exact price, but I want to say it was $285/ton delivered. They had a truck with some kind of chute/conveyor and my Dad filled up 55 gal drums in the basement from the truck. 3 tons worth took maybe 20 mins of work.

It's not cheaper than wood at that price, but for my folks the price wasn't so much the decideding factor. They both work, are getting older and dealing with firewood was becoming tough for them. The wood stove they used to heat the house needed to be replaced, it close to 30 years old.
My Dad has been very pleased with it. The only "work" he has to do is pull out the ashes and fill the hopper, once every day or two.

though the coal is close to $300 a ton
Wow! bituminous in southern IL can be had for $100 a ton- picked up

 

[JustWood]

Bituminous coal is NOTHING like Anthracite, though. It's like comparing tofu to a banana split! Yes, I'm warped. Seriously, anthracite is so much better in all respects from heat value to cleanliness. go to that nepacrossroads site to learn more.

I beg to differ on the BTU aspect. I've tried both and bituminous gives me alot more heat and longer burns than anthracite. It does burn somewhat dirtier on startup but 20 minutes into the burn it cleans right up and stays clean through the entire burn. Burn times and how clean of a burn probably depends on the stove/furnace also.

 

[Realstone]

Would there be any harm in throwing in a small handful of coal (like a half coffee cups worth) into a wood-only stove?

 

[pen]

Would there be any harm in throwing in a small handful of coal (like a half coffee cups worth) into a wood-only stove?

Don't think it is worth it. Not all liners do well with coal. Additionally, coal is rather finicky w/ the air that it needs to burn properly. You really wouldn't gain much. If anything, it just may give you "coals" to light off of later, but it very likely would just go out and do nothing the way air enters many stoves.

 

[tjnamtiw]

In order for coal to burn properly, you need a 'bed' of coal completely covering the grate so that incoming air MUST come up through the coal. Also, coal requires a relatively thick bed of burning and unburned coal. If you don't have that setup, forget it.

Note: coal stokers work differently in that they don't have the thick bed, otherwise it's the same.

 

[Realstone]

Since I logged on to woodheat.org and then hearth.com I've to the conclusion that most of wood (and coal) burning is counter-intuitive. On that note, most people I know that burn wood do it wrong. Glad I was told of this place

 

[tjnamtiw]

Since I logged on to woodheat.org and then hearth.com I've to the conclusion that most of wood (and coal) burning is counter-intuitive. On that note, most people I know that burn wood do it wrong. Glad I was told of this place

I was watching a video of a wood burning stove doing a secondary burn. I was totally amazed! I had no idea that such technology existed. Wood stoves have come a long way from the ones I used to use. I guess it is a constant learning curve no matter what your age!