Made a Coal sandwich for my NC-13 today

[SmokeyCity]

Since I had to do a cold start on the NC-13 in the computer room, I decided to be a bit lazy and skip the kindling process. I took 2 half rounds and laid them E/W on their round sides to make a flat surface. Then went to my coal stove in the other room and brought in a shovel full of read hot burning coal. My spade actually started glowing orange by the time I got it to the other room.

I spread those hot coals on the wood. Then I took a few split and laid them on top.

Within 2 minutes I had a good fire going. The super hot anthracite lit that bone dry black locust right up.

I realize this was not standard operating procedure but it worked. I also realize its dangerous since..well..if I had stepped on the cat while carrying that shovel of hot coal..it would have been a disaster.

add this to your list of ways not to start a wood fire

 

[yooperdave]

please take the time to kindle a new fire and not take a short cut to start fires like you did. what did you do with the glowing spade once you emptied the coal from it...who else saw you light the fire this way? i see in your avatar a pic of a young one- they learn quickly and who knows if they would try something like this when unsupervised-now or a few years from now...
sure woudn't want anything bad to happen just to save a few minutes

 

[Pallet Pete]

Holy cow man ! Bend over knee SPANK SPANK SPANK! What did you do wrong here :exclaim:

Pete

 

[oldspark]

SmokeyCity-love the dog and have one like it, oh and by the way you are not quite right are ya? :lol:

 

[SmokeyCity]

Had a feeling I should kept that story to myself.
No worries. The spade went onto the stone tile and no one else saw it.

I do realize how badly that could go if something would have cuased me to spill that shovel full of coal (like the one coal that did fall off and smoked a hole in the hallway linoleum)... but there I go again inviting more censure by telling on my self again...

please take the time to kindle a new fire and not take a short cut to start fires like you did. what did you do with the glowing spade once you emptied the coal from it...who else saw you light the fire this way? i see in your avatar a pic of a young one- they learn quickly and who knows if they would try something like this when unsupervised-now or a few years from now...
sure woudn't want anything bad to happen just to save a few minutes

 

[Trktrd]

BAD Smokey!!

 

[firefighterjake]

Bad idea . . . lesson learned.

 

[Wood Duck]

Thanks for posting. I hate it when only the well thought out and successful ideas are posted here. Aside from the problem of moving red hot coal through the house it seems like a decent idea to me. If only the coal stove was right next to the wood stove...

 

[wkpoor]

please take the time to kindle a new fire and not take a short cut to start fires like you did. what did you do with the glowing spade once you emptied the coal from it...who else saw you light the fire this way? i see in your avatar a pic of a young one- they learn quickly and who knows if they would try something like this when unsupervised-now or a few years from now...
sure woudn't want anything bad to happen just to save a few minutes

You have to be kidding me, do you really think the spade was red hot? Since I'm in a basement on concrete my mentality is that wasn't such a terrible move. If I had been over the first floor hardwood then I would have thought twice about it.

 

[greythorn3]

i know the ash shovel i got is thin as they could make metal i think. wouldnt take much to make it glow.

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

Good grief. Folks took coals to bed with them for years and years: http://www.oldandinteresting.com/bed-warmers.aspx

Kudos for thinking of something not listed on the instruction manual.

 

[oldspark]

Did ya read where he burnt a small hole in the flooring, did ya huh.

 

[firefighterjake]

Good grief. Folks took coals to bed with them for years and years: http://www.oldandinteresting.com/bed-warmers.aspx

Kudos for thinking of something not listed on the instruction manual.

True . . . but the coals were generally contained . . . there was not so much of a fear of tripping, stumbling or scattering the hot coals all over the combustible flooring in the old days when they had the coals contained.

On the flip side . . . it was interesting to see what they used to do . . . in the town next to me for a while there were folks still making soapstone bed warmers . . . I think they went out of business though.

 

[woodchip]

My main thought on mixing coal and wood is that coal burns with sulphur in the gases, and wood tends to have water is the gases.

The mix could create sulphuric acid and create problems with the flue.

But I understand the temptation when you have a coal fire running sweetly in the next room ;-)

 

[babzog]

Where do you buy coal for fireplaces anyway? It's not like there's a yellowpages section for coal vendors.

 

[SmokeyCity]

Where do you buy coal for fireplaces anyway? It's not like there's a yellowpages section for coal vendors.

UAE Harmony coal mine Mt Carmel PA


the best anthracite in the world

 

[woodchip]

the best anthracite in the world

We use Welsh steam coal down on our railway, and that gives most other black stuff a run for it's money ;-)

 

[babzog]

Where do you buy coal for fireplaces anyway? It's not like there's a yellowpages section for coal vendors.

UAE Harmony coal mine Mt Carmel PA


the best anthracite in the world

Not looking for a job, was just wondering where one buys coal. Not like you can just hop down to your local HD and ask the customer service girl for a bag.

 

[GAMMA RAY]

Not looking for a job, was just wondering where one buys coal. Not like you can just hop down to your local HD and ask the customer service girl for a bag.

Here in Nepa, there are lots of places to buy coal. The local stove shop I frequent sells it. You can buy it by the bag, or have it delivered by the ton.

 

[clemsonfor]

I know in Greenville the fuel oil distributer has coal by the bag, i think like an 80lb bag? They also have a fire wood pile as big as a house, they sell that to. But that is in the city and lots of folks buy that stuff there. Supposedly the poor folks buy the coal and they throw it in on their wood in the fireplace? Thats at least what my fater in law said? But he knows nothing about burning wood other than buy it light a fire log and throw it in the fire place. He just knows a lot of the should we say "lower class" folks, as he use to own a business and had a few over the years wrk for him. They either did it or they told him about all these things that they did.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Where do you buy coal for fireplaces anyway? It's not like there's a yellowpages section for coal vendors.

UAE Harmony coal mine Mt Carmel PA


the best anthracite in the world

I stopped using harmonys coal ,it has too much heat ,it kept cracking my grate,6 grates in 6 years. Problem is i need about another full ton from any other dealer to get thru the winter due to less BTUs in the coal. Lately iv been thinking its better to replace a $60 grate than buy an additional ton of coal for $175.00

 

[SmokeyCity]

I stopped using harmonys coal ,it has too much heat ,it kept cracking my grate,6 grates in 6 years. Problem is i need about another full ton from any other dealer to get thru the winter due to less BTUs in the coal. Lately iv been thinking its better to replace a $60 grate than buy an additional ton of coal for $175.00

If you are eating a grate every year then there is some other factor at play. It's not the coal's fault. I've been burning Harmony UAE coal for a few years and my grates are fine. Either you are over firing or you are allowing the ashes to pile up to the bottom of the grate. The latter is a sure fire recipe for grate damage.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I stopped using harmonys coal ,it has too much heat ,it kept cracking my grate,6 grates in 6 years. Problem is i need about another full ton from any other dealer to get thru the winter due to less BTUs in the coal. Lately iv been thinking its better to replace a $60 grate than buy an additional ton of coal for $175.00

If you are eating a grate every year then there is some other factor at play. It's not the coal's fault. I've been burning Harmony UAE coal for a few years and my grates are fine. Either you are over firing or you are allowing the ashes to pile up to the bottom of the grate. The latter is a sure fire recipe for grate damage.

NO ash pile up and i use the stove the same way since harmanys coal now for 4 years and NO grate problems whatsoever. Dont get me wrong i would rather harmanys coal over anyone else as it give the most BTUs per ton. I didnt even know what the problem was till my coal guy told me several of his customers got cracked grates from harmanys coal and i should try a different source. He said the coal clinkers at times and blocks some of the air holes causing the grate to overheat where the blocked air holes are. I did notice some blocked air holes when changing the grates.

 

[woodchip]

I stopped using harmonys coal ,it has too much heat ,it kept cracking my grate,6 grates in 6 years. Problem is i need about another full ton from any other dealer to get thru the winter due to less BTUs in the coal. Lately iv been thinking its better to replace a $60 grate than buy an additional ton of coal for $175.00

Are you seriously paying $175 for a ton of coal?????????

A ton of coal delivered here is £880 (that's about $1380 at todays exchange rates).

But we do have a load of green taxes which encourage people to freeze to death whilst feeling good about saving the planet......... ;-)

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I stopped using harmonys coal ,it has too much heat ,it kept cracking my grate,6 grates in 6 years. Problem is i need about another full ton from any other dealer to get thru the winter due to less BTUs in the coal. Lately iv been thinking its better to replace a $60 grate than buy an additional ton of coal for $175.00

Are you seriously paying $175 for a ton of coal?????????

A ton of coal delivered here is £880 (that's about $1380 at todays exchange rates).

But we do have a load of green taxes which encourage people to freeze to death whilst feeling good about saving the planet......... ;-)

Thats the delivered price, if i get it myself its about $140-150 up quite a bit from $80 in 2002. I use about 5 ton a season. Still thats only about $72 a month when figured monthly on an annual basis.It so happens that im sitting right on top of the worlds largest supply of anthracite coal in my area so thats why the cheaper price. Your coal my well be coming from my area as its shipped all over the world thus driving up prices for us here in central pa. Im already considering turning to wood for 100% of my heat.