Please Help!!! What do I have?

[Mynes09]

Hello fellow members. I'm new to the forum and rural living lol. We bought a house that has a stove in it. But we are not sure if it's for only burning wood or can we burn coal as well. I know it's a Alaska Kodiak and has a knob for a handle on the side and the lower tray has these grate looking things. But the inside of the stove currently has all brick... Here is some pics

 

[eclecticcottage]

Your pics aren't showing

 

[Mynes09]

Throwing to upload now... Give me a sec

 

[Mynes09]

 

[Mynes09]

Inside the lower level

 

[Mynes09]

 

[brenndatomu]

Coal burner. You can burn wood in it too, but it will likely eat you outta house n home!

 

[Mynes09]

Are you sure? Only reason why I ask is there's nothing but brick inside of the oven. Do I remove that then put some coal in there? Also I thought the piping had to be ceramic I don't think this one is... Thanks

 

[fossil]

Never ever seen nor heard of any wood burning stove with all that coal handling equipment built in. Sure looks a lot like this:

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[fossil]

I'm betting that what you have is an ancestor of this:

http://www.alaskastove.com/kodiak-hopper.html

 

[loon]

Looks close to this one Mynes.

http://robertsprojects.blogspot.ca/2012/11/alaska-kodiak-coal-stove.html

 

[Mynes09]

Do I buy something special to put in there to hold the coal? Or just throw them in there? Should I take the brick out of the floor of it?

 

[fossil]

I've never owned nor operated a coal stove, so I really can't offer any guidance in that aspect of it. But, all is not lost...there are folks here (forum members) who do have experience with those heaters. Welcome to the forums! Rick

 

[begreen]

Your best bet would be to log in over at the coal forum. They will know your stove and what type and size coal it's designed for.
www.nepacrossroads.com

 

[Robert if]

Do I buy something special to put in there to hold the coal? Or just throw them in there? Should I take the brick out of the floor of it?

Hello this I Robert from Roberts Projects. There needs to be brick on the sides. I'm not sure what you are referring to by the floor. You put the coal directly on the iron grates, and the ash falls to the bottom. Are the bricks under the grates, in the ash area? If so they are likely to insulate the bottom and prevent the floor of your room from getting too hot. You burn Nut coal in these. Living in Pennsylvania, anthracite coal is plentiful and cheap, about $200/ton. I heat a 1600 square foot house with mine and use 3 or 4 tons a year. If you burn wood do not burn it directly on the grates, for it can damage them. That is advice given directly to me when I visited the Alaska factory in Bloomsburg PA a few years ago. I have a 1/4 inch steel plate with about 10 one inch holes drilled in it that I lay on the grates when burning wood. You start coal with a wood fire, but it is not big enough to overheat the grates. I generally fill my stove with 3 - 4 buckets at a time, and it will burn steady for 12 hours. Ideally you keep the stove going continuously for starting coal is a pain. I am able to fill my stove and then lower the fire enough to make it last over 24 hours and be hot enough to light fresh coals. This way I have to re light the stove only a few times over the winter.

 

[Mynes09]

Here is a update... I took that iron plate out and this was under it....

 

[Robert if]

Those are your coal grates. You put the coal directly on them. Since there was a plate in there, the previous owners were burning wood. I found it interesting that the picture of the bottom of your grates looked like they were never used for coal because they were so clean. If you have a local coal dealer, they may have it in 50 pound bags. While more expensive than getting a couple of tons dumped in your yard, it is a convenient way of trying coal.
Coal has many advantages. It is cheap, unless you have a supply of free wood. It does not have creosote, so the risk of chimney fires is low. My chimney is easy to clean because the heavy coal ash mostly falls to the bottom. Coal burns a long time. You should be able to get similar burn times from this stove as I do, about 12 hours. Over that 12 hours you don't have to do a thing. By contrast, when burning wood, you will probably be adding a log every two hours. I was never able to get my stove to last overnight on wood.
Here are the disadvantages of coal. There is a lot more ash, and it is dirty and heavy, for it is mostly minerals. Coal can be a pain to start, since it needs a good hot fire. Some people use the synthetic fireplace logs for fire starters. I've used the and they work well. I usually break them and use a quarter log. Coal needs a good draft. On a mild day, say in the upper 40's and low 50's, it can be difficult to start coal and once started it may go out. Those days it may be better to use wood.