coal looks like granola

Hi All,

I am new to rice coal burning. I have figured a few things out in the last 2 weeks but still have an issue to resolve. I have figured how to adjust the feed rate and settings on my control box(magnum stoker) but no matter whick way I configure things the coal in the ash pan has the exact look of granola. It appears that the coal is not fully burned. I have some fine ash ( not alot) some clumpy piles that break up ver easily in hand. the other coal that is beige in color and resembles granola appears to be half burned. most will crush easily if i pinch between fingers.

So I need to know from you all doing this coal stuff for awhile. Is this the cormal consitancy of rice coal or...?

I currently am pushing 3 dots on stoker and settings are 2 min on and 15 min off - not that cold here yet. Combust fan runs 24\7 with 2\3 opening on plate.

Yup, it burning right. Getting the same on my mag. Going to try the combustion blower going 24/7 also. Right now have everything pluged into power strip (no controler) pushing 3/4-1 dot. keeping the house a toasty 72 deg. Getting no unburnt. Once it gets colder will go back to the controler with the combustion blower going 24/7. Hope this will solve the problem I had last year with some unburnt in the ashes. Jimmy

Your description of the ash sounds right. Even in my hand-load boiler's firebox, where the coal pile is usually 10-12" deep, and burns for 8-10 hours, some of the coal does not burn completely.

Most of the ash is just that, it will crumble to dust with at touch or slight pressure. But some pieces still have a black center and require two hands to break apart. Even under the pressure of the coal pile above, some pieces are hard enough to not break up by the shaking grate, and eventually get 'whittled away' by the grate and fall through into the ash pan, and look like a rock or piece of sandstone, with a black center.

I have taken some of these 'unburnt' or 'incompletely burnt' pieces and set them on top of a very hot fire, and..... nothing happens! The piece turns bright red, but when removed from the fire a few hours later, it looks the same, feels the same, and requires the same pressure to break. It still has a black center. Whatever was in that lump to burn had burnt, there was nothing left but hard ash.

Coal is not always consistant in how it burns. The coal comes from the top, middle, bottom and edges of a vein of coal. What we get to burn depends a lot on luck. I don't know which part burns best, but I'd assume near the center of a vein would be the purest coal. Some burns to a talcum-powder dust, some burns but hardly changes in appearance.

Hope this makes sense. Greg L

yeap it's burning correctly.

Here is what ours looks like on idle/pilot mode...Keystoker 90
As you can see, it can be a little brown looking like granola, but most just crumbles, we do get an occasional clump and other bags of coal burns up next to nothing, this stuff isn't as good as some stuff I burnt before, the ash can be 1/2 that size in the front.