Coal Size - Alaska Kodiak

Post Reply
 
Perky
Member
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu. Jun. 04, 2009 1:23 pm
Location: NEPA - Poconos "the higher elevations" where we have are own weather!

Post by Perky » Fri. Oct. 02, 2009 8:23 pm

Well decided on the Alaska Kodiak and it's all ready to go. Started a small fire last week. Says to burn pea or nut. Have pea leftover from my old Franco and used that, but the grates seem to widefor pea. Bought some bags of nut today, but it doesn't look right. There's nut and other sizes...pea and some really big stuff (4-6") in there. When you get nut coal should it be a consistent size? Hey Paperboy, I see you're on-line. Thanks for your previous input. Got the bi-metal thermostat. You said you were burning nut. What does the size you get look like? Also, did you ever try pea? A few people recommended mixing nut and pea, but I don't think I want to use the nut I got. After getting a good base going with some ash, does anyone know if the pea falls through the grates?

 
User avatar
Paperboy
Member
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue. Nov. 04, 2008 5:08 pm
Location: Upstate New York
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Alaska Kodiak; Atlanta Homesteader

Post by Paperboy » Fri. Oct. 02, 2009 8:36 pm

Glad to hear you have your Kodiak ready to go. I have not tried pea, but I've thought of buying a couple bags to try during the fall when a slower fire is desired. I get nut delivered in bulk, and the sizes vary, probably from 1" to 2-1/4". Never got anything much bigger than that. What brand name is the coal you bought? Mine is Blaschak, according to the dealer.

 
Perky
Member
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu. Jun. 04, 2009 1:23 pm
Location: NEPA - Poconos "the higher elevations" where we have are own weather!

Post by Perky » Fri. Oct. 02, 2009 8:49 pm

I've been using Reading Anthracite for 24 years...burns to a powder. I buy in bulk also (have a good size coal bin), but wanted to try a few bags before I committed. The pea was always a pretty consistent size. I could burn from October to May straight without the fire going out (of course I had to pay attention). The big pieces sort of scare me, I'm thinking they may not burn up and get stuck in the grates when shaking some sort of flat and 6" long, others are almost baseball size. Think I need to call the coal man and see if there was some type of mix-up or if this is how they sell nut. Looking forward to learning the ins and outs of the Kodiak.

 
sharkman8810
Member
Posts: 360
Joined: Wed. Mar. 05, 2008 7:27 pm
Location: south central pa
Hand Fed Coal Stove: hitzer 82 ul
Coal Size/Type: nut

Post by sharkman8810 » Fri. Oct. 02, 2009 10:35 pm

It seems to me you got some poorly grated nut. I'd maybe pick out afew of the bigger and give it a try. They will burn down eventually. I would think nut is what your suppose to use, I doubt it is big enough for stove.


 
User avatar
Scottsman
Member
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu. Jan. 31, 2008 11:46 pm
Location: NEPA
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Leisure Line Pioneer
Other Heating: Weil McLain steam oil boiler

Post by Scottsman » Mon. Oct. 05, 2009 12:45 pm

I have an Alaska Kodiak (hand-fired) and I burned 4 tons of nut coal last winter in it. I have a really tall chimney and a ton of draft, so the nut coal burned really hot. Maybe too hot--it felt like the Amazon Rain Forest some days. :lol: Also, I got lots of clinkers, which may have been the result of an overly hot fire--I dunno. What do you guys think?

I got this stove in March 2007. When I first got it I tried about a dozen bags of pea coal and decided to burn nut instead so that I wouldn't lose any unburned pieces through the grates (I'm a cheapstake--what can I say) :oops: . But thinking it over, I probably lost a lot more by shutting down and digging out clinkers every week. :x

Both pea or nut burn well in this stove. I guess it depends a little on your setup--how much draft you have.

 
braindead
Member
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 11:40 pm
Location: Central PA

Post by braindead » Tue. Oct. 06, 2009 1:34 am

I burn both pea and nut in mine; pea most of the winter, and nut when the temps drop into the teens during the day. I'm only heating 1000 square feet, so I like the nice slow burn I get with the pea. Maybe a few more clinkers with nut, but a little more ash build-up to poke out of the corners with pea. Its idling right now with pea coal with the draft completely closed.

 
Perky
Member
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu. Jun. 04, 2009 1:23 pm
Location: NEPA - Poconos "the higher elevations" where we have are own weather!

Post by Perky » Tue. Oct. 06, 2009 9:47 am

Thanks for the input from some other Kodiak users. Can I pick your brains for some more? My stove is in the basement, with main living area on the floor above, approx. 1400 sq ft. Chimney runs through the middle of the house- stainless steel flex liner. No draft problems.
Do you have any starting tips? Been using the charcoal method, but it doesn't seem to get hot enough. Will be trying wood.
Also, does anyone have a bi-metal thermo? How do you set it with regard to the drafts on the front ash door & visa versa?
A bit of pea coal does fall through the grates, but I've been told when there's a good ashbed this is minimal. Also, it's been suggested to mix pea w/ the nut. Any thoughts on this? From reading your posts, why does pea burn slower than nut when it's a smaller size. I would think it burns quicker.

 
bksaun
Member
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sat. Oct. 28, 2006 9:24 am
Location: Hustonville, Ky
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Legacy SF-270
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 503
Coal Size/Type: Stoker/Bit, Pea or Nut Anthracite

Post by bksaun » Tue. Oct. 06, 2009 10:06 am

Pea packs together tighter than nut allowing less air to move through the coal bed, thus a cooler fire.

Bk


 
braindead
Member
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 11:40 pm
Location: Central PA

Post by braindead » Tue. Oct. 06, 2009 5:57 pm

I don't have the thermostat, so no help there. But when starting a fire, I like to cover the entire grate with a layer of coal, except right in the middle, to block off the air from coming up around the fire. That way I only have to build a small wood fire right in the middle. Saves a lot of time and effort. Once I get some coal burning in the middle, the fire will spread out in all directions and get it all burning anyway. I think pea starts easier than nut. But I could be nuts.

 
User avatar
Scottsman
Member
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu. Jan. 31, 2008 11:46 pm
Location: NEPA
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Leisure Line Pioneer
Other Heating: Weil McLain steam oil boiler

Post by Scottsman » Wed. Oct. 07, 2009 12:37 pm

It sounds like you have a good chimney setup for adequate draft. The only thing I'd suggest is to wait till it gets colder outside to start with coal. In my part of PA it's been cold at night, but too warm during the day to maintain a decent coal fire. I always start with wood. I started with charcoal a few times and didn't like the smell of it.

Bksaun is right about why nut coal burns differently. Sometimes I get some really big pieces in there and all the air moving through the coal bed makes the fire get hot quick. It's good for those cold days. My house is 2,600 square feet, and this stove can keep it warm on all but the coldest, windiest days.

I've thought about getting the bimetal thermostat. Has anybody tried this? I was at the factory showroom about a year ago and seemed to be saying that the bimetal thermostat wasn't a big seller because "you could to the same thing yourself by hand." I know I could do it myself when I'm home, but my wife is there all day and gets busy with other stuff, so sometimes I come home to a dead fire.

 
Perky
Member
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu. Jun. 04, 2009 1:23 pm
Location: NEPA - Poconos "the higher elevations" where we have are own weather!

Post by Perky » Tue. Oct. 13, 2009 7:32 pm

Got my Kodiak fired up this past weekend. After a day of trial & error, mostly error, it's been going for 3 days. Burning pea I had left from last year. Haven't tried the nut yet. Glad to hear how well it heats. Gets really, really cold in the winter. Where in NEPA are you?
Trying to figure the thermo out, using that and the front drafts.
I'm my own "wife" so I have to keep it going. Only back-up is crappy electric baseboard and PPL is going up 30%!

 
User avatar
Scottsman
Member
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu. Jan. 31, 2008 11:46 pm
Location: NEPA
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Leisure Line Pioneer
Other Heating: Weil McLain steam oil boiler

Post by Scottsman » Wed. Oct. 14, 2009 12:05 pm

I'm in Columbia County--supposed to get down to 31 tonight. When I went to the Alaska factory, the guy said that he personally thought that the Kodiak hand-fired was their best made stove. Sure has worked well for us, and beats the snot out of running those electric space heaters.

 
User avatar
coal berner
Member
Posts: 3600
Joined: Tue. Jan. 09, 2007 12:44 am
Location: Pottsville PA. Schuylkill County PA. The Hart Of Anthracite Coal Country.
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1986 Electric Furnace Man 520 DF

Post by coal berner » Thu. Oct. 15, 2009 1:31 am

Scottsman wrote:It sounds like you have a good chimney setup for adequate draft. The only thing I'd suggest is to wait till it gets colder outside to start with coal. In my part of PA it's been cold at night, but too warm during the day to maintain a decent coal fire. I always start with wood. I started with charcoal a few times and didn't like the smell of it.

Bksaun is right about why nut coal burns differently. Sometimes I get some really big pieces in there and all the air moving through the coal bed makes the fire get hot quick. It's good for those cold days. My house is 2,600 square feet, and this stove can keep it warm on all but the coldest, windiest days.

I've thought about getting the bimetal thermostat. Has anybody tried this? I was at the factory showroom about a year ago and seemed to be saying that the bimetal thermostat wasn't a big seller because "you could to the same thing yourself by hand." I know I could do it myself when I'm home, but my wife is there all day and gets busy with other stuff, so sometimes I come home to a dead fire.
Use some stove size coal in it on them coldest windiest days you will be warm start out with nut add stove then you will
stay warm these stoves can put 100k a hr on a high burn .

Post Reply

Return to “Hand Fired Coal Stoves & Furnaces Using Anthracite”