Tell me about Reading coal vs. Blaschak Coal

I've tried Reading rice off and on over many years. I would buy right at the breaker. My opinion is it has just enough coal to get the rock hot.

Why, if you live in the anthracite region would you buy coal in bags. You can pick it up at the breaker for about $150 per ton. You can get it hauled for 20-40 per ton. Bag coal I've seen is priced between 6-7 per bag. At 40 lbs per bag it requires 50 bags to make a ton. Do the math. I get a half ton of rice at the breaker. That fills about 25 5gallon buckets I stack three high.
Harmony mine on Rt. 61 between Centralia and Mt. Carmel is great coal, as is Black Diamond on the Kulpmont side of Mt Carmel. Black Diamond gives a little more ash. I understand the coal gets better as you get toward Hazelton but that's too far for me to travel for it.
I'm not familiar with Blaschak coal.

Have been burning Blashack Nut in my MK III, but found an add on craigs list for Reading, I ask what size and the woman told me she thought it was "EGG" size, I figured it was "nut" so I went and picked up just 2 bags shy of a ton. It was in Reading bags but not marked as to what size it was, she showed me a few pieces that looked about nut size so for $185.00 it was a good deal in my area.

Seems our Amish dealer in Northern KY,sold it to them to burn in a small wood stove with NO grate at all. Just firebrick bottom so naturally it would not work, I will speak to him the next time I see him about this, I am sure he knew better!

Anyway, I opened a few bags and this is a mix from as small as fines to as big as a baseball, it must be Stove size and not screened very well or "bagged run of mine", I did not know they did that. But I am very pleased with how it burns, idles way down with the air opened only 1/2 turn, burns 24 hrs easily with plenty fire left when I come home or crank it up and it throws the heat well, burns to a fine white ash , no trash, wood or anything else in the bags.

I am just surprised at all the different sizes in one bags is all, but the price was right and it burns great.

Bk

I've been reading various discussions in the coal quality part of these forums and just still don't have a good handle on how to know if one coal is good bad or indifferent. You guys talk about Reading, Blaschak, Kimmel and names like that. I don't even know what those names mean. Are those suppliers? Breakers? Coal veins? All I can buy here is "premium" anthracite coal and after the last shipment I got, I'd call it just about anything but "premium" - maybe a premium pain in the ass.... Stinks like sulphur, doesn't give out a lot of heat, (unless I burn a lot of it) doesn't keep a fire as long as I think it should, does start easily... So I've been digging into some of my old books on coal. I've got one totally awesome article on coal written in the early 1900's but I can't seem to find it. I used to reference it back when I was blacksmithing and buying metallurgical grade bituminous by the truck load.... So I've been digging into another book that has a fair amount of info in it. I'm attaching two pages from that book I've scanned into the computer for you all to take a look at and hopefully give me some help trying to understand this whole area of what makes "good" coal... Also, how would Reading, Blaschak, Kimmel and those fall in the classification of coals from this book? Does anybody get actual chemistries as seen on the first page I got here?

dj

The only coal dealer that has posted an analysis of the Anthracite coal they are selling is Pine Creek Coal Co. See: PINE CREEK COAL CO

The specs are obviously a cut and past that has obscured the column headings. I asked in that thread for them to re-post the specs more clearly. They have not. Perhaps you could telephone them or send them a private e-mail.

Most forum members just buy coal based on recommendation by others. I would not do this if I were buying trailer loads. I would want a quality specification that holds the coal supplier responsible. Right now it's like a take it or leave it purchase.

Here's what I would do if I were buying in tractor trailer load amounts. I would insist on a coal analysis directly from the coal breaker. Then I would enter into a contract with them as the seller. Upon delivery I would make two samples of the coal. Samples taken as prescribed by testing procedures. I would keep one sample. I would send the second sample back to the coal breaker. If the delivered coal is crap, I would have it tested and compared to the specification. If it is not as represented you now have some recourse to have the breaker make it right.

Many have bought coal by ordering coal from a breaker and upon delivery paying the driver. In a dispute who's the seller? Where did the contract of sale take place? Most likely were the money changed hands. Just too many questions for my engineering and legal mind to answer. What I've outlined is the way the PA government buys coal. If the coal turns out to be crap, they get it tested and compare it to specs. If it fails they don't pay and even require the seller to return it at his own expense. Sure there are lots of trusted coal breakers, but there are other coal sellers selling junk. How can you tell the difference?

Yanche wrote:The only coal dealer that has posted an analysis of the Anthracite coal they are selling is Pine Creek Coal Co. See: PINE CREEK COAL CO

The specs are obviously a cut and past that has obscured the column headings. I asked in that thread for them to re-post the specs more clearly. They have not. Perhaps you could telephone them or send them a private e-mail.

Most forum members just buy coal based on recommendation by others. I would not do this if I were buying trailer loads. I would want a quality specification that holds the coal supplier responsible. Right now it's like a take it or leave it purchase.

Here's what I would do if I were buying in tractor trailer load amounts. I would insist on a coal analysis directly from the coal breaker. Then I would enter into a contract with them as the seller. Upon delivery I would make two samples of the coal. Samples taken as prescribed by testing procedures. I would keep one sample. I would send the second sample back to the coal breaker. If the delivered coal is crap, I would have it tested and compared to the specification. If it is not as represented you now have some recourse to have the breaker make it right.

Many have bought coal by ordering coal from a breaker and upon delivery paying the driver. In a dispute who's the seller? Where did the contract of sale take place? Most likely were the money changed hands. Just too many questions for my engineering and legal mind to answer. What I've outlined is the way the PA government buys coal. If the coal turns out to be crap, they get it tested and compare it to specs. If it fails they don't pay and even require the seller to return it at his own expense. Sure there are lots of trusted coal breakers, but there are other coal sellers selling junk. How can you tell the difference?

Yanche,

When I bought coal years ago, I got the analysis and bought on spec. It seems to me, but I don't really know,the bituminous mines are much more prepared to handle those requests. I was buying metallurgical grade coal. The steel mills are much more demanding so I'd guess there is much more custom for buying on specification.

In the anthracite world, I'm not finding the same. But I'm sure not buying 22 tons of coal without a chemistry spec, and the delivered coal had better match the purchase agreement.

dj