excessive smoke from auger tube

I have done so with the tape and plastic ,its a pain but it works. If i can get thru the season this way i will, Will be going to Sheradin this next week to get a load of stoker coal. The guy i got it from used steel barrel with lid , probaly for that reason. Unfortunetly it was mashed when he moved the bin. I have the one he sent and now that its empty i should switch it out,better i think. The air will bubble up plastic but then stops and smoke does not enter the barrel now.Thanks for the help and really enjoy the web site. Terry

Hi, Wyowa. The Hardin is very Prill-like. If you are in Sheridan, you can stop by Prill Brothers. These are the same people who manufactured the Prills 30 years ago, but it is a different business now. They have a lot of parts laying around and some expertise if you catch the right person.

If you are getting coal in Sheridan, either at Schultz or Mullinax, you'll be getting sub-bit coal from Decker, MT. It's a lot higher BTUs and much cleaner than what you can get from the Powder River Basin. I think you wouldn't have a problem burning Decker or PRB coal in your Hardin, though I agree that you'll have to do some tinkering to accommodate the different qualities. You might want to consider the extra 20 mile drive to the retail yard at Decker- Wolf Mountain Coal, which is generally cheaper than Mullinax or Schultz. PM me if you need phone numbers.