Rice vs Buckwheat in a Keystoker GT 70000 btus

First I want to say I am very pleased with that coal forum. It is a never ending source of good informations.

It is my first year burning coal. I live in Québec and the average temp outside for the past three weeks is about -5 Fahrenheit. I easely keep my 2500 square feet house at a warm 72.

The stove I have is made to burn rice coal. I already went threw 2 ton this winter but I need a extra one to finish the season. All my supplier have left is buckwheat for now. Should I try this in my stove ? Can it damadge the stoker ? Can't wait the see what you guys have to say !


Canadian Coal Fan.

As far as I know all keystokers will burn both rice or buckwheat. If you have a direct vent you can only burn rice coal. Using buckwheat in a direct vent system can lead to a hopper fire. Best that you contact keystoker and not just take my word on this. I am by no means an expert.

Keystone Manufacturing Company

60 Keystoker Lane
Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972
Phone: (570) 385-3873
Fax: (570) 385-2755
E-Mail: info@keystoker.com

A similar question. with a hand load stove, if you want a hot fire, you burn stove size coal, it is pretty big. Normal heat nut size. If that is too hot then burn pea size coal. With each step smaller, the amount of air going through the bed of coal is reduced.

So will a stoker make more heat with buckwheat since it is larger than rice with bigger air passageways between the coal pieces??

My underfeed stoker will burn anything from rice, buckwheat or pea. I'm not sure if pea will be in the firepot long enough to burn fully.

Anybody have experience burning both and can make a comparrison??

Thanks, Greg L

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[quote="LsFarm"]

So will a stoker make more heat with buckwheat since it is larger than rice with bigger air passageways between the coal pieces??

Greg, I posed that question to an uncle recently. This is purely anecdotal but he agrees with you on the bigger the size the more heat. They have several EFMs in use. Years ago EFM made at least two different stokers, maybe more. The larger units had a larger sized worm to feed the coal. They could handle and burn buckwheat. He burns buckwheat in his and says it gives of more heat, as I said this is strictly anecdotal. The smaller EFMs and the only one that is in current production burns rice. I am told in a pinch you can cheat a little and mix maybe 25% buckwheat without running into feed problems

In a Keystoker boiler stoker I found the feed had to be increased slightly when going from rice to buckwheat. Likely because of the larger pieces of coal a little more travel in the push bar was needed. See what Keystoker recommends for you stove. The thing about burning back to the hopper is absolutely true and can happen with to strong a draft and also if ash removal is neglected. I guess it could be more apt to happen with larger coal because it would be easier to pull air thru the hopper to feed a fire up past the top of the grates, just a theory.

Thanks gaw, I appreciate the feedback. I guess I'll have to experiment myself. I'll buy 500# or so maybe 1000# of buckwheat, and try it in my stoker.

I may not need more heat, with the new larger burner surface on my stoker, but I am just now getting around to hooking my boiler to my shop's floor heat, and that is going to be an additional BTU drain on my boiler..

Take care,

Anybody else have experience with both buckwheat and rice coal in any type of stoker???


Greg L

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The buck will give you more heat at the moment but will also burn quicker, overall you should get the same BTU's pound for pound. The ashes have the same consistency but the buck is going to have slightly larger "chunks" for obvious reasons.

My brother has a keystoker which uses buck or rice. He uses Buck because it's easier to maintain a fire in warmer weather.

Some more on buckwheat versus rice…….. Until a few years ago buckwheat at the local breakers was a little cheaper, not anymore. This winter rice coal was in very short supply at the local breakers (western Schuylkill county) with one actually putting people on a waiting list and others just selling first come first serve until they ran out. The buckwheat is not in quite as much demand so around here if you have a choice in what you can burn this is yet another reason to burn buckwheat. We are sitting on tons of coal around here (in the ground) I have no less than four breakers within 20 miles of the house and you still have to wonder if you can get a load of coal some days if you need it! Friday I passed by a breaker and the little home delivery trucks were starting to line up at the gate 2 hours before opening time. Is this crazy or what?

I guys, Thanks for all your replys. I spoke with a gentleman at Keystoker today. He told me I can burn as much buck as I want, whithout damaging the stove,as far as I am hoked on a chimney, not a power venter. ( He did not tel me why it was like that. I don't realy can, I do have a chimney ). I will try that buck tomorow and let you know.

CanadianCoalFan

Forcast tomorow : 20 inch of snow and up to 40 mph wind ! yeah.

yeap same here short supply of rice coal. The local coal dealer is mixing rice and buck together to stretch his supply of rice.I've found that the mixture burns rather nicely in the harmon stoker