Switching From Wood?

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Tue. Jul. 27, 2010 6:34 pm

How to Light a Hand Fired Coal Stove
This is a must read if you are switching from wood...
I think it mentions the 'open ash door' issue a few times...

Maybe the booms too if not it is in here...
Minor Explosion in Coal Stove

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Tue. Jul. 27, 2010 8:13 pm

I'm glad to hear you are interested in Baseburners. Dij and I are two members here who have Glenwood Baseburners. Please click on links below to see information about my Glenwood. If you have any questions I will be more than happy to help you.

Glenwood Baseheater-Specs, Photos and Performance

Antique Stove Hospital and Barnstable Stove Shop both have Glenwoods available in different sizes and types. I think the man at Antique Stove Hospital has most of the sizes of Glenwood Baseburners. They aren't that expensive when you consider what you get when you buy one.

SheepDog68 · Post by **SheepDog68** » Fri. Jul. 30, 2010 10:19 am

Well you guys are a bad influence on me!!

I emailed several different companies for quotes to get me a truck load of coal delivered. Looks like I am about 300-325 miles from where most of the good coal is coming from so it will be interesting to see what the prices look like.

I have been asking for quotes on nut since I will be doing a hand-fired stove and it sounds from my reading that nut would work well for that application.

The leaders in the pack right now are: DSM, the Alaska Kodiak, with Hitzer trailing in third place.

After I get the quotes back I will have to call the guys down at Harmony and see what they have to say about me buying a load directly from them.

I about have the area for the coal ready for it and will just have to get a couple of tarps big enough to go under and over it which is how I am going to store the lion share of it!

The CFO (Wife) has given her blessing on the stove and coal purchase, but it looks like I will have to wait about a month to make it all happen.

Thanks to all who have taken their time to help me out in my quest for info!!

SD

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Fri. Jul. 30, 2010 10:42 am

Before you commit to 23 tons of nut coal...
You are looking at 4-6 years worth of coal...
You might want to burn a ton or so of that size to make sure it is what you need...
Pea sized coal is also an option...

VigIIPeaBurner · Post by **VigIIPeaBurner** » Fri. Jul. 30, 2010 11:45 am

CapeCoaler wrote:Before you commit to 23 tons of nut coal...
You are looking at 4-6 years worth of coal...
You might want to burn a ton or so of that size to make sure it is what you need...
Pea sized coal is also an option...

CapeCoaler makes an important point. Many of us use both alternating between the smaller and larger size as the temperature and weather changes. Sometimes blending them together to get a "range" of different sizes works best. This relates to regulating the chimney/stove draft and how the coal will burn in your configuration.

I'm going back to the chimney talk. It's not too uncommon when a chimney used for wood burning gets finicky when used with a coal appliance. Big difference between the draft requirements for burning wood vs. coal. Sometimes and outside chimney that works for wood will run cool with a coal stove. Coal fire chimney temps are generally lower than wood fires because the combustion occurs in the deep coal bed and is extracted by the stove. Not like wood where the wood coals and smoke must combust to get efficient heat return. Wood heat output is controlled by top and bottom air and how many logs you feed at one time. There's no creosote concerns with coal. Coal is controlled by bottom air pulled through the bed by a constant draft that moves the heat through the stove and up the chimney.

Check on the chimney diameter when you choose your stove. You can have a larger diameter chimney than what the coal stove specifies but an oversize outside chimney might cause draft problems. Don't be too concerned about this but if you can match them up, it's one less thing to deal with in the middle of this learning curve you're about to start.

SheepDog68 · Post by **SheepDog68** » Fri. Jul. 30, 2010 11:59 am

I had thought about the coal size thing and figured on getting a pallet or so of pea to use as needed and run most of the winter with the nut size. Bad idea??

I hate waiting and wanted to get coal in while the weather was nice!!

SD

VigIIPeaBurner · Post by **VigIIPeaBurner** » Fri. Jul. 30, 2010 12:13 pm

SheepDog68 wrote:I had thought about the coal size thing and figured on getting a pallet or so of pea to use as needed and run most of the winter with the nut size. Bad idea??

I hate waiting and wanted to get coal in while the weather was nice!!

SD

GREAT idea

jrn8265 · Post by **jrn8265** » Fri. Jul. 30, 2010 12:23 pm

wow!

My 316ti stainless 5" liner and piping has no rust after 3 years of burning anthracite....moisture makes all the difference!

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Sat. Jul. 31, 2010 7:22 pm

SheepDog68 wrote:

Well you guys are a bad influence on me!!

I emailed several different companies for quotes to get me a truck load of coal delivered. Looks like I am about 300-325 miles from where most of the good coal is coming from so it will be interesting to see what the prices look like.

I have been asking for quotes on nut since I will be doing a hand-fired stove and it sounds from my reading that nut would work well for that application.

The leaders in the pack right now are: DSM, the Alaska Kodiak, with Hitzer trailing in third place.

After I get the quotes back I will have to call the guys down at Harmony and see what they have to say about me buying a load directly from them.

I about have the area for the coal ready for it and will just have to get a couple of tarps big enough to go under and over it which is how I am going to store the lion share of it!

The CFO (Wife) has given her blessing on the stove and coal purchase, but it looks like I will have to wait about a month to make it all happen.

Thanks to all who have taken their time to help me out in my quest for info!!

SD

I'm glad you are narrowing down your search. I'm curious about what were the characteristics of each stove that led you like or dislike it and how you decided? It might help others who are also in the Valley Of Decision as they try to decide on which stove to get for themselves.

SheepDog68 · Post by **SheepDog68** » Sat. Jul. 31, 2010 10:46 pm

I have been reading what everyone has said about their stoves, what they like about them and what they wish was different.

I like several of the Hitzer stoves with built in hoppers. Hitzer stove are the only ones I have been around, looked at closely and seen in operation. They seem to be practical well built stoves, yet for all of their pluses they seem to have very small ash pans which make emptying it often a necessity. They are built by a respected company who has enough dealers and parts to support their stoves for a long time.

The Alaska Kodiak is another well built stove, it has a much larger (as far as I can tell) ash pan. (I am going to see one at my dealers shortly) The round grate seems to have some advantages, but many speak of having to clean out the corners of the stove so there seems to be a few disadvantages to that design as well. Since they added the hopper at least one person I have talked to called it the perfect stove. They also have a sizable dealer network.

DS Machine seems to have taken the best of many stoves designs and put them into one stove!! They are a small company that seems to be very responsive to their customers and will even build what the customer wants taking the many different parts and allowing you to pick and choose them as you wish. I am not use to the idea/looks of the expanded metal on the sides of the DSM stove, but I am sure it serves a good purpose. DSM stoves also seem to give more stove for the money than others I have found.

I think I could live with stoves from any of these companies!

Each have advantages and disadvantages, but ones that I think I could learn to live with. Some of them would look better in the living room which has to be a consideration since the CFO cares about that sort of thing.

One needs to become familiar with these strengths and weaknesses and choose what one wants to live with. I hope to research my choices enough to not be surprised by any disadvantages I was not aware of nor get something that would not serve me well!!

SD

oliver power · Post by **oliver power** » Sun. Aug. 01, 2010 10:02 pm

One thing I really like about the HITZER EZ-flow stoves is the finning in the heat exchanger. These finns pull heat off the stove, while air blows across the finns, taking heat out into the room. Some fine engineering on HITZER's part. Look up in the heat exchanger (where air blows out), and you'll see the finning. Should the power go out, the finns are still taking heat off the stove. Natural circulation moves heat into the living space.

wsherrick · Post by **wsherrick** » Sun. Aug. 01, 2010 11:01 pm

Before you finally make up your mind; do yourself a big favor and talk to Emery at Antique Stove Hospital. Everybody (including me) has an opinion on which stove is the best. I'm not trying to push you one way or the other. Just check out all options before buying. Everyone here wants a newcomer to be as happy burning coal as we all are, regardless of what kind of stove we have. That's why we all have to put our two cents worth in.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Mon. Aug. 02, 2010 1:33 am

Your first question is if you want fans or no fans...
Then how pretty you want the stove...
Then how much you are willing to spend...
No doubt a Base Burner would look real nice and they do heat well...
They are not cheap if restored but look much better than a steel box...
I went with the Basement #4 because well it is in the basement and I wanted function over form...
There is a nice Oakwood for sale on The Cape for a reasonable price in pretty good shape...

david78 · Post by **david78** » Sun. Aug. 08, 2010 9:56 pm

If you're still looking for a source for coal you might give the folks at 3J a call. They're at Newberg, which should be pretty close to you if you're in central WV. I just got a load of stoker coal for $105/ton. He has bagged anthracite for $255/ton. Joe also sells Hitzer and Alaska stoves. Nice guy. 304-864-3638.

SheepDog68 · Post by **SheepDog68** » Mon. Aug. 09, 2010 8:32 am

Thanks!

SD