After 33 years of exclusively wood heating, I'm trying coal

It's been a great month. No more hauling a cartload of wood per day from the shed. I still have about 400 pounds left and have a new ton sitting in the trailer because I like it so much. Looks like 2 tons will handle the worst part of the Winter.

I had a feeling you wouldn't stop at one ton. Anthracite provides a very clean, long lasting burn in hand-feds that were designed to burn it.

Have you noticed any creosote peeling from the inside of the boiler? If it wasn't clean when you started it should brush out easily now; same goes for the chimney.

-Rob

Loving my coal. Went 6 weeks on the first ton.

My cousin was whining on facebook about their January $400+ electric bill (all electric homes and some with heatpump) and a bunch of other facebookers were about the same dollar amount or higher. I felt guilty telling them that my heat and electric bill came to $220 with a 72 degree house. They cooled down quickly after ranting, when they sat down in their 63 degree living rooms.

.............Yet with all the success stories, folks are skeptical UNTIL they try it. I show them hand fed boilers, radiant stokers. stoker boilers and even a hot air stoker......still they go home to a wood stove, pellet stove...a couple with wood fired hot air furnaces...and then those who coughed up 11K or more for the outdoor wood boilers. Locally I saw two log trucks delivering green hardwood....then 4 hrs later, 3 people working on the pile, cutting, splitting, loading it into the bucket of a nice Kubota, and off to the wood boiler. I'm placing the moisture content at about 43 percent........

I did stop to talk to them about their new Central Boiler.....latest and greatest...energy efficient....labor saving......blah, blah, blah.........................$12,700 with the install, piping, wiring and a wood shed beside the boiler.......and it was 5 degrees at 4 pm.

2001Sierra wrote:Here is my coal bin. I tow it behind my lawn tractor to the woods in the off season.

I do the same thing.
I use my old Ford tractor (w/forks) to move coal and wood bins back to the edge of my property for the summer....I've never been a fan of permanent outdoor coal bins near the house.

Sorry for not monitoring your questions, I guess I am a stoker slacker!! Yes that is a coal scuttle that the coal falls into. I then simply carry the scuttles into the house and pour them into the hopper. I do not have to fight with trying to pour the bags into the scuttles, and as most know rice coal spills like pepper. I like to keep everything neat. I also despise fighting with frozen bags in the middle of winter. I can fill two scuttles in less than a minute. As the bin empties I rake the coal to the blast gate until I have time to refill it, hopefully on a reasonable sunny winter day. I get almost 3 weeks out of the 800 lb capacity, when burning hard.

how is that wagon working out. I m trying to come up with the same same system
how did you make yours?

I don't know if you're asking me, but here are some pictures of my wagon. I used all scrap steel from other projects. The frame is 2 x 4 sq. tubing from shelving. The pneumatic wheels are rated for 800#. The center of gravity is a little forward, but the air space afforded by the bucket balances a full load perfectly. It's a prototype, so I made a good guess. The cart holds about 600# and the handlebar is removable by loosening two bolts and pulling it out. The total construction is welded and the boards in front and back are removable for easy shoveling. I'd say that one cart lasts 10 days.

Well, the party is over. I'll be out of coal tomorrow morning and it's back to wood again. Two tons lasted from Dec. 5th until Feb. 26th which is 12 weeks. I'm doing this again next year.

Skirt Coal is a man's fuel. Sorry Lisa, and others I am sure to offend. I couldn't help myself

I'll be out of coal tomorrow morning and it's back to wood again.

Um...buy more coal...

No, another ton would sit around here all Summer. In another month, I won't need the boiler for heat anymore. The wood stove will take over for heat and the boiler will be used only for domestic hot water.

I see.

DF 520

stoker-man wrote:No, another ton would sit around here all Summer. In another month, I won't need the boiler for heat anymore. The wood stove will take over for heat and the boiler will be used only for domestic hot water.

You no coal does to have a shelf life and it is able to heat hot water in a boiler to make DHW in the Summer time