Lighting Nut Coal

Looks like you are on your way. I had to show my buddy how to get his Harman to burn coal. He was a wood burner. Keep adding a little coal at a time until you are up to the top of the fire bricks.

jpd989 wrote:Looks like you are on your way. I had to show my buddy how to get his Harman to burn coal. He was a wood burner. Keep adding a little coal at a time until you are up to the top of the fire bricks.

I love the optimism, this is where I was 2x today though. The difference this time is I'm not stirring anything and yes only added a few more coals to see if they start so as not to smother. I expect it will all be out within the hour again. What was red and glowing was cool enough to pick up once I dumped and started from scratch, so like rotten wood it gets red but never really lights.

One q I have though, you say to the top of the firebricks. My firebricks are almost to the top of stove, taller than the front door, so 3 inches or so? If what I just put in lights that is.. so far stove temp is dropping steadily 300-280-250...

Make sure 100% of the grates are covered with burning wood embers, then add coal 2" at a time.
After the first 2" of coal is burning add another 2". This may take 20 minutes. Keep doing this until the coal is up to the top of the fire bricks.
98-99% of the draft air has to rise up through the grates or the coal fire will go out.
Do not poke the fire...This tends to snuff out a coal fire.
Stick with it.....
I was quite sure that the black rocks would not burn the first time...

30 mins later, out! Unreal! I don't have good enough seasoned wood for this, only downed trees and sticks in the woods, so I can't get 2 inches of wood embers going... and here comes the snow! If I lose lights (radiators) that's that!

Thanks all for trying to help though. Nice bunch of folks, if only burning coal was as nice!

I have used scrap 2x4 pieces as well as fire wood to get my coal to light. It will test yor patience to the max but once you learn how it is the best .

coldcoal wrote: I don't have good enough seasoned wood for this

Thanks all for trying to help though. Nice bunch of folks, if only burning coal was as nice!

Most of us use Cowboy Charcoal / (Hardwood Lump Charcoal) to start the coal fire.
You need to cover 100% of the grates with about 5-6" of the charcoal.
Let the stove get hot with this, 400-450*F, then start adding the Anthracite.
Cowboy Charcoal @ Lowes is about $7.00 for a 8.8 lb. bag.
This works every time.

Charcoal is the easiest, quickest way. I hear great things about cowboy charcoal, but have yet to use it. For now, I just use regular charcoal, soaked in diesel or lighter fluid, just one layer to cover the grates, light a match & hit all 4 corners then toss match in center, close ash door & open spin damper up so you get fire, but not so much fire that it's getting sucked up the chimney. After that burns for about a minute, open the ash door & let it rip. Then you shovel a layer of coal on ... then another ... then another.

Within 20 minutes, you'll have several layers blazing away evenly - provided you have a decent enough draft. I never had any luck getting it lit with wood. I guess I don't have the patience.

From this:
To this, in 30 minutes - with Blaschak too:

Thank you SMITTY--after burning wood for 50 yrs--I damn sure don't want to play Paul Bunyan getting the Hitzer going every heating season. You da man my young friend

Smitty, yeah I had kingsford in there, it lit! But would not light the coals, so not so easy. I think a propane torch might do it, but that's about it. Just as well, I have no CO detector, probably saved my life since it didn't light! (Another plus of wood)

looks good Smitty. Those coils arnt pitted?? are they??

the fat wood burns fast and hot

the cowboy charcoal does too

He must not be putting enough nut on top of the wood fire. coal like thick! deep! the air rushes around each nugget up , up, up, thru the layers thus drawing vital oxygen thru the thick deep bed.....

torch works also

PE, he said he put 10 lbs on the first try--geezum I put a couple three little stove shovels full at a time--he'll get it--we all have & if not they're still feeding the PIG-- TIME--things I must earn

I used what you instructed, 10 pounds, waited 30 mins, etc. All in all if it's this hard to get coal burning coal is not worth burning, this is why God made trees! I already called supplier and said I'm bringing the other bags back, un-lightable, etc.

Peace out!

coldcoal,that Blaschak's not frozen is it???-The bagged,I hear,tends to do that--that's why I buy bulk & buy early

Think of it as a nuclear reaction that needs a critical mass to keep going. If the temp drops below that critical point, it goes out. Not sure how deep your beds is but nut likes a deep bed. My method has been to line the bottom of the grate with 2-3 inches of coal. Start a wood fire on top of that (old scrap 2x4 works great) and as the wood fire gets going, slowly add coal on top. I keep my ash door open while starting because you want thengs burning hot and fast. A couple of 2x4's usualy have enough mass to get things going before they burn up. A single bigger log in the middle won't hurt either. Once you see red coal you can keep adding coal to the max level. I keep the ash door open until I see the whole bed starting to catch, then I close it and go away until spring. Takes me about 15-25 minutes.