How much coal have you burned so far

I am not sure I have been getting mine for free so I havent really been keeping track if I had to guess 40lb a day since the second week of Jan. till now. I would say all but a ton 1960lb with only 7 tubs of ashes. I don't know if this is good or not i will see next heating season.

jrn8265 wrote:How do you guys measure your coal usage?

Just assume a pail holds 40 Lbs and mark down how many pails you have used?

I use a medium sized flat shovel. I weighed 10 full scoops with the shovel to be 70 pounds.
I track how many scoops on a calendar, been using 6-7 scoops per day 42-49 pounds.

Hmm...I have averaged about a 40lb bag a day.

jrn8265 wrote:How do you guys measure your coal usage?

Just assume a pail holds 40 Lbs and mark down how many pails you have used?

I first weighed a plastic 5 gallon pail on the scale, and record the bucket weight. I then fill it with coal to the top, place the bucket back on the scale, subtract the bucket weight and come up with the total. I also weigh roller pan prior to, and after I dump the coal from the bucket into it. This way I make sure everything is accurate. If any coal spills on the floor I am always sure to pick it up. I also screen my ashes for good coal, this was mostly when I first started firing the stove while I was getting used to how it reacted. Now that I am back in the groove, I have barely any salvageable coal to pick out of the ashes which is great.

Yes my friend, you assume correctly in answer to your question.

jrn8265 wrote:How do you guys measure your coal usage?

Just assume a pail holds 40 Lbs and mark down how many pails you have used?

A 5 gallon bucket does not hold 40 lbs of coal. It's more like 34 lbs. At least with rice it is.

Coalkirk, maybe it depends on the rice and from where?

I consistently measure about 38 pounds after bucket weight is subtracted.

jrn8265 wrote:Coalkirk, maybe it depends on the rice and from where?

I consistently measure about 38 pounds after bucket weight is subtracted.

What are you weighing it on? I don't think a typical bathroom scale is accurate enough. I took an empty and a full 5 gallon bucket to my dogs vet's office where they have a nice digital scale. Came out to 33.8 lbs as I recall. You are probably right about different coals weighing different amounts.

It also depends on how full the bucket is and how wet the coal is obviously. I use rice coal and have three bucket sizes I use, a laundry detergent bucket that holds ~43lbs (taller than 5-gal), a 5 gal that holds ~34 lbs and a cat litter that holds ~26 lbs. I measured multiple buckets with a bathroom scale that matched my weight with the scale at the doctors office. I was real disappointed that the buckets only weighed what they did, as tired as I was carrying them in I was hoping they measured out about 10lbs more each! What a shot to the ego!

I don't fill them all the way to the brim because it makes it too hard to pour them in the hopper without spilling. I stay about 2" below the top and these weights were measured with the rice coal at that level.

I gotta say that you guys really get this old farmer a-grinnin early in the day.

4200 lbs in about 120 days. I doesn't seem right, but this year has been milder than normal. Last year I burned 3.7 tons thru April. Who knows what the end total will be this year.

Maybe Al Gore was right??? Naaaaaaaaa.

I've burnt about two feet..


When I started burning this season, I had coal pouring out of each doorway about two feet,, I've now shoveled up and burnt
enough that the bottom edge of the slope of coal has moved back roughly two feet, give or take a piece of coal or two..

Greg L

I think I've burned about 5 tons since Oct 1st. Good thing it's been mild.

I once worked as an apprentice boy in a heavy fabrication shop that had a very clever workforce.There was one older code welder that purchased a brand new 1966 full sized Dodge station wagon with a 440 cu in engine.I was making $2.00 an hour and even though gasoline was cheap by todays standards I was watching every penny.I asked the welder just how many miles per gallon his wagon would get on a trip [he was a travel trailer enthusiast].He said,"Kid when you are my age I don't worry about how far a gallon will take me,I only worry if I can fill the tank and the engine will keep burning what I put in the tank. I must be his age now because I no longer weigh the coal or the ash.As long as I can go to the mine and get back with 1 1/2 tons I am happy.I know however that I am closing in on the 3 ton mark here in late February. Isn't it great that we can still get our saving coal and our equipment stays burning it? Yah,it is. Mike

2 ton delivered at start up 11-18-2011. 3 more ton delivered 12-23-2011 before the price increase gave 1.5 tons to freinds and just had 2 tons delivered yesterday. I am so confused!!!!