Where can I purchase coal mice starters online?

The subject line says it all.

YOu could just make your own...

Starter Bags

HEre are some
http://www.downeastcoal.com/accessories.htm

My manual mentions the use of several "Rutland Safe Lite" fire starters. Are these merely a particular brand of "coal mice", or are they something else?

Did you ever use the mice, they do smell when burning. I like charcoal with lighter fluid, and I start with the burn pot 1/3 to 1/2 full of ashes (smells also, but not as pungent as the mice to my nose), light the charcoal and turn the power on, in half an hour she will be making some heat. Once you get the drift of the ahs, you should not need any more mice or charcoal . I also like to give it a heavy load to start, open them windows and crank it up. Also, I put a heat gun inside the barometric damper to give some heat to the chimney for draft before I light the match.

AA130FIREMAN wrote:Did you ever use the mice, they do smell when burning. I like charcoal with lighter fluid, and I start with the burn pot 1/3 to 1/2 full of ashes (smells also, but not as pungent as the mice to my nose), light the charcoal and turn the power on, in half an hour she will be making some heat. Once you get the drift of the ahs, you should not need any more mice or charcoal . I also like to give it a heavy load to start, open them windows and crank it up. Also, I put a heat gun inside the barometric damper to give some heat to the chimney for draft before I light the match.

All very good advice! But since I'm a rookie I'm looking to have a few of the mice on hand. Failing an online way to purchase, do you think that any of the local stores that have them on hand would take a credit card order and mail them to me?

I just build a fire from scraps of 2x4, 2x6 etc.. I split the scrap wood into 6-8" lengths about the size of a finger, with a few smaller ones for starting the fire, put down a layer of 6-10 crumpled up sheets of newspaper, and cover the paper with the wood kindling.. light a match and turn on the fan. Once the fire is going strong add about 1" of coal over the fire, let it get hot, then add another layer of coal, once the coal is burning well, just fill up the burnpot.. it will burn from the bottom up.

AHS has good advice in their owners manual for the intial burn,, the most important thing is to let the fire burn hard for a good hour.. use lots of hot water, open the windows and use lots of heat.. this is to fully establish a full fire throughout the firepot.. you don't want any areas not burning,,

You can also use several 3-4" long pieces of road-flare.. they burn hot, but they do smell.. like fireworks.. but they burn hot and will get the coal burning fast.. the 'coal mice' have opened up have ground up road flare, wood chips and a few pieces of coal in the box or bag..

Greg L

I'll try the wood scraps and newspaper method. The manual warns against using any liquids such as charcoal lighter fluid.

lsayre wrote: The manual warns against using any liquids such as charcoal lighter fluid.

WHY, are they afraid it will catch on fire ??? Use your head like anything else, don't squirt lighter fluid in once the fire is started. I place the charcoal in a bucket, spray em with lighter fluid, put em in and light. Just don't leave the bucket with any excess lighter fluid or the container nearby when lighting.

You can also get match light charcoal,no need for lighter fluid. I would not be worried about preparing to start the fire, more of when you will be ready to start. Did you start the instalation ???

To start the installation I need to remove the oil boiler and then rearrange, relocate, and re-plumb just about everything that exists within the current system (including relocating walls). I'm still heating the house with what's left of the current system (the back-up resistance boiler is doing the work, but the entire system is plumbed in series with no means to isolate or bypass the defunct oil boiler), so I can't tear anything apart quite yet.

Got me to thinking about the old timer that showed me how to light the stoker in my church. Didn't have any mice back in the 80's , we used charcoal and kerosene in a bucket, had to light them on the shovel, it was as far as my arm could reach to get the coals on the grate, and had to wait til they turned gray. If the fire went out, it would take about 3 hours or more to make heat. That was 2 big losch stokers. I believe today it uses about 10,000 gallons of oil. The old man passed away years ago and his brother in law, they were in the 80's close to 90 years old, delivering coal and installing boilers with all the aspectos they handled on the pipes.

Are you suggesting that the charcoal be fired up outside of the boiler, and then placed into it only after it is burning well?

Just light it right on the grate, the combustion blower will get it going good.
I make my own, I just break up the charcoal into smaller pieces, add some hardwood shavings, some coal, wrap it in some newspaper or paper bag and put it on the grate, light it and it usually catches after 5-10 mins....

Last year I purchased them here:

http://www.downeastcoal.com/accessories.htm

They work well, and not too expensive, considering 12 for $16 also includes shipping.

lsayre wrote:Are you suggesting that the charcoal be fired up outside of the boiler, and then placed into it only after it is burning well?

NO, I was just saying in that boiler was so long it was necessary to light it and get it in as deep as possable,and I would let the charcoal turn gray. Letting it turn gray is not necessary either, I wait a couple of minutes then turn on the power.