Minor Explosion In Coal Stove

I was just reading the articles about small explosions and itra mentioned low quality anthracite nut coal. I burned coal when I was a young boy until I was a teenager and will be making the change from wood to coal this year (hopefully) and I wasn't aware that anthracite nut coal had low or high quality. I was going to purchase coal from a local Amish who receives his coal from the Pennsylvania coal mines. The price of coal in upstate NY is high $380-400 per ton; the Amish sell it for $225 per ton. What is the best quality coal one can buy. I also see it mentioned about having bad coal. Bad coal? What makes coal bad. When I used coal as a teenager we burned the large stove coal. Did that make a difference? I am quickly trying to get up to speed; I don't need or want these small explosions. I will have one pipe connection that I do not believe I will be able to screw together. Reading today, that one connection worries me. I don't want coal dust and the like all over my hardwood floors and through the house. wayne.

Hello Wayne, we try to keep each thread on topic, so for your question about coal quality, take a look at this thread: about3495.html Bad coal would be characterized as not burning well, or completely or not burning very hot.. or leaving hard ash that the shaker grates can't grind up or get to fall through into the ashpan.

For your question about the minor explosions, re-read this thread we are on. It has a very good description about how and why the explosions happen.

I'd just ask the Amish where they get their coal. They may be forthcoming with an answer. I will say that in my area, the N. Indiana, N Ohio and S, Michigan area, if the coal poor quality, the Amish will be quite vocal about it to the retailer!! So you should be OK buying from them, but this is by no means a guarantee. If they sell the coal to each other, it should be good quality.

Hope this helps..
Greg L

Had my first explosion today-actually 2 of them. I reloaded too much in too short a time. I did leave a section uncovered but after the reload that section did not have any flame by the time I closed the door. I waited a while with the ash door open. I slowly opened the fill door several times and saw no flames so I just kept waiting. Finally I opened it again and wooooosh. I closed the door. This probably blew out the flame quickly. Then within a few seconds-woooooooosh, and puffs of smoke and some ash out of the pipe fittings and the ash door. Left a little dust around but not bad. I fortunately had already emptied the ash drawer otherwise I might have seen a huge cloud of ash. My fault. I think I loaded it too deep in the area I covered and took too long loading it so the flames went out in the open section. I have now become a member in good standing i guess. This was in my boiler so there was a pretty good quantity of new coal and gas ready for the party. I think the hopper arrangement on my Hitzer in the living room makes this situation much less likely to happen.

This is my second winter with our Alaska Kodiak and this has happened to me twice over the last two days. My normal way of loading was to just use the shovel that came with our coal hod and put an even amount over the entire bed of coals. When I had this problem I loaded by just picking up the hod and dumping it in. Then I would use the shovel to evenly cover the entire fire. We tend to get a good size air pocket under the coals and sometimes when I shake the grates the entire bed of embers will drop down 4 or 5 inches. I thought this explosion we had was just that air pocket bursting but after reading the explaination for this it appears to be the trapped gas. I notice if I use the poker and go down throught the fire to the grates in 4 or 5 loacations that makes the embers drop before I shake the grates. How often should I poke the fire like this and would poking the fire also help prevent this from happening? Thanks.

Tom Martino

You really need to leave a corner of the fire open, not covered with fresh coal. the open fire will act as a pilot light and keep buring off the coal gas. After the fire has burned for say 30 minutes, then you can add more coal to the corner or side you left open.. the rest of the fresh coal will be burning and have the 'blue dancing flames' .

Greg L.

tpmar wrote:I notice if I use the poker and go down throught the fire to the grates in 4 or 5 loacations that makes the embers drop before I shake the grates. How often should I poke the fire like this and would poking the fire also help prevent this from happening? Thanks.

I find that after the fire has been going for a week or so, I'll need to poke down into these air pockets while twisting the poker to break up any clumps. This allows me to "puncture the air pockets, break up any clumps & shake down completely & then fill with fresh coal. Leave a section uncovered & blazing all the time until the whole bed is blazing. (This will burn off volatile gases & stop puff backs)

The procedure I use is to shake down first (until I see a few embers drop....Then poke & twist & then shake a little more. (not too much shaking or you'll pack the coal bed to tight for air to easily go through it)
Takes some practice with your particular set up.

On cool to cold days this whole procedure will usually take 20 minutes or less.

Thanks Devil; That's just the sort of advice I was looking for. I'll give this technique you describe a try.

Tom Martino

Had yet to have the pleasure of the blue ladies lickin' my face till tonight!
Waiting for the mechanic to arrive to check out the misbehavin' brakes on a delivery truck...
Left alone in the shop while others went on a beer run...
They had the King O' Heat with the ash door open, 60 lbs coal in the stove heating up and about 30 lbs of coal in the hods...
Being the kind person I am I tossed the coal in the hods on to the cherry red coal in the stove...
All at once...
Then decided to see what was happening...
Nothing...
20 minutes later someone else opened the loading door to check and and I was watching closely...
The Ladies came out to smootch...

The other stoves I load always had an area of open flame, this was a bigger stove, with a bigger load of coal.
Lesson learned...
Never...
Ever...
Bury the fire under a blanket of new coal!