Coal Newb with a Hitzer 82FA - Questions

Hello! After a couple of years of paying high heating oil prices, my wife and I decided to go the coal route for our home heating. We purchased a Hitzer 82FA this summer and it is now heating our house (northeastern OH) very nicely! I started it on the first try with a wood fire, then adding coal slowly until the fire box was full. My question is this: How much coal should I be adding in the morning and evening? I know this is a loaded question as each of our systems/houses are different, but I have been adding 40 pounds of nut coal in the morning and another 40 pounds in the evening. I will be going through a ton of coal every 25 days at this rate. Is that fairly normal usage? Any information will be of help.

Yep, is loaded question! Depends I would say on what your home is like to heat, if big old farm house on top of hill and drafty, 80lb. a day is probably not bad. In my case we have a Hitzer 354, burning 30-40lb. a day, but fairly new house, and tight. But I would bet your coal usage cost is still about a third of whatever you were heating with befor, unless it was wood. Expect others will jump in here soon.

Many thanks New York Bear!! We do have a drafty old farm house that sits beside an open field to the west (we wish we were on a hill, but its pretty flat here in NE OH). We are enjoying the heat we are getting from coal and, yes, our heating cost will be about a third of what it was last year using heating oil! Thanks again for your input. It is very helpful.