110 boiler owners, what are you burning?

I'm curious what you fellow boiler operators are burning, and what are your results?
Last year I used Blashak bags with minimal fuss, only complaint was light bags with 5 lbs of water.
This year I got a load from Jeddo, and I can't get anything right. I was expecting less usage and less ash. I'm burning more with more ash in the pan, unburned coal, and way more flyash.

I buy from a local guy who picks up the coal from the South Tamaqua Coal Pocket. And this year I'm having the same issue that you are in regards to clinker formation, although I haven't had any issues keeping the boiler going since I plumbed in the primary loop.

I've kept the same settings as last year, but I get huge slag dams forming on the end of the grate. And whiile the stoker will eventually force these into the pan, I keep an eye on them so the fire doesn't end up burning way back on the grate. Because of you I pulled my grate apart and found the same amount of fines loaded underneath, and I thought that would eliminate the slag issue but it has not. The boiler 'seems' more efficient, but not by a measured standard only by my seat of the pants meter.

That said, it's January 11th, I've burned 530.00 worth of coal to keep the house at ~68f since October, so this is merely another learning experience when it comes to burning coal.

If you continue to have problems with clinkers, try mixing some buck in with the rice.

Clinkers? Dang! I don't have those issues, just poor burn, high consumption, and tons of ash.

I was able to get UAE buckwheat back in September. A years worth I hope 5 ton. I am impressed with its qualities. I hope I will be able to get more when money is available. It is the lowest ash coal that I have burned so far. And I tried a lot Reading, Blaschak, Jeddo, Kassey Kassa, and Hudson. They all have burned for me. Some are better than others. I am saving my pennies.

Have you noticed different consumption with different coal. I took the trip to NEPA this past fall to try and save some pennies. I had ok results with Blashak. My only complaint really was not getting 40 lbs of coal in a 40 lb bag. I thought by getting a "better" coal, I'd burn less. Quite the opposite. I had no problems keeping a consistent fire last year, with minimal flyash. I only cleaned the tubes and what not every ton. This year I'm cleaning the top end weekly, and the fire is very inconsistent.
I went to Jeddo because of all the good reviews, I'm just thinking its burning characteristics are incompatible with how our stokers work. That is the reason for this thread. If I decide to take the trip again, I want to know what burns well in our boilers. Unfortunately, it looks like UAE won't be an option.

The UAE coal i had to reduce feed 1 1/2 turns. The Blaschak burned ok but it was more expensive for me to buy. I can get it local in bulk but at 235 a ton. I opt for other coal. I didn't pay that much for the UAE . I had ok results with Kassey Kassa and Hudson. Higher as content and you burn a bit more. Cleaning fly ash accumulations out of tubes and pipes is done on the 1st Saturday of every month.

I have been using bagged blaschak rice with good results and it is just slightly damp . I weighed a bag of it and it was 40 lbs. . I have not tried other brands as they are not available where I live. Like others have mentioned I do clean the top end about every couple of weeks do to the fly ash content , not a real big deal as it only takes a couple minutes with the optional clean out door . If I didn't have that it would be pain for sure .

hcarlow wrote:I have been using bagged blaschak with good results and it is just slightly damp . I weighed a bag of it and it was 40 lbs. .

Perhaps I had a bad run last year? I had no issue with the coal itself, but it wasn't just damp, it was soaked! I opened a lot of bags, let them dry out then weighed them. Average dry weight was 32 lbs. So figure on average 8 lbs of water over 5 skids, I feel like I got screwed a whole skid! Not to mention the couple lbs of non coal.

I have to agree with you I would have felt screwed too .

I've burned Reading and Blashack, both with the same results. I haven't had the soaked coal problem, both brands were just a little moist. Enough to prevent keeping the bags outside, but not soaked.