New Stove Question

I am currently burning wood in a Jōtul stove. Have only had it for 3 seasons. The manual says not to burn coal in the stove as it could hurt the stainless tubing that brings in secondary air. The stove does have grates in it but the air intake is above the grates. The stove does have an ash pan door which when open, does allow air to go up through the grates. My question is, should I make another big investment in a new stove (this one was almost $3,000.00) so I can burn coal or is there a way to burn it in this stove safely?

Photog

I would follow the advice of your stoves manual. Burning coal is nothing like burning wood.

You don't need a big investment in a coal stove to start out. Today I saw on Craiglist a Warm Morning stove and a couple hundred pounds of coal for free in the Boston area. While free stoves are not the norm of course you can find a good used coal stove for well under $500. I paid $100 for my coal stove and it was the best investment I ever made.

If you will tell us what part of the US you are in someone on the board may very well be able to help you find a good used coal stove near you.

That's what I was thinking...have already been doing research on them.

I live in Central NY up near Lake Ontario

I've got a Surdiac coal stove. The manufacturer sold the rights to Jotul I believe in the 90s. Their stoves were similar. Do you know for sure if your stove is a wood or coal stove? What is the model?

The stove is going to be in my living room so I do want something that looks nice. I have actually been looking at a restored Glenwood base heater stove...but again, they are going for about $3,000.00. I have been watching Craigslist and nothing I am interested in is coming up so far.

Joeq, the model is a Oslo, and it is specifically a wood stove. I know a lot of people do burn coal in stoves that were meant for just wood but I think it would be a bad idea to do so in this one. But that is why I am asking for advise.

I'm just a "greenhorn" when it comes to advice on these topics,(so don't mortgage your house on this), but because coal burns hotter than wood, I'ld be leery. Wood in a coal stove I've heard is OK, but not the other way around. PS I just googled some pics of your stove. Very nice looking.

You don't need a big investment in a coal stove to start out. Today I saw on Craiglist a Warm Morning stove and a couple hundred pounds of coal for free in the Boston area. While free stoves are not the norm of course you can find a good used coal stove for well under $500. I paid $100 for my coal stove and it was the best investment I ever made.

....Seriously....& get a Coal Chubby on CL for $300 or less. Or by a refurbished from Larry Trainor for 699 to 1500. Jotul is a beautiful stove - take the munufacturer's advice

Here is Larry selling his basic model on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coal-Stove-Chub ... 416e71082a

Lots of threads on these. I started one recently about my first season.

joeq wrote:...Seriously....& get a Coal Chubby on CL for $300 or less. Or by a refurbished from Larry Trainor for 699 to 1500. Jotul is a beautiful stove - take the munufacturer's advice

Very hard to go wrong with a "Chubby" coal stove. You can easily find a used one on CL or as Joe says a refurdished one from the makeer himelf. The stoves Larry rehabs are like "brand new" when he is done with them and you can't beat the customer service from Larry either. Whatever stove you choose you won't be dissapointed when you burn coal. Can't beat the heat and the ease of use. Not to mention the savings!

Thanks for all the advise guys...this info will help me make my decision. I want to make the change this year because I am planning on retiring in a year or two. I am planning on keeping my eye on craigslist for the next couple weeks to see if anything comes up.

The Jotul Olso does not have a shaker grate from what I can see in the exploded view of he parts for this stove on the Jotul web site. Looks like a stationary grate quite specifically built for wood burning. You'd probably have a pretty hard time burning coal in it.

I didn't see where you've said how big a house you are trying to heat. Are you successfully heating what you want now with the Jotul? Do you want change the space you are going to heat with the addition of the coal stove? Sizing should be something to be thinking about in the selection of the stove you want to pick up.

dj

dlj wrote:The Jotul Olso does not have a shaker grate from what I can see in the exploded view of he parts for this stove on the Jotul web site. Looks like a stationary grate quite specifically built for wood burning. You'd probably have a pretty hard time burning coal in it.

I didn't see where you've said how big a house you are trying to heat. Are you successfully heating what you want now with the Jotul? Do you want change the space you are going to heat with the addition of the coal stove? Sizing should be something to be thinking about in the selection of the stove you want to pick up.

dj

The size of the Jotul is good...heating about 1100 sq ft. but not insulated very well. I have already ruled out even trying the Jotul for coal. Looking at other stoves now.

Here is a link to the stove I am going to look at on Sunday. It is a little more ornate than I normally would like but looks like it is in good condition.
http://syracuse.craigslist.org/atq/3601865757.html
The name of the stove is Gem Docash, made in PA
Let me know what you think?