Coal, Sounds Too Good to Be True
I have been looking at this site for sometime. All the talk about burning coal for home heating sounds too good to be true. Everyone I talk to says coal burning is extremely dirty, procedurse coal dust through out the house and the heat is hard to regulate. Also, with coal you are dependent on the seller for the prcie they sell it. With wood you can atleast go out and get your own if need be. You are not doing that with coal.
I don't see any discussions from people who gave up on coal.
I don't see any discussions from people who gave up on coal.
Last edited by nortel33 on Sat. Apr. 01, 2017 6:18 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Moved to Anthracite Coal News and General Discussion
Reason: Moved to Anthracite Coal News and General Discussion
- Rob R.
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 17980
- Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
- Location: Chazy, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr
Welcome to the forum. This is the place to be for good info and nice folks.
These people that talk about how terrible coal is...have any of them actually heated their house with it?
As for buying the coal, yes...it can't be chopped down in the back 40. However, if you do not have a wood lot or time to cut it I think one is as easy as the other.
What is your location?
These people that talk about how terrible coal is...have any of them actually heated their house with it?
As for buying the coal, yes...it can't be chopped down in the back 40. However, if you do not have a wood lot or time to cut it I think one is as easy as the other.
What is your location?
- dcrane
- Verified Business Rep.
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- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404
Welcome to the Nepa forums! always love new people and discussions here , your not going to find to many people coverting from coal to wood (there is very valid reason for this lil' fact that should not be hard to figure out )
Most of those people who are saying "coal is dirty, smelly, nasty" are folks who have never used antracite coal to heat with. They think about industrial coal or power used to generate electricity or soft coal. Antracite Coal is a whole differant animal (like night VS day). It is good to be careful with empting ash pans, etc. (but no more carful than you would want to be with wood ashes & storing wood (which is a lot more problematic than coal), Creosote is about the worst most invasive smell to eradicate from a home (coal does not have that problem). wood brings bugs, termites, ants, mold, etc. into your home (coal does not have that problem). wood needs to be cut, split, stacked, seasoned, covered, etc. (coal does not have that problem). wood burns up fast, coal does not, wood temps flucuate vastly through its burn cycle and those flucuations happen fast N furiously, coal burns even, steady, over long durations!
The easiest way to sum it all up because there is just to many things for me list here without writting a book.... the ONLY advantage wood might have over coal is IF...and this is a big "IF", you are able to obtain cut, split and delivered hardwood FREE at all times! (even then... if you burned coal before you would know to sell that free wood on criegs list to then go buy some coal for your coal stove each time your free wood is delivered ) If you don't have that... wood has no advantages I can list for you.
Most of those people who are saying "coal is dirty, smelly, nasty" are folks who have never used antracite coal to heat with. They think about industrial coal or power used to generate electricity or soft coal. Antracite Coal is a whole differant animal (like night VS day). It is good to be careful with empting ash pans, etc. (but no more carful than you would want to be with wood ashes & storing wood (which is a lot more problematic than coal), Creosote is about the worst most invasive smell to eradicate from a home (coal does not have that problem). wood brings bugs, termites, ants, mold, etc. into your home (coal does not have that problem). wood needs to be cut, split, stacked, seasoned, covered, etc. (coal does not have that problem). wood burns up fast, coal does not, wood temps flucuate vastly through its burn cycle and those flucuations happen fast N furiously, coal burns even, steady, over long durations!
The easiest way to sum it all up because there is just to many things for me list here without writting a book.... the ONLY advantage wood might have over coal is IF...and this is a big "IF", you are able to obtain cut, split and delivered hardwood FREE at all times! (even then... if you burned coal before you would know to sell that free wood on criegs list to then go buy some coal for your coal stove each time your free wood is delivered ) If you don't have that... wood has no advantages I can list for you.
- michaelanthony
- Member
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- Joined: Sat. Nov. 22, 2008 10:42 pm
- Location: millinocket,me.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant 2310, gold marc box stove
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Gold Marc Independence
- Baseburners & Antiques: Home Sparkle 12
- Coal Size/Type: 'nut
- Other Heating: Fujitsu mini split, FHA oil furnace
The price of coal has stayed the same for me up here in Maine, can't say that for oil or wood!nortel33 wrote:..........................................................................................................................................................
I don't see any discussions from people who gave up on coal.
...and if you live long enough you stumble across a few things in life that you know are damn good and no one can tell you otherwise. Well 3 yrs. ago I stumbled across burning coal and this forum....and now there are only a couple of things left to stumble across.
- Freddy
- Member
- Posts: 7293
- Joined: Fri. Apr. 11, 2008 2:54 pm
- Location: Orrington, Maine
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 130 (pea)
- Coal Size/Type: Pea size, Superior, deep mined
Look around your house.... Is there grass on the floor that got dragged in 3 weeks ago when you mowed the lawn? Is there mold on the potato salad in the 'fridge? Is it next to lettuce that went from brown to slime a few days ago? Did your car engine blow up because you only change the oil when the little red light comes on? If so, then, yes, you will find coal a dirty, dusty fuel to heat with. But, if your house does not attract vermin and generally speaking you can see your dining room table, then most likely you'll find coal a good source of heat. It is some work, but certainly less than burning wood. It does have a learning curve and does take some care, but, as others have indicated, most people that try it, stay with it.nortel33 wrote: Everyone I talk to says coal burning is extremely dirty, produces coal dust through out the house and the heat is hard to regulate
As for hard to regulate...that is just poor information, or something is wrong with the installation.
Welcome to the Forum!
-
- Member
- Posts: 601
- Joined: Wed. Apr. 09, 2008 7:05 am
- Location: Geauga County, NE Ohio
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker
- Coal Size/Type: rice
nortel33,
Welcome to the coal forum!
I suggest you add your location to your profile and I'm guessing you may get a few invites from other forum members who'll invite you to come and witness first hand what burning coal is all about.
I'll warn you now though, it's addictive. Once you start, it'll get in your blood and you'll be here daily.
Welcome to the coal forum!
I suggest you add your location to your profile and I'm guessing you may get a few invites from other forum members who'll invite you to come and witness first hand what burning coal is all about.
I'll warn you now though, it's addictive. Once you start, it'll get in your blood and you'll be here daily.
- ntp71
- Member
- Posts: 277
- Joined: Sat. May. 17, 2008 9:14 am
- Location: Nanticoke, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Reading Foundry Water Heater
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Old Mill Mini Stoker with Keystoker Feed System
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar SCR
- Baseburners & Antiques: Caloric UltraMatic Coal-Gas Range
- Coal Size/Type: Chestnut
Yes...I agree with Fred...If your system is set up right you should have no problem regulating the temperature. I took an 80's era OLD MILL COAL stoker and added a Coal Trol to it and I have no problems regulating the temperature. I might add that all of the advice I needed to do the job correctly came from this forum.
Welcome!
Neal
Welcome!
Neal
-
- Member
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- Joined: Wed. Feb. 04, 2009 7:13 am
- Location: Fair Haven, VT
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Hybrid Axeman Anderson 130
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- Coal Size/Type: Pea, Buckwheat, Nut
- Other Heating: LP Hot air. WA TX for coal use.
Just wanted to note the above sentence again. Coal is like a freight train. Slow to speed up, slow to cool down, but very steady heat. Almost the opposite of a wood fire that goes from 100° to 600° and back almost as quickly. A flash in the pan.Freddy wrote:nortel33 wrote:
As for hard to regulate...that is just poor information, or something is wrong with the installation.
- GoodProphets
- Member
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 07, 2012 9:14 pm
- Location: Lanc Co PA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM DF520
- Coal Size/Type: Anthra Rice
- Other Heating: 3 Fireplaces
Just keep reading here, eventually you'll learn the truth!
Glad you stopped by, don't leave until you find what you are looking for.
coal is great!
Glad you stopped by, don't leave until you find what you are looking for.
coal is great!
- ntp71
- Member
- Posts: 277
- Joined: Sat. May. 17, 2008 9:14 am
- Location: Nanticoke, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Reading Foundry Water Heater
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Old Mill Mini Stoker with Keystoker Feed System
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar SCR
- Baseburners & Antiques: Caloric UltraMatic Coal-Gas Range
- Coal Size/Type: Chestnut
27,000,000 BTU's per 1 ton of rice coal...that's a hard number to beat in price
Welcome to the forum nortel....keep reading, find somebody that lives close by and burns coal and see how it is firsthand.Freddy wrote:Is there grass on the floor that got dragged in 3 weeks ago when you mowed the lawn? Is there mold on the potato salad in the 'fridge? Is it next to lettuce that went from brown to slime a few days ago? Did your car engine blow up because you only change the oil when the little red light comes on? If so, then, yes, you will find coal a dirty, dusty fuel to heat with. But, if your house does not attract vermin and generally speaking you can see your dining room table, then most likely you'll find coal a good source of heat.
OK Freddy, ya got me looking around here....I like burning coal lots better than wood or running the propane furnace and have managed to do so without getting a layer of black coal dust or gray ash dust all over everything (well except for that time I stepped on the cat whilst carrying the ash pan through the basement) but.......i did find some things that need addressed here at the homestead....
there is some grass on the enclosed porch from cutting the grass on Saturday I dragged it in while walking through the damp backyard from the firepit after the Sat night campfire, I found some old wrinkly apples in the fridge in the basement that look like a catchers mitt but the spousal unit says they are still good to make applesauce, didn't find any lettuce, but I did find a two week old 1/4 full can of very very flat coke way in the back of the upstairs fridge, oil gets changed every 4 - 5k miles or at 6 month intervals depending on the vehicle so no worries there, the three outside cats keep the mice away, but we get the occasional snake in the basement....i just looked toward the DR table and there is only one layer of stuff so I know its under there somewhere and the legs won't be giving out soon.
so I'll get on those chores, but I still won't be trading my coal for the cutting, hauling, stacking, splitting, stacking & hauling associated with burning wood
e.t.a. just to be complete..... if you are not near enough to nepa to get anthracite coal at a competitive price, then there may be other fuels at a better price point so that coal would not make sense for you.....
- tsb
- Member
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- Baseburners & Antiques: Grander Golden Oak , Glenwood # 6
- Coal Size/Type: All of them
As you get older, it gets more difficult to whack your wood. You also
have to be careful your wood doesn't clog up your chimney and let
bugs into your storage area. It's all about what you want to spend your
time and money on. Spend some time on Hearth.com and see how easy it
really is to heat with wood. I like a wood fire now and then, but just to look at.
Give me the blue ladies any time.
My coal bin is full and paid for. My boiler runs all year. I got hot water out the ass.
I'm a happy man. Five minutes a day to fill and take out ashes, tops.
have to be careful your wood doesn't clog up your chimney and let
bugs into your storage area. It's all about what you want to spend your
time and money on. Spend some time on Hearth.com and see how easy it
really is to heat with wood. I like a wood fire now and then, but just to look at.
Give me the blue ladies any time.
My coal bin is full and paid for. My boiler runs all year. I got hot water out the ass.
I'm a happy man. Five minutes a day to fill and take out ashes, tops.
- Lightning
- Site Moderator
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- Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
- Location: Olean, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
Here is a clip from my first post 3 years ago......
All summer I talked to freinds and family about coal. They probably got sick of hearing about it even lol.. I got some very awkward looking faces and responces. Coal was like some dirty little skeleton in the closet. My wife feared we would surely freeze to death this winter since I uprooted the propane furnace.
...... and I'm still lovin every minute of it
All summer I talked to freinds and family about coal. They probably got sick of hearing about it even lol.. I got some very awkward looking faces and responces. Coal was like some dirty little skeleton in the closet. My wife feared we would surely freeze to death this winter since I uprooted the propane furnace.
...... and I'm still lovin every minute of it