Anthracite Dealers in Vermont

Any suggestions for coal dealers, bag or bulk, in central Vermont. Black Rock is close but doesn't respond to calls. Thanks!

Know of any down our way near White River Jct? We have ben buying bagged coal from West Lebanon Feed and Supply over In Lebanon NH. Its close and great service but I wouldn't mind finding another supplier or two convenient to where we live here.

I have had good luck with Black Rock. They have been good to me. They definitely have better quality coal than most places. Keep trying in the fall all dealers are busy filling everyone's last minute orders. I bought most of my coal earlier in the spring. Price is usually lower and if you have the storage space it can save you money if you buy a good bit.

jcrozz wrote:Any suggestions for coal dealers, bag or bulk, in central Vermont. Black Rock is close but doesn't respond to calls. Thanks!

I just purchased a us stove clayton wood/coal furnace. I am considering trying coal. wood is hard to get dry this time of year. Thanks for the info on prices. Can someone tell me what the average use is compared to say a cord of wood? According to instructions I can use different types but they say anthracite burns cleans cleaner then bituminous. Any thoughts?

there is a thread on here all about burning coal in a clayton furnace. The furnace I have is essentially a clayton but I am not sure I would be a good comparison for usage as my house is not well insulated and I have the U.S. Stoves outdoor EF1600. It is basically the same operation but not the same set up if yours is inside your house. I think the following link will take you to that thread. It takes some getting used to if you have never burnt coal before. There is a learning curve and no one set up is the same. Draft available and set up make for not exact science along with different supplies of coal having slightly different burn qualities. Personally I have found the coal I get from Black Rock in East Montpelier to be better than the bagged you get at aubuchons or other suppliers. That is just my personal preference. Doesn't mean the other doesn't work. I just find it cleaner with less junk in it. Here is the link to the Clayton thread I think this will take you there. If not just to a search up there in the search box I am sure you will find it.

Post by VtFarmboy - Successfully Burning Anthracite Coal in a Clayton Furnace

NEKSTEVE wrote:I just purchased a us stove clayton wood/coal furnace. I am considering trying coal. wood is hard to get dry this time of year. Thanks for the info on prices. Can someone tell me what the average use is compared to say a cord of wood? According to instructions I can use different types but they say anthracite burns cleans cleaner then bituminous. Any thoughts?

Oh and I forgot. If you do decide to try coal I would pick up enough to go a few days. Atleast 10 or 20 bags. You will have to start a wood fire and get a good bed of coals in it before adding coal. Then a shovel or two ever 20 minutes or so until the coal is up to about the top of the fire brick. It will take 50 or 60 lbs or so. You will use up two bags getting it going then you just load it up a couple of times a day depending on your situation. Tough it out for a while. Its going to be up and down at first. You are learning new habbits or depending about how you look at burning wood you are unlearning what you are in the habit of doing. It will take a few days to get things on an even keel. its worth it. I switched over to coal this year. I wouldn't go back. The first time I tried it I bought two bags just to see how it would work. I didn't get enough to keep it going for more than a few hours. Stoking and getting it going are different from wood. you don't just throw more in. Sometimes depending on conditions it takes a bit of work to get used to. Mine kept going out. I was waiting to long between stokes I think. This year I have had it running uninterrupted (except for a few complete cleanings) since the beginning of November.

NEKSTEVE wrote:I just purchased a us stove clayton wood/coal furnace. I am considering trying coal. wood is hard to get dry this time of year. Thanks for the info on prices. Can someone tell me what the average use is compared to say a cord of wood? According to instructions I can use different types but they say anthracite burns cleans cleaner then bituminous. Any thoughts?

Thank you Very much for the post. It helps having that extra knowledge. Currently looking around to see if I can find a dealer in newport area instead of going to east Montpelier. I was reading a ton can range on average 2-4 cords of wood,

I would say three or so cord per ton. Black Rock will deliver bulk out there if you have storage for it. Aubuchon Hardware sells it by the bag. If they don't have it they will get it. A lot of feed/farm stores sell coal. You might also call around to any wood stove dealers in your area. While they might not sell coal they might know of someone in the area who does. If you have access to a forklift you can order a pallet direct from several mines down in PA. Even with shipping its cheaper than oil or gas. The price is comparable if not a bit cheaper than wood on a BTU basis if you are buying the wood cut split and delivered. IF you did the wood yourself and didn't consider your time money it is probably a bit more than wood.

NEKSTEVE wrote:Thank you Very much for the post. It helps having that extra knowledge. Currently looking around to see if I can find a dealer in newport area instead of going to east Montpelier. I was reading a ton can range on average 2-4 cords of wood,

I found some from local hardware store called pick and shovel. $6.25 for anthracite nut cole. 40 pound bag. was warm so I did not try it this weekend. I want a full weekend to play around with it to give it a good try. I'll post once I have tried it. Thanks for haveing a great post with helpful advice.

6.25 is a good price. Mostly its around 7 or so for a 40lb bag. Good luck. Like I said make sure you have enough to go a few days. Be patient and don't get frustrated it will all start to come togeather once you get the kinks worked out and I doubt you will ever go back.

NEKSTEVE wrote:I found some from local hardware store called pick and shovel. $6.25 for anthracite nut cole. 40 pound bag. was warm so I did not try it this weekend. I want a full weekend to play around with it to give it a good try. I'll post once I have tried it. Thanks for haveing a great post with helpful advice.

1.0 tons of Anthracite typically yields 24,000,000 btu's

.32 cords of dry hardwood yields the same 24 mil btus, so 1 to 3 is close.
50 *6.25= 312.50/ton very good price for 40/lb bags

Heating Value by Unit Chart

The following is a listing of heating value per unit for common heating fuels. The column of equivalent units is based around the heating value of 1 ton of wood chips. For example, to get the same heating value BTU's) as a ton of wood chips, you would need to burn 54.9 gallons of #2 fuel oil.

Fuel Type BTU/Unit Equivalent Units

Softwood 15 million BTU/cord 0.51 cords
Hardwood 24 million BTU/cord 0.32 cords
Green Sawdust 10 million BTU/cord 0.76 tons
Kiln Dried Sawdust 18 million BTU/cord 0.42 tons
Wood Chips - 45% moisture 7.6 million BTU/cord 1 ton
Hogged Wood 20 million BTU/cord 0.38 tons
Bark 10.5 million BTU/cord 0.72 tons
Wood Pellets - 10% moisture 16 million BTU/cord 0.48 tons
Natural Gas 100,000 BTU/therm 76 therms
Propane 91,600 BTU/gal 83 gal
Methane 1,000 BTU/cu ft 7,600 cu ft
Ethanol 76,000 BTU/gal 100 gal
Kerosene 135,000 BTU/gal 56.3 gal
#2 Fuel Oil 138,500 BTU/gal 54.9 gal
#4 Fuel Oil 145,000 BTU/gal 52.4 gal
#6 Fuel Oil 153,000 BTU/gal 49.7 gal
Waste Oil 125,000 BTU/gal 60.8 gal
Biodiesel/Waste Vegetable Oil 120,000 BTU/gal 63.3 gal
Gasoline 125,000 BTU/gal 60.8 gal
Anthracite Coal 28 million BTU/ton 0.27 tons
Bituminous Coal 24 million BTU/ton 0.32 tons
Electricity 3,413 BTU/KwH 2,227 KwH

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy; The Biomass Energy Foundation

so I have run my furnace about a week. 8 bags so far. take a bit to get a good base, only issue I have is heat dissipates after 6 hours. good red hot coals but little heat blowing out. I have to add wood to get a burst of heat, then the coals seem to regenerate. I have also found banking does not work. making a mound in the middle works best. did also learn not to touch the coals. I was racking them to see if got more life, but that just made it worse. my bed is good foot deep. if I add maybe 1/4 bag at a time i'm ok, much more it smothers it. any one have idea how to make the heat last? these 20 below days are a killer.

Shake the fire down as far as you can before reloading, so that your starting to see light in the ash pan area with some small red coals dropping - but no so much that your filling the ashpan with burning coal. Once that's done, just load the stove ONE LAYER at a time, and let each layer catch until you;ve got a good fire going. Once it's going, pile that coal on as high and as deep as you can fit in the firebox. Close the door, walk away and leave it alone.

You might have to fine tune the air intake to get the correct temperature. It sounds to me like you are burning the coal like you did wood - that won't work. You'll get a really hot fire that doesn't last long - most of the heat will be going straight up the chimney. Coal requires very little air to burn ... but adjustments take HOURS to show their effect - patience is key. Once you learn the settings, the rest is easy - shake, load, walk away for 12-24 hours, depending on the design.