Coal Fatigue

 
User avatar
coalkirk
Member
Posts: 5185
Joined: Wed. May. 17, 2006 8:12 pm
Location: Forest Hill MD
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1981 EFM DF520 retired
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul 507 on standby
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite/rice coal

Post by coalkirk » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 9:19 am

Every year about this time I find myself starting to get tired of dealing with the boiler. Not so tired that I'm going to burn oil, it just starts to become a chore. I'm not tired of being warm though so I'll keep at it. Am I alone in this? Maybe I'm just getting lazy in my old age. :oops:


 
User avatar
SMITTY
Member
Posts: 12496
Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: West-Central Mass
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler

Post by SMITTY » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 9:24 am

I was getting that BIG time with the handfired. Not so much this year with the boiler - the amount of work this thing has saved me is AMAZING.

Thanks Jim ol' buddy! 8-)

I am sick and tired of cold and snow though. I want to look out the window and see something besides WHITE. Been 2 months at least ... :(

 
User avatar
009to090
Member
Posts: 5104
Joined: Fri. Jan. 30, 2009 10:02 am
Location: Live Oak, FL

Post by 009to090 » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 9:28 am

I usually got that feeling about this time of year. But this year, my 12 year old stepped up and is filling the bins for me! :o :shock:
Looks like he may get that new shotgun before he knows it! :D

 
User avatar
SMITTY
Member
Posts: 12496
Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
Location: West-Central Mass
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler

Post by SMITTY » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 9:29 am

Been trying to train the cats to do the same. That ain't goin' so well ... :lol:

 
bksaun
Member
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sat. Oct. 28, 2006 9:24 am
Location: Hustonville, Ky
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Legacy SF-270
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 503
Coal Size/Type: Stoker/Bit, Pea or Nut Anthracite

Post by bksaun » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 9:32 am

me too, my doc said I am suffering from TMB!

 
User avatar
windyhill4.2
Member
Posts: 6072
Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 9:33 am

We got 1 cord of hardwood dumped off Sat. P/M ,the last of that will go in the owb tonight, you can only imagine how sick we are of this winter. I think the extreme cold & it hanging on with repeat snow storms has most people winter weary,spring is out there somewhere :arrow: :?:

 
titleist1
Member
Posts: 5226
Joined: Wed. Nov. 14, 2007 4:06 pm

Post by titleist1 » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 10:53 am

I like the change of seasons because of this too.

I get tired of the hot weather and associated chores (cutting grass) about September. Then I get tired of raking leaves about December. I get tired of cold weather and associated chores about March (like snow removal, even though we usually don't get much). Since I am more automated this year I am not tired of dealing with the stoker quite yet, but I would like a few more warmish days to start doing some spring time stuff and start swinging the clubs. And of course I will get tired of doing the spring stuff in a couple months too (pressure washing, lawn tractor prep, blow down clean up, etc.) and be ready to cut grass again.

I just don't have the attention span to live in a single climate area!

Good Lord WH.... a cord per week?!?!?!?! :eek2:


 
User avatar
windyhill4.2
Member
Posts: 6072
Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 11:40 am

We will be relieved when we can again go a full week on a cord, we are really anxious for the $$ to go with a coal boiler & cut the dreadful work load . BUT,no other heat source & all is warm in 2 houses + DHW & a warm shop to work in.

 
User avatar
Lightning
Site Moderator
Posts: 14652
Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Olean, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 11:48 am

This is where I fit into it too. I'm looking forward to milder weather for the 24 hour burns so I won't need to shake and load before work. I'm still excited about burning though. Its a sad day to let her go cold...
titleist1 wrote:I like the change of seasons because of this too.

I get tired of the hot weather and associated chores (cutting grass) about September. Then I get tired of raking leaves about December. I get tired of cold weather and associated chores about March (like snow removal, even though we usually don't get much). Since I am more automated this year I am not tired of dealing with the stoker quite yet, but I would like a few more warmish days to start doing some spring time stuff and start swinging the clubs. And of course I will get tired of doing the spring stuff in a couple months too (pressure washing, lawn tractor prep, blow down clean up, etc.) and be ready to cut grass again.

I just don't have the attention span to live in a single climate area!

Good Lord WH.... a cord per week?!?!?!?! :eek2:

 
User avatar
Scottscoaled
Member
Posts: 2812
Joined: Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 9:51 pm
Location: Malta N.Y.
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520, 700, Van Wert 800 GJ 61,53
Baseburners & Antiques: Magic Stewart 16, times 2!
Coal Size/Type: Lots of buck
Other Heating: Slant Fin electric boiler backup

Post by Scottscoaled » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 8:40 pm

I'm usually chompin' at the bit for spring to come. Yes, with the coal fatigue syndrome too. This year is different. Even with the much colder than usual winter, I'm still only using a fraction of the coal I was before with the underground problem. This Van Wert has been unexpectedly tight on the coal. I haven't even noticed the chore :)

 
User avatar
2001Sierra
Member
Posts: 2211
Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34

Post by 2001Sierra » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 9:20 pm

Coal fatigue, non here :D 33 years of fine tuning tends to take the chore out of it. I actually enjoy the efforts of my tweaking of the coal handling, I am making my life easier and the family benefits as well. Really how much more beer can be consumed in the 10 minutes a day ritual it takes with the stoker :P

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5731
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 10:22 pm

I wish I could brag about long burn times, but because this is relatively new to me, it hasn't gotten "too" old yet. As a matter of fact, I'm glad I've kept the stove burning, cause our cold spell is continuing. It was nice to come home to a 72* house, rather than an expensive oil fired 65*. Plus the wife has helped out a ton. I will admit the R+R-ing (riddle and raking) in the morning before work isn't very pleasant given my time frame. But the afternoons don't bother me.
Now they're talking about the time change, and 1st day of spring around the corner, which disappoints me, cause my winter projects are so far behind. But on the plus side, "because" the cold is here for a little longer, I get to buy a couple more weeks of Santa coal. :) ;) :(

 
Lu47Dan
Member
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed. Jan. 29, 2014 1:42 pm
Location: N/W Pa. Meadville, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Sears circulator air tight stove.
Other Heating: Crown 115,000 BTU oil fired boiler(house) Weil Mclain 150,000BTU oil fired boiler(Shop)

Post by Lu47Dan » Thu. Feb. 27, 2014 10:51 pm

I have been tired of the cold weather and the snow. The cold weather has shut me down in my shop. Heating with fuel oil at 16°F outside is a non starter for me. The shop is not tight enough or insulated enough and fuel at $3.78 to $4.28 a gallon, makes heating it impossible. I really need to build my new shop. If the weather would warm into the 30's°F than I could heat it. I have a 30Ton press project to finish up before I can start on anything else.
I need to cut more wood tomorrow as I am about out. I have logs in several piles that all I need to do is cut and split. The problem being my splitter is powered by a Wisconsin TJD 2 cylinder engine, I need to bring the engines oil temperature up to 40°F before starting it. I dislike changing from 30wt summer oil over to 20wt oil for the winter. That costs $16 every time I do it. I have a magnetic block heater to do that with. But when it is this cold (0°F at the time I wrote this) It takes all day for it to heat the engine up.
I need to fix my propane turbo heater and get a tank of propane. I can bring the engines temperaturee up to 100°F in under a half hour with it.
I have a bunch of small logs 5-7" in diameter that I will cut up tomorrow.
I had a plan to cut up all my wood for this year last fall but pulled two muscles in my right arm doing something dumb and that put me behind. This year I am going to my firewood starting the first dry day after "Mud Season" is over.
Dan.

 
User avatar
Carbon12
Member
Posts: 2226
Joined: Tue. Oct. 11, 2011 6:53 pm
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
Coal Size/Type: Rice/Anthracite
Other Heating: Heat Pump/Forced Hot Air Oil Furnace

Post by Carbon12 » Fri. Feb. 28, 2014 7:32 am

Seems like there may be some NEPA Crossroads fatigue too. Is it me or does there seem to be a lull in out playful, online banter???

 
User avatar
blrman07
Member
Posts: 2383
Joined: Mon. Sep. 27, 2010 3:39 pm
Location: Tupelo Mississippi

Post by blrman07 » Fri. Feb. 28, 2014 7:53 am

Usually the banter has something to do with someones experiment on trying to get more efficiency, more heat transfer, and/or the proper way to calculate the relative aspects of BTU replacement therapy. With it this cold, nobody is touching anything on or near their stoves, furnaces, boilers, heaters, etc etc etc for fear something amiss will occur and the spousal unit/significant other will unleash the Kraken.

The only thing I'm doing is adding coal and taking out the ash and I do that realllllly quickllllly.

Rev. Larry
New Beginning Church
Ashland Pa.


Post Reply

Return to “Coal News & General Coal Discussions”