Crane 404 - Our First Coal Burner

Post by **Rob R.** » Sat. Dec. 05, 2015 3:54 pm

I love pickled beets also. If you ever run across a coal-fired kitchen range, it sure seems like you could make good use of it.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Sat. Dec. 05, 2015 5:00 pm

Getting a coal fired range is our dream. But,we ought to have another chimney closer to the kitchen so my wife doesn't need to walk 20' from sink to range . That & the coal range will likely be less BTU output.We now know that the EFM520 along with the Crane 404 can handle all our heating needs during a winter as cold as we had just last yr. If we were to get a winter with temps down to -35* & daytime high of-8*,we might come up a bit short,especially if the Crane is replaced by a coal range.We do keep watching for the right range at the right price at the right time......the right time being when we have the extra $$ to spend. Now Rob,look what you have done...... you have renewed the coal range itch for me.

Craigs list search-coal fired range @ $500 or less .... searching ..

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Sun. Dec. 13, 2015 11:33 pm

With the mild weather we are currently experiencing & will have for awhile yet,we left the Crane go out yesterday. Since we can heat the house with the EFM,it seemed foolish to have the Crane over heating & have windows open. We do miss the WARM heat in this room & the hot water kettle moisturizing the air,& the hot water in the tea kettle. BUT,we can save some coal with this warm spell ,it was 65* today,beautiful for December

Logs · Post by **Logs** » Mon. Dec. 14, 2015 1:12 am

Same here Dave , I let the Chubby go out tonite. I want to clean it out real good tomorrow and vacuum fly ash from the pipes. It looks like its to be warm tight thrust Christmas.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Mon. Dec. 14, 2015 8:59 am

With the current forecast of 66* on Christmas day,we might start the garden again.

Might be January till we restart the Crane,unless temps drop more than expected.I am not complaining ,as winter is not my favorite time of yr. I am quite sure that we will be tired of winter b4 April gets here.

Logs · Post by **Logs** » Mon. Dec. 14, 2015 9:40 am

Yea the chubby is out now, I think we had too many windows opened over nite , it's a little chilly in here this morning. After I clean it out good today . I may fire it back up. It is to rain later today and without the sun the house won't warm up much. As far as starting the garden again , I don't think so.

I wouldn't mind having a few homegrown tomatoes though

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Mon. Dec. 14, 2015 11:53 am

At least my backup heating system also burns coal & can still keep our house comfy.It just moves warm air instead of the bone warming radiant heat from the Crane. Logs,your setup is nice ,that you have both wood & coal capability,both of them being non-foreign fuel.Someday we want to build a second chimney & install a coal/wood cooking range. The deciding factor on that idea is when the $$$$ become available.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Fri. Dec. 18, 2015 12:24 pm

Yesterday we got tired of the "cool" feel in our house & relit the Crane. I suppose having this radiant heat in our living room all last winter has permanently spoiled us. We just can't seem to enjoy warmth from warm air heated rooms,especially our poorly designed concrete floored living room. As the cooler weather lingers longer,the room is harder to feel warm in. Firing the Crane up has once again brought us the bone warming radiant heat we need & we are

Logs · Post by **Logs** » Fri. Dec. 18, 2015 1:30 pm

You just beat that radiant heat , it heats you to the bone

it got real cold and windy here toda
Well not that cold 31 , not used to it I guess. Windchills in low teens overnight tonight , I got a small fire in the wood burner to help the Chubby along. .

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Fri. Dec. 18, 2015 2:01 pm

I just got back in the shop from loading a snow blower on a customers truck & stood there talking for awhile. No sunshine,windy & 38*,i am cold ! I think I will go in the house & warm up by the stove,nothing beats that bone warming heat. While warming up I decided to check temps with the IR, stove top @330*, pipe at the thimble 105*, room temp 76*. Efficient bone warming radiant heat,awesome.

ddahlgren · Post by **ddahlgren** » Mon. Dec. 21, 2015 7:59 pm

Burning a little wood tonight as in the 40's and will be a lot warmer tomorrow. Can't believe I split a piece of glass and never ran hot or crazy.

Post by **dcrane** » Mon. Dec. 21, 2015 8:43 pm

ddahlgren wrote:Burning a little wood tonight as in the 40's and will be a lot warmer tomorrow. Can't believe I split a piece of glass and never ran hot or crazy.

your have ceramic I assume not glass? try to remember what brakes ceramic mostly is a super fast hot fire licking it while its cold or a drop of water hitting it while its hot or to tight on the retainers... other than those things... it would be just knuckhead stuff (like slamming the door or a miss hit with hammer LOL)

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Wed. Dec. 23, 2015 10:50 pm

Yesterday morning I decided to let the Crane die out again as forecast temps are to be in the upper 60's on Thursday,low 60's Christmas day. I did not shake the ashes & just left it slowly die,This a/m it was still warm to the touch,we will depend on the EFM to heat us until cold weather comes back again.Not fond of starting the fire,but with such warm temps & the fact that we are burning coal in the EFM anyway to heat the DHW for both houses & heating the rental & shop,it's no big deal to add our house to the load.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Thu. Dec. 31, 2015 9:29 pm

Our Crane is warm once again !!

Temps are forecast to stay below 40* for the high for the next while,so time to have that WARM radiant heat keeping us comfy. Just in time to end 2015 & start 2016 with radiant heat in our living room.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL,keep warm.

blrman07 · Post by **blrman07** » Fri. Jan. 01, 2016 6:57 am

And a Happy New Year to you and yours also. It was sure nice to walk downstairs this morning and feel the warmth as I moved down the staircase. I got to the bottom, looked in the dining room and that nice orange glow with dancing blues running across the top was sure nice to see.