Successfully Burning Anthracite Coal in a Clayton Furnace

 
VtFarmboy
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Location: White River Junction Vermont
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: outdoor US Stoves EF1600
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Other Heating: use some wood in woodstove when it gets real cold outside.

Post by VtFarmboy » Sat. Dec. 28, 2013 10:03 am

I have learned a new lesson today. I have found that not all bagged coal is the same. I have found a new supplier. An actual coal dealer in central Vermont. Price is 2.50 a bag cheaper than what I was paying plus it seems to burn better and hotter. My wife who is usually bundled up with 20 layers on even during the summer months last night was complaining that the house was to hot. I had closed the dampers almost all the way and the furnace was pumping out heat like never before. Talking with the dealer he goes down to Pennsylvania to the mine and picks up himself. He sells bulk I think next summers project will be to build a bin. The bagged he has he takes to a facility to have it custom bagged. The coal in the bags seems cleaner. Not nearly as many sticks or what for better words I will describe as dust. I have gone back to using nut so the size is smaller than the stove I was using last year. So for the first night of using this new supply I have to say it is a lot easer. Also it seems to get a longer burn but that may be just because I have the dampers closed down more.


 
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Lightning
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Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Sat. Dec. 28, 2013 10:05 am

F.N.G wrote:Well it cold for nj standers and the manometer got up to 3 so that's good but my problem is that when I go to bed it reads 0 or 1 and then it gets colder it reads 3 my stove starts burning like crazie it's is nice to get up to a hot house but I'm burning throught the coal or I'm up in the middle of the night to charge it again so should I set The barometric damper at 1 or is that to low or is there some thing else I can do ???
Ok I read a few pages back, I see you have CO detectors :D I also saw that you have an oil burner on the same chimney. Is it in use? Its possible the chimney is pulling air from the oil burner which would explain the low draft.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sat. Dec. 28, 2013 10:19 am

VtFarmboy wrote:I have learned a new lesson today. I have found that not all bagged coal is the same. I have found a new supplier. An actual coal dealer in central Vermont. Price is 2.50 a bag cheaper than what I was paying plus it seems to burn better and hotter. My wife who is usually bundled up with 20 layers on even during the summer months last night was complaining that the house was to hot. I had closed the dampers almost all the way and the furnace was pumping out heat like never before. Talking with the dealer he goes down to Pennsylvania to the mine and picks up himself. He sells bulk I think next summers project will be to build a bin. The bagged he has he takes to a facility to have it custom bagged. The coal in the bags seems cleaner. Not nearly as many sticks or what for better words I will describe as dust. I have gone back to using nut so the size is smaller than the stove I was using last year. So for the first night of using this new supply I have to say it is a lot easer. Also it seems to get a longer burn but that may be just because I have the dampers closed down more.
Much to coal burning is trial and error..
Glad to see you are getting more desirable results, partner :D

 
VtFarmboy
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sun. Dec. 16, 2012 11:43 am
Location: White River Junction Vermont
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: outdoor US Stoves EF1600
Coal Size/Type: Nut
Other Heating: use some wood in woodstove when it gets real cold outside.

Post by VtFarmboy » Tue. Dec. 31, 2013 2:18 pm

Its going so well I am also considering a small parlor stove in the living room. I haven't tried that out on mother yet. Maybe I will surprise her for her birthday.
Lightning wrote:
VtFarmboy wrote:I have learned a new lesson today. I have found that not all bagged coal is the same. I have found a new supplier. An actual coal dealer in central Vermont. Price is 2.50 a bag cheaper than what I was paying plus it seems to burn better and hotter. My wife who is usually bundled up with 20 layers on even during the summer months last night was complaining that the house was to hot. I had closed the dampers almost all the way and the furnace was pumping out heat like never before. Talking with the dealer he goes down to Pennsylvania to the mine and picks up himself. He sells bulk I think next summers project will be to build a bin. The bagged he has he takes to a facility to have it custom bagged. The coal in the bags seems cleaner. Not nearly as many sticks or what for better words I will describe as dust. I have gone back to using nut so the size is smaller than the stove I was using last year. So for the first night of using this new supply I have to say it is a lot easer. Also it seems to get a longer burn but that may be just because I have the dampers closed down more.
Much to coal burning is trial and error..
Glad to see you are getting more desirable results, partner :D

 
F.N.G
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Posts: 38
Joined: Mon. Dec. 09, 2013 2:14 pm
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 1600 m
Coal Size/Type: Nut/stove

Post by F.N.G » Tue. Dec. 31, 2013 6:57 pm

Lightning wrote:
F.N.G wrote:Well it cold for nj standers and the manometer got up to 3 so that's good but my problem is that when I go to bed it reads 0 or 1 and then it gets colder it reads 3 my stove starts burning like crazie it's is nice to get up to a hot house but I'm burning throught the coal or I'm up in the middle of the night to charge it again so should I set The barometric damper at 1 or is that to low or is there some thing else I can do ???
Ok I read a few pages back, I see you have CO detectors :D I also saw that you have an oil burner on the same chimney. Is it in use? Its possible the chimney is pulling air from the oil burner which would explain the low draft.
The oil burner is used if the fire go's out or I shut it down for cleaning ..and I would say it's pulling off the oil burner .. Well I Guess ill figure it out tomorrow it's pulling a .04 or .05 right know and it's getting colder this week so I should be ok !!

 
F.N.G
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 1600 m
Coal Size/Type: Nut/stove

Post by F.N.G » Wed. Jan. 01, 2014 4:45 pm

Disconnected the oil burner didn't help I'm at .02 right now don't know if that's cause it's cold or I disconnected the oil burner

 
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Lightning
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Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Wed. Jan. 01, 2014 5:12 pm

F.N.G wrote:Disconnected the oil burner didn't help I'm at .02 right now don't know if that's cause it's cold or I disconnected the oil burner
Did you cap the oil burner's pipe so the chimney can't draw from it?

If you are going to leave the oil burner disconnected I think it would be wise to cut power to it so it can't accidentally come on.


 
07roadstar
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Post by 07roadstar » Wed. Jan. 01, 2014 5:17 pm

VtFarmboy wrote:I have learned a new lesson today. I have found that not all bagged coal is the same. I have found a new supplier. An actual coal dealer in central Vermont. Price is 2.50 a bag cheaper than what I was paying plus it seems to burn better and hotter. My wife who is usually bundled up with 20 layers on even during the summer months last night was complaining that the house was to hot. I had closed the dampers almost all the way and the furnace was pumping out heat like never before. Talking with the dealer he goes down to Pennsylvania to the mine and picks up himself. He sells bulk I think next summers project will be to build a bin. The bagged he has he takes to a facility to have it custom bagged. The coal in the bags seems cleaner. Not nearly as many sticks or what for better words I will describe as dust. I have gone back to using nut so the size is smaller than the stove I was using last year. So for the first night of using this new supply I have to say it is a lot easer. Also it seems to get a longer burn but that may be just because I have the dampers closed down more.
Where do you get your coal from?

 
F.N.G
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Posts: 38
Joined: Mon. Dec. 09, 2013 2:14 pm
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 1600 m
Coal Size/Type: Nut/stove

Post by F.N.G » Fri. Jan. 03, 2014 11:24 pm

F.N.G wrote:Disconnected the oil burner didn't help I'm at .02 right now don't know if that's cause it's cold or I disconnected the oil burner
Did you cap the oil burner's pipe so the chimney can't draw from it?

If you are going to leave the oil burner disconnected I think it would be wise to cut power to it so it can't accidentally come on.[/quote

I don't know what I'm going to do I did Cap over pipe right now but it didn't make a difference either way and I like to have the oil burner backup .now for some reason the coal stove keeps going out I got coal from a different dealer I don't know if that's it..

 
F.N.G
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 1600 m
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Post by F.N.G » Sun. Jan. 05, 2014 1:15 pm

We'll pulling my hair out again I got nut coal from the new dealer and it a little smaller then from the old dealer witch was more like stove size I guess I had some bag coal from reading coal co and when I opened that it was like the coal from the old dealer so I don't know witch one is right but the problem I'm have I think is the smaller coal and the lack of a good draft I'm not getting the heat out of the stove and it's cold in the house . If I babysit it all day it works but over night it get cold in the house so now the store is close and I need this to work till tommarow what can I do??? And by the way had to hook up the oil burner again it was 59 it the house so I had too

 
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Lightning
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Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Sun. Jan. 05, 2014 1:48 pm

F.N.G wrote:We'll pulling my hair out again I got nut coal from the new dealer and it a little smaller then from the old dealer witch was more like stove size I guess I had some bag coal from reading coal co and when I opened that it was like the coal from the old dealer so I don't know witch one is right but the problem I'm have I think is the smaller coal and the lack of a good draft I'm not getting the heat out of the stove and it's cold in the house . If I babysit it all day it works but over night it get cold in the house so now the store is close and I need this to work till tommarow what can I do??? And by the way had to hook up the oil burner again it was 59 it the house so I had too
I wish I had a good answer partner.. I think your draft is too low and I'm not sure what you can do in short time to help it at this point.. Whats your draft reading now?? :( Maybe some others could chime in to help..

:help2:

 
F.N.G
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 1600 m
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Post by F.N.G » Sun. Jan. 05, 2014 2:39 pm

I'm reading a .03 right now and it burning good

 
F.N.G
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Post by F.N.G » Sun. Jan. 05, 2014 2:47 pm

So I went on the roof and took some measurements of my chimney and it's Almost 8x14 it's two 8x8 inserts next to each other so I think I can put two 6 in sleeves in it do you think that will in prove my draft?

 
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Lightning
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Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Sun. Jan. 05, 2014 2:51 pm

F.N.G wrote:I'm reading a .03 right now and it burning good
Ok, the best you can do is clear ash best you can at shake time and try to keep that draft up by opening the manual damper or clamping the barometric shut while the coal is burning. The baro will need to be working if the oil burner kicked on though. Its tough when you have an oil burner with baro feeding the same chimney as a coal appliance. Some people make it work though.

I don't quite follow what is in your chimney. Can you get a picture??

 
F.N.G
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 1600 m
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Post by F.N.G » Sun. Jan. 05, 2014 3:00 pm

Not to day but I'll try to find a pic off the internet it rained and. Now it's ice on the roof


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