Coal From Tractor Supply.

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Sunny Boy
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Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
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Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 11:06 am

I've seen some indications that it's not the hardest of hard coals. At least compared to the bulk coal my dealer gets from breakers working the Mahanoy coal seam - one of which is Blaschak.

The Kimmel's lights faster, and with alot more volatiles that have long yellow flames.

Burns much hotter, for the same damper settings. Mano readings are about double at those same damper settings then what the Mahanoy will produce.

Responds more quickly to need for heat increases, but it is also tough to keep steady cooking temps with the range, thus requiring adjusting dampers more often then I have to with the Mahanoy.

Dampered down at night, the check damper needs a larger opening to get it to slow down as much as the Mahanoy will at same damper settings. Mano still reads almost double then too.

Even with more check damper opening, full loads doesn't last as long over night either. After 9 hours the coal bed looks mostly burnt to glowing ash embers like it does after 11 hours with the Mahanoy. Plus the range temps are steadily dropping off indicating most of the fuel is used up by then.

When I put a steel shovel into a pile, or bucket of Mahanoy, the steel "rings" when it contacts that very hard coal. Likewise, it makes the same hard ringing sounds as the coal slides off into the stove. The Kimmels sounds more muffled, like it's softer.''

When the Kimmel's has a chance to dry the water off, it feels much more "oily" then the Mahanoy.

When wiped clean, a lot of the Kimmel's is not as black and hard shiny as the Mahanoy.

When I described these observations to my dealer, he suspects it's a softer grade of coal more like sub-anthracite.

Paul


 
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windyhill4.2
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Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 11:17 am

The one thing that we mind the most with the switch from wood to coal is the chimney exhaust smell outside. With wood there was this nice smoke house smell,with coal there is this putrid disgusting smell.......... the coal exhaust is not always noticeable & not as noticeable as the wood smoke was. With the wood smoke in the right direction even the wash hanging on the line would soak up the smoke & we would have that " hickory " smell to our clothes. We do not have the coal exhaust smell in our clothing so the coal exhaust is not nearly as noticeable,just that the whiffs of it are not pleasant like the wood smoke was.

 
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Sunny Boy
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Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 11:22 am

ddahlgren wrote:Any smell outside of the house from the Kimmels as my neighbors are close and will go crazy if they smell it.
No smoke with good hard coal. Starting the fire with wood, or charcoal, is the only time I can see smoke near the chimney top. Like JohnB said, not near as bad as wood smoke.

Walking around outside right after putting fresh coal in the stove, I sometimes get a very slight whiff of sulfur if I'm within 20 - 25 yards of the house when a wind gust might cause a down draft on the downwind side of the house. The smell is so slight that it's too thinned out to smell beyond about 30 yards.

Plus, only happens for about the first ten minutes after the stove is loaded with fresh coal as the volatiles burn off. Once the blue ladies start dance I get no smell at all outside. Inside, if I take one of the range top covers off I get a very faint wiff that is not sulfur. More like faint car exhaust from pre-cat days of 30 years ago. Not near as bad as being behind some cars on a long hill.

Paul

 
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windyhill4.2
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Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 11:42 am

I did forget to mention that I have a very sensitive sniffer,i can smell propane burning in a house with a propain cook stove too. I can smell coal exhaust from the EFM520 burning rice coal from Superior & from the Crane 404 burning nut coal from Blashach . I would much rather smell the wood smoke that we have enjoyed for the last 15 yrs. but I am not willing to do all the work required to enjoy that wood smoke. :) Paul, you do describe it well as that of a car exhaust smell,so most people won't even think about it coming from a coal fire especially if they are not aware of any coal fire in their neighborhood .

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 11:51 am

WH, put a dab of Vicks on your upper lip--problem solved ;) I do that on the horses when a mare is in heat up the road & they start getting nutzo :)

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 11:54 am

:rofl: FF,yep, that would work. It sounds like the Kimmels has a bit stronger smell to it so maybe I will stay away from that brand.

 
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Post by samhill » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 12:11 pm

When I was playing body snatcher there were always naturally gloves, masks & full suits if needed but always along with them jars of vicks. Put a generous dab inside the mask & you can stomach a lot. :sick:


 
ddahlgren
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Post by ddahlgren » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 12:22 pm

I only have a ton of Kimmels so maybe a mix or save for really cold weather when everyone is indoors 99% of the time. I live in a small somewhat historic town with neighbors within 40 feet and the closed a MD and as far left as you can go without falling off the edge of the earth or reality his wife no better. Or stagger the stove duties for when they are in for the night. Does this make any sense?

 
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Sunny Boy
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Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 12:28 pm

windyhill4.2 wrote::rofl: FF,yep, that would work. It sounds like the Kimmels has a bit stronger smell to it so maybe I will stay away from that brand.
I haven't checked the outdoor smell with the Kimmel's, yet.

While it has more volatiles to burn off, opening the top covers during reloading, it doesn't give off as strong a sulfur smell whenever it pops and crackles. And, it doesn't do the "snap, crackle, and pop" with a fresh load of the Kimmel's for as long, or as loud as the Mahanoy does. So, it may have less of a sulfur smell ????

Winds are favorable, and I've got it running only on the Kimmels while I do more temp tests today, so I'll check outside after each reloading.

Paul

 
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Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25547
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 12:30 pm

ddahlgren wrote:I only have a ton of Kimmels so maybe a mix or save for really cold weather when everyone is indoors 99% of the time. I live in a small somewhat historic town with neighbors within 40 feet and the closed a MD and as far left as you can go without falling off the edge of the earth or reality his wife no better. Or stagger the stove duties for when they are in for the night. Does this make any sense?
Since there won't be any smoke, next time you see them outside, Just ask them, "Did a school bus just come through here ? ".

Or, say, "Gee, somebodies oil burner needs a tune up."
:D

Paul
Last edited by Sunny Boy on Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 12:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 12:31 pm

ddahlgren wrote:I only have a ton of Kimmels so maybe a mix or save for really cold weather when everyone is indoors 99% of the time. I live in a small somewhat historic town with neighbors within 40 feet and the closed a MD and as far left as you can go without falling off the edge of the earth or reality his wife no better. Or stagger the stove duties for when they are in for the night. Does this make any sense?
Beat them to the punch and go knock on their door holding a fruit cake and tell them you are thinking of installing an outside wood boiler but you would like their input first. :fear: Of course "men in black" will arrive soon so have another fruit cake ready :P

 
ddahlgren
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Post by ddahlgren » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:04 pm

My favorite is 'Just because I am paranoid does not mean they are not watching' LOL No doubt a quote from some movie but told to me often by a dear friend who died way too soon.

 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:19 pm

Thanks for the laughs guys.

I used to rub kerosene on baby pigs and sows noses if I had to move them to a different sow. The whole litter. Used to drive the sows crazy but they wouldnt hurt them that way.

I don't mind the sulfur smell of ant. This fall I burned some bit for a couple days and on a calm low baro day the smoke was so thick on the ground I could barely see a woods half a mile away, lol.

if you don't tell your neighbors in town they will probably never know its ant coal.

 
JohnB
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Post by JohnB » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:27 pm

Have they ever complained about the smoke from your woodstove? My neighbors still burn wood & that smoke will travel across the road up here on the hill & go right into our house if a windows open. I really doubt that the coal odor is going to be an issue. Actually after having your wood fire smoke surround their house in the past they may thank you.

 
ddahlgren
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Post by ddahlgren » Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:49 pm

JohnB wrote:Have they ever complained about the smoke from your woodstove? My neighbors still burn wood & that smoke will travel across the road up here on the hill & go right into our house if a windows open. I really doubt that the coal odor is going to be an issue. Actually after having your wood fire smoke surround their house in the past they may thank you.
There is no smoke at all and very little smell on anything but a cold start. When is smell the greatest service stove or just running along?
Trust me my neighbors have no sense of either humor or reality I need to move ASAP.


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