Brought a Friend to the Dark Side

A buddy of mine who I've known maybe 10 years has a couple year old US Stove Hotblast, model 1537, same as mine. He heats maybe 1800 sq ft, decently insulated and new windows. He burns firewood, was pretty much scared to death of coal, and assumed he would melt his stove down if he tried it. Even though he knows I strictly burn coal non stop from October-March with zero issues really. And I'm heating a 3800 sq ft 110 year old farm house, with half new and half original single pane windows.

After the little cold snap we had last night (-9) he called this morning to see how we held up, make sure we stayed warm, and blah blah blah. My response "yea hoss, slept 8 hours and woke up to an 82 degree house" he said he slept terrible as he was up all night throwing wood on the fire. I just laughed.
He called later asking me what time the coal mine closed for the day...
Needless to say, after 2 years of me bragging up my coal love, he borrowed about 500 lbs of my coal to "try it out" . I walked him through everything at his house, from starting the fire, to shaking it down. When I left, his house was 85, stove temp was cruising along at 400 over the door, and his wife was happier than ever.
He just texted me a pic of his firebox full of blue ladies dancing like crazy. And thanked me again.

That my friends, that's what the coal burning brotherhood is all about!

Wheelo

Nice, good job!

That's great. Are you still using Bituminous coal?

SWPaDon wrote:That's great. Are you still using Bituminous coal?

Yes I am. As of right now, it's $80 a ton. And the mine is maybe a 10 minute ride from the house. I'd love to be able to find some cheap Anth coal, just to sort of play with it, and see what the fuss is all about. But locally I wouldn't even know where to look, and that stuff sounds more expensive than what I'm burning now. Who knows, maybe one day I'll stumble across some bagged Anth coal somewhere and play with it.

Wheelo

Wheelo wrote:

SWPaDon wrote:That's great. Are you still using Bituminous coal?

Yes I am. As of right now, it's $80 a ton. And the mine is maybe a 10 minute ride from the house. I'd love to be able to find some cheap Anth coal, just to sort of play with it, and see what the fuss is all about. But locally I wouldn't even know where to look, and that stuff sounds more expensive than what I'm burning now. Who knows, maybe one day I'll stumble across some bagged Anth coal somewhere and play with it.

Wheelo

I'm using bit also. Had to go with run of mine this time because the mine didn't have any nut. I paid 90 per ton.

The true test will come if you find that he is still burning coal after his first puff-back experience.

Sounds like you have good success with bit in your furnace,how much different is that from the 1557 that another member is having so much difficulty with ?

I'd be burning 90 bucks a ton bit too !

Alas, no one round here sells it and the wifey likes the hopper in my 503 ...

windyhill4.2 wrote:Sounds like you have good success with bit in your furnace,how much different is that from the 1557 that another member is having so much difficulty with ?

Honestly, I've looked at the 1557 model. I feel that it is pretty much the newer model to mine. Grates are the same, stove body is about the same size, 2 blower motors, and it seems like the majority of the parts are interchangeable between the two models. My stove does have a little "flapper" between the loading door and the ash door that was once attached to some thermostat spring thing. I trash canned it as I felt it provided too much overfire air... All in all, I see no major differences between the two models.
And as for the cat that had so many issues with his stove, honestly I don't know what his problem was. I followed a lot of his posts, and never cared to share much knowledge because he seemed to not really care to be patient enough to learn. As I'm heating a much larger house than he is, with a stove in rather shabby condition, I'm sure he had draft problems because I can almost make plaster drip from ceilings. Heck, I even burn coal from the same pile that he did!! I know a lot of guys knock these stoves, as I'm sure there are much better out there, but with patience and an open mind one will overcome just about anything.

I even gave my buddy a couple new CO detectors. Schooled him about waking up dead and how it ain't any good, and really sucks.. I'd say, as long as the stove is still going 8 hours from now, he will be hooked to the rocks for life.

Wheelo wrote: I know a lot of guys knock these stoves, as I'm sure there are much better out there, but with patience and an open mind one will overcome just about anything.

Now that is one excellent statement and so very true!!!

dj

Wheelo wrote:A buddy of mine who I've known maybe 10 years has a couple year old US Stove Hotblast, model 1537, same as mine. He heats maybe 1800 sq ft, decently insulated and new windows. He burns firewood, was pretty much scared to death of coal, and assumed he would melt his stove down if he tried it. Even though he knows I strictly burn coal non stop from October-March with zero issues really. And I'm heating a 3800 sq ft 110 year old farm house, with half new and half original single pane windows.

After the little cold snap we had last night (-9) he called this morning to see how we held up, make sure we stayed warm, and blah blah blah. My response "yea hoss, slept 8 hours and woke up to an 82 degree house" he said he slept terrible as he was up all night throwing wood on the fire. I just laughed.
He called later asking me what time the coal mine closed for the day...
Needless to say, after 2 years of me bragging up my coal love, he borrowed about 500 lbs of my coal to "try it out" . I walked him through everything at his house, from starting the fire, to shaking it down. When I left, his house was 85, stove temp was cruising along at 400 over the door, and his wife was happier than ever.
He just texted me a pic of his firebox full of blue ladies dancing like crazy. And thanked me again.

That my friends, that's what the coal burning brotherhood is all about!

Wheelo

once he uses coal, he'll never go back to wood. wood only makes sense if there's no coal available. even then, the only way I'd burn it is, if the wood was $50/cord or free, delivered, and cut/split, ready to put in the stove and burn. or I had no other form of heat available whatsoever.

IMHO, the house doesn't have to be 85. actually that's too hot for comfort. if oil and gas heat was free, who would put the thermostat on 85 ? it is unhealthy to sleep in that hot, dry environment, wake up with a dried out throat and sinuses.

I'm a little skeptical about 400F on the front door, and 85 in the house temps. let me explain. my house is modern construction, with 2x6 wall studding, an extra 2" of insulation in all the walls, less square feet, steel chimney inside the house, fan/heat exchanger in the stove, and the best double pane modern windows with built in weatherstrips. 400 on the front face of the stove, is turned way down and not putting out much heat. that's actually a low setting I use when we get a warm spell outside.

dlj wrote:

Wheelo wrote: I know a lot of guys knock these stoves, as I'm sure there are much better out there, but with patience and an open mind one will overcome just about anything.

Now that is one excellent statement and so very true!!!

dj

I agree completely.

My Clayton has it's faults, and they take some learning, but the price brand new and out the door is really good. The best thing about them is, they can be made to burn a variety of fuels very well..........wood, bit coal and anthracite.

I think I'm on my 5th or 6th winter with mine, I've replaced the fire brick several times, the shaker handle 3 times(that's due to the coal and firing technique), and 3 of the grates(due to my wife not emptying the ash pan regularly). The main point is............we stay warm.

steamshovel wrote:
interesting, but the house doesn't have to be 85. actually that's too hot. if oil and gas heat was free, who in their right mind would put the thermostat on 85 ? also unhealthy to sleep in that hot, dry environment, wake up with a dried out throat and sinuses.

Ever been to Arizona? People been livin there for quite a long time ya know.

As a matter of fact, I personally know people that have moved there ......for health reasons.........just because of the high heat and low humidity.

SUCCESS!!!!
This afternoon my buddy texted me a pic of his truck all loaded down with coal. Guess he's hooked now too. Hahahaha