What Have You Learned This Year?

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Sat. Feb. 21, 2015 9:36 am

I've learned the curve and soon (next couple of yrs.) will be heating with a coal boiler.


 
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windyhill4.2
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Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
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Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Sat. Feb. 21, 2015 9:54 am

I found that I need to set the stoker to 6 teeth /6 air when the OAT is predicted to be lower than 10*, also that I need to set it to 7 teeth/8 air when 0* approaches ,not sure what I would need to do if temps were to drop to -35* as they did in Jan.1994 & hoping not to learn that one this season anymore. :shock: I have learned that heating with coal is easier than heating with wood, & that heating with this EFM520 in a truck box is so much easier & so much more enjoyable than tending the OWB out in all kinds of weather conditions was. We have only saved a few hundred dollars with coal purchase over wood purchase. BUT,with the wood there is LABOR,LABOR,LABOR, chainsaw gas & oil,chains,wear & tear,splitter rental & gas, did I mention lots of labor that we didn't assign a $$ amount for ? peace of mind with coal in the bin vs wood under snow,more hours in the warm,very little time spent tending the coal boiler vs the OWB,we are happier & less tired as we do not need to tend the boiler at 11 p/m for it to hold till 6 a/m as we did with the OWB, we only feed the coal boiler 1 time per day & empty ash 2 times /day :D Almost forgot our Crane 404 in our living room,it has kept this normally cold room at 75* in addition to doing about 1/2 of the cooking. Our cats take turns getting real close to the stove to get extra warm periodically,we can sit & relax in this room without being buried under blankets,thanks to the Crane.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Feb. 21, 2015 10:19 am

Windy, I don't think you are likely to see much worse than last week. When it gets super cold it is usually very calm/still...not roaring wind like last week. I've experienced -35 at my house, it was much less of a challenge than the conditions we had last week when it was -12 with roaring wind.

Next year get some premium coal for the EFM.

 
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windyhill4.2
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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 » Sat. Feb. 21, 2015 10:45 am

Rob,I sure hope you are right , we are expecting -3* tues a/m again. Premium coal ? Blashack ? We are pretty happy with the Blashack so far,less than 2 tubs of ash with 255# of coal added yesterday,we have been burning this coal for a few weeks now.

 
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DennisH
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Post by DennisH » Sat. Feb. 21, 2015 4:23 pm

I learned again, what I learned last year. It really doesn't matter how "hot" you burn your coal. What really matters, in terms of producing useful heat, is the quantity or "mass" of burnable coal you have in your fire box that really cranks out the heat and makes a difference. You can run a small amount of coal @ 600degF and not get much heat, but you can run a full firebox (at least 6 inches deep) of coal at 400degF and keep your home warm and toasty even on the coldest of days!! :up: :up:

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Feb. 21, 2015 9:00 pm

windyhill4.2 wrote:Rob,I sure hope you are right , we are expecting -3* tues a/m again. Premium coal ? Blashack ? We are pretty happy with the Blashack so far,less than 2 tubs of ash with 255# of coal added yesterday,we have been burning this coal for a few weeks now.
Ash content is part of it, sizing is another. Blaschak rice tends to have a fair amount of barely mixed in, at least that has been the case every time I have seen a sample of it. When you start getting into higher feed rates it becomes tough to get enough air through the coal for a proper burn. The S20 EFM stoker really runs nice with "big rice", or at least proper size rice without the smaller stuff mixed in. Just something to keep in mind when you are shopping around.

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

Post by windyhill4.2 » Sat. Feb. 21, 2015 9:19 pm

Rob,that is one thing I have learned about the Blashack rice,the barley size mixed in, how is their buck ? Would it be a bit of buck with some rice mixed in ? :lol:


 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Feb. 22, 2015 7:51 am

I have never seen or burned Blaschak buck, so I am not sure. You should go get some and let us know. :)

 
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Pancho
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Post by Pancho » Wed. Feb. 25, 2015 8:22 pm

I've learned....................................everything I know about burning coal. First year and whatnot. :mrgreen:

 
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oliver power
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Post by oliver power » Thu. Feb. 26, 2015 3:52 am

Raking hot coals forward on HOPPER fed stoves: Never done it before. That makes it new to me this year. As a rule, raking coal is not necessary with a hopper fed stove. HOWEVER, if the fire is low, and you are going to smother it some by dumping fresh coal in the hopper, pulling hot coals forward really works good. The hole created by raking coals forward will fill with fresh coal dumped in the hopper. The forward pulled coals will ignite the fresh coal in the hole, as well as immediately start burning off the gasses. No waiting around to make sure the stove is going to be ok. No build up of gasses. No Ka-Boom. As many of you know; Raking coal is common practice with stoves that don't have hoppers. For the hopper guys/gals, give it a try. You'll be impressed.

 
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tomsusmc
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Post by tomsusmc » Fri. Feb. 27, 2015 8:05 am

I have learned quite a bit this year from Lightning and others on this website, as this was my first year of coal burning after 15 years of burning wood. I will NEVER go back to wood....lol

However...... I think the single most important item WAS to COVER my coal trailer with a TARP!! So others here with the same problem, you are not ALONE!!

At present there is about 8" of snow covering my coal supply, and what melted has turned it into a frozen solid "Coalberg" :D With no thawing temps forecast for quite awhile!

Tom S.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Fri. Feb. 27, 2015 1:37 pm

Thank you for the kind mention Tom, a wealth of knowledge and nice people here for sure :)
A ton of great tips and tidbits in this thread too!
Keep em comin!

 
coldinmaine
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Post by coldinmaine » Fri. Feb. 27, 2015 1:42 pm

I learned I can install a coal boiler...and that it will actually work!

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Fri. Feb. 27, 2015 2:54 pm

coldinmaine wrote:I learned I can install a coal boiler...and that it will actually work!
I too learned that same thing,last fall :D

 
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SWPaDon
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Post by SWPaDon » Fri. Feb. 27, 2015 9:24 pm

Update..........

I've learned that I need to look up, when I notice a draft change.

About a month or so ago, we noticed a change in the draft on our furnace. We have no manometer, just noticed something was different. Well..........as I was walking down from the chicken coop this morning, I looked up to see how much smoke was coming from my chimney, as I'm burning a different coal now. I didn't see much smoke at all, but I did see a huge gaping hole in the stainless liner that was installed in the chimney before I bought the house(liner sticks up about 12 inches above the chimney). After the weather breaks, I'll need to climb up there and see what I need to do to repair it.

Replacing the liner isn't an option, because after they installed the 6 inch liner into the red brick chimney, they poured mortar around it ............the entire distance to the basement.


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