Lighting My Rice Coal

we have been trying to light our coal since last friday 3-14-08....the coal was damp when we bought it but my husband has dried it since....................

any ideas, help would be great, he has gone thru 9 bottles of propane since Friday....he is using a propane torch! he is getting less then irate!

help!!??

You can go over here and look around. How to Light a Hand Fired Coal Stove

What is he trying to burn the coal in?

What kind of stove?

I make a big pile of MatchLight charcoal, then, when it's "caught on," I tamp it down a bit and put small shovelfuls of coal on until the coal gets started.

Last season, my first, I tried -- ONCE -- to start with my propane torch. I got nowhere.

Get a good fire going with something else - cedar rail kindling, etc, or briquettes. then start adding coal. Rice is meant for automatic stokers only. If you have a regular stove, use nut or something similar. Rice is too fine and will never give a good result.

If you have a stoker type stove,
I put one sheet of newspaper crumpled up on the grate about an inch or so back from the end, right down on the plate where the air holes are, kinda pack it down, Then, with hammer/break a few pieces of Matchlight or equal Charcoal into smaller pieces at or about the size of the coal, maybe slightly bigger, put on top of paper with a little bit of coal on top of that.

Light the paper and close the door, let the paper start, plug in the stove in or turn on the combustion blower and let it get burning, after about 5 mins or so when it starts burning down, throw another small handful of coal on top, you may have to do it a second time, but it should start to take after a while (15 mins), after that, it get going really well.....

Good luck.

I myself use starter bags. Not sure whats in them. I have been told it it bitimus coal which I guess is softer and easier to light. Anyway I just place a thin layer of coal over the grate, place the bag on the upper center of the combustion area then just light the bag. After a few minuets when the coal from the bag is burning good, I place a small amout of coal on top of the burning bagged coal. Just be sure to have your blower turned off when lighting. As soon as bag is lit, close your door and turn on your blower. These bags cost anywhere from $1.00-$1.50 per bag in my area. They also have what are called mice. These are just a small box with a fuse sticking out of one end. I'm told these have magnesium in them which burns very hot. The price for these is about the same. I didn't seem to have as good of luck with these. Others I know swear by them. Just a preference I guess. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Have you had any luck yet....cal the dealer and see what he sells!? Jim

use a coal mice works great

stove shop should be able to help you out

I also make a big pile of MatchLight charcoal, but I use MAPP torch much hoter than propanetorch. I found this to work for me.

Thanks,
Ed

Hello gkurtz, a propane torch is not hot enough to light Anthracite coal.[I've tried ]. A Mapp-gass torch is better. [an Oxy-Acetylene is best] . But all the suggestions above are good,, Matchlight BBQ charcoal broken into smaller pieces, basicly break the charcoal briquets into quarters.. wood kindling, coal mice, starter packs, etc...

One thing that hasn't been specificly mentioned.. you need to have the whole grate covered with coal.. you don't want to try to light a small fire on part of the grate,, you must cover all the grate and the air-holes with charcoal, pieces of wood kindling, crumpled+packed newspaper, or something.. the combustion fan must force air through the burning fire to raise the fire temperature high enough to get the Anthracite coal burning. Without the forced combustion air,, you will probably not get the coal burning..

Let us know what make, brand etc the stove/boiler is, don't worry about the coal being damp,, it doesn't effect the burning,, the water is only on the surface of the coal..

Hope this helps.. Greg L

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