Ideas for Building a Small Contraption to Dry Bagged Coal?

Clousseau · Post by **Clousseau** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:00 am

Hey guys, new this year to coal burning, burned 10 cords of wood for 35+ years. Been having an issue with my fire going out, twice now in 3 days. Burning bagged Reading rice coal in my K-6 boiler. On occasion, when you dump a bag in the hopper, there is some water in the bag. Most bags are not like that, the coal is moist only. What ideas do you have to dump a bag or 2 at a time into something to allow it to dry before I load it into the hopper? My space is limited, the boiler is in my woodworking shop so I cannot dump it on the floor. Any help would be appreciated!

titleist1 · Post by **titleist1** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:06 am

Some on here have used a plastic tote bin (like people use to store holiday stuff) and empty a bag a day or so ahead to dry out. Others slit the bag lengthwise opening up the plastic and lay them on the lid of the tote. If they are open near the stove they don't take too long to dry out.

Post by **Lightning** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:12 am

I would take a 5 gallon plastic pail, flip it upside down and drill about 200 - 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of it. Dump a bag of coal in it. Then with the lid, or make a lid, mount a small computer fan sealed to the lid to force air down thru the bucket of coal. Suspend the pail so that air can flow freely down thru the coal and out the 1/4 holes in the bottom.

Is that too over the top??

You could take it a step further and duct some warm air from the top of the stove and force it down thru the bucket. Or at least duct it from up high where the air is more likely to be warmer..

Easy squeezy..

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:19 am

Snip a bottom corned off the bags and stand them up to let the bulk of the water run out where the slurry won't be a problem - bare ground, or in a tub, where ever.

Then open to top wide of a few days worth of bags and leave them standing up near the stove. The heat will dry the coal out. As you use up bags replace them so that you'll always be a few days ahead on bags being near the heat drying out.

If you have 5 gallon buckets you can dump the wet coal in them and place them near the stove. Only takes a few days of 24 hour a day warmth to get the coal dry enough.

Paul

Post by **Lightning** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:21 am

Paul, the guy specifically stated building a "contraption", your solution is WAY too easy..

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:24 am

Lightning wrote:Paul, the guy specifically stated building a "contraption", your solution is WAY too easy..

Lee,
If he does it my way, there's the "con" that he got "trapped" into because he didn't "shun", my advice.

Con-trap-shun, is that close enough ?

Paul

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:36 am

Contraption huh?? OK, take an old cloths washer drum & hook to axis & 5 horse B&S motor and Wa-la--ya got a centrifugal force do-dad!--OR NOT!!!!

Post by **Lightning** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:46 am

freetown fred wrote:Contraption huh?? OK, take an old cloths washer drum & hook to axis & 5 horse B&S motor and Wa-la--ya got a centrifugal force do-dad!--OR NOT!!!!

You'd be successful with waking the dead also...

lzaharis · Post by **lzaharis** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 8:51 am

Fred- Rube Goldberg would be proud of you.
But the folks that have old scrapped gasoline engine
powered washing machines will not be happy as you
stole thier idea to wash and rinse out fresh picked
vegetables.

titleist1 · Post by **titleist1** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 9:14 am

To keep the neighbors happy in a high housing density area, the low dB version of FF's centrifugal coal ventilator contraption is to use a horse on a treadmill with a drive belt to a gearbox driving the wash tub spin. Don't forget to line the wash tub with screening to keep the rice coal from plugging the holes in the wash tub.

Here is the wood splitter model in action.....

Much like a PTO, there are a multitude of attachments!!

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 10:02 am

Damn, I'd forgotten that. Thanx T!

Clousseau · Post by **Clousseau** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 3:08 pm

Guys,

Thanks for the info! I drilled 5 two inch holes in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket, cut some aluminum screening & lined the bottom. That bucket now sits on top of another 5 gallon bucket to catch water & slurry when a bag of coal is dumped into it. May have to make 3 or 4 of these "contraptions" to stay ahead. I wish I had heard about this issue before going to coal; it may have changed my mind!

warminmn · Post by **warminmn** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 3:15 pm

Buy it early in the year, like May June July, and store under cover and it will be dry by the time you need it, but thats not as much fun!

davidmcbeth3 · Post by **davidmcbeth3** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 5:00 pm

All fuel should be delivered clean dry and serviceable. No excuse for getting wringing wet coal. I complain when I get it that way.

Clousseau · Post by **Clousseau** » Mon. Nov. 23, 2015 5:29 pm

I will call my supplier, but I still own 3 + tons that were delivered with the other ton about 2 months ago.