A Visit to the Blaschak Breaker, Mahanoy City, PA

 
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europachris
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Post by europachris » Sun. May. 04, 2008 7:41 am

coal berner wrote:Well I will say this if you are coming down to the tour I will take you Right to the Bagging Plant and you will see for yourself that the coal is Dry when it goes into the bags and onto the Pallets
I wonder if at some point either they got behind in production or someone wasn't doing the job properly, or even maybe equipment failure? So they just bagged it right from the processing plant still wet to keep up with demand?

The previous coal load I was burning, still Blaschak, but bagged at least a season earlier, was only slightly damp in the bags.

Shoot, even the OUTSIDE of the bags was all slimy and nasty with coal smudge. I couldn't carry them without getting black. The previous load was clean as a whistle on the outside.

I'm not trying to argue your point, JC. I can only say with the facts that I observed - my bags were taken from the factory Blaschak pallet, I cut the shrinkwrap myself. They were soaking wet - all of them - inside.

I would think that my wet coal (and others who've commented the same) is an anomaly rather than the norm. If Blaschak was selling coal that dripped black glop all over people's homes trying to load their stoves, they would not be as popular and widespread as a seller of quality coal.

Chris


 
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Post by mike » Sun. May. 04, 2008 6:45 pm

Harmony is to big of a mine for my taste toothy . I'm really liking the white ash mix as opposed to a straight red or white. I know kimmels had big time problems in the begining. They were using a joy miner which wasn't suited for the low coal to good. Now there using a fairchild which was working pretty good last I heard. They were expecting some problems getting things working right up there. Any way when I saw lennings breaker I fell in love with it :roll:

 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Mon. May. 05, 2008 2:34 pm

mike wrote:Harmony is to big of a mine for my taste toothy . I'm really liking the white ash mix as opposed to a straight red or white. I know kimmels had big time problems in the begining. They were using a joy miner which wasn't suited for the low coal to good. Now there using a fairchild which was working pretty good last I heard. They were expecting some problems getting things working right up there. Any way when I saw lennings breaker I fell in love with it :roll:
Harmony is to big :lol: Mike you will get a mix from UAE There ash is not as red as Superior ash it is more of a pink color red & white Lykens #2 vein as you already know I would tell you to go up and try it Mike you will like it I don.t think you ever burned such a low ash coal before you will go 4 or 5 days with out emptying you ash tub The B.T.U.'s are
running 13.200 to 13.400 Per lb Plus you get long burns The coal burns the longest for me the only thing is it is Dry no
water wash so you have fines but they burn to also in stoker's in the warm weather it likes to clinker Low ash High fuzion coal the clinkers are soft not hard Your G.J . will have no Problems it will eat it up and will won't more :lol: As for Kimmels
mike I talked to the guy two weeks ago and they where still having Problems I will find out more info this week for you I
am interested in Trying it Myself Take talk to you later ;)

 
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cArNaGe
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Post by cArNaGe » Mon. May. 05, 2008 3:02 pm

So who is Who in the picture?

 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Mon. May. 05, 2008 4:40 pm

europachris wrote:
coal berner wrote:Well I will say this if you are coming down to the tour I will take you Right to the Bagging Plant and you will see for yourself that the coal is Dry when it goes into the bags and onto the Pallets
I wonder if at some point either they got behind in production or someone wasn't doing the job properly, or even maybe equipment failure? So they just bagged it right from the processing plant still wet to keep up with demand?

The previous coal load I was burning, still Blaschak, but bagged at least a season earlier, was only slightly damp in the bags.

Shoot, even the OUTSIDE of the bags was all slimy and nasty with coal smudge. I couldn't carry them without getting black. The previous load was clean as a whistle on the outside.

I'm not trying to argue your point, JC. I can only say with the facts that I observed - my bags were taken from the factory Blaschak pallet, I cut the shrinkwrap myself. They were soaking wet - all of them - inside.

I would think that my wet coal (and others who've commented the same) is an anomaly rather than the norm. If Blaschak was selling coal that dripped black glop all over people's homes trying to load their stoves, they would not be as popular and widespread as a seller of quality coal.

Chris
Chris I know you are not trying to argue with me there is enough of that on here :lol: anything is possible with the water But I would find it hard for it to happend at the packing plant Just becuase of how eveything is dunn and the coal is in Huge dryer's and then piped into the bagging plant there is no way for the coal to get wet once it leaves the dryer 's Chris if it happends again Just call the Breaker and ash to talk to Tony or Jack they will take care of you and will contact your dealer ;)

 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Mon. May. 05, 2008 4:42 pm

cArNaGe wrote:So who is Who in the picture?
You will have to come to the Tour /meet to find that out :lol:

 
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Post by mike » Mon. May. 05, 2008 5:25 pm

I will say too it would be awful hard to bag coal that wet on purpose. I've seen the way they bag it there too and theres plenty of chances for excess water to drain off before it hits the bag.
Last edited by mike on Mon. May. 05, 2008 6:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.


 
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cArNaGe
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Post by cArNaGe » Mon. May. 05, 2008 5:47 pm

coal berner wrote:
cArNaGe wrote:So who is Who in the picture?
You will have to come to the Tour /meet to find that out :lol:
I plan on stopping by about 6:45 saturday night. Probably go down Friday night also.

Ok here goes my guess's.

Stoker-Man is facing us with the Mustache and Sunglasses.

Coal-Bearner has his back to us with the red sweat shirt on.

And the guy on the far right is someone from down near Ravine.

How far am I off?

 
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stoker-man
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Post by stoker-man » Mon. May. 05, 2008 6:01 pm

About a dollar and change.

 
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europachris
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Post by europachris » Mon. May. 05, 2008 7:05 pm

coal berner wrote: Chris if it happends again Just call the Breaker and ash to talk to Tony or Jack they will take care of you and will contact your dealer ;)
I'll keep that in mind. Now my dealer has all summer for the last load of coal to dry out. I think I am only one of a few rice burners he has - the rest are nut and pea coal people with handfeds. Anthracite out here is pretty much a niche, bordering on wacko. Not a lot of us.....LOL.

But, I've got no problems continuing to burn Blaschak. It's good stuff.

 
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Post by jpen1 » Mon. May. 05, 2008 10:24 pm

To add to the lenigs problem is there sizing on the rice. I crawled in the bin after Jay left with my calipers in hand I dug through the new load of lenigs part of the load they said was rice is really barley with some nasty impurites that look like pieces of bricks and the other part is rice which looks like the best coal money can buy. I can tell you one thing I will be buying from UAE and washing it my self while letting the coal sit on some 12 wire per inch mesh if I have to. Oh Jay the ash % by weight came in at a whopping 23.5% from the lenig but on the bright side it will make some nice Anti- skid for the township :)

 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Tue. May. 06, 2008 12:43 am

jpen1 wrote:To add to the lenigs problem is there sizing on the rice. I crawled in the bin after Jay left with my calipers in hand I dug through the new load of lenigs part of the load they said was rice is really barley with some nasty impurites that look like pieces of bricks and the other part is rice which looks like the best coal money can buy. I can tell you one thing I will be buying from UAE and washing it my self while letting the coal sit on some 12 wire per inch mesh if I have to. Oh Jay the ash % by weight came in at a whopping 23.5% from the lenig but on the bright side it will make some nice Anti- skid for the township :)
Wow thats high How much coal did you burn and what was the ash weight subtract the ash pan and bucket 23.5% is high for any coal They sell to the state and the state only allows 11% ash content they must be getting there coal from another source or somebody really screwed up in the breaker you should of let it on the trailer took a few buckets burned it before you on loaded it then you could off took it back to them :x I don't know Jim you are the only one that got a bad load from them well two bad loads now out of 6 or 7 People that I took there they must like you :lol:

 
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Post by jpen1 » Tue. May. 06, 2008 9:20 pm

The barley sized stuff I burn't 16.5lbs net coal in 24hrs with 3.8lbs of net ash. The rice sized stuff I burn't 15 lbs and had 1.4lbs of ash or 9.5% ash by weight and this ash is very powdery mix of red and white ash as the smaller stuff is pure white and very crunchy as you saw. I should of backed the trailer up to the pile and off loaded it when I saw the small stuff on top of the pile in the trailer. What really bothered me the most is the fact the outer part of the pile looked really nice and the proper size for rice. Not to worry it burns hot and seems to give some nice blue ladies at the top end of the grate like superior does. The other thing I noticed is the odor when you open the door it smells almost like bituminous burning in an open blacksmith's forge.

 
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Post by coal berner » Wed. May. 07, 2008 3:25 pm

jpen1 wrote:The barley sized stuff I burn't 16.5lbs net coal in 24hrs with 3.8lbs of net ash. The rice sized stuff I burn't 15 lbs and had 1.4lbs of ash or 9.5% ash by weight and this ash is very powdery mix of red and white ash as the smaller stuff is pure white and very crunchy as you saw. I should of backed the trailer up to the pile and off loaded it when I saw the small stuff on top of the pile in the trailer. What really bothered me the most is the fact the outer part of the pile looked really nice and the proper size for rice. Not to worry it burns hot and seems to give some nice blue ladies at the top end of the grate like superior does. The other thing I noticed is the odor when you open the door it smells almost like bituminous burning in an open blacksmith's forge.
Jim I think what happend is when they got that load of crap coal back when you where there the Fist time they had some left over because when I was up there few weeks ago Bob took me over and showed me it and said they will never buy from that Place again he said when the run out of there own rice next time they will just wait until they can make more and won't buy from any one else The Pile he showed me had a lot of *censored* in it so maybe what happend someone mixed it with there good stuff What bin did they load the coal out of was it in the front of the breaker or at the end on the side of the breaker The stuff he showed me was in front of the office door anyway you should of unloaded it when you seen that crap in it Or Just stick with UAE and Superior ;)

 
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Post by equipmint » Fri. May. 09, 2008 10:15 pm

Not to beat a dead horse but I bought 4 2400lb pallets of Blaschack over a few month period and first pallet was damp coal the next 3 seemed excessively wet to the point that I opened the bags and dumped into plastic Rubbermaid containers 2 days before use to dry out a bit. Bags all appeared to be vacumned sealed and wrapped very professionally on skids for the trucker. I believe you guys who were at the Breaker and saw dry coal going into bags but it definetly comes out wet!


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