Wet Coal

Every bag of coal this year has been wet inside. Do they spray it down while packing it?

It is wet during the breaker process.

I have a post/thread regarding the issue of wet coal and the bagging of coal and other products.
You have to take the good with the bad on this issue. If the coal is soaking wet that is not what you want to dump in the fire box or a coal hopper for a stoker.

If the coal is damp-you can pick up some of the coal and it looks damp and the wet coal dust stcks to your hand it will dry out soon.

BUT the coal is not so wet that the water pours out of a bag its ok to use but you should have 5 or more bags open and drying in the house or draining outside.

You can dump the coal in a pail with very small holes in the bottom and let it drain in to a second pail that has several standard clay bricks in it to keep it off the bottom of the lower pail.

The wet coal will dry out and the coal dust in the bottom pail can be burned. with no issue.

If I have wet coal I just stand the woven bags of Kimmels Rice Coal up and let them drain outside the back door and then make sure I have 3 plus bags of dry coal in the house that are used before the wet bag or bags are opened up.

When I stockpile coal in the house-25-40 bags I use my dehumidifier if its wet enough and run it at night and It removes a lot of water from the bags.

I just opened 5 bags in the basement then poked lots of holes around the entire bag. Don't know if it will let enough air in to circulate around the coal but we will see.

Figure that the water will run to the bottom of the bag,if you set them on end to drain,so poke holes in the bottom of the bag.I set mine up that way next to the stove,in a pan to catch the water.Always be a few bags ahead in the drained department.

Seems as if the wet coal issue rears it's ugly head every burning season with us people who buy bagged instead of bulk. I have the same problem, just watch carefully that you do not dump extremely wet coal into your appliance. Wet coal makes sulfuric acid which wreeks havoc with metal parts, especially the pusher bar mechanism on a stoker. I had it happen to me last season, my 1st year burning coal. Got a giant learning curve last year from that!

The blaschak coal bagged was usually really wet when I used to get bagged. Usually cut the corner out of the bag and let it drain or like they said put in a bucket with holes to dry it out.

I get mine bulk now and get it oiled to keep the dust down.

I would avoid even damp coal in any stoker, the fines can turn cement like and it can rust components. I feed from a poly barrel so as long as it's a third full, I can dump it in damp and it will be dry as a bone by the time it gets to the doghouse.

coaledsweat wrote:I would avoid even damp coal in any stoker, the fines can turn cement like and it can rust components. I feed from a poly barrel so as long as it's a third full, I can dump it in damp and it will be dry as a bone by the time it gets to the doghouse.

Doghouse? You in the Doghouse? Again?

That pail with holes is a good idea for a really wet bag. After that, the coal can be put in a large plastic bin close to the stoker & in a few days with some light mixing it will be pretty much bone dry. Doing this with a couple bins permits you to use one dry bin while the other is drying.

Just keep on telling yourself its still better than wood.... and it is. Or buy your bagged coal in the spring/summer & let it dry out before winter. Those tiny, tiny hoes in the Blaschak bags permit that evaporation.

Last year I was going to be "smart". Brought in a second full skid into the basement to make sure it was dry. When I went to dump the first bag of the second skid into a spackle pail I was engulfed with a black plume of coal dust. Sooooo I ended up humping that entire skid back out into the elements to again become damp from the elements; while using the proceeds from another exposed skid. Now I just bring in 10 bags at a time And feed my boiler wet to damp coal with no dust issues. OH, the virtues of a handfed boiler.
Jim

I wait for it to freeze. Works great!!

Paul wrote:I wait for it to freeze. Works great!!

Honestly, you are killing me!!!
Jim

I've been having the same issues with wet coal. I tried putting the bagged coal in 5 gallon buckets and putting them close to the stove. It dried the tops but not all the way through. So I took 2, 55 gallon blue plastic barrels and drilled holes in the bottom and the sides. Went to the breaker and had them dump coal in them and took them home. Placed them in the same room as the coal stove and within 3 days, the coal was dry and dusty. And the upside is I just scoop it out as I need it and I don't have 5 or 6 buckets laying around. Each barrel holds roughly 400lb of coal.

Yea, I just dump it out of the bags on the floor in the basement next to the boiler. dries in no time.