Oiled Coal at Breaker

I guess if you mist it very lightly it would probably be OK. I do know that when my wife burns something with oil it stinks so I'm not sure if vegetable oil is the best oil but it may work fine. I'm sure someone here has tried it and will speak up or you could try a hopper full to see.

I get mine oiled from the supplier, Wayyyy better, very little if any dust. He can oil it as it's delivered and it is also washed and kinda wet when delivered.

I bought my furnace from Keystoker 11 years ago, and they told me to get oiled coal in order to,literally, cut down on water content in coal and cut down on rusting. It certainly makes sense as rust is a big deal with a stoker.

My coal supplier said they can oil the coal and then things got stressful. I got roughly 2 deliveries that appreared to be oiled due to a slight smell (nothing overpowering) of diesel fuel or motor oil, which was okay. Coal shined and slid well. Kept coal hopper, shovels and buckets used for coal glistening..rust-free.

The coal then came with an overpowering smell of something like kerosene. It and I was worried something flammable was on my coal. Well, sfter doing some research, I came to the conclusion that my delivery guy was buying it from the breaker un-oiled, pocketing the oil fee for himself and pouring a little kero one afterward. HE even said they called kero "coal oil' in the old days. haha

Soon I also discovered that my deliveries had been cut short for a very long time, which made me angry, so I dropped my delivery man for another guy.

Let's fast forward. My coal supplier, who also offered delivery services, claimed they had oiling capabilities but was sending me un-oiled coal. Hmmm. I watched this for a season before confronting one of the owners. He got testy and was basically speechless. Obviously, they were pocketing the extra money, assuming I didn't know the difference. But they had also been shorting my deliveries for the longest time. You see, I have lines inside my coal bin to tell me how much is there, and I gave them the benefit of the doubt for about 2 years, but 2 ton deliveries got too short to miss. And then I get rid of my longtime supplier.

Next I went on a search to find out what kind of oil they use and, after speaking to many coal haulers, including the owner of a now bankrupt coal company, was told to use a 5 or 10 grade/wt hydraulic fluid which I think is okay.

Adding water to the coal, I strongly feel, is a bad idea. I also do not think using vegetable oil is a good idea. This stuff is organic and can cause a variety of problems, including attracting rodents, in the longterm.

Moral: Don't trust the coal haulers or the breakers. Be watchful and, if possible, save money by oiling the coal yourself.

Any other good ideas would be appreciated.

Why do you feel water is a bad idea? I wet my coal with a garden hose and never have dust when I dump it. The coal won't absorb water nor retain it if ventilated. It will burn wet or dry, even with ice or snow stuck to it. What is your issue with water? Just curious since all coal is washed down with water at the breakers/mines/etc.

Veg oil does not have the issues you mention and it is the industry standard oil for coal. It takes very little oil to properly coat coal.

Petroleum products ARE a bad idea.

In my experience with coal and coal stokers, which goes back 25+ years, dry coal was thee best deal for the equipment. Vegetable oil on coal may be okay for a season, but it will continuously coat your coal bin and the build-up of old vegetable oil can cause issues ...as it does in the food industry where I worked for a number of years. But think what oil does to your kitchen walls and range hood.. Now imagine THAT inside your chimney. It's sticky and I cannot imagine how I'd get that out.

As for dust, yeah, it probably works great but at what expense???

If it works for you, terrific.

Vegetable oil? Industry standard? Not at all sure about that one. This I have discussed with people who should know, but I am open to being enlightened if all of my information is wrong. Let's get other coal people in on this discussion, I'd love to hear what they have to say.

My personal view on wet coal is one I will stand by. I firmly feel that adding water would destroy my Keystoker. As said, I spoke to the Keystoker, directly. The guys who build the furnaces are right there to talk to. At the time I talked to a lead engineer who, I beleive, is also an owner. Call for yourself and tell someone in-the-know that you actually add water to the coal. LOL. I'd love to hear the response.

"Now imagine THAT inside your chimney. It's sticky and I cannot imagine how I'd get that out."

Do you really think vegetable oil will survive a coal fire and make its way to the chimney?

My water suggestion was in reference to moving coal, not loading a hopper fed appliance.

I use peanut oil.

I dampen my coal, not soak it down and it dries in the hopper from the warmth of the stove and so far I see no ill effects from the damp coal.

I got 6 ton of oil washed coal in july aand as it stands right now all the oil seemed to seep to the bottom and disapate on my concrete floor so if that is any help to you. I am now using a garden sprayer to wet the coal with water

Efm stoker manual says do not use oiled coal.

And Keystoker tells you to "oil" coal. I mean, I spoke to them directly in the Keystoker plant which is just a few miles from Tamaqua.
We need more input on this. The engineer told me that the oil cuts down on rust problems.
We need qualified opinions here, not people who wear blinders and just don't want to consider a better option.
Regarding the person who said the oil goes to bottom of bin, that's nonsense. There is a thin coating on the coal that stays put.
Unfortunately, rust has been a big issue with my Keystoker hot air furnace. When I shut it down for summer, even though I keep a 100 watt lightbulb inside(as a heat source) to cut down on moisture, and remove stovepipe to close it off from chimney downdraft.

Theres nothing in my DVC500 manual about 'oiled' coal. They just mention wet coal, which is ok, as long as you don't let it sit in the hopper without a fire burning. The warmth from the fire warms up the hopper to dry the coal out before it can corrode anything. I would imagine if I burned oiled coal, the 'Fines' tray would become a gummy mess and cease to function.

DVC500 you have a Harmon. I have a Keystoker. Why don't someone call Keystoker and tell them what I told all of you, to confirm that I am telling the truth.
They say, oil the coal and put a 100Watt lightbulb inside during shut-down.

I have used water on my coal to control dust almost as long as I have had my stove. In fact, I have a garden hose hanging inside of my coal bin. Before I fill my buckets, I give it a quick spray with the hose. I only use enough to control the dust. You don't want to saturate it by any means, but I certainly don't agree that using water is bad.

Jeff

TamaquaMan wrote:Why don't someone call Keystoker and tell them what I told all of you, to confirm that I am telling the truth.

I don't think anyone is trying to say your not telling the truth. All we are trying to say is that there are a number of us that use water and don't have any issues with it as long as your not saturating it.

Jeff