Coal Size and BTU's

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 3:28 pm

I have never burned anything but nut coal but want to try some pea size this winter as I heard it gives a longer burn.
Since it seems that the stoker users here burn through allot more coal than I do, is there a chart showing a BTU comparison of different size coal? ( For example: How much "Rice" is equal to the same BTU's in Nut size?......& then stove size, etc))

gambler · Post by **gambler** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 3:54 pm

btu's/lb are btu's/lb
It is how fast the BTU's are given up.

Post by **Richard S.** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 9:36 pm

It's trade off Devil, longer more controllable burns but less heat. Look at it this way, if you have a wood fire going and throw a couple shovel fulls of sawdust on it you can just about smother it.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 9:38 pm

Richard S. wrote:It's trade off Devil, longer more controllable burns but less heat.

Any way to compare the heat output of the different sizes of coal, per pound?

Post by **Richard S.** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 9:40 pm

I don't understand what you mean Pea and Nut are both going to give the same exact amount of BTU per pounds. The only thing that is changing is the length of time its distributed over.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 9:45 pm

Richard S. wrote:I don't understand what you mean Pea and Nut are both going to give the same exact amount of BTU per pounds. The only thing that is changing is the length of time its distributed over.

OK...I must be misunderstanding/confusing something then. It seems that most stoker users tend to use more tons of coal per season (usually rice, right?) than us "hand fired" users who generally burn nut & or Pea. I was wondering if the rice size coal, inherently provides fewer BTU's of heat than the same weight in nut coal? (that would account for the greater amount used, per season)

gambler · Post by **gambler** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 9:55 pm

Devil505 wrote:I was wondering if the rice size coal, inherently provides fewer BTU's of heat than the same weight in nut coal? (that would account for the greater amount used, per season)

Rice size has the same BTU's per pound as nut coal. It just gives off its BTU's at a slower rate because the air has a harder time flowing through it.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 10:03 pm

OK. (still confused though

)

So.......theoretically, you would use the same amount of coal to heat your house whether you used a stoker with rice coal or a hand fired with nut?
(I do apologize if I'm asking a dumb question here.....I have a brain injury ya know ....& there is a direct correlation between the later the hour & the dumber I get! )

gambler · Post by **gambler** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 10:11 pm

Devil505 wrote:So.......theoretically, you would use the same amount of coal to heat your house whether you used a stoker with rice coal or a hand fired with nut?

yes

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Aug. 12, 2008 10:13 pm

gambler wrote:yes

OK, thanks!

Post by **coaledsweat** » Wed. Aug. 13, 2008 2:18 pm

Devil505 wrote:OK. (still confused though )

So.......theoretically, you would use the same amount of coal to heat your house whether you used a stoker with rice coal or a hand fired with nut?

Actually, a stoker tends to push some unburned coal through it, so it may take a smidge more. I don't know if the more even burn rate of a stoker over a hand fired makes up for that or not.