How Long Have You Been a "Coalaholic"?
I have been burning coal for all of 30 years with a 6 year break when I searved in the military. I grew up burning coal along with wood as the primary. For the past 17 years or so I have been using coal as my secondary heat source. This year with my new stove hope to use it as my primary heat source.
- envisage
- Member
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Tue. Nov. 20, 2007 5:02 pm
- Location: Phoenixville, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Werner Foundry 350a
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 400, Fire Boss Wood/Coal Hyrbrid
- Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat, Pea, Chestnut and Stove
- Contact:
This will be my second year. I started last year with the Fire Boss wood/coal hybrid. I learned a lot but I could not keep it burning over night. So, I replaced one of my 3 wood stoves with the Warm Morning Model 400. I am looking forward to a wonderful, warm coal heated winter!
This will be my second year. I moved to coal country in 2005, bought this split-level in 2006. The house has a Nordic Stove insert model Erik JR -HH upstairs and it had a Kanyon woodstove with a shaker grate downstairs. The insurance company required a fireplace inspection from the fire department and they promptly condemned the Kanyon due to chimney clearance issues that can not be resolved. I did try the insert but as you can imagine the basement was like a walk in cooler so my experimentation was lacking. Since I work for the mines, and get coal free of charge (plus I have a little bit of survivalist in me) I became determined to put a working stove in the basement. By boring a hole through the foundations and running stovepipe up the side of the house I am now in spec. Haven't got a chance to fire my new Vermont Castings Vigilant II as of yet but I'm dieing to see how well it warms the house. I'm a little bit worried that my circulation will be poor and that I will still have to use the insert on the main floor, this will probably prompt me to change the staircase to an open banister type to aid circulation. I'm also reworking my return ducting in hopes that I might be able to run the blower for circulation. I work twelve hour shifts so there will be no one around to tend the fire therefore I will more than likely still have to use natural gas as a secondary.
I learned about volatile gas explosions last year so hopefully I have that under control with the help of the guys and gals on the forum.
I learned about volatile gas explosions last year so hopefully I have that under control with the help of the guys and gals on the forum.
- VigIIPeaBurner
- Member
- Posts: 2579
- Joined: Fri. Jan. 11, 2008 10:49 am
- Location: Pequest River Valley, Warren Co NJ
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker(down)
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Casting Vigilant II 2310
- Other Heating: #2 Oil Furnace
I've been heating with coal for seven years. I remember both sets of grandparents heating with coal as well. Paternal Pappy used a big kitchen stove and maternal Gramps used a huge octopus. I just was going thru a box of elementary school "memories" and found this primmer on coal. I'll post some more from it and when I read thru it, it doesn't sound that out of date at 47 years from printing!
Attachments
2nd year with a Harman SF1500-A, used wood before that. being from Tamaqua Pa as a kid I always enjoyed shoveling coal into my grandparents furnace (I think it was a boiler for house heat and putting coal in the "bucket a day" hot water heater.
I know my parents had coal heat also in Tamaqua but don't remember anything other than playing in the coal bin with tonka toys
Funny how some things come full circle.
no heating oil for me...hoping it gets cold
I know my parents had coal heat also in Tamaqua but don't remember anything other than playing in the coal bin with tonka toys
Funny how some things come full circle.
no heating oil for me...hoping it gets cold
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- Member
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Wed. Feb. 06, 2008 8:42 pm
- Location: upstate NY
I started looking for alternative forms of heating last year. Started looking at pellets, then did some research and found that you could also have a direct vent with a coal stove. The BTU per ton and the storage advantages sold me. Not to mention the savings over propane. So I have been a "coalaholic" since Feb.