Introduce Yourself

Hi! I'm Melissa and my husband is Dean. We are newbies to burning coal and found this forum after some internet searching. We inherited an old coal furnace, rebuilt, from my father a few years ago. It's the kind with the large kidney attached. This is the first winter we've been serious about using it and finally got it plumbed into the duct work. We've definitely saved a lot from what we were spending on oil.

So far we've just about gone through 4 tons of bituminous coal. We didn't know what to expect at the beginning of the season. From reading here, it looks like we're moving on to anthracite if we can find it. We live about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, Pa.

So after several years burning hardwood by the triaxle load we've made the jump to anthracite. We have a Hitzer Model 82 hand fed. Not having too much success in switching over to anthracite today. With only a couple of days of wood left we pulled the trigger. Coal and stove are not cooperating. Searching for answers and advice. Found my way here.

Bruce

Hi
I'm Jo from New York & I'm looking to give away a Surdiac Southport Coal burning stove & a whole heap of anthracite coal. (1+ tons?)
The stove has a cast iron inner & enamelled outer.
It was in the house when we bought it & has been serviced every year.
Seems to me that it doesn't meet code - though, so we want to replace it with a wood burning insert - that would.
We owned wood burning stoves in our previous home, so I'm looking for a new home for this stove & coal.

Thought about putting it out for recycling, but it seems a shame if anyone might use it.

After lurking about on this forum for a little while, I figured I had better introduce myself.

I'm Jeff and am a HVAC designer for a small architectural and engineering firm in South Western New York.

I have been thinking about coal for a long time.

I am currently burning wood but have purchased a used keystoker boiler to refurbish so I can try coal. I am tired of hand stoking wood and using my good weather weekends to split and stack it.

Lot's of great info here. Keep it up.

Sounds like your furnace is built for bituminous if its burning it that good. Don't switch to anthercite just yet - try playing/tweeking your settings to see if you can gain a little more effeciency with it. Trying hunting down an owners manual to see what that tells you. Good Luck & Good Burning!!

Hi -

I'm a single (again), un-retired (blasted stock market!) guy in a 1950-built, 2000 sq ft expanded cape in Western MA with lousy insulation.

I switched from oil to gas in 2000 after only 1 year of home ownership. Oil went from $.86/gal to $1.43/gal that winter and after the 4th tank that season, I’d had enough! Last summer, my budget plan for gas jumped from $65/mo to $116/mo and they backed off to $86/mo in December. And I’m only heating 3 rooms to 65 when I’m home. 55 the rest of the time. I’m tired of freezing to death in my own house!

in the past few months, my co-workers with everything from hand-fired coal, a new Alaska stoker, and a new pellet stove, convinced me to tell the gas company enough is enough! So, TODAY, I’m having a new Alaska Channing III stoker delivered with 2 tons of rice coal. I really lucked out as I only bought it a week ago and the dealer had one in stock that someone had cancelled! It’s identical to the one they sold to one of my co-workers that described up his ‘hand bomber’ as: “It’s not worth it” after installing the stoker. That’s what sold me on getting a new stoker rather than a used hand-bomber.

I’m hoping to get it fired up today and be warm tonight! For now, the plan is to cut into a cold air return from the living room that passes over the stove and reverse the air flow. I’ll decide later how to capture the (anticipated) toasty basement air and send that somewhere. And when I get some extra money, it’s Coal-trol time. The automatic temperature control is a very strong lure for me!

Well I'm new to the whole coal/wood burning thing, heck I'm new to owning a house! Just bought my first house 2 years ago. It didn't have any heat in the basement, and actually didn't have any heat at all when I bought it cause it was repoed and the po took the furnace! So for the upstairs I put a heat pump/electric forced air furnace. So I'm now getting around to finishing the basement and always wanted a coal burner.

I like the idea of the hand fed ones since they don't need electric to keep things warm. Right now I can't even hook up a generator to make heat since the heat pump takes so much juice. Plus it will be in a nice big game room where a fancier one will go well.

I've learned a ton here already, so much I've really changed my mind about the way I was going to go. My next big hurdle is figuring out what kind of chimney to go with since I don't have anything now.

oros35 wrote: My next big hurdle is figuring out what kind of chimney to go with since I don't have anything now.

Welcome oros35, If I may suggest, get a Direct-vent stove, like my Harman DVC-500. Mine is in the "game room" right alongside the pool table. It doesn't require a chimney, just a vent to an outside wall. 7000 to 75000 BTUs. Feed the hopper and it'll run for 54 hours and minimum setting (just tested that).

Chris F.

Hi, newbie here...I currently have a US Stove 1537G Hotblast (I know, not the best for coal) add-on furnace and have been using it for 2 winters burning wood. We live in New Haven, NY and I have access to coal for heating purposes. Since I have to buy my fire wood ($1170 last summer), I figure if I can get my furnace to burn anthracite, I will be much happier! With wood we seem to have to tend to it a lot. I have been reading a lot for the last week and see there are many members using the Hotblast furnaces successfully with anthracite.

We have a 100+ year old 2 story house with very poor insulation and in the past have used an average of 1,000 gallons of oil heating the house to 68/64. With wood we are able to keep 70+ and LOVE the extra heat! We will use around 30 face cord (10 full cord) of wood this season and it is a lot of labor. Luckily I have an awesome wife and 2 great kids who like to help out. I figure I will need about 5 - 6 ton of coal and will be doing a trial run in the next week or so after I buy some bagged coal to try out. I will need to modify the flue pipe and furnace but am looking forward to the project!

'Nother new guy here looking at the heat benefits of coal. Use LP at the moment, about $3,000.00 this winter before it's over. I figure I can buy a boiler, do something to get the heat to the house from the garage, buy coal, and still pay everything off in less than 5 years.

I do have some questions to ask you guys but didn't quite know what forum I should address them in. I'm trying to figure out how much heat I need and if I can get away with an 80K hand fed or just wait until a AA130 comes along.

I have a hot air furnace at the moment so it's a complete addition to that, leaving the FHA system in place as backup. What forum may I throw my questions into if you all don't mind.

BTW, thanks to Ted in Scotia for all the Foxfire info. Missed the boiler but I appreciate the help anyhow!

Bob in Vermont.

Hi all. I'm from Eastern PA. I found the link to this place over this past weekend when visiting the AHS website. I purchased an S-130 from them 2 years ago. I love the boiler. My yearly fuel costs are now 60% less then the oil I used. I installed a screw to feed it last winter and just finished installing a dust collector to clean and bag the ash this winter.

I've already found some interesting read here. I'm looking at the SS flex liners for my chimney, but I found some posts in here that seem to from apon them. At the moment I'm waiting for some replies to a post concerning the issues.

I'm looking forward to the dialog here.

Thanks

Hello my name is John i'am a N.Y.C.Firefighter living in Orange County New YORK.I've been enjoying your web site for a week or so.I'am learning alot about coal from the members.I 'am excited about becoming a coal user and getting away from propane.My wife thinks i'am out of my mind.But i have to give a shot and i will post my opinons when i get up and running and some pics once i get a little better at the computer.Keep up the great work. P.S.i'am expecting a ahs s260 any day now.

JOHNNYMASS85 wrote:Hello my name is John

Welcome John

JOHNNYMASS85 wrote:My wife thinks i'am out of my mind

Then...you'll fit in here just fine!

Hi all, my name is Kim, I have been lurking around hear for a couple of weeks reading all the posts that I can. Very interesting site. Thank you all for the wealth of information.

My wife and I live in Amish country in southern lower Michigan, St. Joe county. I just purchased a manufactured home with 3.3 acres of land and have decided to put in a coal stove for primary heating as the place only has propane. One of the Amish folks that I work with is a Hitzer dealer and he heats totally with a Hitzer and swears by them. I have looked at a number of different stoves, via the internet, and have pretty much decided on a 30-95. My house (the one that I just bought, but won't close on til late March or early April) is about 1476 sq ft, with a large open living room dining room kitchen area and the master bedroom and one end and the 2 other bedrooms at the other end. I will be able to centrally place the 30-95 so that it will be about centered in the house. Do you think that this will be enough stove? It is rated for up to 1800 sq ft.

I am very excited to put one in. I have had wood stoves for numerous years, so have a good feel for the process, and after reading the threads related to lighting a coal stove, and speaking with local Amish, I think I will not have much of an issue getting it going next winter.

Anyway, long winded as I am, thanks for a great site and I will enjoy your thoughts and comments.

Thank you
Kim

9mmruger wrote:Hi all, my name is Kim,

Welcome Kim.

With that nickname.........I'm sure we'll be seeing you on one of the Off Topic gun threads where we all usually agree on gun rights vs gun control!