Coal safety!

I've read quite a few posts about sulfur smells in the house etc. While tending a coal stove is easy once you get the hang of it, installing one and setting the draft requires some experience and a draft gauge. My biggest fear is that one day when I sign on this forum I'm going to read about a CO poisoning. Please either buy or borrow a manometer (there is a manometer loaner programon this forum) and set your draft to specs. If you don't know how to do it, ASK or get someone who does know how to do it.

Get multiple CO detectors in your home. One near the coal burner and others outside of the bedrooms. Clean the fly ash out of your vent pipes on a regular basis. how often depends on your unique installation and the coal you are burning.

If you have problems or questions about your draft, you can get help and info here.

Here here!

There are a few "SHALL DOs" that need to be headed:

1. Read the manual
2. Install a digital CO detector within 10' of the stove in the same room
3. Install at least 2 more CO detectors outside of sleeping areas (need to be less than 5 years old or less depending on make)
4. Measure your draft and adjust the barometric damper/Power Vent/Direct Vent per owners manual
5. If your stove uses a direct vent (pipe from stove pressurized) seal the pipe with high temp RTV and aluminum tape
If your stove is Power Vented or Direct Vented, follow the directions for setup and clean thoroughly at least once per month or at least inspect for fly ash build up.
6. Check for sulpher smell/moisture coming out of hopper, this is never an acceptable condition, work on it till corrected

I'm sure that others can add, there are other threads on coal burning safety already, but this is a good reminder.

Replace Your Old CO Detector!!
Coal Burning Safety

Hats off to Fred who pointed out that a dry chemical fire extinguisher may not be good if the chemical powder settles and binds inside. I have one that has the needle in the green still after years in my shop, but I can't hear or feel the powder moving around inside it-- time to replace it for sure! Also have a kitchen timer on the way to diligently set every time I leave the room with the ash door open!!!!!!!

I always keep a barrel of sand around so if I ever need to put a deep bed coal fire out quick, I can just bury it in sand. (which will smother the fire quickly & not damage your coal appliance)

I also think it would be advantageous if the members would fill in their location in their profile.

I have a manometer here at the house attached to my stove,and if anyone is having issues, I and I'm sure a lot of us would gladly offer to stop by someone's house to help them if they have questions. It would at least offer them a way to do a quick check on their draft while they wait to purchase one or wait for the loaner program to deliver one to them. CO is nothing to mess with. And a sulphur smell is right behind it. Most of us have dealt with wet coal at one time or another.


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Rick

Dann757 wrote:Hats off to Fred who pointed out that a dry chemical fire extinguisher may not be good if the chemical powder settles and binds inside. I have one that has the needle in the green still after years in my shop, but I can't hear or feel the powder moving around inside it-- time to replace it for sure! Also have a kitchen timer on the way to diligently set every time I leave the room with the ash door open!!!!!!!

remembering my earlier days while watching the inspector check and tag our chemical fire extinguishers yearly, you may be able to rehab them rather than replace. 1) keeping the extinguisher upright, place the side of the extinguisher up to your ear and turn the extinguisher upside down keeping your ear in place and moving your head with the extinguisher. You should be able to hear the powder sliding to the the other end of the capsule. 2) If not, while the extinguisher is upside down, gently tap the bottom ofthe extinguisher a few times with the palm of your hand to loosen the powder and 3) repeat the check. You may need to repeat and/or tap the bottom several times to get the powder loose. The contents must be all powder so also listen for shifting clumps.

You can also take your extinguisher to a pro if in doubt. If the needle is not in the green, dump it or get it recharged. When in doubt, get it checked out

Well come thur. feb5. I will have my first coal stove. I'm going from wood to coal. My old wood stove was a good one but I'm glad I won't need to cut, split, and stack any more! I hope that you guys can help if I need it. The place that I bought the stove from is going to install it for me, so that should help.

I always keep a barrel of sand around so if I ever need to put a deep bed coal fire out quick

I have a 50 lb. bag of Sodium Bicarbonate.

Safety glasses are a must when shaking down & reloading too.

A fireproof floor in front of the stove is important.. a stray piece of hot ash that is missed, could start a fire on a combustable floor. Fireproof ash storage is important.. there have been many homes burnt down from ashes having hot coal hidden in them being put into a trash can..

Greg L

Wood'nCoal wrote:

I always keep a barrel of sand around so if I ever need to put a deep bed coal fire out quick

I have a 50 lb. bag of Sodium Bicarbonate.

Interesting.... Is sodium Bicarbonate superior to sand? I'm a sand-bucket believer.

Chris F.

I just wanted to thank everyone on this forum for the urgent coal safety warnings. I fired up my first coal stove just yesterday (an Alaska Channing III) but not before I replaced all the (rather ancient) detectors in the house with new CO detectors and new smoke/ionization detectors on each floor. I also got a new fire extinguisher and hung it on the wall opposite the bottom of the basement stairs for quick access.

It's a bit of an expense for 6 new detectors and an extinguisher, but I'd rather be safe than sorry when it comes to a fire or gassing myself.

Thanks again for all the great help I've found on this forum!

Bruce

I HAVE A GODIN COAL STOVE. WHEN I BOUGHT THE HOME 5 YEARS AGO IT WAS HERE FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER.SO I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW OLD IT IS.BUT I HAVE HAD IT INSPECTED TWICE AND HAVE CO MONITORS.IT IS A LITTLE BIT OF WORK BUT WHEN I SEEN THE SAVINGS ON MY GAS BILL I WAS VERY HAPPY.BUT JUST THE OTHER DAY I WAS RESTARTING MY STOVE AND I SEEN LIKE I HAVE BEFORE SOME TYPE OF BUILDUP ALL AROUND THE INSIDE OF THE STOVE.I BREAK IT OFF AND MY STOVE SEEMS TO HEAT UP MUCH EASIER WHEN I RESTART IT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO?? BUT I WAS DOING THIS TODAY AND WHAT I THINK IS SOME TYPE OF FIRE WALL ON THE INSIDE BROKE FREE FROM THE STOVE. I ASUME THIS IS NOT GOOD. I DON'T WANT TO RESTART IT.IS THIS A SAFTY AND IF SO IS THIS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE EASILY REPLACED, OR IS THE STOVE NO GOOD?? I'M HOPING NOT. SO FOR BEING LONG WINDED.

I ALSO WAS CURIUOS I HAVE READ PEOPLE HERE TALKING ABOUT USING NUT AND PEA COAL, I WAS TOLD BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER AND MY COAL GUY THAT I SHOULD ONLY USE NUT. ANYONE KNOW IF THIS MAY BE TRUE??

Hi Sam. Welcome to the forum.... could you turn off your Cap lock? It's considered yelling and is hard on the eyes. Thanks.

Can you get some pictures of what broke and post them?
Most hand fed stoves use nut size coal. It is larger than pea size.

SAM0509 wrote: I ALSO WAS CURIUOS I HAVE READ PEOPLE HERE TALKING ABOUT USING NUT AND PEA COAL, I WAS TOLD BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER AND MY COAL GUY THAT I SHOULD ONLY USE NUT. ANYONE KNOW IF THIS MAY BE TRUE??

It's probably true. Each type of coal and stove have different characteristics -strengths and weaknesses if you will. If you have been told your stove burns Nut; you want to go with nut. You'd be wise to go with that at least until you feel comfortable burning coal. Then you can play around and see if another size coal works better for you.