Alternatives for Lighting Coal
- Carbondale
- Member
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Sun. Jan. 06, 2013 2:48 pm
- Location: Johnson City, NY
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Reading Juanita
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
Use a 1500W or higher heat gun. It will light the coal in a couple minutes..Heat plus air = ignition That's all I use now. Learned it from my son who found it out by desperation. Mother of invention.
- Jeanie
- Member
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Sun. Oct. 23, 2005 8:29 am
- Location: parkersburg wv 26101
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hand Fed Coal Stove Hitzer 983.
- Coal Size/Type: Nut coal and stove coal.
- Other Heating: Heat pump
Same here. Good ole wood first then add coal to the hot embers. Nut coal and stove coal. I use the fire starters to get it going.Cap wrote:I must be missing something! I've tried the torch, my Mapp turbo torch, no luck. I've tried charcoal lighter, I've splashed kerosine on top of the coal which was in a pine wood fire. I've lit good sized wood fires using scrap 2x4 pine. None of this ever worked.
The only method that works for me is a good old hardwood ( oak, ash, etc. ) fire burning really hot leaving red hot wood coals. I sprinkle on some coal, just a small amount at first and slowly build it up over the next hour. Shortcuts never worked! What am I missing!! I'm talking about using nut coal in a hand fired unit.
- Protrucker
- Member
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Wed. May. 07, 2014 2:57 pm
- Location: Binghamton, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: in the future....when home renovation is done. (radiant floor)
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Leisure Line Pocono, Keystoker & Leisure Line Li'l Heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning #523, Coal Chubby, Floral Gem #519 & one other Warm Morning stove
- Coal Size/Type: Chestnut & Rice
- Other Heating: Propane fired forced hot air
That's how I always start my hand fired stoves. It works as good as anything, but just takes a little more time.Cap wrote:I must be missing something! ........The only method that works for me is a good old hardwood ( oak, ash, etc. ) fire burning really hot leaving red hot wood coals. I sprinkle on some coal, just a small amount at first and slowly build it up over the next hour. Shortcuts never worked! What am I missing!! I'm talking about using nut coal in a hand fired unit.
- windyhill4.2
- Member
- Posts: 6072
- Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
- Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
- Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both
We used a little wood but mainly paper & cardboard,we left the ash door open most of the time thru the lighting process which took 30 min. to a full blown coal fire. Leaving the ash door open created a blow torch effect & sound,we fed paper & cardboard,then sprinkled coal,then more coal,when the coal was blazing good,we closed the ash door. 30 minutes start to finish,it is still going.
- tcalo
- Member
- Posts: 2072
- Joined: Tue. Dec. 13, 2011 4:57 pm
- Location: Long Island, New York
- Baseburners & Antiques: Crawford 40
- Coal Size/Type: Nut/stove anthracite
I picked up some cowboy charcoal this past fall and have been using it to start my fires. Quick and easy!!! I have a coal fire roaring in about 20 minutes using this method. I used to use hardwood but it took forever to get a good bed of embers.
-
- Member
- Posts: 4197
- Joined: Wed. Oct. 03, 2012 9:53 am
- Location: Western Massachusetts
- Baseburners & Antiques: Crawford 40, PP Stewart No. 14, Abendroth Bros "Record 40"
- Coal Size/Type: Stove / Anthracite.
- Other Heating: Oil fired, forced hot air.
As previously mentioned, "Matchlight" or any brand X equivalent.
- freetown fred
- Member
- Posts: 30299
- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
Matchlight indeed. Never real concerned w/ how cute some lil baggy looked. Different story with my women--I want them thar old bags to look REAL cute
- davidmcbeth3
- Member
- Posts: 8505
- Joined: Sun. Jun. 14, 2009 2:31 pm
- Coal Size/Type: nut/pea/anthra
Alternative #103 ..... have the wifey do it ....
i am a cheap person, lol. I am parting ways with a pellet stove so I have a couple of bags kicking around. I figured I would try using it as a coal starter. it works well, just simply spread your coal out over grate. put two 8oz cups of pellets on top of the coal. light the pellets with a propane torch. when the pellets are burning well, place a small shovel of coal on top of the burning pellets. this method works well and costs allot less the coal fire starters which I have seen can be upwards of $1.50 per piece. a bag of wood pellet costs $4-5 per bag, and using them a couple of cups at a time, that one bag should last almost forever.
- freetown fred
- Member
- Posts: 30299
- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
A, we're not makin a cake here, just lighting the stove. Self light briquettes have worked for 9 yrs & I remain in the 1 match club for 8.