Northern New York Coal Burners.

 
boilermaker
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon. Nov. 27, 2006 9:52 pm
Location: Malone, New York
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Sime, hand fired hot water boiler

Post by boilermaker » Mon. Jan. 07, 2008 8:54 pm

OK.
We've heard from upstate New York. How about some input from those of us even further north. Like north of Watertown or north of the Adirondack Mountains? One of whom would be me. I live in the "Star of the North" Malone, NY and have been burning coal for 17 years now. I use a hand fired boiler bought new back then and built by Tarm. I'd never go back to oil even if the price ever went down.
My coal supplier is a local guy who charges $270 a ton delivered and put right in the cellar with his chute. This year and last he's had some of the best coal I've ever burned. Low ash, virtually no smell, high heat, constant, steady, no clinker, just great fuel. It's so clean that there's no dust even when he chutes it in the cellar. And it's not oiled!
I built a system with old radiators reclaimed from a scrap dealer in Massena NY not far from here, got the pipe for free from a contractor and the pipe tees, elbows, etc. were a returned favor. The whole thing went together for around $3000. All controls are modern with a one zone circulator and a home built side arm heater for domestic hot water supply that feeds a storage tank. I can heat and hot water my whole house from November to April on $900 of coal. You can't beat that with oil.
Have a look at my other posts and you'll see the whole thing. It ain't pretty but what do you expect in an old stone cellar. It's actually been tested with a Bacharach tester to an efficiency of 82% when the dampers are open and fire is bright.
Once a day for 10 minutes is all it takes to handle the fire.
Anyone else care to jump in??
Doug Vensel


 
User avatar
Rob R.
Site Moderator
Posts: 17978
Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
Location: Chazy, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr

Post by Rob R. » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 9:06 am

I live in Chazy and work in Rouses Point, can't get much farther north in NY. This is my first season burning coal. I recently moved into a large (~3800 sq. ft) farmhouse and installed a 1930's Heatrola stove that I found in an old shop. The firepot holds about 60 lbs of nut coal and will keep the first two floors toasty for 8-10 hours when it's cold outside. This past week it reached -15 F at my house, I burned about 120 lbs of coal in 24 hours with the stove maxed out.

I have been buying bagged coal at a local stove shop, 40lb bags of Blaschak nut for $5.90 per bag. Not a great deal, but very convienient for someone without a truck or a coal bin. The blaschak burns nice, but I have been getting a lot of clinkers. Last week when I ran the stove maxed out for 24 hours, I could barely get a fire going again because of the clinkers that had formed and were plugging the grates. I cleaned the stove out and started over.

I enjoy burning coal, as a hobby and an inexpensive way to stay warm. My house is full of cast iron radiators and has a 10 yr old oil boiler, it has no problem keeping the house warm but consumes a lot of fuel. Depending on how long I decide to stay at this house, I would consider a coal boiler to compliment my existing central heat.

-Robert

 
boilermaker
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon. Nov. 27, 2006 9:52 pm
Location: Malone, New York
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Sime, hand fired hot water boiler

Post by boilermaker » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 4:54 pm

Rob R. wrote:I live in Chazy and work in Rouses Point, can't get much farther north in NY. This is my first season burning coal. I recently moved into a large (~3800 sq. ft) farmhouse and installed a 1930's Heatrola stove that I found in an old shop. The firepot holds about 60 lbs of nut coal and will keep the first two floors toasty for 8-10 hours when it's cold outside. This past week it reached -15 F at my house, I burned about 120 lbs of coal in 24 hours with the stove maxed out.
I have been buying bagged coal at a local stove shop, 40lb bags of Blaschak nut for $5.90 per bag. Not a great deal, but very convienient for someone without a truck or a coal bin. The blaschak burns nice, but I have been getting a lot of clinkers. Last week when I ran the stove maxed out for 24 hours, I could barely get a fire going again because of the clinkers that had formed and were plugging the grates. I cleaned the stove out and started over.
-Robert
Hi Robert!!
I have friends that own the Crystal Caboose in West Chazy. They're thinking of going to coal too.
Clinkers huh? I know that if you poke a hard coal fire from the top you can cause this. I never do that because I had the same problem. I always "slice" the ash from the fire from underneath. If you put a poker in from the top it tends to bring the ash up into the hot fire and fuse it into a clinker.
$5.90 isn't too bad if the coal is good quality. My coal guy goes over there but I'm not sure what he'd charge to haul any over to you. You can pick it up too in North Bangor if you call him first. As I mentioned in my post, it's the best coal I've ever used and is $270/ton. I've been heating exclusively with coal for 17 years now.
For your grate, you might try making a bent poker that you could reach up and underneath the grate to dislodge any ashes of break a clinker. I have one of those and it's saved me many times.
Good to hear from a northener!!
Doug Vensel
Malone NY

 
User avatar
Rob R.
Site Moderator
Posts: 17978
Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
Location: Chazy, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr

Post by Rob R. » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 5:58 pm

Small world, I live about 5 miles away from the Crystal Caboose. I don't ever poke my fire from the top, as I've been warned about that from the man that sells me the coal. I have a rod shaped as you describe, I found it in the ash pan when I brought the stove home. However, the design of my grates is such that I can't really poke up through them very well. I'll experiment with a different poker and see if I can do better.

Does your coal supplier sell bagged or only bulk?

thanks for the tips.

 
WIcoal
Member
Posts: 71
Joined: Wed. Nov. 07, 2007 5:25 am
Location: West Allis, WI

Post by WIcoal » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 8:07 pm

boilermaker wrote:OK.
This year and last he's had some of the best coal I've ever burned. Low ash, virtually no smell, high heat, constant, steady, no clinker, just great fuel. It's so clean that there's no dust even when he chutes it in the cellar. And it's not oiled!
Wow, you said it; "just great fuel"! Since you did not tell us who the dealer is, could you call him and ask him what brand it is or what the source is?

 
boilermaker
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon. Nov. 27, 2006 9:52 pm
Location: Malone, New York
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Sime, hand fired hot water boiler

Post by boilermaker » Wed. Jan. 09, 2008 3:19 pm

OK. Here we go for both of you.
I buy from Rockhill Coal here in Malone. His coal yard is in North Bangor.
Until 3 years ago he was getting his coal from Reading Coal. Then for one year he sold me some stuff he bought from a dealer that retired about 5 or 6 years ago. That was lousy coal. Twice as much ash and very dusty.
This year and last he's been buying from Cornwall Coal. They're a coal wholesaler in Cornwall NY. Last year Dean (Rockhill) asked me to let him know how I liked this new coal. I couldn't wait to tell him how good it was. He's buying from them now and I'm very happy.
He only sells in bulk but I'm sure he'd sell you 100 lb. bags if you brought your own bags. Or he can load up a pickup truck. I don't know how much he'd charge to take it to Chazy but I know he's delivered to Rouses Point before.
I'm paying $270 at ton delivered and I think, considering the cost of fuel for a truck to get it north to us, that this isn't too bad. I use chestnut but I know he handle rice and pea also. I have a guy who has 2 Axeman Anderson boilers to heat is apartment buildings and he bought 20 ton from Penn Coal. He's very disappointed and he paid $200 ton to get it. Very dusty with lots of ash. I guess you get what you pay for.
Dean's a good, honest man to deal with too.
His number is: 518-483-0867. He runs a construction company so call him after 5 to talk with him. If I can get his price down I may just buy him out.
I'm finding out that there really is a difference in regular anthracite versus premium. It's worth the extra money.

Doug Vensel

 
ncountry
Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Sun. Jul. 20, 2008 9:20 pm
Location: northern NY
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93

Post by ncountry » Fri. Mar. 07, 2014 8:22 pm

We just bought our 2nd load. 2 1/2 ton of bulk rice coal so far from Rockhill Coal in Bangor, NY. Coal seems to burn great. Better than the bagged Blashcek we have been burning, by far. I figured I needed to give props to a great guy to deal with .


 
boilermaker
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon. Nov. 27, 2006 9:52 pm
Location: Malone, New York
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Sime, hand fired hot water boiler

Post by boilermaker » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 12:18 pm

ncountry wrote:We just bought our 2nd load. 2 1/2 ton of bulk rice coal so far from Rockhill Coal in Bangor, NY. Coal seems to burn great. Better than the bagged Blashcek we have been burning, by far. I figured I needed to give props to a great guy to deal with .
I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed last year when I bought Dean's coal. It had to be watered to unload it, much like the coal I sued to buy from Cliff Belle. It had so much ash that I lost the fire twice that year. The 2 prior years Dean had sold me "premium" coal and it was the best! But last year it was bad and he charged me more for the bad coal.
This year I bought bagged Kimmel from a local vendor. It was better but not the best like Dean had had 2 years ago. But it was only $267 a ton too. A friend of mine had bought 4 tons or rice from Dean and it was so dusty in his AHS boiler it kept puffing and blowing the stack pipe off. he finally gave up and is buying Centralia coal now and the problem has gone away on its own.
If Dean would go back to the "premium" coal, I'd buy it from him again. It was great stuff! Half the ash and twice the heat. I loved it. last year I had to burn an extra ton because of the poor quality coal I got from Dean. Too bad. It cost me more money to heat.
Just and FYI. All coal is not the same.

 
User avatar
Rob R.
Site Moderator
Posts: 17978
Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
Location: Chazy, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr

Post by Rob R. » Sat. Mar. 08, 2014 1:39 pm

Another forum member also said he had some issues with coal that he got from Rockhill last year. Pea Coal Vs. Chestnut Coal Vs. Stove Coal

A few years ago he was getting it from Cornwall Coal Co., but I am not sure if that is still the case.

Where are you getting Centralia coal?

 
sandhauler
New Member
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon. Oct. 06, 2014 10:21 pm

Post by sandhauler » Tue. Oct. 07, 2014 4:49 pm

I live in Brushton NY. Way up north. I just sold my Cumberland Pellet Stove and bought a Leisure Line Pioneer Top Vent. I wanted a stove with more heat and less maintenance. After reading all the posts I am confident that I made the right decision.

 
coalnewbie
Member
Posts: 8601
Joined: Sat. May. 24, 2008 4:26 pm
Location: Chester, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL AnthraKing 180K, Pocono110K,KStokr 90K, DVC
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Invader 2
Baseburners & Antiques: Wings Best, Glenwood #8(x2) Herald 116x
Coal Size/Type: Rice,
Other Heating: Heating Oil CH, Toyotomi OM 22

Post by coalnewbie » Tue. Oct. 07, 2014 5:00 pm

SH, welcome to easy street.Toasty days ahead and I am on my 5th LL stove purchase - no regrets.

 
adk mtn coal burner
New Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun. Sep. 25, 2011 9:06 pm
Location: Saranac Lake
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker boiler
Coal Size/Type: prefer buckwheat, but OK with rice

Post by adk mtn coal burner » Tue. Oct. 07, 2014 10:08 pm

Dean delivered 5.5 tons today of oiled buckwheat. I have been very pleased with Dean; he is honest and a gentleman. A few years back I got some very dusty coal from him, and told him I would not reorder unless my coal was oiled first; oiled coal solved the dusty coal problem. Clifton Bell had always provided oiled coal for me previously, before he retired.

 
joshuajock
Member
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue. Oct. 07, 2014 8:18 pm
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL Pioneer LE Back Vent
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Oil/Hot Water Baseboard

Post by joshuajock » Mon. Oct. 13, 2014 10:43 am

Hey all, am also from Malone and I am in the midst of purchasing a LL Pioneer back vent with power vent. Only reason I decided on the power vent is because I have to go out the wall the is the front of the house. I didn't want a chimney there due to looks. Where have you all found the best prices of bagged rice coal (delivered and not delivered) Upstate has it for 379 a ton.

 
sandhauler
New Member
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon. Oct. 06, 2014 10:21 pm

Post by sandhauler » Wed. Oct. 22, 2014 7:40 pm

I bought my coal from Upstate Heating in Bangor. $379 for 1.2 tons ( 2400 lbs. )

 
joshuajock
Member
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue. Oct. 07, 2014 8:18 pm
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL Pioneer LE Back Vent
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Oil/Hot Water Baseboard

Post by joshuajock » Wed. Oct. 22, 2014 7:57 pm

Yes sandhauler that is what I meant sorry. 1.2 ton for $379. Also, you can order it from tractor supply, 40 lb bags at 5.00 a piece (250 ton)


Post Reply

Return to “Coal News & General Coal Discussions”