Reading Vs Blacshak

I got 4 tons of Reading chestnut bagged over the summer and I've been filling the hopper every day for about a week now. I'm not sure that I like this as well as the blacshak. There seems to be a lot of small pieces and dust in the bags. I'm burning it all the same but the blacshak seems to be more uniform without the small pieces and dust. Is it just these couple bags or is this what I should expect from all 4 tons.

Thanks,
Ron

If your reading bagged nut coal is anything like what I bought last year, expect a lot of what you describe.

This year for me, I bought Kimmels nut coal. As of this date I am pleased with the kimmel coal.

Yup.... Reading is famous for what you are describing. Inconsistency. Kimmel is usually...always?... a better bet and Blashchak seems to always be a good bet.

Reading is all I could get in my area till TSC started selling Kimmel. Lots of fines and size inconsistencies with Reading. Some wouldnt even burn.

it seems to burn ok I just don't like seeing 5 pounds of fines in the bottom of each bag I have four tons this stuff so I guess I better get used to it. I paid 265 per ton delivered if I remember correctly. We are burning about a bag a day so I may burn 2 tons of it this year.

-Ron

Yeah it seems "hit or miss" with them. Some bags nearly no fines and burns great and others suck.

Haven't burnt Reading coal yet but I have compared the Tractor Supply Kimmel to the bagged Blaschak. So far I like them both, neither one has a lot of fines but I'd say that the sizing of the current Kimmel is more uniform then the Blaschak. I get a lot of small (Pea?) pieces in each bag of Blaschak Nut & I haven't seen as much of that in the Kimmel Nut bags.

I've been burning continuously with the hopper installed for almost a week now burning only Blaschak. No issues whatsoever. I'm going to switch back to the Kimmel tomorrow & see if the burning is as problem free through the weekend.

Just the luck of the draw, I think. I bought 3,000 pounds of Reading second-hand this summer, and I am pleased with the sizing. Same with a ton I burned a couple years ago. I had a pallet of Kimmel that was just like what you are describing -- so many fines I had to send it back to the dealer, the fines plugged up the coal bed so badly. Yet the other two Kimmel pallets I got in the same delivery were good.

rberq wrote:Just the luck of the draw, I think.................

You nailed it, the bagged 'nut from Reading I started with has a couple lbs of fines /bag and the Kimmels has been uniform in size and almost zero fines.

I have 6 tons of bagged Reading stove coal on hand and another two on deck.

So far I have had bags that are almost free of fines and some that have a LOT of fines....enough that I am sifting it out. So far this year I have a 40lb bag and a 5 gallon bucket full of coal dust and fines smaller than 1/4".

I've burnt some nut size coal that has the Santa Clause on the front. Very uniform and NO fines.

I e-mailed Reading to see if this is normal but I have yet to get a response.

I am burning Reading Coal this year. Comparing it to bagged Blaschak that I burned during the summer, I am liking the Reading a lot. Nice blue flame, it is Buck size and almost no fines at all. The ash content is low, and complete burn. I will buy another load as soon as possible in the Spring. I bought this load direct from the mine, very nice and accommodating people.

Pancho wrote:I have 6 tons of bagged Reading stove coal on hand and another two on deck.

So far I have had bags that are almost free of fines and some that have a LOT of fines....enough that I am sifting it out. So far this year I have a 40lb bag and a 5 gallon bucket full of coal dust and fines smaller than 1/4".

I've burnt some nut size coal that has the Santa Clause on the front. Very uniform and NO fines.

I e-mailed Reading to see if this is normal but I have yet to get a response.

I got a response today. The e-mail is on my work computer so I'll paraphrase:

"sometimes a hole forms in the sifting screen and we try to eliminate that but it happens. Let us know who you bought it from and we'll compensate you with monies and replace the product".

Pretty stand up offer I thought.

At 5 bucks a bag kimmels is a good deal at Tractor Supply and I find it burns hotter and longer than Blacshak wihich I am burning now . I Find the kimmels klinks up on me and has sticks n bones in it but I like the price and the long burns , the blacshak is my go to coal right now I just find it a lot easier to work with , just my two cents from a new to burning coal guy I also run a wood stove to and its a part time job running both but worth it to me.

Just to be fair I've had really good luck with the last weeks worth of bags. About one a day and I don't recall any having the large amount of fines that I found before making my original post. I had some really big chestnut coal though. I think it was larger than chestnut, more like stove coal. It all burns really well with a really nice blue flame.

-Ron