Anyone have a coal stove?

[Soccer918843]

I’m building a new pretty well insulated garage and wondering if anyone has a coal stove and there opinion on them I have two Harmon pellet stoves in the house and also considering changing the one in the basement out to coal as well

 

[Lassen Forge]

I had a pellet stove and I didn't like the bags of sawdust I'd get once the weather turned damp. Became a disgusting waste. Currently our kitchen stove is convertable between coal and wood; being in California, wood is what's available out here. Out east, it's probably the opposite - coal is probably more available. Neither wood or coal turns into sawdust if it gets damp...

Also make sure you don't have silly restrictions on what you can run as fuel... all of our wood stoves are grandfathered, but I couldn't put any of them in as a new install because of air pollution rules... Unfortunately, coal is under that same umbrella, but then again, this IS California...

 

[Soccer918843]

I’m in Ny I have two pellet stoves currently I was thinking of trying a coal stove in the garage to see how I like it and possibly convert the house to coal too

 

[gungatim]

I had a wondercoal circulator in my cabin before it was stolen. PO used wood pellets as coal is near impossible to find but once a year.

here's a document on the burning coal if you've never done it. completely different than burning wood pellets.

 

[road_king]

Have an old Harman Mark III coal stove in the house. Very good stove, sure puts out the heat. Although not its forte, I burn wood in it too.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Be cautious if you have neighbors.

Someone near me (I guess) burns coal. All I really know is I'll go out on my deck sometimes in the winter and the coal smell is so bad it runs me back inside (depends on which way the wind is blowing).

I have no idea what the economics are....but based on the smell I wouldn't consider it.

Phil

p.s. Based on RoadKing's response I now wonder if maybe the reason I only smell it part of the time is sometimes maybe they burn wood. And yes, I know wood smoke has an odor too....but I kind of like that smell. Guess I'm a "smoke smell bigot".

 

[TractorJeff]

A lot of people in Southern NYS and Northern PA burn Hard Coal. It doesn't smell like Soft Coal. A person in Southern Indiana is probably burning Soft Coal mined out of Illinois which does smell. I have bought Hard Coal from the Amish in North Indiana to use in our downstairs Coal/Wood Stove. It isn't as efficient as the newer Stoves but only needs filling twice a day which is nice.

 

[ambenz]

Manual stoves are a lot of friggin work! If you consider anything but gas, know your not going to keep a steady internal temp 24/7, in your garage. That means hot/warm/cool/cold/condensation, refreeze. Not good for anything. Your packing up your paint cans, aerosols, and anything you do not want to freeze and bringing them into the house. Temperature swings are never good for seals, liquids, tools, and god know what else. If you value you stuff...keep the garage at least above freezing 24/7, at a constant temp, however you do it.

 

[yeldogt]

On of my PA weekend places came with a restored parlor stove in the outbuilding .... it was capable of burning wood .. but it was designed for Coal. You can burn wood in a Coal stove -- not the other way around.

Anyway -- it was really cool and being in PA I could get hard coal. Made a coal bin -- had two tons delivered. Was Mr. Douglas at my own Green Acres every weekend ..... one day I woke up and I was Mr Drysdale .... propane came.

 

[AZ Pete]

On of my PA weekend places came with a restored parlor stove in the outbuilding .... it was capable of burning wood .. but it was designed for Coal. You can burn wood in a Coal stove -- not the other way around.

Anyway -- it was really cool and being in PA I could get hard coal. Made a coal bin -- had two tons delivered. Was Mr. Douglas at my own Green Acres every weekend ..... one day I woke up and I was Mr Drysdale .... propane came.

I burned coal in a pot belly stove, years ago. Had no issues.

 

[gungatim]

it's about the stove design, coal burns bottom up, which is why a forge has air blowing under the bed.

wood burns top down.

coal will smother itself in a wood stove, but wood is happy either way.

 

[RAYJAY]

burned coal for years here in Pa a good forum for coal is
https://coalpail.com/coal-forum/?sid=e4627d996718d1b64dc1ed69ebc3c20f

burning coal is fine you can get 10 to 12 hours betwen burns you can also buy a stoker stove and fill once a day,

the one thing you need to look out for in your shop with wood /coal is your insurance company burning a solid fuel is a no no to them

 

[macdabs]

Coal I heat my house and large shop with hard coal boiler from alternate heating systems in pa . 8,000 plus sq feet with 300 feet separating the house from my shop. There is a website called coal pail was Nepa crossroads that is all about coal burning and stoves. Great bunch lot of info. I spend 1200.09 a year in hard coal heating everything and 5 min. Max a day a filling or to empty ashes . I could go two days if I had to and never check on the stove. Down side on mild days you end up opening the windows or wearing shorts cause it takes 3 days for it to run out of fuel.

 

[yeldogt]

I burned coal in a pot belly stove, years ago. Had no issues.

The issue was dealing with coal -- lighting and keeping it going .. any mess.

I burn wood in a fireplace for looks ....

Propane is easy

 

[yeldogt]

Coal I heat my house and large shop with hard coal boiler from alternate heating systems in pa . 8,000 plus sq feet with 300 feet separating the house from my shop. There is a website called coal pail was Nepa crossroads that is all about coal burning and stoves. Great bunch lot of info. I spend 1200.09 a year in hard coal heating everything and 5 min. Max a day a filling or to empty ashes . I could go two days if I had to and never check on the stove. Down side on mild days you end up opening the windows or wearing shorts cause it takes 3 days for it to run out of fuel.

I have a friend doing the same on a farm -- it's a great way to go for a large space where you never go away (or have someone who can keep it going). He is also lucky as he has a large property ... in many areas you can't burn coal or wood in an outside boiler

 

[Bretny]

A lot of people in Southern NYS and Northern PA burn Hard Coal. It doesn't smell like Soft Coal. A person in Southern Indiana is probably burning Soft Coal mined out of Illinois which does smell. I have bought Hard Coal from the Amish in North Indiana to use in our downstairs Coal/Wood Stove. It isn't as efficient as the newer Stoves but only needs filling twice a day which is nice.

We do? I have lived in southern NYS for 30yrs and never known anyone that burns coal. I even had a coal/wood stove and searched for coal...all I could find was coal sold in bags at tractor supply.

 

[macdabs]

I have a friend doing the same on a farm -- it's a great way to go for a large space where you never go away (or have someone who can keep it going). He is also lucky as he has a large property ... in many areas you can't burn coal or wood in an outside boiler

I don’t have an outside boiler. The boiler is inside my shop. I could have placed it in my basement of the house if I wanted. When I built my shop I have a utility room with the electric panel hot water heater and the compressor to avoid noise. I feed the house and just plumbed the shop boiler to feed the oil boiler in the house. The shop has a heated floor 6” slab . I just run my boiler in the house in the fall or spring then shut it off and feed both in the winter months. I also feed a domestic coil for the hot water. Hard coal burns very clean and the boiler is pretty much automatic like a pellet boiler plus very quiet. My shop is a red iron steel building 40x 80 3 large doors . House is 4000 sq ft with heated 3 car garage also heated.

 

[Soccer918843]

Thanks for the reply’s this will be a stoker Stove which has a 90lb hopper and runs like a pellet stove on an automatic feed and a digital thermostat. I am putting one in the house and I’m contemplating putting another in the garage over propane I’ll set it at 50 and when I’m working crank it to 70. Everyone I talk to loves coal that uses it. There is a supplier 2 miles up the roads from me too

 

[jjrbus]

I do not have a coal stove, but triggered a memory. I bought a house long time ago, had a coal fired hot water tank. Cute little thing, cast iron.

 

[Skiff Builder]

We do? I have lived in southern NYS for 30yrs and never known anyone that burns coal. I even had a coal/wood stove and searched for coal...all I could find was coal sold in bags at tractor supply.

Links below for anyone else in Bretny's area looking for bulk coal.

https://sites.google.com/site/tricountycoalwoodpellets/home

http://cornwallcoal.com/

 

[Shop Specialties]

I grew up with 2 stoker units that I had to clean/fill hoppers before/after school everyday. It is still a cheap fuel for around $25/ton if you go to the mine and pick it up yourself here in Montana.

 

[AZ Pete]

The issue was dealing with coal -- lighting and keeping it going .. any mess.

I burn wood in a fireplace for looks ....

Propane is easy

No issues, held heat all night, and never had an issue keeping it lit. Th stove bottom was a cast iron grate, so air was coming into the stove from underneath the fuel. I also had a coal central heat system some years later. Fill the "stoke a matic" hopper every morning or evening, remove the clinker from the stove done.

 

[yeldogt]

No issues, held heat all night, and never had an issue keeping it lit. Th stove bottom was a cast iron grate, so air was coming into the stove from underneath the fuel. I also had a coal central heat system some years later. Fill the "stoke a matic" hopper every morning or evening, remove the clinker from the stove done.

IMO -- that's issues.

There were savings w/ coal ... and these would grow with larger building.. but the savings for me were not great.

 

[Showkey]

Had Vermont casting stove that was wood stove but coal capable with small mods.........tried coal when lived in NJ and PA, definitely not worth the trouble.