Want to Give Coal a Try: Advice?

[2coldHere]

Great Replies

This sure was the right place to ask my coal questions. THANK YOU to everyone who's replied: some really insightful information in the replies; and some have made me think hard about the whole idea of burning anything at all in this stove.

We had our boy allergy tested and he came up positive to 36 out of the 64 local common allergens, including EVERY type of tree & weed pollen that we have locally, even those right in the small woods behind our house. VERY allergic kid. Also has asthma (started when we lived on the other side of the country), and had to see an ENT for sinus problems and we found in the sinus CT scans that his sinus cavities are badly deformed (just like mine...) and doc said he'll likely benefit from sinus reconstructive surgery (just like me...). He takes asthma medicine + allergy medicine + nasal spray daily (also has ADHD and takes med for that; plus now has sinus infection and is on antibiotics -- he told me the other day he feels like a drug addict because of having to take so many pills...).

Can't sell my house because I owe more than it's worth and I'm on a pension. House has baseboard water heater from 1966: so no ductwork to install whole-house filtering in. I also found old plumbing leaks inside the walls & floors and have been tearing that out as I can & spraying the mold-mildew areas with bleach. I use three HEPA filters, one in his bedroom, one in the playroom where the boys do all their video games & such, and one in the living room where the fireplace insert is. Also have cleaned his room out and put anti-allergen & anti-bedbug mattress/pillow covers on the bunkbed. Still have a big problem with keeping his room clean (he loves to invent things, and makes a lot of messes) but we're working on it.

With all that, and after reading these replies, there's something else that just came to mind: circulating the warm air from the wood/coal stove insert is hard, and I have to set up a series of fans to move the air around the house. Otherwise, the living room gets to 80 degrees while the rest of the drafty old house is still 62.

I'm thinking maybe it's the FANS that are my biggest problem. Thay kick up all the dust & dirt from every nook & cranny, like from underneath the sofas and chairs, from the wet wood sitting there drying, etc... and they blow the dusty & moldy mix all over the house. Maybe I should think of doing away with the whole fireplace insert thing (I was even thinking of converting it to a natural gas fake-log burner...) because whatever I burn in it, I'd still have to use fans to circulate the air around the rest of the house. Maybe my own house's DUST is the problem and I should just eat the extra cost of keeping the 1966 boiler heating the house and let the dust settle.

Again, thanks for the replies. I "might" try out a few buckets of coal just to at least say I gave it a try....

 

[Steve_in_SEMich]

I know the OP didn't request the pros/cons of an outside wood stove, but that seems like the solution for eliminating all contaminants related to burning wood (or coal) in of the house. More of an initial cost, but at $300/month for X number of months for burning gas, it may be the solution.

 

[Vangellis]

Some real good comments in this thread.

Running a coal stove isn't something casual. You should make certain the existing stove is UL listed for coal and is structurally sound. You'll need a good hardwood fire going to start coal. Once a hot bed is established, keep the coal tended and going for a long as you can (weeks/months).

A runaway coal stove is downright dangerous and the aftermath isn't pretty.
Running a coal stove with daytime temps above 45 can be a trial.
Dealing with a 25 block of clinkers and ashes at 4 in the morning and 10 below, is a Darwinian moment.

Cost Bagged coal isn't cheap. Loose or bagged, coal has to be keep dry.
Loose coal, in a coal bin, is ....well the word dirty covers it about halfway.

I always figured a ton of low ash anthracite is about btu equal to a cord of high value, dry wood. Having burned both for a while, I kinda figured about a ton of coal or a cord per month, sometimes more, sometimes less.

For what it's worth.

Good comments here! Agree to all.

I have an Olix Air-flo which can burn coal or wood. We had burned mostly coal until 6 years ago when we had our basement finished off. All wood now to keep the dust down. Plus we tore out the coal bin when we did this.

I'm thinking of supplementing the wood with some coal this year, just to see how it works out!

Kevin

 

[laynes69]

This sure was the right place to ask my coal questions. THANK YOU to everyone who's replied: some really insightful information in the replies; and some have made me think hard about the whole idea of burning anything at all in this stove.

We had our boy allergy tested and he came up positive to 36 out of the 64 local common allergens, including EVERY type of tree & weed pollen that we have locally, even those right in the small woods behind our house. VERY allergic kid. Also has asthma (started when we lived on the other side of the country), and had to see an ENT for sinus problems and we found in the sinus CT scans that his sinus cavities are badly deformed (just like mine...) and doc said he'll likely benefit from sinus reconstructive surgery (just like me...). He takes asthma medicine + allergy medicine + nasal spray daily (also has ADHD and takes med for that; plus now has sinus infection and is on antibiotics -- he told me the other day he feels like a drug addict because of having to take so many pills...).

Can't sell my house because I owe more than it's worth and I'm on a pension. House has baseboard water heater from 1966: so no ductwork to install whole-house filtering in. I also found old plumbing leaks inside the walls & floors and have been tearing that out as I can & spraying the mold-mildew areas with bleach. I use three HEPA filters, one in his bedroom, one in the playroom where the boys do all their video games & such, and one in the living room where the fireplace insert is. Also have cleaned his room out and put anti-allergen & anti-bedbug mattress/pillow covers on the bunkbed. Still have a big problem with keeping his room clean (he loves to invent things, and makes a lot of messes) but we're working on it.

With all that, and after reading these replies, there's something else that just came to mind: circulating the warm air from the wood/coal stove insert is hard, and I have to set up a series of fans to move the air around the house. Otherwise, the living room gets to 80 degrees while the rest of the drafty old house is still 62.

I'm thinking maybe it's the FANS that are my biggest problem. Thay kick up all the dust & dirt from every nook & cranny, like from underneath the sofas and chairs, from the wet wood sitting there drying, etc... and they blow the dusty & moldy mix all over the house. Maybe I should think of doing away with the whole fireplace insert thing (I was even thinking of converting it to a natural gas fake-log burner...) because whatever I burn in it, I'd still have to use fans to circulate the air around the rest of the house. Maybe my own house's DUST is the problem and I should just eat the extra cost of keeping the 1966 boiler heating the house and let the dust settle.

Again, thanks for the replies. I "might" try out a few buckets of coal just to at least say I gave it a try....

I'll tell you, one way to eliminate alot of dust and allergens is to seal up a home. Stopping air infiltration will cut down on the amount of air leaving a home. When you have a leaky older home, all the air that leaves the house must be replaced by incoming air. This brings in moisture and dust and everything else not wanted. It reduces comfort, raises heating costs and causes problems within the home. You will save time and time again. Start in the attic and work your way down to the basement. It doesn't cost alot to airseal and its not difficult. Take care of all the large leaks first. It will make a huge difference.

 

[Suz]

1
I'm thinking maybe it's the FANS that are my biggest problem. Thay kick up all the dust & dirt from every nook & cranny, like from underneath the sofas and chairs, from the wet wood sitting there drying, etc... and they blow the dusty & moldy mix all over the house. Maybe I should think of doing away with the whole fireplace insert thing (I was even thinking of converting it to a natural gas fake-log burner...) because whatever I burn in it, I'd still have to use fans to circulate the air around the rest of the house. Maybe my own house's DUST is the problem and I should just eat the extra cost of keeping the 1966 boiler heating the house and let the dust settle.

Again, thanks for the replies. I "might" try out a few buckets of coal just to at least say I gave it a try....

You mention you have fans all over to circulate the air and the unwanted dust. Why don't you try an inexpensive little trick that some of us fugal woodworkers do. Get a $20 20x20 inch box fan and tape a good furnace filter on the front. Set this fan/filter setup where ever you need a fan and let it run for awhile.
After a few days just take a look at the filter and I'll bet you will find a lot of "crap" collected on it.
If you find that this helps, you can go to a business that sells good woodworking shop air filters and you can get some dust filters that will remove particles smaller than 0.3 microns. Granted, they aren't pretty, but neither is having a sick child. (Link to just to show what I'm talking about: http://www.grizzly.com/products/Large-Floor-Air-Filter/G0573)
See what he thinks about wearing one of those dust filter masks around the house to see if that cuts down on the allergy problem.

 

[savageactor7]

I know the OP didn't request the pros/cons of an outside wood stove, but that seems like the solution for eliminating all contaminants related to burning wood (or coal) in of the house...

Steve may be on to something with OWB...esp since the OP already has baseboard hot water heat...that's quite an asset right there. And imo the true gold standard for even heat all through a house.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

I'm going to suggest coal - as long as it is anthracite. Otherwise, bituminous is just as dirty if not moreso than wood. The best option would be to upgrade to a Harman stoker, though, since the door only has to be opened to start the fire. After that, as long as you keep coal in the hopper, it will stay lit all winter long.

 

[2coldHere]

OWB a No-Go

An OWB isn't an option for me. The neighborhood I bought in is an older one but used to be one of the small town's "preferred" neighborhoods when it was built in the 60's: doctors & lawyers, local businessmen, "upwardly mobile" younger families, that sort of thing. many of the older folks still live here and still want to keep hanging on to their "upscale neighborhood" views (i.e., retired bank president accross the street from me tries to "advise" me to keep my lawn looking green & tidy, etc...).

I should live in the stix; but my wife's more of a suburban gal and my oldest boy is a "neighborhood" kind of kid (youngest loves the woods though; and riding dirt bikes, ATVs, shooting his pellet gun, building forts, paintball, etc.).

Bottom line: the neighbors would run me out on a rail if I installed an OWB here. No one in the whole neighborhood has one.

Also checked my local codes, and here are some problem areas:
C. All outdoor boilers must be located behind the front building line of the principal dwelling on the lot to be served, and the outdoor boilers must be located on the same lot as the principal dwelling. Minimum setback from the dwelling is 50 feet, and minimum setback from auxiliary buildings is 20 feet, including the woodshed.

D. A clear radius of 20 feet must be maintained between any outdoor boiler and any trees or vegetation of height greater than the height of the top of the fuel feed door.

E. Outdoor boilers shall not be located within 150 feet of a dwelling on an adjacent parcel.

F. Outdoor boilers shall not be located within 60 feet of any roadway or right-of-way

Well, there are three adjacent parcels within 150 feet of any point of my backyard and the power company & phone company have a right of way through my backyard. Also the ordnance requires a permit process, including hiring a professional licensed surveyor to submit a scale drawing showing all properties and the OWB system + wood storage location.

Much too expensive just to buy, install, and get permitted. Better for me to just take that same amount of money and throw it in pieces to the gas company while I turn up the thermostat for the old boiler.

Also, on the "coal" side, I talked to my adjacent neighbor, who's downwind of me and has to eat all the smoke my current chimney puts out. His 5 year old has respiratory problems and he asked me to not burn coal. He's a good guy and I don't want to cause any neighbor-trouble. My stove's manual says the stove can burn "soft" coal, and my read is that's the "bituminous" coal everyone here says makes a LOT of stink and dirt and smoke & soot.

So after reading all your comments; and adding everything up in my mind (including all the effort I had to put into getting wood, buying & fixing an old wood splitter; the mess of the whole woodsplitting/woodpile thing mixed with snow and tracked in thru the back patio door, the dust of all the fans bugging my kid's allergies, etc.)... here's what I think I'll do: use up my existing wood only on really cold days and just to add heat to the living room; keep the gas boiler as my primary heater system; not use fans to blow dust all around the house; turn on both humidifiers all the time (i forgot to say before that I have 2 ultrasonic humidifiers that I run when there's a fire going); try to keep the house cleaner; and if I get a chance, install some natural gas plumbing lines to feed the existing stove and convert it into one of those "fake log" natural gas fireplace inserts so I can have clean, mess-free and on-demand auxilliary heat if/when I need it downstairs.

Logic has a way of creeping up i guess....

Thanks for all the discussion. It's really helped me think this through and hopefully it might have helped some others if they're in a similar dilemma.

 

[England14]

keep the gas boiler as my primary heater system

Maybe a new more efficient boiler should be on your short list as well.

 

[2coldHere]

Tons-o-Money

Maybe a new more efficient boiler should be on your short list as well.

I'll go right down and pick up that new fuel efficient $2500 boiler with my new Cadillac... or maybe I'll take the Porsche.... Or maybe just have the butler go get it

That new boiler will end up having to go on my "long" list. Short list has bills, milk, butter, meat, gas for the truck, and school lunches on it and already the wallet meter says "E"

Good idea though. I'd like to have a new boiler. Anyone want to trade me one? I have a nice 1978-built wood-burning fireplace insert (and some floor fans) I could swap you for it.

 

[England14]

With all the incentives, tax credits, and fuel savings, and the fact that things generally suck right now you might be surprised what you could work out with some creative financing and a company looking for work. You never know till you check it out. We having a local roofing co. that is offering two year no interest on a new roof just to try and stay in business.