Husband and I are having a trailer load of bagged coal shipped to our house. Even with shipping it winds up being significantly less $ than buying it locally. Thats a LOT of coal. If anyone near the Cape might be interested in buying some of that from us I will post when it is delivered - won’t be till after the holidays.
Do you have a coal burning furnace? I think back in the early 1900′s people heated there homes with coal. It’s unheard of nowadays.
1000 gallon propane tank seems like a better approach to me…
Actually, you can use coal in many wood burning stoves. I`ve even used it one cold spell, and running low on firewood, in a Franklin stove. Stinks, but warm is warm.
Coal burns VERY hot. Not all wood stoves are designed for it. Usually the ones that are have brick lining.
The next best thing to coal, IMHO, is seasoned locust. Burns long and hot. But don’t try to start a fire with it, use it only after its ‘fired up’.
We use oak or green juniper out my way.Not much in the way of hardwood out here.Makes getting good night wood more difficult.
The house I first lived in as a child, and the schools I went to, were all coal heated. I had a combo wood/coal stove for years. Coal is great if you can burn it. Around here (SW PA) you can take a bucket and simply walk down a railrod track and pick up coal that has fallen off the many trains that carry it.
We have a coal stove that goes 24hrs and can burn wood if need be. Keeps our house toasty all winter so the oil heat is never set above 58. A large propane tank won’t help as we have an oil furnace and electric stove. Poor planning when we were building. But we weren’t thinking about Y2K or Pan-Flu 9 years ago. Nothing wrong with the stove so I don’t see replacing it any time soon. When I do- it’ll be one that can burn propane though. The only thing I have that uses propane is my grill and my 2 burner “stove” that I keep in the garage for canning (and frying fish)
Cinda
My Grandfather built a hunting cabin on 188 acres in 1920 and it had a pot-bellied stove. Much later, (1960′s) in the middle of winter, in the middle of the night, it was always a comforting sound to hear my father throw a shovel full of coal into it. It meant it was going to be warm and toasty when I got up in the morning.
You are very fortunate to have that much coal and the means to use it. There is nothing like being independent, or off the grid, (heat grid that is).
Whoops! Sidescroll! Sorry Dem. Didn’t see the space!
JWB
Thanks!
That was quick!
Priced coal before I left the Northeast……$7.00 ??????? for 40 pound bags delivered….we have a coal bin and 4 fireplaces,,,,which we burned coal in the diningroom fireplace,,,,it was an experiment but it worked.Just keep the air circulating under the grate……We had an old rebuilt Lenox coal furnance….a lot of work and very smelly and messy……….
Using both wood and coal (sometimes together) in my heavy built combo stove (shaker grates, thicker grates, etc.). The coal is significantly cheaper at $75.00 per ton (I’ve got to go to the mine, but they load it there). Although I’m more familiar and hence more comfortable with the wood, the coal is definitely got a place and is a wonderful backup heat source.
It’s certainly easier on my back to shovel a small portion at a time versus cutting/stacking and toting an arm load of wood. Coal is definitely in my future here in North East Oklahoma.
Cinda,
I’m on the cape and trying to get a coal stove installed. I may be interested
We burn corn at 8 bucks for a 100 lb bag. Corn is really clean. www.cornstoves.info
oh, its renewable and doesnt create Sulpher Dioxide or CO2 because the corn plant takes up as much CO2 during the growing process as during the burning process. Coal and all fossil fuels are CO2 additive only. Not good for greenhouse gas.
Mach- I’ll post when we get the delivery. Where are you on Cape - upper or lower?
Hi Cinda, What a great idea. Where did you order the truckload of coal from? I would like to order one to be delivered to southern VT. Thanks
I had a coal stove as my main heat source while growing up in Massachusetts. We had a very old house in Wakefield and used to get the coal delivered each fall by the truckload. It would get dumped right into the basement. Dirty stuff, but nice and shiny so us kids liked playing with it. Anyway, a concern to watch for is carbon monoxide poisoning. Coal will definately produce lots of that and must be burned and vented properly so you don’t all die in your sleep! It also releases gases as it just sits there, so nowadays they recommend not storing the piles of coal in your house.
Heating with coal isn’t unheard of at all. There are lots of companies that manufacture, sell, and install coal stoves, including Vermont Castings. They are low maintenance, low hassle, and they throw a lot of heat. Not sure about this cuz I haven’t used one in ages, but I assume the modern coal-burning stoves have had to toe the line on emissions levels much the same way the new wood stoves have.
MrTom? — 13 December 2006, 08:01 I’ll check with Husband on that when he comes home from hunting and let you know. I know it’s a company in PA. It’s even cheaper if it’s not bagged-but harder to store. (where do you put 19 tons of loose coal? Bags can be stacked on pallets.
TreasureIslandGal? — 13 December 2006, 08:36 Heating with coal is not new to us- Husband has been heating with coal since 1991- Basement coal bins should be enclosed and vented to the outside. Every home should have C.M. monitors no matter what- but definately one burning coal.
12/23/2006 15:10 In response to the 1000 gal propane tank, We built a new house in ‘93 and installed a high effiency propane furnace. Last winter our propane bill was $1800.00. The price of propane has risen just under $2.00 in the 13 years we have been here. So this winter I installed an outdoor wood boiler which is set up to burn coal. Being that we live in one of the biggest coal producing states in the nation, we have found that coal is the way to go. I will burn about 5 tons this winter at $70.00 a ton…Thats $350.00 compared to the $1800.00 for propane, and I am able to keep the house at a nice toasty 74 degrees, not the 68 degrees we keep the stat set on with propane. And an added bonus, we heat all of our domestic water as well, so even cut my electric bill by about 40%. The outdoor stove will pay for itself in a little over 4 years…
We’ve been burning coal about six years now. Saves us good money on oil. Oil boiler rarely comes on except when extremely cold outside. We run a large Chubby stove and burn about 1.5 −2 tons per year.
I am hoping the coal shipment will be in in about 2 weeks- will post when I know for sure.
We burn about 1.5–2 tons a year and the house is so comfortable. Plus since husband took the insulation out of the floor- the floors are nice and warm too!! A few floor vents over the coal stove made a big difference. (Also great to stand on in your long nightie before you climb into bed!!)
Cinda, I would also be interested in purchasing some coal from you also. I added a cool air return vent from 1st floor back to cellar. It works quite well, helping the heat circulate easier
steveh? — 08 January 2007, 07:23
That will be great- You and Husband can talk coal heat management!! I will post on the new Forum when the coal gets here. Should be a savings over what you can get it for locally right now. Though I don’t know if we’ll really need it this year! haven’t so far- not complaining about that though!