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22 USSC
Furnaces that are capable of burning coal usually
will burn both Bituminous and Anthracite coal. An-
thracite is perhaps the best coal fuel because of its
long even burn time, high heat output, and cleanli-
ness which make it a good choice for the home.
However, keep in mind it is a much more difcult
fuel to use, requires more care and patience, is not
so widely available, and is usually much more ex-
pensive than Bituminous.
SIZE OF COAL:
Most sizes of Bituminous Coal will work in a coal fur-
nace; for best results we recommend large “nut”
coal to small “egg” coal (1-3/4” diameter to 4” di-
ameter). When burning Anthracite, use “egg” or
“broken” with sizes between 2-5/16” thru 4-3/8”.
Note that it is important to the long life of your stove
to buy coal which has been sized and cleaned.
Cleaning insures removal of rocks and other miner-
als. Never use coal smaller than 1” or larger than
5” in diameter. Small sized coal will smother the re.
Too large a size of coal will not burn well.
STOVE OPERATION:
All coal res should be started with wood which will
allow the re to get hot enough to ignite the coal.
The best ignition res utilize dry pine or other resinous
soft woods as kindling, with hard wood (oak, hicko-
ry, ash) added to increase the heat prior to addition
of the coal.
Before starting the re, open the stove pipe damp-
er (if equipped), turn the thermostat to high, open
the ash pit door and feed door, place newspaper
and nely split kindling on the grate, light the paper,
add larger hard wood after the kindling is burning
brightly. CAUTION: Never use gasoline, lantern fuel,
kerosene, charcoal lighter uid, or other ammable
liquids to start or freshen up a re in any heater.
Place the larger pieces of wood on the re so that
they are slightly separated and form a level for the
addition of coal. It will take 10 to 20 minutes before
this wood is thoroughly ignited. Adding coal too
soon will cut the air supply and smother the re.
BURNING BITUMINOUS:
Once your kindling and wood re has produced a
bed of well established coals, start adding coal in
layers allowing each to ignite before adding more.
Bituminous has a high volatile content and, as a re-
sult, should be red with the “conical method” - with
the highest portion of your re bed in the center of
the rebox. The rst ames will be long and generally
orange or yellow and produce quite a bit of smoke.
As the gases burn off the ames become shorter,
change color and produce less smoke.
Once the re is WELL ESTABLISHED add coal to the
center of the rebox forming the cone. Burning in
this fashion allows heat to drive off the volatile gases,
and turbulence created increases the burn efcien-
cy. There will have to be some experimenting with
the individual setup as no two chimney’s or instal-
lations are going to be the same. Just remember to
allow enough air to enter the rebox and keep the
stove pipe damper open so that volatiles are prop-
erly burned. Before refueling, take the time to break
up the cone a little with a poker, especially if it has
caked over or formed a crust. But, be careful not to
mix the coal as this increases the chances of form-
ing clinkers. When shaking the grate(s) be gentle.
Just a few short movements - a couple of “cranks”
- is better than a lot of agitation. The objective is to
remove a small amount of the ashes without disturb-
ing the re. Stop when you see a glow in the ashes
or the rst red coals fall into the ash pan. Excessive
shaking wastes fuel and can expose the grate(s) to
very high temperatures which can cause warpage
or burnout.
For overnight operation (long duration burn time)
shake the re and add coal, retaining the center
cone. Once the volatiles are burned off, close the
feed door and adjust the stove pipe damper, if
equipped. Then adjust the thermostat to the desired
heat level.
More MAINTENANCE will be needed with bituminous
coal than with anthracite coal as more soot will
collect on heating surfaces and in pipes, requiring
more frequent cleaning.
ANTHRACITE:
Add a thin layer of coal (preferably smaller chunks)
to the wood re, being careful not to disturb it too
much or cut off the draft. Then, add a second
heavier layer after the coal is ignited and burning
well. If necessary, add a third layer to bring the coal
up to the top of the front liner (not above!). Be sure
to close the ash door.
Before adding further fuel, be sure to leave a red
spot of glowing coals in the center of the rebox to
insure that the re has not been smothered and to
help ignite the gases given off by the new charge.
A deep charge will give a more even heat and a
longer re, but it may take one to two hours before
the whole bed is fully ignited.
BULLETIN RC454
A GUIDE TO BURNING COAL IN YOUR FURNACE