Wood and Coal

[MarineScott]

My wood stove is rated to burn wood and coal. I have never burned coal...now, can anyone tell me if coal is worth burning and can you burn wood with it?

 

[ShaneLogs]

My wood stove is rated to burn wood and coal. I have never burned coal...now, can anyone tell me if coal is worth burning and can you burn wood with it?

You can burn wood and coal together. My dad's friend burns coal and wood together and stays warm all winter long

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

You certainly can, that is if the burner is rated for coal and has the grates to handle it. Coal needs some air underneath it to keep it going. I remember as a boy on the coldest winter nights Dad would push the wood chunks to the sides of the firebox and heap some coal in the center of the fire. He explained he was "banking" the fire for the night. Come morning we appreciated the banking business, otherwise us boy would have been froze out as our bedroom was three floors up and in the coldest room in the house. Just filling the firebox with wood, the fire would not last the night and us boys would be shivering come morning, with the coal banked in Dad still had hot coals in the morning to get that old furnace roaring again to take the chill off of things. Today, I use a little coal in my OWB to do the same thing, that is, if I have the coal to burn. Stretches out the wood supply and gives a little longer burn time to the filling. Coal used to be dirt cheap but seems pricey to my mind these days, most winters I do not buy any and burn strictly wood. Soft coal will be the cheapest but is not cheap, it is dirtier, smokes more and usually has a strong sulfur smell, Hard coal is primo, burns hot, clean and long but costs dearly per ton. Since my wood cost me nothing but my labor to process I usually do not buy any coal unless I can get a very good deal on some.

 

[unclemoustache]

I obtained about a 1/2 ton of coal from a neighbor, and burned it in my shop stove for a while. There are two kinds of coal - bituminous and anthracite (I think I spelled those correctly). One burns better/hotter/cleaner than the other. I had the 'other.' It was stinky, nasty, and left a lot of clinkers which I had to dispose of, and the neighbors didn't appreciate the smell and smoke. I got rid of it.

Maybe the good coal would be worth it, but I wouldn't go out and pay for it when I get my wood for free.

 

[smokee]

What kind of coal do you get? In Sw pa where I'm from we had a lot of Bituminis but out here in Lancaster there's a lot of anthracite - which is really good stuff but is pricey. It burns really clean and looks like shiny gravel, at least what my father in law bought.

 

[Vangellis]

My stove burns both. I currently have been going more coal than wood. As stated you need the air to come from underneath
for coal and grates to shake down and remove ashes. I usually start with a wood fire, then start layering the coal on. It's a
learning and fine tuning process, but definitely a good steady heat. The quality of the coal also is a factor. I live in the heart of
the anthracite region of PA so it can be had for a decent price.

Here's my set up.

Kevin

 

[D&B Mack]

My wood stove is rated to burn wood and coal. I have never burned coal...now, can anyone tell me if coal is worth burning and can you burn wood with it?

That is a very nice option. You can burn wood while you are there and keep it filled. Coal while you sleep or are out.

Anthracite burns cleaner and hotter but costs more. Bituminous is a softer coal, burns faster and has more impurities.

 

[artbaldoni]

I have burned some "stove coal" in my OWB. It is fist sized, anthracite(hard) coal. Mixed it with wood. It does ok but I gotta go with the "Stache" on this one. My wood is free. Coal is not. Yes I'm cheap; when the birds fly over my house they go "cheep cheep cheep".

 

[sleprac]

Holy crap, an Olix Airflo!

My stove burns both. I currently have been going more coal than wood. As stated you need the air to come from underneath
for coal and grates to shake down and remove ashes. I usually start with a wood fire, then start layering the coal on. It's a
learning and fine tuning process, but definitely a good steady heat. The quality of the coal also is a factor. I live in the heart of
the anthracite region of PA so it can be had for a decent price.

Here's my set up.

Kevin

Nice stove! I've never seen another one besides my own, which is a slightly smaller model I bought used. No ash drawer, and no glass, but it heats like a mother, especially if you have the blower on the back of those exchange tubes! How do you like yours?
cheers!

 

[WidowMaker]

Can't make out the name, but that looks like a heating beast, what brand is it and how old is the unit pictured. Do theyt make a EPA certified stove....I like it...

as a kid I remember Dad burning coal in our wood stove, remember that it held a fire much longer and put out more heat....

 

[unclemoustache]

Here's my set up.

Kevin

What stove is that? I LOVE it!!

 

[cheeves]

When it's cold you can't beat coal! Burned it when I lived in Ohio in the 80's. We used to get the Bituminous with the orange sulfur streak thru the middle. Used to drive right into the strip pits and throw on the chunks. Had to beef up my leaf springs! The stuff is heavy. Whole secret is getting a good wood fire going first with nice coals, then put the coal on top. You'll get the knack of it! Smells terrible but what heat!!

 

[Zodiac45]

View attachment 261409

I use this 1907 Glenwood Modern Oak 116 to heat my 226yr old house with anthracite coal and it's an awesome heating machine! Tend it twice a day (7am, 7pm) and thats it. It heats 2500 sqft and when it gets to single digits and below I add my Glenwood 208C cookstove to the mix and they keep the whole house toasty.

 

[Laroo]

A few years back I worked on a ranch where they put me in a sheep camp

This is not a pic of the one I lived in but it looked identical.
The inside was similar to this, ( but not quite as nice )

Anyway about Nov it started to become quite a task to stay warm through the night. The tiny stove would not hold much wood and there was no control of the fire. I would go to bed laying on top of the covers and sweating, by 1:00 I would wake up froze and start another fire and start the whole cycle over again. Well I found a big bag of coal in the back of the barn and figured my troubles were over. I built a small fire and let it burn down added about 3 cantaloupe sized chunks of coal and went to bed. About 2:00 I woke up gasping for breath an I swear you could see the nails in the wall glowing orange, had to use the broom handle to get the door open to get outside where I stood shivering thinking next time "I'll do things a bit different "

 

[Vangellis]

Nice stove! I've never seen another one besides my own, which is a slightly smaller model I bought used. No ash drawer, and no glass, but it heats like a mother, especially if you have the blower on the back of those exchange tubes! How do you like yours?
cheers!

Yep, It's an Olix Air Flo. You don't see much about them because they are not made anymore. I actually got a response on here a few years ago from the daughter of the owner of Olix.
She told me they stopped making them around 1990 when the EPA wanted so much per model to do the emissions testing. Made in the lower Fingerlakes region of NY, These are a well crafted and sturdy unit. The daughter told me that she used to paint the leafs and nameplates on the doors when she was a youngun. I thought that was pretty cool to know. I think we bought this in the 1984-85 winter season.
The Daughter also told me she came across my post when she was doing a search on Olix stoves........because she wants one, but can't find one now. She said her brothers have them, but aren't giving them up.:msp_biggrin:
I do like this stove.

Kevin

 

[WidowMaker]

What stove is that? I LOVE it!!

For the curious go here, post #28


http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/56403-2.htm

 

[Vangellis]

For the curious go here, post #28


http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/56403-2.htm

Thanks WidowMaker. I was gonna do a search for that.

And here is the reply I received from Mr. Olix daughter that is in the same thread, post #72, page 5.


Olix Air-Flo WoodStoves Official Info

This is an Olix air-flo that burns wood or coal. They are/were produced in Bath, N.Y. in the lower Fingerlakes region. Does anybody know if they are still in business. We bought this around the mid 1980's. Only thing I need is a new blower.

Thanks, Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Olix Air-Flo Woodstoves/Coalstoves were manufactured in Hornell, NY. I am a daughter of the company owner and worked in my Dad's shop as a young teenager (I hand painted the gold trim on the leaves and painted the Olix Air-Flo plaque different colors). My Dad and a couple of my brothers hand made all Olix Air-Flo stoves, I remember the fans being ordered from another company. My dad says the blower is a Fasco -4C447, you can buy them in Rochester, NY through Grainger at 430 West Metro Park across from Monroe Community College 1(585)427-8570. When they first started, the doors on the front were solid and then they added a glass front option.

Olix Air-Flo went out of business in 1990 because Uncle Sam via the EPA decided that woodstoves needed to pass rigorous environmental tests. Small businesses like my father's could not absorb the enourmous fees needed to pay for some sort of environmental impact study. My Dad just told me this morning that the amount of $ would have been over $180,000 for the 10 models to be tested!!! He says "Good Ol' EPA". He says they made a couple thousand of these stoves over the years and they delivered them all over the East Coast and some of the Mid-West. He had to sell his remaining ones at a loss to get out from under the EPA requirements.

I have several brothers who still have their Olix Air-Flo's and every year I try to bribe them to sell one to me, but they will never part with theirs. I am currently looking for one myself as they were built to last (I was a teenager when they were being made and had no interest in a woodstove at the time, lol).

Kind Regards,
S. Olix

Kevin

 

[stihlrookie]

Funny

Me and a buddy were just talking about this yesterday. There are actually 4 types of coal with anthracite being the best at 15,000 btu per pound. Bituminous is the second best with a btu rating of at least 10,500 per pound. Bituminous is also the most plentiful here in the good ol' us of a and is reasonably priced, my buddy says, at about $90 per ton. Thats about 21 million btu per ton. Now around here Tamarack and Red/Doug fir are considered the top choice for firewood with about 18.5 million btu per cord but that cord weighs in at around 1.5 tons dry and sells for $200+

Bottom line, for the money bituminous coal is the best deal, but then what excuse would you have to own a chainsaw, or 3 ,or 7 ,or...

 

[WidowMaker]

Thanks WidowMaker. I was gonna do a search for that.

And here is the reply I received from Mr. Olix daughter that is in the same thread, post #72, page 5.


Olix Air-Flo WoodStoves Official Info

This is an Olix air-flo that burns wood or coal. They are/were produced in Bath, N.Y. in the lower Fingerlakes region. Does anybody know if they are still in business. We bought this around the mid 1980's. Only thing I need is a new blower.

Thanks, Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Olix Air-Flo Woodstoves/Coalstoves were manufactured in Hornell, NY. I am a daughter of the company owner and worked in my Dad's shop as a young teenager (I hand painted the gold trim on the leaves and painted the Olix Air-Flo plaque different colors). My Dad and a couple of my brothers hand made all Olix Air-Flo stoves, I remember the fans being ordered from another company. My dad says the blower is a Fasco -4C447, you can buy them in Rochester, NY through Grainger at 430 West Metro Park across from Monroe Community College 1(585)427-8570. When they first started, the doors on the front were solid and then they added a glass front option.

Olix Air-Flo went out of business in 1990 because Uncle Sam via the EPA decided that woodstoves needed to pass rigorous environmental tests. Small businesses like my father's could not absorb the enourmous fees needed to pay for some sort of environmental impact study. My Dad just told me this morning that the amount of $ would have been over $180,000 for the 10 models to be tested!!! He says "Good Ol' EPA". He says they made a couple thousand of these stoves over the years and they delivered them all over the East Coast and some of the Mid-West. He had to sell his remaining ones at a loss to get out from under the EPA requirements.

I have several brothers who still have their Olix Air-Flo's and every year I try to bribe them to sell one to me, but they will never part with theirs. I am currently looking for one myself as they were built to last (I was a teenager when they were being made and had no interest in a woodstove at the time, lol).

Kind Regards,
S. Olix

Kevin

====

Thanks Kevin'

Just happened upon that, althought I see I had posted in that thread, I don't recall seeing your stove before. To bad those are no longer available, that thing just shouts, "HEAT" would love to have one in a certified stove...loove the beastly look of it, bet it would give BK a run...