Tips for burning coal?

[RyanShields]

I'm thinking about trying coal in the wall tent wood stove this year and I was wondering if anyone had some tips regarding coal burning like

What size coal
Where can it be found for sale
How much coal do you burn in a night, weight wise
How much coal do you load into the stove at once

Thank you for any replies

 

[Slugz]

I buy it in bags roughly a little smaller than a feed sack. The local stone, landscape place has it.
The large chunks in it are the size of softballs, smallest about 2 x 2 inches. We stash two bags near our camp in the summer so we don't have to take in September. We have nothing but pine up there so adding a few pieces of coal keeps the creosote and pipe a lot cleaner also.

I go to bed and load a layer of wood, gallon of coal and a layer of wood. With the airflow set correctly I get a long slow burn that lasts 4-6 hours.

I run a Four Dog stove. Some guys I know put a cast iron cooking grill grate on the bottom.

 

[wytx]

Going to try the same this fall. Found a good friend with lump coal that we can get.
We do have a fire grate in our wood stove.

Thanks Slugz.

 

[Hoghead]

I'm going to run a cylinder stove in a teppe this year has anyone tried bbq charcoal? I figured it would burn longer than wood in a small stove.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Glendon Mullins]

better make sure u have a coal grate in your stove, coal burns hotter than wood and has been known to burn through stoves

 

[Poser]

I once grabbed a spilled softball size chunk of coal off the railroad track here in Durango , packed it in and burned it in my titanium stove -it burned all night with no issues. I did have to assemble my stove with the coal already inside as it was too big for the door.

 

[BuzzH]

I've used coal in wall tent stoves for 15-20 years or more. Not a big deal and while a good idea to have a grate, IME, it wont burn through a half way decent stove. It may burn through one of those flimsy collapsible tin-like stoves, can't know that for sure as I don't own one.

The couple nice things about coal is that you light one fire...the coals stay hot for a long time. Before bed, I usually do as someone described above, layer of wood, coal, more wood. I damper down the stove alot and usually get 6 hours. I just keep some kindling handy, a few more piece of wood, and a few large chunks of coal to throw on and you're good until morning.

IME, the bigger the better for size of the lumps. Its easy to break up the larger chunks if they don't fit.

In a week long hunt I would recommend 2 or maybe 3 large feed sacks full...maybe 50lbs or so to a sack (never really weighed it).

Its dirt cheap to buy, I usually grab 300 or so pounds at time.

 

[RyanShields]

Its dirt cheap to buy, I usually grab 300 or so pounds at time.

Searching online I see that Tractor Supply company has 40lb bags of "nut" size coal? Do you know of any suppliers of the "lump" size that you're talking about?

 

[BuzzH]

Searching online I see that Tractor Supply company has 40lb bags of "nut" size coal? Do you know of any suppliers of the "lump" size that you're talking about?

I've purchased it many times in Sheridan Wyoming, wolf mtn. coal.

I've also purchased it in Arco Idaho, can't recall the name of that place.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I’m being honest. But, if your wall tent stove isn’t a house stove, you’ll melt the thing if you get enough air under it.

That’s what coal needs. Air that gets pulled up through it. So, while a wood grate will allow some coal burn in a wood stove, you likely won’t get long, hot burn times. Which is what coal does. It burns exponentially hotter and does so for HOURS longer then a wood fire will be producing any heat.

So, knowing all this, I bought a warm morning coal stove for my wall tent. It POUNDS the heat. In a canvas tent, you can get that tent so hot it’s uncomfortable. In frigid weather. A coal stove will be a stove that draws air up through the fire. From below. Not like a wood stove that vents on the door. And, it’ll have fire bricks.

It’s worth the look. Find a coal stove for your setup. I burn it for my winter house heat. My house is 2100 sqft. My electric bills from November through March never got about $91. And during those months, my house stayed 72 or higher. Most times, 76-77 degrees. My firebox is 100 pounds. I fix the fire once a day.

Didn’t mean to get so long winded. But, it really improves wall tent camping. And, it’s important to know what makes coal worth the effort to burn in your tent.

 

[huntabsarokee]

Yeah but isn't there a significant difference in the amount of BTUs for WV anthracite vs soft coal in the west? I would think it would be hard to burn anthracite in a small tent stove. Just not enough air flow from the bottom. You either need a large draw to pull air or a fan under the flames to push air through the coal. I have no experience with soft coal.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Yeah but isn't there a significant difference in the amount of BTUs for WV anthracite vs soft coal in the west? I would think it would be hard to burn anthracite in a small tent stove. Just not enough air flow from the bottom. You either need a large draw to pull air or a fan under the flames to push air through the coal. I have no experience with soft coal.

I totally agree. But, my guess is there is a huge difference in btu’s of the metallurgical coal of southern WV then typical steam coal sold for home burning. It gets really hot in the proper stove.

 

[ChrisA]

Yeah but isn't there a significant difference in the amount of BTUs for WV anthracite vs soft coal in the west? I would think it would be hard to burn anthracite in a small tent stove. Just not enough air flow from the bottom. You either need a large draw to pull air or a fan under the flames to push air through the coal. I have no experience with soft coal.

Agreed. I've burned both in my large walltent stove. The anthracite burns hotter and cleaner but it took a good bed of wood coals to get it going.

The bituminous coal burned easily but dirtier and speckled my white rain fly with black ash. It also smells more.

Chris

 

[AlleghenyMountain]

better make sure u have a coal grate in your stove, coal burns hotter than wood and has been known to burn through stoves

This. Love the smell of coal smoke, brings back a lot of memories.

 

[minengr]

Where do you live? If you happen to have a mine close, that will be your cheapest source, although they may not do private sales. The mine I worked at didn't do it very often. I think we charged around $50 for a pickup load.

 

[rayporter]

as a kid i can remember shoveling coal off a pick up for burning in the house.

never forget the smell or the dust on everything.