Where can you get coal for fireplace

[Cuyo]

You think burning wood can be a problem? You will love the soot and smell from coal.

And yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, but it must be a good concrete/brick type of fireplace you will burn down your house if you burn coal in a metal insert type of fireplace designed for wood.

And the price for coal?
Here in KY where we have plenty of coal decent house coal is around $150.00/ton.

When I grew up it took about 7 tons to heat our home during a winter.
You do the math.

No USC.. And Sunshine... You are mistaken... You cannot burn coal in a regular wood fireplace. It's strictly a controlled burn situation. Air must be introduced underneath the pile in a very metered fashion.

If you somehow could get a pile of coal to catch in a wood fireplace, it would quickly 'run away' and you'd have a forge... A blue flame firing out of the top that looks like a blowtorch... that would be so hot it might melt the mortar between your bricks. Even if it didn't your whole cache would be gone in about 45 minutes. Even if you could somehow control the air flow and keep the fire small, there'd be no way to remove ash from the bottom to keep the fire going.

 

[uscitizen]

You think burning wood can be a problem? You will love the soot and smell from coal.

And yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, but it must be a good concrete/brick type of fireplace you will burn down your house if you burn coal in a metal insert type of fireplace designed for wood.

And the price for coal?
Here in KY where we have plenty of coal decent house coal is around $150.00/ton.

When I grew up it took about 7 tons to heat our home during a winter.
You do the math.

No USC.. And Sunshine... You are mistaken... You cannot burn coal in a regular wood fireplace. It's strictly a controlled burn situation. Air must be introduced underneath the pile in a very metered fashion.

If you somehow could get a pile of coal to catch in a wood fireplace, it would quickly 'run away' and you'd have a forge... A blue flame firing out of the top that looks like a blowtorch... that would be so hot it might melt the mortar between your bricks. Even if it didn't your whole cache would be gone in about 45 minutes. Even if you could somehow control the air flow and keep the fire small, there'd be no way to remove ash from the bottom to keep the fire going.

When I was young we burned coal in 2 fireplaces to heat our house, we later went to a coal stove for heat, but yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, it requires a coal grate which is shaped differently from a wood one.
I grew up in eastern KY where many people dug their own coal for heating. it was a minscule open mine they called "coal banks".
You start with a wood fire and add coal, you even use wood kindling to get a goal stove burning.
Read Dickens about burning coal in a fireplace.

 

[whitehall]

Not a good idea to burn coal in a fireplace because of carbon monoxide emissions. About 40 miles from where I live they sell coal by the bag. You can get the hard coal for heat or you can buy soft coal for blacksmith forges. Yes, they sell enough coal to blacksmiths to make it worthwhile. When I was a kid in NY every house on the block was heated with coal and the trucks used to come around with slides that fit in the basement window. They would open the chute and let it flow.

 

[Mr. H.]

I've owned a few old (80-100 yrs) homes over the years and each one had a small room in the basement that was the "coal room". I converted the first one into a man cave. Drank a lot of beer and did a lot of coke in there. Coke. Coal. Har.

 

[kiwiman127]

Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.

1# Cheap
2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.

I think Matthew is pulling everyone's leg, that theory is based on his threads regarding global warming.

 

[whitehall]

They sell air tight stoves that can burn either coal or wood and if you live near a supply of coal it's a damn good source of heat.

 

[tonystewart1]

I have burned coal for years now for heat. If your fireplace has a really good draw then you can burn coal in it but its a waste of time and energy. Get a coal stove it is really more efficent.

Coal can be dirty to burn. You have to stay on top of it cleaning a lot.

I get all my coal for free from the mine I work at. We mine metalurgical coal. That stuff burns real good and hot. I can heat my house all winter with 2 to 2 1/2 tons.

 

[editec]

Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.

1# Cheap
2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.

Good idea if you wanna die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you want to burn coal, get a STOVE and make damned sure it doesn't leak.

I damned near died from a leaking coal fired furnace that leaked carbon monoxide in the ducts leading into my room when I was kid.

I mean when the doctor first found me (doctors USED to come to people's homes, remember) , he told my mother that I was dead because he could find no pulse. AS my distraught mohter and doctor were rushing what they thought was my corpse to the hospital, my mother opened the window and the fresh air brought me back from near death.


I spend like three weeks in the hospital under observation when I was 4.

Yeah, it was THAT close.

Not just coal that does that.

The question was about coal.

My response was about coal.

 

[Medwards]

I have a large load of coal in my basement in Mt. Tabor, SE Portland, Oregon that will donate to whomever comes and gets it out of basement and takes away. Have Natural gas now. Hate to send it to the dump but that is next.

 

[HUGGY]

I have a large load of coal in my basement in Mt. Tabor, SE Portland, Oregon that will donate to whomever comes and gets it out of basement and takes away. Have Natural gas now. Hate to send it to the dump but that is next.

Don't give it to the OP. He is too stupid to use it safely.

 

[Mr. H.]

I have a large load of coal in my basement in Mt. Tabor, SE Portland, Oregon that will donate to whomever comes and gets it out of basement and takes away. Have Natural gas now. Hate to send it to the dump but that is next.

Christmas is coming up. There are a lot of USMB socks to fill.

 

[uscitizen]

Dig.

 

[Old Rocks]

You're living in Oregon, land of plentiful abundant green and clean renewable energy.
Ask Old Rocks- I'm sure he can hook you up.

I'lll ask Old rocks for his advise

Well, the nearest good coal is north, Green River area in Washington, near the town of Black Diamond. But, don't do it. Coal in a fireplace is not a good idea.

Using a Coal Fireplace Properly | DoItYourself.com

Use the Right Fireplace
Coal burns much hotter than wood does. Trying to put coal into a wood fireplace insert, or wood burning stove will lead to problems very quickly. A coal fireplace must be used if you are planning to use, or are currently using, coal for heat

Read more: Using a Coal Fireplace Properly | DoItYourself.com

Very few fireplaces in Oregon are designed for coal. Almost certainly one you would find here in Portland would not be. Best to see if you can find a few cords of seasoned firewood.

 

[Mr. H.]

Coal is where you find it.

 

[ScienceRocks]

If I wanted to light the shale on fire would it all burn? That's what I was thinking when I wrote this post.

Would I need to nuke the shale to get it all to burn? I'm feeling kind of evil at this time in my life.

 

[editec]

Is your fireplace specifically designed to burn coal?

If not I wouldn't advise it.

Couple reasons:

1. coal burns hotter than wood ergo your fireplace needs to be designed for the greater heat

2. IN order for coal to burn efficently it needs a good continuous flow of air coming from underneath it. Most fireplaces provide enough air flow for wood but not enough airflow for coal.

3. Burning coal produces carbon monoxide, so a smoltering inefficient fire, or a chimney with any kind of exhaust problems can fairly easily kill you.*




* I was very nearly killed by a coal fired furnace that leaked carbon monoxide into the air ducts of our farmhouse when I was about 4. I'd been hanging out on floor near the register to keep warm while playing and I ended up in the hospital for a couple weeks.