MASONRY CHIMNEY
continued...
Ensure that a masonry chimney meets the
minimum standards of the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) by having
it inspected by a professional. Make sure
there are no cracks, loose mortar or oth-
er signs of deterioration and blockage.
Have the chimney cleaned before the
stove is installed and operated. When
connecting the stove through a combus-
tible wall to a masonry chimney, special
methods are needed.
Heaters that are capable of burning coal usu-
ally will burn both Bituminous and Anthracite
coal. Anthracite is perhaps the best coal fuel
because of its long even burn time, high heat
output, and cleanliness which make it a good
choice for the home. However, keep in mind
it is a much more difficult fuel to use, requires
more care and patience, is not so widely avail-
able, and is usually much more expensive than
Bituminous
SIZE OF COAL:
Most sizes of Bituminous Coal will work in a coal
heater; for best results we recommend large
“nut” coal to small “egg” coal (1-3/4” diameter
to 4” diameter). 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 minerals. Never use coal small-
er than 1” or larger than 5” in diameter. Small
sized coal will smother the fire. Too large a size
of coal will not burn well.
STOVE OPERATION:
All coal fires should be started with wood which
will allow the fire to get hot enough to ignite
the coal. The best ignition fires utilize dry pine or
other resinous soft woods as kindling, with hard
wood (oak, hickory, ash) added to increase
the heat prior to addition of the coal.
Before starting the fire, open the stove pipe
damper (if equipped), turn the thermostat to
high, open the ash pit door and feed door,
place newspaper and finely 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 fluid, or other flammable liq-
uids to start or freshen up a fire in any heater.
Place the larger pieces of wood on the fire 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 fire.
BURNING BITUMINOUS:
Once your kindling and wood fire 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 result, should be fired with
the “conical method” - with the highest portion
of your fire bed in the center of the firebox. The
first flames will be long and generally orange
or yellow and produce quite a bit of smoke. As
the gases burn off the flames become shorter,
change color and produce less smoke.
Once the fire is WELL ESTABLISHED add coal
to the center of the firebox forming the cone.
Burning in this fashion allows heat to drive off
the volatile gases, and turbulence created
increases the burn efficiency. There will have
to be some experimenting with the individual
setup as no two chimney’s or installations are
going to be the same. Just remember to allow
enough air to enter the firebox and keep the
stove pipe damper open so that volatiles are
properly burned. Before refueling, take the time
to break up the cone a little with a poker, espe-
cially if it has caked over or formed a crust. But,
be careful not to mix the coal as this increases
the chances of forming clinkers. When shaking
the grate(s) be gentle. Just a few short move-
ments - a couple of “cranks” - is better than
a lot of agitation. The objective is to remove a
small amount of the ashes without disturbing
the fire. Stop when you see a glow in the ashes
or the first red coals fall into the ash pan. Exces-
sive 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 fire 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 thermo-
stat to the desired heat level.
More MAINTENANCE will be needed with bitu-
minous 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 fire, being careful not to
disturb it too much or cut off the draft. Then,
add a second heavier layer after the coal is ig-
nited 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
firebox to insure that the fire 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 fire, but it may
take one to two hours before the whole bed is
fully ignited.
When the fire is well established and the room
is becoming warm, partially close the dampers.
Some experimenting will have to take place
with each particular setting of all dampers and
controls as the chimney provides the draft nec-
essary to not only exhaust the smoke, but to
pull combustion air into the heater as well - and
no two chimney’s perform the same. Under
ideal draft conditions, one should be able to
turn the secondary air supply on the feed door
bULLETINE RC454
A guide to burning coal in your heater.
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