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© 2021 United States Stove Company
15
A GUIDE TO BURNING COAL IN YOUR STOVE
Stoves that are capable of burning coal usually 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
dicult fuel to use, requires more care and patience, is not
so widely available, and is usually much more expensive
than Bituminous.
SIZE OF COAL
Most sizes of Bituminous Coal will work in a coal furnace;
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” through 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 ensures removal of rocks and other
minerals. 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, hickory, ash) added to
increase the heat prior to addition of the coal.
Before starting the re, open the stove pipe damper (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 result, 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 eciency. 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 rebox 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, especially 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 movements - 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 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 warping 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 ensure 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.
When the re 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 necessary 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 below
the feed door (some models) to a near closed position - but
leave the ash pit damper at least partially open to prevent
the re from going out. Adjust the stove pipe damper to
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