# Wood pellet stove versus coal stove



## jmcp (Jan 28, 2012)

I have read that coal is even cheaper than pellets and puts out more btu's plus that coal stoves are cheaper than pellet stoves and does not have augers etc that can go wrong.Anyone like to chime in and offer their opinion.


http://riversidecoal.com/coal-heating/coal-vs-wood-pellets.html


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## Jack Morrissey (Jan 28, 2012)

Anthracite MIGHT be cheaper around here but not many places carry it.  Plus I havent seen any stoves where you can set the thermostat w a coal stove and leave it and not worry about keeping the house warm....
'


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## pollywog (Jan 28, 2012)

I burn both. Coal in the cellar at one end. Pellets in the living room at the other end of the house. The coal was $336 a ton vs $225-270 for pellets. The coal is a good steady heat . I dont start it till december. But this year with it being so warm I dont even have the pellets burning in the day time. Coal is the highest ash producer. I usually have 3 or 4 empty pellet bags filled with coal ash every week. Not filled but say about 1/3. That way the trash man doesnt complain. You have to empty the ashes every day. But its cheaper than oil.


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## slls (Jan 28, 2012)

I say if you live in coal country, burn coal.
I have burned stick wood, coal, now pellets.
I will stick with pellets. Oil is the best for me,
but costs too much.


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## KaptJaq (Jan 28, 2012)

Depending on where you live coal can be cheaper per BTU than pellets. The further away from the coal fields you get the harder it is to find and the more expensive it is. Shop around to see how plentiful coal is in your area BEFORE you buy a stove...

Coal stoves can be hand fired radiant stoves, simple and cheap.  They can also be auto feed, thermostatically controlled units that have the augers, electronics, and all the complexities of a pellet stove. There is every variation between.

I burn a basic hand fired radiant coal stove.  This year, in my area, coal goes for about $300 a ton and has about 25,000,000 btu per ton.  In NE Penn I've seen it for $180/ton.  I tend the stove twice a day and burn it at about 20,000 btu per hour.  The stove I have is rated 38,000 btu per hour but that is too hot for the space I need to heat.  20,000 btu/hr is about 40 to 50 lbs of coal a day.

Hope this gives you some numbers to compare to burning pellets...

KaptJaq


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## jmcp (Jan 28, 2012)

I see some people burn both pellets and coal which is your preference.


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## MarkF48 (Jan 28, 2012)

I'm using a coal stove to help out the pellet stove when the temps drop below 20 deg F for several days in a row. It's got a good steady heat that will burn a long time when loaded up. The one I have is basic with a shaker grate and no electricity needed, so if the house loses power I still have a source of heat. The pellet stove is in the living room and coal stove is at the opposite end of the house in the kitchen. Substantially more ash with coal and disposal isn't as environmentally friendly as ash from the pellet stove. 
I think I paid about $300/ton in October plus a deliver charge. With the warm weather we've had I haven't used much.


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## gfreek (Jan 28, 2012)

Burned coal for years in a Harman Mark I, hand fed with blower.  Excellent heat, more btu's, much more ash than pellets, harder to start, but once you get the idea its easy, manual shaker grate shake twice a day, clean chimney less often,  fire stays for long time.  I kinda miss the radiant heat, but it was time to move on.    This area its approx 325/ton. Pellets 200 to 250/ton


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## KaptJaq (Jan 28, 2012)

In comparisons remember coal is about 25,000,000 BTUs per ton, pellets are about 14,000,000 per ton.  If coal is $300 per ton and pellets are $200 per ton then $300 of coal is about $350 of pellets for the same BTUs.  This does not take into account the efficiencies of the stove.

I burn coal and wood.  Coal is easier, my wood if free.  

KaptJaq


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## tjnamtiw (Jan 29, 2012)

You live in Bucks County so coal should be a lot cheaper than all the way up in NH and ME.  My brother lives north of Reading, and he gets his coal right from the breaker for $170/ton.  It's a no brainer.  They make stokers now that can work off of a thermostat but you need electricity for the motor.  They make beautiful stoves in both stoker and manual feed.  No creosote worries or smell.  Yea, more ash but they have bigger ash bins and for one helluva savings, you can live with a little more ash.

http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm  is the best calculator.  I think Reading Anthracite was getting $6 for a 50 pound bag the last I checked.  I might even bring a ton south in my trailer for my next visit up North.  

Think coal!  http://www.keystoker.com/products.php#as

http://www.readingstove.com/heating-stoves/coal-stoves/juniata-stove.php

http://www.leisurelinestoves.com/698400.html

AND no more bitching that your pellet stove can't keep your 3500 sq foot house warm all over ha ha ha.    Coal stoves typically are in the 70,000 to 120,000 btu range IF you need it.


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## subsailor (Jan 29, 2012)

Can coal stoves be direct vented like pellet stoves?


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## tjnamtiw (Jan 29, 2012)

subsailor said:
			
		

> Can coal stoves be direct vented like pellet stoves?



Yes, they even make a device called a Power Venter that mounts on the wall outside your house and eliminates any need for a chimney.  It puts negative pressure on your entire venting system so there's no leaks and no dust.  It's interlocked with the stove for safety too.  

Make your depth 300 feet.  5 degree down bubble.  Ahead full. Break out the torpedo juice.


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## subsailor (Jan 29, 2012)

tjnamtiw said:
			
		

> subsailor said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Brings back memories. Although 300 feet was pretty shallow for us.


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## padfitz (Jan 29, 2012)

The one issue with coal, it is dirty!! No matter how you load, store, or empty your heater, it is dirty. Pellets might be less btu but, put a price on the wife unit not complianing about the mess..... lol

BTW, alot of my neighbors run coal furnaces, have coal delivered by truck and loaded in to the basement via shoot. Township used to pick up the ash and store it, used it on the roads to offset the cost of salt.


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## tjnamtiw (Jan 29, 2012)

padfitz said:
			
		

> The one issue with coal, it is dirty!! No matter how you load, store, or empty your heater, it is dirty. Pellets might be less btu but, put a price on the wife unit not complianing about the mess..... lol
> 
> BTW, alot of my neighbors run coal furnaces, have coal delivered by truck and loaded in to the basement via shoot. Township used to pick up the ash and store it, used it on the roads to offset the cost of salt.



Man, you're from NE Pa.  You should know better!  Bituminous (soft coal) is dirty but Anthracite?  Sure, if you roll around in it, you'll get dirty!  Dust? Yes, if you throw it around.  There's more dust pouring out a bag of pellets than a hod of coal.  You know not of what you speak.    Anyway for a savings of at least 50% over pellets per btu, it's still a no-brainer.  I envy the heck out of NE Pa. people.  

Using a stoker stove, you don't even have shaker grates that are one of the possible causes of dust/dirt.  Pulling the ash pan out right after you shake down the stove is also a contributor to dust but only novices do that.  The educated let the embers cool before exchanging ash pans.  

The only time you're going to see any dirt is when you get your 3 tons delivered into your coal bin.  Of course, since the weather has no effect on coal, you can have your bin outside or in a corner of the garage, as I did when I lived there.  

Dirty is simply not an excuse for not using coal.  Tree hugging and Al-Goreism are excuses.


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