# Franco Belge 1475 coal stove



## bwbski (Nov 11, 2011)

Just bought a home.  It came with a fabulous Hearthstone I wood stove.  I love it.  I was digging around in the garage today, and found a moving blanket covering an item, thought it was something I moved in.  Removed the tarp and found a Franco Belge 1475 coal stove!  its a beast.  Big, and heavy.  

Anyone know anything about these stoves?


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## SmokeyTheBear (Nov 11, 2011)

bwbski said:
			
		

> Just bought a home.  It came with a fabulous Hearthstone I wood stove.  I love it.  I was digging around in the garage today, and found a moving blanket covering an item, thought it was something I moved in.  Removed the tarp and found a Franco Belge 1475 coal stove!  its a beast.  Big, and heavy.
> 
> Anyone know anything about these stoves?



My brother in law had one of their parlor stoves.  It worked well.  Other than that not a clue.


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## tjnamtiw (Nov 11, 2011)

When I lived in Pa, I had a Franco Belge coal stove that was just WONDERFUL.   Especially since I lived about an hour away from an independent coal breaker!  I don't know my model # but it was a free standing stove with a top cast iron door through which you poured the coal.  The door had a gasket around it to seal the hopper, which narrowed down to a small rectangular opening.  The coal, by gravity, ran down to the burn grate area.  You started the fire with wood, got a good bed of coals and then fed some pea coal to get it going.  After that, you filled up the hopper with a bucket of coal.  As the coal burned down, fresh coal would run out of the sealed hopper and feed the fire.  Since the hopper was sealed, the coal would not burn > no oxygen.  The stove had no blower but gave off enough heat to keep my house (1200 sq ft)  at 80 degrees all winter on 3 tons.
If yours is similar, you have a winner as long as you can get coal around $250 a ton or so.
http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm


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## bwbski (Nov 11, 2011)

Anyone know the value of these stoves?


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## tjnamtiw (Nov 11, 2011)

Pictures, pictures, pictures

I take it you're going to go the cutting, splitting, stacking, hauling, restacking, dirt, dust, bugs route and keep the wood stove?


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## Panhandler (Nov 11, 2011)

You might try here..............
FRANCO BELGE/COAL HEAT INC. http://www.francobelge-usa.com (610)966-3556 

http://nepacrossroads.com/forum-55.html


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## bwbski (Nov 12, 2011)

Can this stove burn anything other then coal?


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## tjnamtiw (Nov 12, 2011)

bwbski said:
			
		

> Can this stove burn anything other then coal?



You can always burn wood in a coal stove.  Coal is very tough on grates, which is why they are made so stoutly.  So just about anything else with less btu's per pound will work.  Of course, you won't get as much heat or as steady a heat as from coal.  You can't get coal up there?


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## bwbski (Nov 12, 2011)

Dont know about getting coal. Was thinking about pellets.


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## tsmith (Nov 12, 2011)

I had one for many years, in my old home. Heated very well, coal is a very hot fire. It will provide much more heat than a pellet stove, if you can get coal in your area cheap it is worth it. I sold mine about 10 years ago for $300.00. You burn wood in it to start the coal only, it was not recommended to burn only wood in it and also pellets I dont think would burn in it because there is no blowers of any type. The nice thing with these is that even when power goes out, you still have great heat. I got rid of mine because I work for a Municipality and I have to plow during snow storms, and my wife could not shake the stove grates properly to maintain a fire when I was gone.


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