# Burning Coal in a Pellet Stove?



## gotpooch (Nov 25, 2009)

Just wondering if it is a good idea to burn coal in a multi fuel stove. I have a quadrafire mt vernon and at times have had had issues with pellet availability (not this year though). Talking to several local people, some said it is OK as long as the pieces are small enough not to get stuck. Others have said not to burn coal in the stove. Reading thru the posts, the subscribers here seem so much more knowledgeable than dealers or suppliers. Can someone please let me know if it is Ok or not??

Thanks!!


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## Lousyweather (Nov 25, 2009)

No....coal burns too hot for the stove and could cause severe degradation of the metals of the burnpot and/or feed mechanism......saw a Harman P61 that ran coal once...wasnt pretty...end of the auger was gone (about 2" or so)....just gone.....burned off....gonzo...


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## gotpooch (Nov 25, 2009)

Thank you!! I knew I would get the right advice here...
If wood is not available, what other fuels are readily available that I can burn? According to the manuals, it can burn wheat, corn - practically any grain, reed (i don't even know what that is!!). I cannot seem to find any suppliers online for fuel quality grains... where can I find alternate fuels like these??


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## timbo (Nov 25, 2009)

Also, coal gives off very caustic gases when burned in a stove. It would wreak havoc with the electrics and metal inside a pellet stove. I have heard of people mixing rice coal with the their pellets but after spending 2300 dollars for a pellet stove (and having run a coal stove for 23 years previous to this new pellet stove), I'm not going to risk screwing up a perfectly running pellet stove.


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## littlesmokey (Nov 25, 2009)

No coal, but if you have the capability, you can get most of the other fuels at a "Feed Supply Store". Grain and feed stores are a staple in most small towns and rural areas, but may be harder to find in urban settings. I will bet if you find a horse owner you can find the feed store. Make sure if you are buying corn to get shelled corn, but try samples of the variety of fuels available. A friend in New Mexico grew soy beans and found it so easy, that's what he uses for fuel. North of here and to the east lots of rural folk use corn burners with a variety of fuels. 

As far as running out of pellets, I think they are here to stay. May want to keep a log of use and determine the amount you will need for next season and make a pre-season buy. Don't panic and buy too much too soon or too expensive, but planning ahead will eliminate a frantic search.


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## jtakeman (Nov 25, 2009)

gotpooch said:
			
		

> Thank you!! I knew I would get the right advice here...
> If wood is not available, what other fuels are readily available that I can burn? According to the manuals, it can burn wheat, corn - practically any grain, reed (i don't even know what that is!!). I cannot seem to find any suppliers online for fuel quality grains... where can I find alternate fuels like these??



Corn, Wheat, Barley and Soybeans.(there maybe more)

Cherry pits and Olive pits.

Sunflower seeds are also fuel.

Problem is there all more expensive than pellets.

Stay tuned for future fuels. Switch grass, high bark and straw pellets.


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## daydreamer (Nov 25, 2009)

corncob or cornstalk pellets maybe in the future?


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## gotpooch (Nov 25, 2009)

All these options sound so great - I can't wait for them to be available. I am all about going green and using renewable energy resources. I would love to be able to produce my own pellets from waste from my land and home and am almost tempted to look into one of those lower end pellet mills. but I know it is not a cost effective ideal and will require a lot of time and resources that I do not have or are not readily available. I live about 2 hours north of NYC with about 2 acres of land and am in love with the idea of using the grass from my land and junk mail (I get by the ton!!) to turn to pellets. I don't think we have lumber places where I live - so getting sawdust is out of the question. I was even trying to look for DDGS - but no luck. There are plenty of horses in the area but none of the feed places know anything about getting  fuel quality shelled corn. This is still considered a very expensive area in a lot of ways so people don't mind paying what they pay for stuff...
I guess for now, I will have to be content with wood pellets being delivered in bags...


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## seaken (Nov 25, 2009)

You are in range of delivery for Woodpellets.com (1-800-pellets). Shouldn't have supply problems if you buy in pre-season.

Also, check with Cornell Cooperative Extension. They are experimenting with grass pellets. I've burned them successfully in my Harmans. 

I purchased stove corn at a hardware store in Arkville. Should also be available in most Agway or similar places.

I also talked to a couple of gentlemen at a conference last year in NH that are trying to get a company started based on creating your own fuel on your own property. They were focused on "chips" and chip burners. Not sure if anything will happen for "pellets" in this arena. But chips or grain may be doable. These fuels will typically not burn well in a traditional pellet stove. We may see more multi-fuel burners that handle both chips and pellets in the future.


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## gotpooch (Nov 25, 2009)

seaken said:
			
		

> You are in range of delivery for Woodpellets.com (1-800-pellets). Shouldn't have supply problems if you buy in pre-season.
> 
> Also, check with Cornell Cooperative Extension. They are experimenting with grass pellets. I've burned them successfully in my Harmans.
> 
> ...




I do get my pellets from woodpellets.com. I did buy them preseason and actually paid higher than the current price :0(
I will look into the Cornell program. Not sure where Arkville is, but I have tried to search for Stove corn over the internet and asked about it locally and it is just not available or it is more expensive than pellets. I just like the idea of using waste  from your land/home  for  energy even though it is not a real cost or time effective option at this time. I would be willing to pay a little bit more if I had to - to conserve if I can. Not sure if it is a real option at this time but if there was a way to do it, count me in!


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## seaken (Nov 25, 2009)

Arkville is about an hour west of Kingston, about a half-hour from me here in Shokan, further out Route 28. I do know there is quite a bit of corn activity near Kingston and Hurley. Try Gill Farms in Hurley. Of course, I don't know where you are in Eastern NY. If you're up north you might have better luck near Johnstown or Gloversville in the Mohawk Valley.


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