McClary No 45

[ShawnLiNY]

Good point about modifying the stove. I was more curious than anything. My wife wouldn't let me do it anyway.

Of course there hasn't been official testing, and even the best antique stove won't have as few emissions as a new EPA stove, but they were better than the 70's pre EPA stoves.

I agree As far as Emissions , obviously newer designs are going to produce less particulate and be cleaner burning and use less fuel . But the coal baseburners of the 1870s- 1920s are heating machines , these stoves where not designed to burn efficiently on fuel saving , or air quality standards they were designed to be the visual Centerpiece of the parlor or the entire house and to be a functional heater

 

[Donkeynuts]

This stove appears to be a coal only stove. The Modern Glenwood Oak stoves are much better for burning wood compared to most other oak stoves. You would be better off burning coal in it, the wood grate won't help much. I think you will end up using too much wood. Make an account on the coal pail forum and talk to the folks there. They know these stoves really well and will tell you everything about it, I could be mistaken.

Thanks I have the question out on coalpail and I’ll see what they have to say. This is the diffuser/grate I built and will get to trying it out next week possibly. So if I was going to burn coal you have to start with a small wood fire first I take it then add coal once it gets going?

 

[SpaceBus]

I don't know how to start a coal fire to be honest.

 

[begreen]

Another coal forum can be found at nepacrossroads.com

 

[ct01r]

Since we (you'se) are talking about wood versus coal, here's a question I've often mulled over: if there are air vents in the bottom of the stove and air vents in the door of the stove (where you feed the fuel in), couldn't one use the upper door vent for wood, and the bottom vent for coal? While I'm asking; for those of us that have an old stove, is there a catalytic converter that after market that can be added? I have an old Mountain Oak stove that has great sentimental value that we're fixing up. It'll go out in the shop and used intermittently. The woods free, so it doesn't have to be super efficient, but it should look great when it's done.

Sorry if this is inappropriate (since we typically don't talk about coal). Moderators, please fell free to delete if it isn't Thanks! Curt

 

[SpaceBus]

Since we (you'se) are talking about wood versus coal, here's a question I've often mulled over: if there are air vents in the bottom of the stove and air vents in the door of the stove (where you feed the fuel in), couldn't one use the upper door vent for wood, and the bottom vent for coal? While I'm asking; for those of us that have an old stove, is there a catalytic converter that after market that can be added? I have an old Mountain Oak stove that has great sentimental value that we're fixing up. It'll go out in the shop and used intermittently. The woods free, so it doesn't have to be super efficient, but it should look great when it's done.

Sorry if this is inappropriate (since we typically don't talk about coal). Moderators, please fell free to delete if it isn't Thanks! Curt

It depends on the stove. On the OP's stove it doesn't appear to accommodate wood at all. On the Modern Glenwood Oak I've seen, the door intakes have a plate with metered holes on the inside for air dispersion for secondary burn. You could also try and fabricate some sort of baffle out of metal or firebrick to help keep the wood gasses in the burn chamber longer for a more compete burn. Does your stove have a back pipe? Some back pipe stoves have another intake for additional burning of the smoke and wood gases.

 

[begreen]

Since we (you'se) are talking about wood versus coal, here's a question I've often mulled over: if there are air vents in the bottom of the stove and air vents in the door of the stove (where you feed the fuel in), couldn't one use the upper door vent for wood, and the bottom vent for coal? While I'm asking; for those of us that have an old stove, is there a catalytic converter that after market that can be added? I have an old Mountain Oak stove that has great sentimental value that we're fixing up. It'll go out in the shop and used intermittently. The woods free, so it doesn't have to be super efficient, but it should look great when it's done.

Sorry if this is inappropriate (since we typically don't talk about coal). Moderators, please fell free to delete if it isn't Thanks! Curt

You are correct, that is the way that many wood/coal burners are setup and some with exchangeable grates too. The compromise being that they usually don't burn as well as a dedicated wood or coal stove.

 

[ShawnLiNY]

Since we (you'se) are talking about wood versus coal, here's a question I've often mulled over: if there are air vents in the bottom of the stove and air vents in the door of the stove (where you feed the fuel in), couldn't one use the upper door vent for wood, and the bottom vent for coal? While I'm asking; for those of us that have an old stove, is there a catalytic converter that after market that can be added? I have an old Mountain Oak stove that has great sentimental value that we're fixing up. It'll go out in the shop and used intermittently. The woods free, so it doesn't have to be super efficient, but it should look great when it's done. As far as adding a catalyst to make an antique EPA compliant I don’t see this working out at all

Sorry if this is inappropriate (since we typically don't talk about coal). Moderators, please fell free to delete if it isn't Thanks! Curt

 

[ct01r]

Thanks for the replies! As always, your help is greatly appreciated! Curt

 

[wooduser]

Looks like an oak style stove. Join the Coal Pail forums and you will probably find everything you want to know.

Looks like you can get bagged coal at Tractor Supply if you have one near you. Looks like very high quality anthracite coal, too.

Why not burn the coal the stove was designed to use?

(broken link removed)


And I'd be glad to hear something about your ice house and the conditions in which you use it!

 

[bholler]

Looks like you can get bagged coal at Tractor Supply if you have one near you. Looks like very high quality anthracite coal, too.

Why not burn the coal the stove was designed to use?

(broken link removed)


And I'd be glad to hear something about your ice house and the conditions in which you use it!

Wow that is expensive. But I guess for an ice house you probably wouldn't burn that much.

But the low draft due to a short chimney combined with a small space and the extremely high levels of co put out by coal doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

 

[Donkeynuts]

It depends on the stove. On the OP's stove it doesn't appear to accommodate wood at all. On the Modern Glenwood Oak I've seen, the door intakes have a plate with metered holes on the inside for air dispersion for secondary burn. You could also try and fabricate some sort of baffle out of metal or firebrick to help keep the wood gasses in the burn chamber longer for a more compete burn. Does your stove have a back pipe? Some back pipe stoves have another intake for additional burning of the smoke and wood gases.

No the stove doesn’t any sort of baffle between the firebox and the chimney. Would installing a damper in the chimney have the same effect?

 

[Donkeynuts]

I don't know how to start a coal fire to be honest.

Haha love the honesty!! Me either but that how I envisioned it!

 

[wooduser]

Lots of You Tube videos on starting coal fires...

 

[Donkeynuts]

Looks like you can get bagged coal at Tractor Supply if you have one near you. Looks like very high quality anthracite coal, too.

Why not burn the coal the stove was designed to use?

(broken link removed)


And I'd be glad to hear something about your ice house and the conditions in which you use it!

Well coal is going to be too messy for my liking and as was mentioned also co levels and smell I would think. Ice shack is fairly small, 13’x7’ inside dimensions, it’s an old 16’ camper that I’m converting. I live is Sask. 20 miles north of the US North Dakota border so your typical central US weather. Thanks for the input! Cheers

 

[wooduser]

Very little dust or mess to anthracite coal. More mess with wood, I'd guess.

Since you have a stove designed for coal, I'd spring for a $6 sack and give it a try, myself, before butching up the stover to make it something it isn't.

Wood stove smoke is very heavily carbon monoxide as well. If a wood stove doesn't vent, you'll get a lot of smoke in your ice house.

Do you shove it out on a lake and use it for fishing?

 

[bholler]

Very little dust or mess to anthracite coal. More mess with wood, I'd guess.

Since you have a stove designed for coal, I'd spring for a $6 sack and give it a try, myself, before butching up the stover to make it something it isn't.

Wood stove smoke is very heavily carbon monoxide as well. If a wood stove doesn't vent, you'll get a lot of smoke in your ice house.

Do you shove it out on a lake and use it for fishing?

How much coal have you burned? I can tell you after burning coal and working in lots of houses that burn coal it is very dirty. Yes wood has bark etc and some ash. But much less ash than coal and bark is easy to clean coal dust is not.

Coal exhaust has way mor co throughout the entire burn than a properly working wood stove does.

 

[bholler]

Well coal is going to be too messy for my liking and as was mentioned also co levels and smell I would think. Ice shack is fairly small, 13’x7’ inside dimensions, it’s an old 16’ camper that I’m converting. I live is Sask. 20 miles north of the US North Dakota border so your typical central US weather. Thanks for the input! Cheers

That install has tons of pretty serious clearance problems btw.

 

[wooduser]

How much coal have you burned? I can tell you after burning coal and working in lots of houses that burn coal it is very dirty.

Was the coal you've encountered bituminous or anthracite coal?

You are in the middle of anthracite coal country.

My understanding is that anthracite coal is liked washed rocks. It's bituminous coal that is famously dirty.

But if you are indeed familiar with anthracite coal, please set me straight on that. So far, that's not clear.

 

[SpaceBus]

I don't know what it's like post burn, but before you burn it anthracite coal is like a rock. Very minimal dust actually

 

[bholler]

I don't know what it's like post burn, but before you burn it anthracite coal is like a rock. Very minimal dust actually

Stick your hand in a coal bin full of anthracite and see if it comes out clean. Or dump a bucket full into a hopper or stove. Yes anthracite is certainly cleaner than bituminous lignite or sub bituminous. But still far from clean.

Was the coal you've encountered bituminous or anthracite coal?

You are in the middle of anthracite coal country.

My understanding is that anthracite coal is liked washed rocks. It's bituminous coal that is famously dirty.

But if you are indeed familiar with anthracite coal, please set me straight on that. So far, that's not clear.

Yes I am very familiar with anthracite. And yes it is clean after washing. Untill it is moved and it breaks more creating more dust.