The Steamboating Forum

So, I built my 20sqft VFT boiler with the Intension of burning wood, still have the same Intension. However with a couLe test firings on the test bench I really gotta put the wood to her. So, I was thinking about adding a little coal to the fire once in a while to help with the heat and add some smoke to the stack. What size coal should I use? Small chunks or large? What are your thoughts about this?

I burned coal one time on the Tug, won't do that again, It is really dirty. Also, I could not really see a notable increase in performance. A better improvement is to add an economizer and insulate everything that contains steam or heated feedwater.

-Ron

It's all well Insulated and I have an econimizer. Maybe some better wood? I thought a scoop of coal would last longer.

Wood fuel, depending on the type of wood, has a heating value very dependent on its moisture content. Hard wood, oven dried, provides about 7100 BTU per pound of useable heat, well air dried wood gives 5700 BTU, and green wood about 3400 BTU. Hardwood has a typical average density of about 30 pounds per cubic foot (the actiual wood is more dense, but there are lots of air spaces in the stacked wood).

Compare this to reasonable coal fuel, (Egg, Stove, or Nut size), having an available heating value of 12,000 to 13,000 BTU per pound, and a typical “as packed” density of around 65 pounds per cubic foot, you can get nearly 5 times the amount of available heat in any storage container using coal vs. air dried wood.

However, burning coal is not as easy as burning wood, more draft thru the fire bed is needed, and Bituminous coals tend to make smoke unless the fire is carefully controlled. Anthracite coal is smoleless, but needs more fire grate area than wood or Bituminous coal furnaces. Coke, made from Bituminous coal, is also smokeless, and can make a really intense amount of heat, if you can get it.

Also, from a previous post on this forum: As to the coal mess, try packaging your coal in ordinary paper lunch bags. You can spend some time making up a few hundred of them (and then take a shower), loaded into milk crates or similar containers. Then you just open the fire door and toss in another bag, a little less mess in handling the coal. If you can find some low ash coal, even less mess.

fredrosse wrote:... Also, from a previous post on this forum: As to the coal mess, try packaging your coal in ordinary paper lunch bags. You can spend some time making up a few hundred of them (and then take a shower), loaded into milk crates or similar containers. Then you just open the fire door and toss in another bag, a little less mess in handling the coal. If you can find some low ash coal, even less mess.

Coal cartridges! Well I'll be ... That's a capital idea. Miss Ann and I heat with coal - red ash anthracite - so that's what we'll try in time. But it is finicky and not for the faint of heart - lost the fire twice this Spring while asleep on watch ...

Seems like you might be able to use large sheets of newspaper as well as lunch bags. Spread out a sheet (or two if you need more strength), put the coal in the dead center, then pull up the sides and twist them closed. The paper MIGHT even help a little to ignite the coal.

MANY moons ago my father had a dry cleaning store with a coal-burning Scotch boiler. We often started the fire by wrapping a small amount of coal in paper, putting it in the furnace, dousing it with dry cleaning fluid, then lighting it with a match. Now don't get excited... dry cleaning fluid (petroleum based) isn't explosive, and is not very volatile on purpose.

Another (untested) idea I had for coal burners was to keep a small propane weed burner on hand, and it might be possibleto use it to start or restart the fire without kindling, paper, etc.

Nothing new there then...............I always start my barbi with the gas blowlamp! Saves all that b*****ing about!

When I mentioned coal being dirty, that was from burning it. Handling it wasn't so bad, but burning it, there was black dust all over the top of the cabin. Then when I cleaned the flues there was black dust all inside the cabin. The wood was just stained, so it was impossible to get it completely off the horizontal surfaces. No more coal burning here.

-Ron

Wood may be cleaner , but when burning wood and having a good going fire, or the blower on , flaming embers gan get sent up the funnel to come down on the canopy and burn holes in it. If no canopy then ......
Gudmund