© 2021 United States Stove Company
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Stoves that are capable of burning coal usually will burn
both Bituminous and Anthracite coal. Anthracite is
perhaps the best coal fuel because of its long even burn
time, high heat output, and cleanliness which make it a
good choice for the home. However, keep in mind it is a
much more difficult fuel to use, requires more care and
patience, is not so widely available, and is usually much
more expensive than Bituminous.
SIZE OF COAL
Most sizes of Bituminous Coal will work in a coal stove;
for best results we recommend large “nut” coal to small
“egg” coal (1-3/4” diameter to 4” diameter). When
burning Anthracite, use “egg” or “broken” with sizes
between 2-5/16” thru 4-3/8”. Note that it is important
to the long life of your stove to buy coal which has been
sized and cleaned. Cleaning ensures removal of rocks and
other minerals. Never use coal smaller than 1” or larger
than 5” in diameter. Small sized coal will smother the fire.
Too large a size of coal will not burn well.
STOVE OPERATION
All coal fires should be started with wood which will allow
the fire to get hot enough to ignite the coal. The best
ignition fires utilize dry pine or other resinous soft woods
as kindling, with hard wood (oak, hickory, ash) added to
increase the heat prior to addition of the coal.
Before starting the fire, open the stove pipe damper (if
equipped), turn the thermostat to high, open the ash
pit door and feed door, place newspaper and finely split
kindling on the grate, light the paper, add larger hard wood
after the kindling is burning brightly. CAUTION: Never
use gasoline, lantern fuel, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid,
or other flammable liquids to start or freshen up a fire in
any heater. Place the larger pieces of wood on the fire so
that they are slightly separated and form a level for the
addition of coal. It will take 10 to 20 minutes before this
wood is thoroughly ignited. Adding coal too soon will cut
the air supply and smother the fire.
BURNING BITUMINOUS
Once your kindling and wood fire has produced a bed of
well-established coals, start adding coal in layers allowing
each to ignite before adding more. Bituminous has a high
volatile content and, as a result, should be fired with the
“conical method” - with the highest portion of your fire
bed in the center of the firebox. The first flames will be
long and generally orange or yellow and produce quite a
bit of smoke. As the gases burn off the flames become
shorter, change color and produce less smoke.
Once the fire is WELL ESTABLISHED add coal to the
center of the firebox forming the cone. Burning in this
fashion allows heat to drive off the volatile gases, and
turbulence created increases the burn efficiency. There
will have to be some experimenting with the individual
setup as no two chimney’s or installations are going to
be the same. Just remember to allow enough air to enter
the firebox and keep the stove pipe damper open so that
volatiles are properly burned. Before refueling, take the
time to break up the cone a little with a poker, especially
if it has caked over or formed a crust. But, be careful not
to mix the coal as this increases the chances of forming
clinkers. When shaking the grate(s) be gentle. Just a few
short movements - a couple of “cranks” - is better than a
lot of agitation. The objective is to remove a small amount
of the ashes without disturbing the fire. Stop when you
see a glow in the ashes or the first red coals fall into the
ash pan. Excessive shaking wastes fuel and can expose
the grate(s) to very high temperatures which can cause
warpage or burnout.
For overnight operation (long duration burn time) shake
the fire and add coal, retaining the center cone. Once the
volatiles are burned off, close the feed door and adjust
the stove pipe damper, if equipped. Then adjust the
thermostat to the desired heat level.
More maintenance will be needed with bituminous coal
than with anthracite coal as more soot will collect on
heating surfaces and in pipes, requiring more frequent
cleaning.
ANTHRACITE
Add a thin layer of coal (preferably smaller chunks) to the
wood fire, being careful not to disturb it too much or cut
off the draft. Then, add a second heavier layer after the
coal is ignited and burning well. If necessary, add a third
layer to bring the coal up to the top of the front liner (not
above!). Be sure to close the ash door.
Before adding further fuel, be sure to leave a red spot of
glowing coals in the center of the firebox to ensure that
the fire has not been smothered and to help ignite the
gases given off by the new charge. A deep charge will give
a more even heat and a longer fire, but it may take one to
two hours before the whole bed is fully ignited.
When the fire is well established and the room is
becoming warm, partially close the dampers. Some
experimenting will have to take place with each particular
setting of all dampers and controls as the chimney
provides the draft necessary to not only exhaust the
smoke, but to pull combustion air into the heater as well
- and no two chimney’s perform the same. Under ideal
draft conditions, one should be able to turn the secondary
air supply below the feed door (some models) to a near
A GUIDE TO BURNING COAL IN YOUR STOVE
