# Where can you get coal for fireplace



## ScienceRocks

Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house. 

1# Cheap
2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.


----------



## syrenn

check google


----------



## Mr. H.

You're living in Oregon, land of plentiful abundant green and clean renewable energy. 
Ask Old Rocks- I'm sure he can hook you up.


----------



## ScienceRocks

Mr. H. said:


> You're living in Oregon, land of plentiful abundant green and clean renewable energy.
> Ask Old Rocks- I'm sure he can hook you up.



I'lll ask Old rocks for his advise


----------



## Mr. H.

Wouldn't it be easier to find a tree to chop up and burn?


----------



## Warrior102

Matthew said:


> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.



Any slag heap in West Virginia. They're all over the place.


----------



## Douger

Matthew said:


> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.


Sorry. Your masters send the excess to China. Highest bidder !!! Kaptalizm for ya.


----------



## Mr. H.

Maybe you can give him the coal from your Christmas stocking.


----------



## Care4all

Matthew said:


> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.


buy a wood pellet metal bucket....they are made to put in your wood stove or fireplace to burn....the pellets seem like they would be easier to handle than coal or wood.  you can find the pellet delivers in the yellow pages or buy by the 40 lb bag at places like Sam's club.


----------



## Mr. H.

Use a corn-burning stove. It would make Obama proud.

I heat my house by burning corn by Judith W. Monroe Issue #42


----------



## HUGGY

Matthew said:


> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.



There is a reason why people don't burn coal in fireplaces moron.  Burning coal emits extremely toxic byproducts.  On the other hand...Go for it.  If you can find enough paint chips to eat as well you will hardly notice the effects.


----------



## Cuyo

You can't burn coal in a fireplace amigo, you have to get a stove insert.  Coal burns from the bottom up and the grates have to be shaken.  Even if you could somehow find a way to manipulate it to keep it burning, it wouldn't give much heat as coal burns very hot and it would go right up the chimney.


----------



## editec

Matthew said:


> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.


 
Good idea if you wanna die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you want to burn coal, get a STOVE and make damned sure it doesn't leak.

I damned near died from a leaking coal fired furnace that leaked carbon monoxide in the ducts leading into my room when I was kid.

I mean when the doctor first found me (doctors USED to come to people's homes, remember) , he told my mother that I was dead because he could find no pulse.  AS my distraught mohter and doctor were rushing what they thought was my corpse to the hospital, my mother opened the window and the fresh air brought me back from near death.  


I spend like three weeks in the hospital under observation when I was 4.

Yeah, it was _THAT_ close.


----------



## Sunshine

Cuyo said:


> You can't burn coal in a fireplace amigo, you have to get a stove insert.  Coal burns from the bottom up and the grates have to be shaken.  Even if you could somehow find a way to manipulate it to keep it burning, it wouldn't give much heat as coal burns very hot and it would go right up the chimney.



That's funny.  My grandmother burned coal in her fireplaces for as long as she lived in her house.  Her fireplaces were equipped for the burning of coal.  It kept you REAL warm on the front side, but your butt about froze!


----------



## Sunshine

editec said:


> Matthew said:
> 
> 
> 
> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good idea if you wanna die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
> 
> If you want to burn coal, get a STOVE and make damned sure it doesn't leak.
> 
> I damned near died from a leaking coal fired furnace that leaked carbon monoxide in the ducts leading into my room when I was kid.
> 
> I mean when the doctor first found me (doctors USED to come to people's homes, remember) , he told my mother that I was dead because he could find no pulse.  AS my distraught mohter and doctor were rushing what they thought was my corpse to the hospital, my mother opened the window and the fresh air brought me back from near death.
> 
> 
> I spend like three weeks in the hospital under observation when I was 4.
> 
> Yeah, it was _THAT_ close.
Click to expand...


Not just coal that does that.


----------



## strollingbones

Sunshine said:


> Cuyo said:
> 
> 
> 
> You can't burn coal in a fireplace amigo, you have to get a stove insert.  Coal burns from the bottom up and the grates have to be shaken.  Even if you could somehow find a way to manipulate it to keep it burning, it wouldn't give much heat as coal burns very hot and it would go right up the chimney.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's funny.  My grandmother burned coal in her fireplaces for as long as she lived in her house.  Her fireplaces were equipped for the burning of coal.  It kept you REAL warm on the front side, but your butt about froze!
Click to expand...


did you spend a lot of time at her house inhaling fumes?  that would explain a lot now wouldnt it.


----------



## uscitizen

You think burning wood can be a problem?  You will love the soot and smell from coal.

And yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, but it must be a good concrete/brick type of fireplace you will burn down your house if you burn coal in a metal insert type of fireplace designed for wood.

And the price for coal?
Here in KY where we have plenty of coal decent house coal is around $150.00/ton.

When I grew up it took about 7 tons to heat our home during a winter.
You do the math.


----------



## strollingbones

you cant burn coal in a regular wood fireplace....why would you want to...what is the reason you prefer coal to wood?  wood is damn near free....just some work....

get a fireplace insert that will burn coal and wood


----------



## strollingbones

invest in chimney brushes......we purchased two....years ago....28 or so....they were about 20 bucks each...saved us money all year.....we clean the chimney a few times a winter....if a warm day come along where we can shut down the stove..we clean the chimney......


----------



## Sunshine

uscitizen said:


> You think burning wood can be a problem?  You will love the soot and smell from coal.
> 
> And yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, but it must be a good concrete/brick type of fireplace you will burn down your house if you burn coal in a metal insert type of fireplace.



Soot can be a big problem.  Particularly if you hang your laundry outside.  But the sulphur smell is biting.  When I got off the plane in Beijing, I recognized the smell immediately.  The air there is horribly dirty due to their use of coal.  China is a very coal rich country.  But because they use it the air is really bad.


----------



## Cuyo

uscitizen said:


> You think burning wood can be a problem?  You will love the soot and smell from coal.
> 
> And yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, but it must be a good concrete/brick type of fireplace you will burn down your house if you burn coal in a metal insert type of fireplace designed for wood.
> 
> And the price for coal?
> Here in KY where we have plenty of coal decent house coal is around $150.00/ton.
> 
> When I grew up it took about 7 tons to heat our home during a winter.
> You do the math.



No USC.. And Sunshine... You are mistaken... You cannot burn coal in a regular wood fireplace.  It's strictly a controlled burn situation.  Air must be introduced underneath the pile in a very metered fashion.

If you somehow could get a pile of coal to catch in a wood fireplace, it would quickly 'run away' and you'd have a forge... A blue flame firing out of the top that looks like a blowtorch... that would be so hot it might melt the mortar between your bricks.  Even if it didn't your whole cache would be gone in about 45 minutes.  Even if you could somehow control the air flow and keep the fire small, there'd be no way to remove ash from the bottom to keep the fire going.


----------



## uscitizen

Cuyo said:


> uscitizen said:
> 
> 
> 
> You think burning wood can be a problem?  You will love the soot and smell from coal.
> 
> And yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, but it must be a good concrete/brick type of fireplace you will burn down your house if you burn coal in a metal insert type of fireplace designed for wood.
> 
> And the price for coal?
> Here in KY where we have plenty of coal decent house coal is around $150.00/ton.
> 
> When I grew up it took about 7 tons to heat our home during a winter.
> You do the math.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No USC.. And Sunshine... You are mistaken... You cannot burn coal in a regular wood fireplace.  It's strictly a controlled burn situation.  Air must be introduced underneath the pile in a very metered fashion.
> 
> If you somehow could get a pile of coal to catch in a wood fireplace, it would quickly 'run away' and you'd have a forge... A blue flame firing out of the top that looks like a blowtorch... that would be so hot it might melt the mortar between your bricks.  Even if it didn't your whole cache would be gone in about 45 minutes.  Even if you could somehow control the air flow and keep the fire small, there'd be no way to remove ash from the bottom to keep the fire going.
Click to expand...




When I was young we burned coal in 2 fireplaces to heat our house, we later went to a coal stove for heat, but yes you can burn coal in a fireplace, it requires a coal grate which is shaped differently from a wood one.
I grew up in eastern KY where many people dug their own coal for heating.  it was a minscule open mine they called "coal banks".
You start with a wood fire and add coal, you even use wood kindling to get a goal stove burning.
Read Dickens about burning coal in a fireplace.


----------



## whitehall

Not a good idea to burn coal in a fireplace because of carbon monoxide emissions. About 40 miles from where I live they sell coal by the bag. You can get the hard coal for heat or you can buy soft coal for blacksmith forges. Yes, they sell enough coal to blacksmiths to make it worthwhile. When I was a kid in NY every house on the block was heated with coal and the trucks used to come around with slides that fit in the basement window. They would open the chute and let it flow.


----------



## Mr. H.

I've owned a few old (80-100 yrs) homes over the years and each one had a small room in the basement that was the "coal room". I converted the first one into a man cave. Drank a lot of beer and did a lot of coke in there. Coke. Coal. Har.


----------



## kiwiman127

Matthew said:


> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.



I think Matthew is pulling everyone's leg, that theory is based on his threads regarding global warming.


----------



## whitehall

They sell air tight stoves that can burn either coal or wood and if you live near a supply of coal it's a damn good source of heat.


----------



## tonystewart1

I have burned coal for years now for heat. If your fireplace has a really good draw then you can burn coal in it but its a waste of time and energy. Get a coal stove it is really more efficent.

Coal can be dirty to burn. You have to stay on top of it cleaning a lot.

I get all my coal for free from the mine I work at. We mine metalurgical coal. That stuff burns real good and hot. I can heat my house all winter with 2 to 2 1/2 tons.


----------



## editec

Sunshine said:


> editec said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Matthew said:
> 
> 
> 
> Where can you get cheap coal to burn in a fireplace to warm the house.
> 
> 1# Cheap
> 2# A few tons to keep the house warm this winter
> Hopefully it will be cheaper then what I currently pay to keep warm. Electric power cost to damn much. Normally, I try to use wood, but that can get to be a bitch.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good idea if you wanna die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
> 
> If you want to burn coal, get a STOVE and make damned sure it doesn't leak.
> 
> I damned near died from a leaking coal fired furnace that leaked carbon monoxide in the ducts leading into my room when I was kid.
> 
> I mean when the doctor first found me (doctors USED to come to people's homes, remember) , he told my mother that I was dead because he could find no pulse. AS my distraught mohter and doctor were rushing what they thought was my corpse to the hospital, my mother opened the window and the fresh air brought me back from near death.
> 
> 
> I spend like three weeks in the hospital under observation when I was 4.
> 
> Yeah, it was _THAT_ close.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Not just coal that does that.
Click to expand...

 
The question was about coal.

My response was about coal.


----------



## Medwards

I have a large load of coal in my basement in Mt. Tabor, SE Portland, Oregon that will donate to whomever comes and gets it out of basement and takes away.  Have Natural gas now. Hate to send it to the dump but that is next.


----------



## HUGGY

Medwards said:


> I have a large load of coal in my basement in Mt. Tabor, SE Portland, Oregon that will donate to whomever comes and gets it out of basement and takes away.  Have Natural gas now. Hate to send it to the dump but that is next.



Don't give it to the OP.  He is too stupid to use it safely.


----------



## Mr. H.

Medwards said:


> I have a large load of coal in my basement in Mt. Tabor, SE Portland, Oregon that will donate to whomever comes and gets it out of basement and takes away.  Have Natural gas now. Hate to send it to the dump but that is next.



Christmas is coming up. There are a lot of USMB socks to fill.


----------



## uscitizen

Dig.


----------



## Old Rocks

Matthew said:


> Mr. H. said:
> 
> 
> 
> You're living in Oregon, land of plentiful abundant green and clean renewable energy.
> Ask Old Rocks- I'm sure he can hook you up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'lll ask Old rocks for his advise
Click to expand...


*Well, the nearest good coal is north, Green River area in Washington, near the town of Black Diamond. But, don't do it. Coal in a fireplace is not a good idea.*

Using a Coal Fireplace Properly | DoItYourself.com

Use the Right Fireplace 
Coal burns much hotter than wood does. Trying to put coal into a wood fireplace insert, or wood burning stove will lead to problems very quickly. A coal fireplace must be used if you are planning to use, or are currently using, coal for heat

Read more: Using a Coal Fireplace Properly | DoItYourself.com

*Very few fireplaces in Oregon are designed for coal. Almost certainly one you would find here in Portland would not be. Best to see if you can find a few cords of seasoned firewood. *


----------



## Mr. H.

Coal is where you find it.


----------



## ScienceRocks

If I wanted to light the shale on fire would it all burn?  That's what I was thinking when I wrote this post.

Would I need to nuke the shale to get it all to burn? I'm feeling kind of evil at this time in my life.


----------



## editec

Is your fireplace specifically designed to burn coal?

If not I wouldn't advise it.

Couple reasons:

1. coal burns hotter than wood ergo your fireplace needs to be designed for the greater heat

2. IN order for coal to burn efficently it needs a good continuous flow of air coming from underneath it. Most fireplaces provide enough air flow for wood but not enough airflow for coal.

3. Burning coal produces carbon monoxide, so a smoltering inefficient fire, or a chimney with any kind of exhaust problems _can fairly easily kill you.*_




* I was very nearly killed by a coal fired* furnace* that leaked carbon monoxide into the air ducts of our farmhouse when I was about 4. I'd been hanging out on floor near the register to keep warm while playing and I ended up in the hospital for a couple weeks.


----------

