Gathering coal while outdoors

upnorth

upnorth

Joined
Nov 25, 2006
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One of my hobbies is metal detecting. I often go over torn down turn of the century house sites, abandoned or torn down train stations, whatever. It dawned on me the other day with cold weather coming in, that the loose coal that I see scattered about on sites, may have a use. I grabbed up about 15 pounds or so and I'll leave it in a bag in my car trunk. Another free emergency fuel resource can't hurt.
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Thats a great idea ,not too heavy and would make a nice amount of heat for the weight. And shoot free is free .
 
If you don't have any experience with coal, I'd recommend getting a little. It's much different than working with wood.

God bless,
Adam
 
Adam, please share what you know...where I'm from the only coal we have is a byproduct of wood from a campfire or found in a cardboard sack of BBQ charcoal for a Weber BBQ. I'd be interested in hearing how you prepare it, ignite it, and sustain it.
 
Quirt,

I wish I could offer you some great wisdom but, this I can offer. I can start and maintain a wood fire with relative ease (I'm no primitive skill genius but I can get wood burning.) Coal (not charcoal, but plain-ol' coal) I can't get burning to save my life. I think it has a substantially higher ignition point than wood. The other thing is unless you get enough coals up to the ignition point all together they won't stay burning. All this comes from experience trying to light a coal stove after it goes out. Sorry I can't be more useful. Maybe someone (successful) will drop by with some advice.

God bless,
Adam
 
Quirt said:
I'd be interested in hearing how you prepare it, ignite it, and sustain it.
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The short version is, you don't. At least not without a stove designed for burning coal, or a ventilated barrel with a blowtorch and an air lance, which is what we use at work(we run "fire barrels" during extreme cold next to critical equipment, lines, and valves that we aren't normally set up to keep from freezing).

You don't start a fire with coal-you have to have a fire just to light it. It takes a lot of heat to get started, and a fairly large supply, plus a lot of heat and airflow to keep burning, otherwise it will go out.
 
You can make it too. suspend a large lidded metal container over a good fire, and fill it with the wood of choice. We have a nice grill in the backyard so making a designated coal trip wouldn't be a bad idea when going out for firebuilding practice.
 
PayetteRucker said:
You can make it too. suspend a large lidded metal container over a good fire, and fill it with the wood of choice. We have a nice grill in the backyard so making a designated coal trip wouldn't be a bad idea when going out for firebuilding practice.
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Coal is not charcoal. Entirely different material.
 
Codger_64 said:
Coal is not charcoal. Entirely different material.
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Thank you. HUGE DIFFERENCE!

Thank goodness coal is so difficult to ignite and maintain, or we would have had some huge problems in the refineries and mines. Not to mention transportation and storage. Could you imagine if coal was as easy to ignite and as hard to put out as char? I have used a coal forge a few times and they burn HOT but need constant care.
 
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You can add coal to an already buring wood fire and get more heat, but if you have never smelled coal buring... well... it stinks. Just how much it stinks depends on the source of the coal therefore it's sulphur (and othe stuff) content. It certainly isn't something you would want to flavor food with like hickory, oak or mesquite charcoal.
 
The prior owners of my house used a coal furnace for heat. It was an old 3 in 1 furnace ( wood, coal, or oil).

When we moved in, there was a coal room in the basement with quite a bit of coal left over. We never used it in the furnace, but we've used it in a regular fireplace. As long as you have a special grate. We throw some coal in once we got a hot wood fire. When the fire dies down you're left with a pile of red glowing chunks of coal. It burns slow and throws a lot of heat. As Codger mentioned it leaves a sulfur smell in the house, you can taste it.

The bottom line is you need a grate of some sort and a hot wood fire.
 
In the UK we have a lot of experience with coal, and in a few cases, there are still houses where the only source of heating comes from coal. You do need to start out with an already burning fire, preferably one with some coals established. Coal needs to be stacked over the glowing coals, fairly loosely with decent air gaps. Usually start laying on 4 or 5 bigger pieces first and then when they are going, you can shovel on the rest. Coal burns at the contact points only. Once you've got a piece going, it's actually very easy to keep going/start another fire. A good set of bellows is a must. That's actually black coal (rather than brown) so burns with less smoke and smell, but you still don't want to flavour food with it.
 
parbajtor said:
In the UK we have a lot of experience with coal, and in a few cases, there are still houses where the only source of heating comes from coal. You do need to start out with an already burning fire, preferably one with some coals established. Coal needs to be stacked over the glowing coals, fairly loosely with decent air gaps. Usually start laying on 4 or 5 bigger pieces first and then when they are going, you can shovel on the rest. Coal burns at the contact points only. Once you've got a piece going, it's actually very easy to keep going/start another fire. A good set of bellows is a must. That's actually black coal (rather than brown) so burns with less smoke and smell, but you still don't want to flavour food with it.
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This was very informative, and thanks for all the other replies. I have no experience with coal and planned to use it on an established fire, in the sense of maintaining it while sleeping etc. If.... I ever had to use it. Say a car break down in the boonies. I have practiced fire starting in about every type of weather going, with a fire steel and natural materials. So I should experiment with the coal next. I sure don't know it all and with the help of others, sometimes add a new trick to the bag. Thanks.
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While I'm reminded by some of these guys mentioning the stink of coal, the fumes that come off of it are nasty. I've gotten a lung full once or twice while dad had the lid to the hopper open and being that our downstairs has a low ceiling my mouth was on the level of the gasses. I took in a lung full of what cannot be better described by any word than death. I know breathing smoke/gasses off a fire is a general no-no but... Breathe the stuff that comes off coal, only if you want off this mortal coil.


God bless,
Adam
 
jumpmonkey said:
I took in a lung full of what cannot be better described by any word than death. I know breathing smoke/gasses off a fire is a general no-no but... Breathe the stuff that comes off coal, only if you want off this mortal coil.
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Aw man, don't let a little sulfur, benzene, toluene, xylene, napthalene, and ammonia get you down :(
 
And now we know why, in the great age of coal furnaces for heating homes, almost every house had a hatchet and/or axe.
 
sounds like a very practical idea. Sadly, there is little coal to harvest down here in Florida. :)
 
In Eastern KY people will pull over and fill their trucks or trunks (yes, car trunks) with big chunks of coal from the side of the road where they're doing major road construction. They take it home, bust it up and use to heat their houses.
 
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