burning coal

[mjarrels]

how do you dispose of coal ashes? I am lucky and fill galivized cans stored away from the house and when full just dump in low spots on a 46 acre farm... Also, can you burn coal on grates in fireplaces? I have a fireplace in the living room of our new home and a old fireplace in the old homestead house (100 plus years old) that apears to have a coal buring fireplace (very small). Coal is American fuel. Heart goes out to the WVA coal miners recently lost.

 

[scesnick]

I just dump them in a 55 gallon steel drum and save them for when the driveway is icy.
You can burn coal on your fireplace grates. But the grates won't last too long. It is hard to start, and the smell in the house might offend.

 

[Dutch445]

I have read posts that mention with coal ashes, unlike wood ashes, they contain some heavy metals, like mercury.. that has
spooked me away from dumping them anywhere on my property, due to amount of ground water i have here. I plan on taking my full 55gal drum over to the landfill, where they will take it for free.. as if it was brush etc.

/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[inveresk]

In one Victorian farmhouse I owned there were no less than six open fires with grates and I never had any problems from burning coal in any of them. In fact, because coal burns hotter than wood it doesn't tar up the chimney.

As it happens, pulverised fuel ash (pfa) has its uses. The stuff from coal burning power stations in Scotland is sold as fill for building projects - compacts really well and sets like concrete. If you had a small construction project where you'd need fill, this is one possible use but you'd likely need more volume than you'd get from a domestic fireplace. I'd go along with Dutch445 in getting rid of the ash off your property.

 

[Egon]

Coal ash may have any number of very undesirable elemets in it. These elements will vary as to where the coal is mined. Some may even contain uranium.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[billbill1]

My furnace is coal/wood combination, I would like to try burning coal but haven't found a source locally. Anybody know where a Kansas boy might find some to try? Thanks for the help.