Wood stove vs Pellet

[TheTimeTraveler]

Originally Posted by ApS

About 20 years ago, I was able to buy bituminous (soft) coal in Ossipee.

Burned in a woodstove easily converted to coal, I discovered you wouldn't need to burn coal unless you wanted a whole lot of heat!

I used to buy the coal which was coated (to keep down the dust) but it still continued to create a dust issue.

Because it was so dusty and dirty I stopped using it and switched over to wood as a cleaner alternative to coal.

[ApS]

We must have burned different types of coal.

'Never had a dust issue, and loaded the stove by hand. No indication of a coating, the coal just looked and felt like shiny black stones.

After burning, the individual lumps of coal got smaller, turned a red-brick color, and eventually disappeared into the ash previously left by wood.

Burning wood was cheaper, and didn't need the ample heat that was offered by bituminous coal. Last I recall, "soft" coal is becoming unavailable.

[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by ApS

We must have burned different types of coal.

'Never had a dust issue, and loaded the stove by hand. No indication of a coating, the coal just looked and felt like shiny black stones.

After burning, the individual lumps of coal got smaller, turned a red-brick color, and eventually disappeared into the ash previously left by wood.

Burning wood was cheaper, and didn't need the ample heat that was offered by bituminous coal. Last I recall, "soft" coal is becoming unavailable.

Not so much as "dust" but more of a residue from handling...my coal was shiny as well and I built a bin in my garage that handled 2 tons. the guy delivering it would use a dump truck with a chute that the coal traveled through and as it dropped into the bin there was a "cloud" of black that developed over the pile as it filled the hopper. more like a grit than a dust.