Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Old coal fireplace...uses?
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lonestartraders
09-05-07, 12:17 PM
we just bought a old house that has a old coal fireplace in it. Is there any use to it? Obviously we dont want to burn coal in it, but I would like to have some function besides decoration. Is it safe to burn logs in it? Thanks for any info.
marksr
09-05-07, 01:04 PM
elcome to the forums
Is this a stove or a fireplace? You can burn wood in a coal stove. I have a coal stove in my house [another in my shop] that I burn mostly wood in. it would be a good idea to clean it out well [flue too] and inspect it's condition.
Is this a stove or a fireplace? You can burn wood in a coal stove. I have a coal stove in my house [another in my shop] that I burn mostly wood in. it would be a good idea to clean it out well [flue too] and inspect it's condition.
lonestartraders
09-05-07, 01:13 PM
elcome to the forums
Is this a stove or a fireplace? You can burn wood in a coal stove. I have a coal stove in my house [another in my shop] that I burn mostly wood in. it would be a good idea to clean it out well [flue too] and inspect it's condition.
It is a open front fireplace and there is not a chimmney. I imagine it vents somewhere but not throught the roof...does that help any?
Is this a stove or a fireplace? You can burn wood in a coal stove. I have a coal stove in my house [another in my shop] that I burn mostly wood in. it would be a good idea to clean it out well [flue too] and inspect it's condition.
It is a open front fireplace and there is not a chimmney. I imagine it vents somewhere but not throught the roof...does that help any?
marksr
09-05-07, 01:22 PM
I wouldn't use it for any fire until I could verify that it has a proper working flue! I'm not familiar with that type of fireplace but generally anything that you can burn coal in you can also use wood.
lary999
10-10-07, 03:18 AM
I have a masonry fireplace that was originally designed to burn coal. It has a masonry chimney that exits the roof. The chimney has been inspected and is in good condition, so the fireplace functions well as a wood-burning fireplace.
In your situation, it sounds like the original masonry chimney was torn down, at some point in the history of your house!
When houses were built 100 years ago, they had a coal-burning fireplace in the living room, and the bedrooms on the second floor had small coal-burning stoves connected to this same masonry chimney (or possibly to a second masonry chimney). When these old houses are modernized with a forced-air heating source, the old masonry chimney (perhaps in a poor state of repair) is often dismantled so that the HVAC ductwork can be run to the second-floor bedrooms via the path where the old chimney lived.
In your situation, it sounds like the original masonry chimney was torn down, at some point in the history of your house!
When houses were built 100 years ago, they had a coal-burning fireplace in the living room, and the bedrooms on the second floor had small coal-burning stoves connected to this same masonry chimney (or possibly to a second masonry chimney). When these old houses are modernized with a forced-air heating source, the old masonry chimney (perhaps in a poor state of repair) is often dismantled so that the HVAC ductwork can be run to the second-floor bedrooms via the path where the old chimney lived.
duffyeric
02-16-09, 02:40 AM
Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. When burned, it produces emissions that contribute to global warming, create acid rain and pollute water. With all of the hoopla surrounding nuclear energy, hydropower and biofuels, you might be forgiven for thinking that grimy coal is finally on its way out.
Here is a link that might be useful: Coal to Liquids - Gas to Liquids - Linc Energy - Fueling Our Future (http://www.lincenergy.us)
Here is a link that might be useful: Coal to Liquids - Gas to Liquids - Linc Energy - Fueling Our Future (http://www.lincenergy.us)