Have you ever seen coal burn? If yes, why?
In person I mean.
*Sigh. Not charcoal. Real coal.
In person I mean.
*Sigh. Not charcoal. Real coal.
ace_garp, Yes, in 1989.
East Perth to Midland train yards on the footplate of the Flying Scotsman.
The fireman was shovelling coal into the firebox, and it was one of the most concentrated sources of heat I have seen in my life.
dfi, Here in New Zealand you can buy it at the Hardware store in 20KG bags. Older houses have pot belly “stoves” for heat, which are smaller then log burners usually, and coal is the best fuel for them.
Rocketpoweredgorilla, Yes. Used to build and install coal boilers for hot water heating systems.
Jaybob32, (edited ) Yes. On a camping trip. At one end of the lake is the remains of an old WWII POW camp. There were at the time some small piles of coal. We took a couple of pieces and burned it in a camp fire. Only because I had never seen coal burn before.
kaffiene, Yes. In a fire. Why?
thedeadwalking4242, I lived in wv, you find chunks of it out in the ground sometimes. I was a curious kid and tried to get some to light. It was real low quality though so it burnt like shit
MonkeyBoyLX, Yep. Grew up in a house with a wood stove as the only source of heat, and my parents would occasionally use some coal in it. Dad also had a coal forge for hobby blacksmithing.
Ludrol, Yes, I have coal furnace + boiler as a central heating installation.
NegentropicBoy, Worked at a coal mine. The dust can be very flammable.
Treczoks, Yes. Grew up in a house without central heating. Learned to build up and maintain fire in an oven as a kid.
Taleya, Yes. Steam train
Atin, Yes. I got to look around a steam train when they were doing trips for Father’s Day. I even got to keep a piece as a momento.
BenM2023, (edited ) Yes. In the Aga at home and the coal fire in the living room. Also in the grate at a friend’s house.
Why? Aga for cooking and hot water, coal stove for heat, likewise coal in a grate.
ETA: coal as in Anthracite, Stove Esse, Stove Nuts. Not charcoal or coke. The latter two I have cooked on and forged metal with respectively.
JimmyChanga, Where the fires were was around the North and North East of Scotland. Coal man used to come round in a truck, filthy black from the coal, load up the bunkers. I remember it being very messy, sooty, but it was less smokey than the peat fires, though coal didn’t smell as nice. There is something really nice about a real fire, though they’re not clean. I doubt many of any of those houses have now, gas came along and there was a lot of change.
wiccan2, Used to have a coal fire when I was growing up in the 90s, rural Wales, was able to heat our water too.
Nothing beats a baked potato cooked under a coal fire.
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