10 Reasons We Love Our ANTHRACITE COAL STOVE

In this video, I explain 10 reasons we love our anthracite coal stove. I've been burning anthracite coal in our coal burning stove to heat our family home for a few years now, and it works exceptionally well. In fact, the Chubby anthracite stove we use is the best coal stove I know of in heat output and efficiency. Learning how to burn coal, specifically anthracite coal has been very rewarding. A large part of the reason for that is our great coal burning stove.

[@abethespartan]

Pennsylvanian here! It’s fun to see you sharing about Blashack - that’s mined and bagged within 15 minutes of my home! Glad our local product is serving you well!

[@cabininthewoods517]

So cool! Thanks for sharing! We love our Blaschak coal 🙂

[@josephthompson4005]

My dad used to heat with coal but converted to wood when coal reached the outrageous price of $30/ton in the late sixties.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Amazing how the value of money changes!

[@peckerpeter2078]

@@cabininthewoods517It’s over $410.00 U.S.D per ton now here.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@cabininthewoods517Seems like the best thing to do is to build your cabin adjacent to an old coal mine where you can scavenge all the coal you want for free! : )

[@lookoutforchris]

@@cabininthewoods517almost like it’s in on purpose 🤔

[@Davewilliamson5w]

Nice! I'm from Pennsylvania! Blaschak is a big operation here. If you are interested in deep mined coal the old fashioned way we still have a few underground mines left operating. Superior Coal in Hegins, Pa. still is an underground operation. My buddy gets his there.

[@hozettes]

I just installed a chubby and used your other video to help me get it going today. Thanks for your detailed instructions. Its a learning curve to be sure, but after some effort, I now have a warm house!. Thanks again.

[@cabininthewoods517]

So glad to hear the Chubby is working well for you, and that my video was of some help!

[@micwell2247]

One of the very best things to do is . Place a biggest pan of water on top of the stove. You will use less coal because you don't have to run the stove as hot... The other plus is you do not dry out your house ...Rock on

[@alexanderlapp5048]

One advantage of that type of heat over a forced air furnace, it that gives off radiant heat as opposed to just blowing warm air. The radiant heat will warm the walls, floor, ceiling, and other solid objects in the house. When you open the door to enter the home, much of the warm air will escape and will be replaced with cold air. The solid objects will retain heat much longer. Radiant heat will also warm your body when you are cold from coming in from outside. You can stand near the stove for a few minutes, turn around a couple times and warm right up no matter how cold you feel. Another benefit you didn't mention is that you would have some ability to cook food during a power outage. You could still have hot water for coffee, tea, or washing. Hot soup or stew could be had. Many other dishes could be made depending on your abilities.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Excellent points!

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

How do forced air furnaces not heat objects in the house also?

[@alexanderlapp5048]

@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017, They do but very slowly. The heat air that eventually warms up other objects. The objects in the house that do not have warm air blowing directly at them take quite some time to warm up.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@alexanderlapp5048 Interesting. I assume the big difference is the high temperature radiant heat from the stove really gets the floors and walls very hot in the room where the stove is.

[@alexanderlapp5048]

@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017, It takes more heat units to heat a massive object (such as heavy furniture) than it does to heat up a large volume of air. Air has very little mass compared to that of a dense solid object. With a forced air furnace, only air and the furnace and some duct work are heated directly by the furnace. The furnace is usually tucked away in a closet or basement. His coal stove is out in the living area. It not only heats the air, but gives infrared radiant heat to other objects in the room. In a way it is like standing in the sunshine. There a long distance between you and the sun that is mostly really cold space but you can still feel the heat from it. I hope you can understand my attempts to explain.

[@bombsawaylemay770]

When I started burning coal, I had a Coal Chubby, great stove. I have since upgraded to a Hitzer 50-93, basically the Cadillac of coal burning stoves.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

$1000 per winter is pretty impressive considering how cold it is up there. I think I spend that much on my electric heat pump here in Virginia and our winters are incredibly mild lately. Of course that's for heating plus regular appliance use and lighting, etc., but heat is the majority of the bill.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Yes, around here you can’t heat much more cheaply than $1000 per winter unless you burn wood you harvest from your own land. Even then, one has to take into account the time and labor involved.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@cabininthewoods517Yep. My dad and I used to scavenge big oak trees that fell during storms and offer to chop them up and haul them away.. To our back yard for chopping. : )

[@cabininthewoods517]

@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 Did the exact same with my dad. Great way to grow up, learning to work and heat your home from an early age 🙂

[@blackrocks8413]

awesome. I live in anthracite country. Still cheap here. And no work like cutting wood. I know people that spend weeks cutting wood. We just go pick it up and put it in the bin.

[@sesa2984]

My Scottish Grandfatger had a coal stove. One in tge house and one in tge workshed where he, my Fatger and I played darts and I used the bench vice to turn tgeir beer bottle caps into slingshot fodder. I remember the smell distinctly. I live in New England, where we used to get winters like that when I was a kid. Haven't smelled that scent since.

[@johnhoyle6390]

Very informative Coal heating documentary

[@UnkleAL1962]

I have the luxury of living near the PA border and am considering moving into PA for my end of life stint. If I do, I want the Chubby and I will pair that with my kerosene lanterns and stay warm and lit during any power outages. Your videos on this particular well engineered heater and coal use, have helped me immensely to decide. And if I do get a Chubby, I already know how to operate it from all your detailed info. I do have experience with bituminous coal but would prefer the cleaner anthracite. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge on this.

[@marka5266]

Thank you so much for this video. You have a beautiful home and family and I can't thank you enough for this video.

[@cabininthewoods517]

You’re very welcome! If you’re interested in anthracite coal I’m currently working on a super in depth Q&A video covering everything you need to know. Stay tuned!

[@moonman6359]

Paying the coal toll!

[@raydreamer7566]

When you do use wood occasionally what is the ideal length do you cut the wood into for that stove ? I have been researching your stove and coal supply sourcing with your help and soon we will be using coal. I was Coviedly stranded out of the country for over 3 years and got back early November to a rotten wood pile I had stored for burning. Not wanting to use electricity I have been cutting down , splitting soft maple trees on my lot and force drying the fire wood for burning for this winter . If I had coal there would have been no problem and I do have lots of inside storage . SO COAL is going to be my new choice by next winter thanks to your tutoring of burning and sourcing of coal. .

[@angeljjustice1345]

I really appreciate this video..we live in SE Ohio in a log house and have a Clayton 1802G wood burning furnace. I normally spend most of the year cutting wood for the 5-6 month that we use it. I have the option to burn coal and thanks to your video I might want to consider it in the future! I love the idea that with coal you dont need to spend so much time caring for the fire itself! I am running downstairs probably every 3-4 hours to maintain a good burn. Cheers!

[@cabininthewoods517]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@Felamine]

I jumped on the anthracite bandwagon a few years back and you are right that there is very little chimney maintenance compared to wood or lignite coal. I burned lignite for a while and I had to sweep out the chimney pipe once a month. With anthracite, I only have to do it once a year at the end of the season (and a once through in the beginning of the season, of course, in case animals or insects made a home of it during the summer).

[@cabininthewoods517]

Glad anthracite is working well for you!

[@vinces4263]

Schuylkill county, Pa native here. Anthracite is all around here.

[@raydreamer7566]

As you can tell I keep reviewing your videos.

[@raydreamer7566]

I watched one of your videos about this stove. We are locating to the Sudbury area so I wanted to ask how do you get your coal delivered from the Green Vally store and approx cost. Also when you heat with wood what length works for your stove? We will have 2 houses to heat on one property so it looks like maybe 2 stoves or 1 boiler type burner. I really like the independence and the burn time your stove gives. Super great video and a real eye opener in many ways on how to heat your house more efficiently.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Glad you found the video helpful! If you’re willing to buy it by the transport truck load directly from the mine in Pennsylvania it costs about $10 a bag including delivery, and you’ll have many years of fuel all at once. Have to store it though. Outdoors is fine. www.blaschakanthracite.com/dealers/pricing/

[@terrencejreich]

@@cabininthewoods517 What is the approximate cost of a transport truck? And how many bags is that?

[@roystonvehicles9129]

I've just paid 699 gbp for 40 x 25kg sacks, that's Welsh anthracite.

[@Anna-Leigh77]

I haven’t heard of this coal I’m wondering if it’s available in Australia and what would be the cost for one heater for say a weeks worth of burning

[@rodeleon2875]

i love coal. i use soft coal here in western pa. $110/ton. a hitzer 254 running coal will roast me out of a 24x40 shop in the coldest weather. i have several cords of cherry and maple out back and don't really use it unless its over 40 degrees and just need to take the edge off. coal is king. i use about a 5 gallon bucket or two a day depending on my burn time.

[@joequillun7790]

Great video on the benefits of anthy burning. Well presented, and can relate to your experiences.Burn it in my antique Glenwood 111, and have been about 15 yrs so far with anthy. Makes gobs of BTUs compared to anything else, and pellets are a joke. Been on a coal stove forum for yrs, (NEPA/Coal Pail), and the Chubby Co is a winner for many. Problem with costs now-a-days is how anti fossil fuel democrats have squashed it financially. Hopefully we can get past it. Keep up the good work with yours, and enjoy the upcoming season.Thanks for posting.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Thank you for the kind words brother! The anti-fossil fuel democrats (and those holding their puppet strings) won’t be in control forever. In fact, I believe their grip is already weakening day by day. There’s more of us than there is of them. Freedom will prevail!

[@trevorrisley5419]

@@cabininthewoods517 how come I’ve never seen a coal-fired sauna before? You have inspired me to get a coal burner, but I’m wanting to use it specifically for the sauna I’m wanting to build. Does anthracite get too hot for sauna use, maybe? Final question: Is there such thing as a stove that can equally burn both wood and coal? Thanks, man. You’re awesome!

[@cabininthewoods517]

@@trevorrisley5419 The biggest reason you don’t see many coal fired saunas is likely that coal fires are a fair bit of trouble to start, then you have to keep them going constantly unless you want to relight often. That said, if you plan to use it every day and don’t mind burning a lot of coal, it might make sense. In this case it would certainly be less trouble than a wood fired sauna. As for heat, they’re be a lot of it. But saunas are supposed to be hot right? The Chubby stove in this video can also easily burn wood. I burn wood in mine every year before it gets cold enough to need coal. I’ll be doing a video on that soon.

[@trevorrisley5419]

@@cabininthewoods517 thanks for gettin’ back, man. So it sounds like coal is a lot more difficult to get goin’ and maintain?

[@cabininthewoods517]

@@trevorrisley5419 Much easier to maintain than wood. Just a bit more troublesome to get going. With anthracite coal in the Chubby stove you only need to spend 5 minutes every 12 hours servicing it. Even lighting isn’t that bad. I’ve got a video on how to light a coal stove if it helps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/naC1ZmWXqdd7ldE

[@matthewjobson4263]

I shook first, threw a heaping pile of new coal on and then flossed until i saw red coals. Left the top door open until i saw blue flame on the top of the new bed. Got me 16 hr burn times!

[@matthewjobson4263]

Loved my chubby.

[@brmelectric]

Hi, great information. May i ask does yours have a steel drum style case or is it cast. I just purchased a small coal stove this week.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Congratulations on switching to coal! This stove has a steel drum case. Cast iron top and door.

[@kurtmccormick1730]

ive watched a few of your videos now that have your coal stove in the title. One thing i havent seen is getting the fire going with coal. The other thing is i went online to see if i could find this coal locally and it looks like its 160 per ton for your size mentioned here in alberta

[@cabininthewoods517]

This video shows how to light one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJWxlaGNfd95gqc $160 a ton is a great price!

[@therocinante3443]

The idea of warming my house with an anthracite stove gives me the warm and fuzzies. One day I will live that way rather than my suburban electric life.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Go for it!

[@Trump12024]

Thanks for the video! How many inches are you from your white range and how many inches to the backwall thanks

[@cabininthewoods517]

12 inches from the range and 18 from the wall. The wall has a built in heat shield and airspace under the tiles.

[@Trump12024]

@@cabininthewoods517 It probably doesn't even matter how close it is to the range? On the video it only looks like it's 4 to 6" from the range. I was just curious can I do something like that in my cabin

[@cabininthewoods517]

@@Trump12024 It’s a bit more than that. But agreed, proximity to the range doesn’t matter. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t do something similar. Main thing is to be aware of regulations concerning stove distance to walls, how heat shields and different materials affect that, etc.

[@me37594]

Where can I buy one?

[@paulkajtna7799]

Sadly the Stainless Steel chimney pipe or liner (304), used for wood burning can’t be used for a long time; before it will breakdown and leak. Stainless Steel (316) chimney or liner must be used. An inspected masonry chimney can be used.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Thanks for the tip! Where do you find stainless steel stove pipe of the right grade?

[@clarkeysam]

In the UK 316 is the minimum grade for burning wood. If you want to burn smokeless coal then you need 904. As I burn both, I have 904.

[@BlueHillAcres]

So what is considered to be “Northern Ontario”? Are you near the Hudson Bay?

[@cabininthewoods517]

I’m actually relatively south when you look at a map of Ontario. I’m just north of where most people live, so it’s considered “Northern Ontario”. A bit silly really.

[@Jonasvolley]

It would be great using coal to heat water aswell.

[@cabininthewoods517]

I’d love to figure out a way to do that.

[@RobertGray_USNA86]

@@cabininthewoods517 , saw several diy vids on using stove/oven heat to heat up a water tank

[@marionmcbrearty]

Install a new boiler that will run off you're stove and heat you're water and radiator

[@dimmacommunication]

How many BTUs / Kw is it rated at ? Is it an aluminium or steel scoop ?

[@alexanderlapp5048]

I am going to guess aluminum. We have some scoops at work that look exactly like that. Also to me it just looks like aluminum.

[@dimmacommunication]

@@alexanderlapp5048 Yeah it looks to me too , just wanna be sure :)

[@alexanderlapp5048]

@@dimmacommunication, They will probably see your comment soon and be able to give you a definite answer. We use those scoops for potting trees where I work. I like those aluminum ones much better than the plastic.

[@cabininthewoods517]

It’s an aluminum ice scoop. I’m not sure of the official BTU rating, but I do know multiple people with these stoves who easily heat homes upwards of 2000 square feet right through the harshest winters.

[@chubbystove2771]

@@alexanderlapp5048 It is a 56 oz. Aluminum scoop (KA tom restaurant supply)

[@vondahenry1689]

Love my chubby

[@khalilk6538]

Brand of anthracite stove . I want to buy it

[@cabininthewoods517]

It’s called the Chubby Stove. chubbystove.com/

[@TheAppalachianWay]

Is it limited to only anthracite- nut coal? If it can burn one coal, looks like any type of coal would be fine

[@cabininthewoods517]

It’s designed to burn anthracite nut coal, and that’s what burns best in it. I’ve burned anthracite stove coal too without issue. As for other types of coal like bituminous, it would likely work fine, aside from the usual problems with bituminous: less heat, more dust, and dirtier burn.

[@rockyhighwayroad7365]

is this a Franklin stove?

[@cabininthewoods517]

No, it’s a Chubby stove. Chubbystove.com

[@MissMala]

Is it normal to smell sulphur every now and then while burning coal? Do you know what causes it?

[@cabininthewoods517]

It’s normal when burning bituminous coal, which is a lower quality coal with higher sulphur content. Anthracite coal burns hotter, cleaner, and contains less sulphur, so you’ll only get a faint whiff of sulphur very occasionally when burning it. Particularly if you choose a higher quality anthracite with very low sulphur content. Almost never.

[@MissMala]

@@cabininthewoods517 Thank you for answering me! I was a little freaked out when I smelled it, thinking it was carbon monoxide, yet the detector was not going off. I'm pretty sure it is anthracite coal because I've had this stove for 3 years now and this is the first I've smelled it. Also, I had it oiled this year to lesson the coal dust so I don't know if that has anything to do with it too. Thank you again. 🙂

[@jaygee5693]

Why not "floss" before emptying the ash pan? That way you would be starting the day with an empty pan.

[@cabininthewoods517]

Good question. One reason is that when you floss, many hot, still burning coals fall through the grate and into the pan. Immediately dumping the pan outside after flossing wastes the little bit of heat from these glowing fragments. After 12 hours however they’re pretty much spent. Not a massive energy savings over a day or two, but a whole winter? It adds up.

[@jaygee5693]

@@cabininthewoods517Thanks! Your answer brought back childhood memories of emptying the ash pan from our wood/coal kitchen range in the 1950s. The ashes were just dumped into the regular rubbish bin (trash can), and I recall being wary that live embers didn't start a fire in the bin! Emptying before raking would have removed that concern.👍

[@guidosarduce4054]

Good video brother... P.S. My name is not Guido Sarduce. That's a character from the old old 'Saturday Night Live' from the 80's and early 90's. My name is Joe... I live in Minnesota so we definitely know COLD like you do there in Canada. I've been a prepper and survivalist for 35 years. - Since that stove gets so hot would one of those top of the stove fans that run on just the heat from the stove, no electricity work on it? If it would it would save on the electric from the fan in the back and would still circulate the heat during a power outage. I ask because I don't know for an anthracite stove only for a hard wood stove. The one I use on my wood stove is a "Skaats dual blade fan" but you can get then in a lot of different places and single blades and for a better price. Mine was a gift from a prepper buddy. - Let me know if you've tried one or not. Joe 👊

[@cabininthewoods517]

Thanks for sharing! I haven’t tried one of those fans yet but would like to.

[@dimmacommunication]

Coal is crazy expensive and illegal to use where I live, would love to have it tho

[@cabininthewoods517]

Sorry to hear!

[@RobertGray_USNA86]

Have you tried using Thermovoltaic Fans? With that much heat, you might be able to get a heat exchanger (e.g., metal tubing around exhaust pipe) to pump hot air into a "Hot Water Heater" and a "Wood Oven". 500+ degrees Fahrenheit - that's hot enough to power a Wood Oven that has a Cooktop. Sear, Skillet, Fry, and Bake. You can grill outside. Better yet, just saw this Coal/Wood burning Oven... kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4DGhHZ6iLKKl6s

[@cabininthewoods517]

Very cool! I may have to try that.

[@RobertGray_USNA86]

Saw several DIY Vids here on KZbin regarding the StovePipe-to WaterHeater arrangement. IIRC, there were portable Thermovoltaic Fans than can be placed on/attached to Stovetop/StovePipe to increase the Airflow. There even as a Video of a StovePiped Thermovoltaic Array which provided some Electric Power - Lights were demonstrated. The Content Maker may help you with the Cost+Output Info. When I lived on the East Coast - I lived in New York, New Jersey, and in Maryland. Winters at Home and Friends had me stocking up on firewood before every Snowstorm. I know you don't have much maintenance with Coal; but I sure looked forward to and enjoyed getting the Fireplace or Stoves going - especially during and after snowstorms for some reason. If I ever move to the Northern Latitudes again, I'll definitely look into Coal/Wood Stoves+Ovens. Best Wishes, Sir.

[@fatherchristmas2998]

In England coal is 187 £ for a bag of coal so the coal you use. Would cost us thousand of pounds of money

[@cabininthewoods517]

I’m sorry to hear that.

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

That all you can use in uk

[@cabininthewoods517]

Makes sense.

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

I still remember smog as a toddler it was dreadful

[@cabininthewoods517]

@@patterdalezipsuzilil Sorry to hear you had a negative coal experience. Ours has been very positive. 🙂

[@warren496]

But, what about the smell of chimney smoke? Unpleasant?

[@cabininthewoods517]

Hardly noticeable in my experience. Occasionally a small slightly sulphury whiff when walking outside. Not an issue for me.

[@mikerilling2745]

😂 Wait until Justin Castro TruDope finds out and he hits you with an even higher carbon tax😂

[@garytibo]

$1000.00 dollars to heat 1000 SQ feet is very expensive !!!

[@cabininthewoods517]

Canadian dollars. More like $700 US. Cheapest option around here. Especially since our heating season is often 7 months long.

[@joequillun7790]

@@cabininthewoods517 Hey Gary, try heating with democrat oil, and see how much that costs.