Can you heat you home with coal?

[Islandgirl]

As long as china keeps making steel, the elk valley will continue being the top income per capita in the country.

top income per capita in Canada is Fort MacMoney! (murray)

 

[Islandgirl]

The USA generates/uses the most electricity in the world, second is China.

Most of the electricity produced in the USA is generated by COAL, same as China.

The USA will have environmental standards with regards to emmisons, China.. well we know the answer to that.

They used to burn coal at the Elk Falls pulp mill in Cambell River. They required a permit, and of course had industrial scrubbers to control the emmisions.

When I was a kid we used coal in a wood and coal stove at our cabin. It burned the longest and the hottest. Definately make sure your stove is rated for coal use.

 

[Lawman]

that would explain the lack of black goo that would settle on my boat in discovery marina since the mill shut down

 

[Islandgirl]

that would explain the lack of black goo that would settle on my boat in discovery marina since the mill shut down

As the sawmills slowly closed on the coast there was very limited Hog fuel available.
They burned bunker C too... That was probably what ended up on your boat!

 

[Englishman]

I actually gave some good sound reasons why people should not use coal for heating, didn't I? I really do NOT advocate the use of coal for anything, including home heating. It really is dirty; however, there are two thoughts here.

I will leave you with this thought. I personally would rather see someone using coal to heat their home than that very coal shipped to China to be used in factories. The problems with coal is from the mining and pollution from commercial use and knowing home heating is no longer even an EPA consideration. The EPA is actually more concerned and has more control over the use of wood burning stoves than coal. Let's see with that, think about this choice. Someone in BC, to heat their home?? Or, that same coal shipped to China for use in their factories?? IMHO... FA wins!!!!!!

I don't know about those coal burns faster than wood comments? That must be some pretty poor grade coal? BTU to BTU coal wins over wood all day and will even provide an all night burn. From one who has used both wood and coal for heating. Under the circumstances of no oil or gas option, I personally would be looking for the best coal burning "furnace" I could fine. Plus, just think of how many oxygen producing tress are being saved.

FYI... For those that don't know, BC just happens to be the largest coal producer in Canada, with 59% of that shipped to China! You have to ask, who is helping who save what enviroment?

Charlie,
I gotta challenge your logic above. Heating a a few homes here in B.C. is not going to make a dent in supply or shipment to China, even if we all switched to domestic coal! And even if the population in B.C. was such that we could consume enough coal to make a difference all that does is bring all that dirt and pollution from burning right here into our back yard!! It is all the little domestic fireplaces, without scrubbers or any air cleaning technology that pollute the worst. As a boy growing up in London U.K. I can remember after a snowfall it only took about 3 days before a fine layer of black, sooty grime would cover the surface, so much so that it made a stark contrast with the pure white underneath. (See also the post from Lawman). And that is only the pollution that you could see! Sulphur dioxide is not visible, but the effect of acid rain certainly is!!
Your comment about saving trees does not make sense. Trees capture carbon yes, but they are renewable and can cycle the carbon around. Burning fossil fuel ADDS to the carbon dioxide load because it releases millions of tons of carbon already captured and removed from the atmosphere millions of years ago!. And yes, I know China and U.S. generate electricity from burning coal and for the sake of the planet that has to stop. (I realise it probably won't, but then the scenario is huge sea level rise as per my earlier post and large coastal areas of both China and the U.S. will be flooded and so the problem will take care of itself, albeit too late.....)