IMPORTANT FACTS ON
COAL AND WOOD
In your Russo, primary air for your coal fire enters
through the draft control on the ashpan door. This
air is drawn up through the shaker grate and the
coal bed. All oxygen from this air is used by the fire.
Additional (secondary) air enters above the fire
bed from a space around the glass frame and
through two channels in the front corners of the
firebox. This secondary air provides oxygen for
combustion of unburned volatile gases. This com-
bustion can be seen in the blue flames above the
fire bed of your coal fire.
Your Russo combination stove is designed to give
you a choice of the solid fuel that you burn - either
coal or wood. You should realize that these two
fuels burn differently and that your stove will per-
form effectively only if you follow the instructions in
this manual.
COAL FACTS
Your Russo will burn either anthracite (hard coal)
or bituminous (soft coal). Anthracite is recom-
mended for home heaters because it burns freely
and uniformly, with very little odor or smoke. "Nut"
size coal is recommended for your stove, but "pea"
anthracite, which is smaller in size, and "stove"
anthracite, which is larger, can be burned with no
problems.
A coal fire produces no creosote like wood. An
unburned product of a coal fire is soot, which, like
creosote, will build up in a flue and chimney, and for
safety must be removed at least twice during a
heating season.
WOOD FACTS
Bituminous coal is more commonly available from
Ohio into the Western parts of the United States.
There are various types and grades of bituminous
coal. Generally soft coal burns with more smoke,
soot, and odor than hard coal.
When dry, most woods, regardless of the type,
have essentially the same energy content: 8600
btu/lb. A pound of dry oak contains the same
energy as one pound of pine. But oak has a much
higher density, so that a cubic foot of oak is heavier
and contains significantly more energy than a
cubic foot of pine. Hardwoods have a higher
energy content per volume and should be used for
long sustained heating.
Cannel coal should never be burned in your stove.
Cannel coal contains volatile material that is re-
leased as the coal is heated. In a closed heater
burning cannel coal can become explosive.
Wood that is green has a much higher moisture
content than wood that is dry. Wood that has been
cut for six months to two years is said to be "dry".
Burning exclusively green wood is not recom-
mended because much of the heat of the fire is
used to evaporate the moisture in the wood. Green
wood creates much more creosote than dry wood.
COAL COMBUSTION
Solid fuels burn when a kindling temperature is
attained that allows the fuel to change from a solid
to a combustible gas form. For wood this process
begins to happen at about 550°F, for coal at 660°F.
More heat is needed to sustain a coal fire, but little
heat is used to evaporate moisture like in a wood
fire.
WOOD COMBUSTION
The gases in a wood fire can be seen burning in
long yellow flames. When wood is burned slowly, it
produces tar and other organic vapors, which
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