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Site Preparation
The coal storage site must be properly chosen and prepared. The ground should be cleared of any vegetation and refuse. A hard packed clay or sandy soil is ideal; if not available, a concrete pad can be installed to keep dirt out of the coal. The site should be dry, level and well drained. If it doesn't drain naturally, drains should be installed around the storage pile, not underneath it as this may produce upward air currents through the pile aiding spontaneous combustion. Make sure the site is away from any external heat sources as combustion liability increases with a rise in temperature.
Piling Coal
The chief danger in storing coal is spontaneous combustion and its risk can be greatly reduced if dust and fine coal are kept out of the pile. Cleaned and sifted coal with uniformly large lumps stores better than mixed sizes. Do not pile sized coal on a layer of fine coal. Handle the coal carefully to prevent breakage and dust formation. Friable dusty coal should be piled in small low piles. Pile the coal so that any part of the pile can be promptly moved if heating occurs. Spread the coal in horizontal layers and not in conical piles to prevent the finer coal from clustering in the center and the lumps rolling to the bottom. If practical, stack the coal in several small piles instead of one large one, to prevent heat buildup and making the coal easier to inspect. Coal piles should not be stacked higher than 12 feet and should not contain more than 1,500 tons in a single pile. No point in the interior of the pile should be more than 10 feet from an air cooled surface.
Moisture
Coal can be stored covered or in the open. Wetting and drying coal repeatedly may make it more susceptible to combustion. The actions of water may break up the coal, especially after freezing and thawing. Do not pile wet coal or mix wet coal with dry coal. Do not store coal on a damp base. After heavy rains and snows the coal pile should be inspected and watched.