How Easy Is It to Kill a Fire

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Tue. Oct. 20, 2009 9:18 am

Cast iron melts at a temperature below that which a coal fire can reach...
Cast iron melts before a coal fire reaches maximum firing temperature...
If you give it unlimited air it will melt cast iron...
That is why you must never leave the ash door open and walk away...

Pete69 · Post by **Pete69** » Tue. Oct. 20, 2009 9:23 am

DVC500 at last wrote:My DVC-500 will burn for exactly 6 minutes without electrical power.
No combustion air, no combustion. and the fire quickly dies. No worries about "Grates melting"

I guess that leaves no question. See I'm still learning, just didn't want to do it the hard way.

ggans2 · Post by **ggans2** » Tue. Oct. 20, 2009 9:31 am

Yeah Pete, learn well, don't screw yourself like I did..

Pete69 · Post by **Pete69** » Tue. Oct. 20, 2009 9:41 am

No worries, you'll be a coal burner. That chimney is a minor setback, when taking all of life into account. Although I feel your pain. I myself must have started live way ahead of the game, cuz ever since has been one step forward and two back. And I'm still here.

ggans2 · Post by **ggans2** » Tue. Oct. 20, 2009 10:17 am

From my Inspector,

Well, first you are correct. This chimney is dangerous, it may easily start a fire and from the looks will probably fall down in a short period of time. It should be torn down completely, the proper permits applied for and rebuilt correctly.

captcaper · Post by **captcaper** » Sat. Oct. 24, 2009 5:12 pm

CapeCoaler is right.. You'll never warp the grates by shutting off the air flow. I've done it hundreds of times when I'm leaving for an overnighter or just going away.
I shake it then load up with coal then turn the air flow off at bottom and shut my MPD as well...The stove will cool down quit and idle for a long time. In the case of my stove and location I can get 24 hrs out of it easy..in the dead of winter in Northern NH.

Stanb999 · Post by **Stanb999** » Tue. Oct. 27, 2009 11:46 am

I can't believe no one has said it. The best way to put out a coal fire is....
Shaking it down and adding new coal. It happens for me all the time.

I'm getting better tho.

coal berner · Post by **coal berner** » Tue. Oct. 27, 2009 1:41 pm

DVC500 at last wrote:My DVC-500 will burn for exactly 6 minutes without electrical power.
No combustion air, no combustion. and the fire quickly dies. No worries about "Grates melting"

Stokers Stoves only have a few lbs of coal on the grates at any given time cut fuel or air off fire goes out very fast
hand fed stoves will have 45lbs to a few hunred lbs burning at any given time much bigger fire bed cut fuel & air off
fire will still burn for hrs with out either if the chimney has a strong draft it will pull air from there . best way to shut down a hand fed stove is to shake it down all the way no more fuel left to burn or shake down cut air off fill with new coal it will go out pretty fast .

coal berner · Post by **coal berner** » Tue. Oct. 27, 2009 2:05 pm

Pete69 wrote:The combustion air coming from under the fire keeps the grates from overheating, I think by keeping the heat rising.
If you let the ash build up and stop the airflow, that is what warps grates according to everyone I've talked to, including the Baker manufacture, the maker of my first coal stove.
I reasoned that manually stopping the airflow by shutting the air vents might do the same thing.

Baker is a good stove company but there far from the first one to make a coal stove Coal stoves started back in the early 1800's when some one found out by putting in shaker grates and underthe fire air vents you could burn coal in a wood stove design/ Potbelly Baseburners Parlor Cylinder or Franklin box stove design which where all of the Sq box wood stoves which is where the modern sq box coal stoves design came from .
All where here way before banker stoves where around.
Art banker made his first coal stove around 1977
Keystoker as been around since 1946 .
Alaska stoves been around since 1977 same year baker opened up .
Hitzer stoves 1975
Harman stoves since 1979.