Coalbrookdale Darby Adding Coal

I have been burning my Coalbrookdale Darby stove now for a couple of months trying various types of coal in the pea and nut size chart. While I am very pleased with the heat that the stove puts out and with how much coal I have been burning especially with pea I have come to the conclusion that the shaker grates and ash pan might just be the worst design ever put into a coal stove. Has anyone out there that uses these stoves reworked the grates (added more or larger nubs to the top of them) or changed around the ash pan? Would love info if it is available.

Thanks,
Glenn

I am afraid I can't help on the grate matter, but I wanted to say that it is a great looking stove.
In my mind I picture it burning Stove Coal..

Bob

Yea... So far pea has burned the best. Very controllable and burns a good 24 to 30 hours with out having to shake or load.

Thanks,
Glenn

Howdy. Been away for a year or so. but a tradgedy occurred this morning - I broke one of the hinges on the ash door of the darby... Need to let it cool down before I can assess the problem. It will pain me greatly if we have to replace it. We cook on it 2-3x a week and it's become part of the family.

We prefer nut in the darby. It burns hotter, but does not last quite as long as pea. Pea is great for warmish times, but when it gets really cold (<20f), nut is what you want.

Regarding the grate, if you aren't firing too hot, it works fine; when it gets cold out and you're really burning, it needs 'flossing.' We use a long stiff wire with a hook in it, up, from the ash door.

- Charlie

Well I have quite a few Darby parts if you need something like an ash pan door let me know. I have one that I took off of a stove that someone way over fired. The door is in perfect condition with all the parts of course. As for the type of call... With it getting a little bit colder here now I have been using Harmony Nut with good results but I still have a lot of ash going back behind the damn ash pan and on the sides. I am going to have to change something around because the ash pan is a real pain in the ass compared to the Francobelge.

Thanks,
Glenn

Maybe talk to a sheet metal shop and get a 3 sided custom made? The hitzers don't have a back on there's and it kinda scoops/shovels too; works great. I thought a member here made ash pans on the side.

I took a look and its the "ashpit door bracket" (part# C1116) that has broken. (We'd probably call it the ash door hinge strap.) Thankfully, it's not terminal at all. It bolts to the underside of the box with 2x 13mm bolts, whose twist strength I will determine on Friday.

If you have 1 or 2 of these 'ashpit brackets' to sell, I will buy them from you. (FWIW: they go for 12 pounds new in Britain.) Please PM me if you would.

- Charlie

Will PM you after this post. As a side note, what are you guys running your stoves at? I have a stove thermomitor on the top of the firebox and I am running between 400 and 500. What do you normaly run at?

Thanks,
Glenn

We have an oven thermo on the cook surface (top up) that was showing 300* tonight. Cooked lasagna this evening.

There is also a magnetic hardware store woodstove thermometer about 8" behind the stove's flue collar that's also showing 300*. Normally, run between 200* - 300* there. Of course, your temp postion may give different results.

When it climbs to past 500* is when I close the ash door after loading.

Thanks for the info. Just to make sure I understand you, you have the thermometer on the top grate of the stove not the auctual burn plate that would be where you cook things on? Also I got your PM and responded. Just send me a check for the hinge and PM me your address so I can send it out on Monday for you.

As for types of coal... I burned Supiear Coal (nut) in the stove this week and by the second day I could not wait to get back to UAE coal. The ash that stuff puts out must be double what UAE is. Like I told Coal Burner though it really does heat but the ash.... GRRRRRRRRRR I am using up my last bag today and don't think I will try any more of that. I have two bags of pea that I am going to try in my Francobelge so we shall see about that.

Thanks,
Glenn

Glenn:
Here are pix of the rig.
Cook thermometer... low here; we're on low cruise (52* OAT).
About to close the ash door...
Low cruise temp. Cold days: 300-400* at this measuring point witht he Rutland.

Charlie Z,
Thanks for the pics. My stove pipe only gets to around 100 F and that is about where you have your Rutland but my stove is running around 450 - 500 with my vent door vents open 1/4 turn. If I close them tight I am running at around 300F. I hope I am not getting it too hot.... It does not seem to be too hot and the stove it working great. I have always had issue with WAY too much draft so I have an auto on my stove pipe about two feel above the stove and it is usualy always almost all the way open. I work down here at the Peach Bottom Atomic Station and we have quite a few guys from the old coal plants. I am going to work with them to design a new grate and ash pan system for this damn thing. Have you broken free the vents that are on your loading doors and shut them or did you leave them alone?

Thanks,
Glenn

Thank goodness I found this site and I want to thank all that have giving such great information !

Now as far as my stove Coalbrookedale Darby....I am using nut from here in N.E. Pennsylvania and I have red coals and flames but am unable to
keep this thing hot . I am currently running it with a manual damper 16' of 8" pipe and the ashpan door open. How deep should I have the coal built up inside
and what makes this thing work well ? It's almost in the single digits here and it seems like I need to add wood logs to keep this stove operating.
I like this stove and want to keep it. The place I purchased coal from had a Harman 3 in a garage with 20' ceilings and a semi parked in it and it was hot in there !!! almost too hot.

Fill it to the top of the firebrick. once the coal is lit well close the ash door.

Well sir you have a nice stove but one that can be a real pain in the ass. I have three of them along with one of the Severn models. I use all four of them although not at the same time and like all of them however I am often reminded that there are some serious short comings. The shaker system is horrible compared to the Harman Mark series. They are expensive to replace even if you do your own castings like I do and they are not very officiant. As I am sure you have already seen if you need to empty the stove make sure you have a good two hours to clean it out and start all over again. The other issue is the ash pan. WAY too small for the stove and you will have to empty it twice or three times (this is assuming that you add coal and empty the ash pan once a day) a loading and tons of ash will go down behind it. That said you will have one of the nicest looking and well built stoves ever made sitting in your house. Now on to your question... Send me your phone number on PM and I will give you a call in the morning or late this evening if you are up and don't mind. I am working night shift this evening so I have all night to tell you what I know about these stoves. I am heating a 2000 square foot house that literally does not have one shred of modern insulation in it's walls or roof. The only downside to the stove as far as heat dissipation is that it is very difficult to add a blower to it to aid in sending heat out into the room or your home. Because of this I have the Mark III that I think I am going to put in until I can get some better windows installed.

Thanks,
Glenn