Hi, New to the Forum. Need Help Please!!

 
Black Nostrils
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Post by Black Nostrils » Fri. Nov. 20, 2009 10:43 pm

I bought a used Harman mark 2 coal stove and have used it 3 times now. I am brand new to coal stoves so any help would be appreciated. Ok, the problem is when the stove heats up I cant shake it down, its to tight and wont budge. when the stove is cool, it shakes down with no trouble. can anyone help me figure out what is wrong with my stove? I would really appreciate it. great forum by the way!


 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Fri. Nov. 20, 2009 11:07 pm

Welcome - you came to the right place! 8-)

Check easy stuff first - is ashpan interfering with the shaker linkage on the left side? Is it totally empty & not heaped over? If that checks out, let it cool down & clean it out ... then make sure shaker handle moves the full swing front to back while watching the grates. Something might have got caught under the ends of the grates or in that linkage - grab a flashlight & look around under the grates through the ash door. Wouldn't hurt to pull the fire brick & pull the grates right out & clean the pivot points out - sometimes chunks of coal & ash can build up there.

When mine was new it was a bit hard to shake until it broke in - might have been excess metal from the casting process left on the friction points of the grates and/or linkage.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Sat. Nov. 21, 2009 6:14 am

Welcome!

Other than what Smitty pointed out about the mechanical performance of your grate system, give us a bit more info about how you're burning your stove. Do you know a little history about your used MarkII like did the PO have the same issues or not?
  • How deep is your fire in the stove? Is it filled up to the top of the bricks?

    What size anthracite coal are you using? Good quality coal is a necessity.

    How long has the fire been burning before you try to shake it down for the first time?
I haven't operated a Harmon, hand fired or otherwise. You'll find post on this forum where others that do state that short quick/choppy strokes of the shaker handle work best. If you stroke the grates too far, unburnt coals might wedge between the grate fingers. If this happens it might feel locked up but wait for the coal to finish burning and the grate will again move. Operators also use a stout wire bent up at a 90* for a few inches on the end and use that to poke up from beneath the grates to clear ash and dislodge stubborn obstructions.

Keep trying. It won't be long until you have it burning steady.

 
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lowfog01
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Post by lowfog01 » Sat. Nov. 21, 2009 7:53 am

Black Nostrils wrote:I bought a used Harman mark 2 coal stove and have used it 3 times now. I am brand new to coal stoves so any help would be appreciated. Ok, the problem is when the stove heats up I cant shake it down, its to tight and wont budge. when the stove is cool, it shakes down with no trouble. can anyone help me figure out what is wrong with my stove? I would really appreciate it. great forum by the way!
You say that when the stove is cool, it shakes down with no trouble - Sometimes - especially if you're burning pea coal - a larger piece will get jammed between the grates and the front or back fire bricks and no amount of shaking will break it loose. If it shakes ok after the fire burns out, the piece blocking the grates probably burned up and dropped down as ash, freeing the grates.

At least that's what I've found with my Mark II. This blockage happens because in the Mark II you can very easily "over" extend your shaking which results in a significant gap around the edges and in the middle of the grates. This is why short, jerky movement on the shaker handle is better; it stops that gap from developing. The gap will let larger pieces of coal start through but the reverse movement of the shake "traps" it and jams the grate. If you just stop and let that coal burn up, the grates should work again. That's the hard part, waiting. Good luck, Lisa

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Sat. Nov. 21, 2009 10:23 am

SMITTY wrote:let it cool down & clean it out ... then make sure shaker handle moves the full swing front to back while watching the grates.
You also want to make sure the grate is not warped and the frame it rests in is not cracked. When heated, they may distort from their cold state. See that anything that moves has at least a 1/4" of clearance from what does not move. Also make sure no firebrick is too close to what moves. The bricks can move or even be broken by shaking if that is the case. A chunk of broken firebrick can reek havoc on the shaker.

 
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Post by Black Nostrils » Mon. Nov. 23, 2009 9:33 pm

H, thanks for the replies. I just got back in town thats why I havent replied sooner. the coal I am useing is the nut coal. when I shake it down I have been doing short shakes to try to make sure it doesnt get wedged between grates. im worried about warpage because it acts the same everytime it heats up. it gets really hard to move. it does have about a 1/4 in clearance along the back and front of grates. but on the sides looks tight like maybe a 1/16 in if that.

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Mon. Nov. 23, 2009 9:35 pm

Can you post photos of the stove's grates from above and below?


 
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Post by Black Nostrils » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 7:56 pm

here are the pics any help is appreciated

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jeromemsn
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Post by jeromemsn » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 10:11 pm

Please remove the ash pan and give us a picture of the shaker mechanism, not a close up but just a bit back so we can get a look see. Also another shot of the inside with the fire bricks in place, not a close up but a bit back so we can get the just of it :)
Thank you

 
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Razzler
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Post by Razzler » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 10:12 pm

On the last picture it sure looks like there is something between the greats? :eek2: If there is, it shouldn't be there.

 
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jeromemsn
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Post by jeromemsn » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 10:21 pm

looks like the ash pan to me.

 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 10:27 pm

Definitely some mileage on those, but should still work fine.

I agree with Jeromemsn - if you take a pic of the entire grate assembly, top & bottom, from a little distance, we'll be able to tell if they're warped or not - and if so, how badly they're warped.

 
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ScubaSteve
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Post by ScubaSteve » Thu. Nov. 26, 2009 11:50 pm

LOL black nostrils!! So true!! I wear my filter mask when I need to jump in the bin and shovel to avoid the dreaded "black nostrils!!"

 
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Post by captcaper » Fri. Nov. 27, 2009 6:13 am

He's probably jamming it with either nut coal or stove coal. Or crap nut coal. Very easy to do with the Harman.
Try using Blaschek Pea for a while and see if it shakes down for you. I'm almost sure your jamming it. Short shakes is the ticket with a Harman.
I've been using Pea since Oct 1st 24/7 and shake the heck out of it and haven't had any jam's with Pea. Temps down to 18 deg F in a 2000 sq ft. Cape. Stove is in basement. Furnace hasn't kicked on at all. I have a Mark III though. Same Stove basically.

good luck

 
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Post by LsFarm » Fri. Nov. 27, 2009 7:15 am

BN is describing the grates as 'hard to move', not as jambed or locked. He also describes the correct 'short choppy strokes' for shaking.

From looking at the photos, I don't think there is enough end clearance between the grates and the grate framework. When they heat up, the grates will expand and get longer, probably enough to be too long for the existing opening.

I agree with Coaledsweat's comments above, and I've expanded on his comments with some suggestions:

My suggestion is to remove the firebricks [take photos for the correct pattern for reinstalation], and see if the grate frame work is broken or warped causing reduced clearance to the grates.. If not, remove the grates and grind the ends down to provide at least 1/8" end clearance for expansion.

Just a thought, once you remove the firebrick over the grate pivot points, you may find an accumulation of ash or fines jamming the pivot points, this could be the problem, but I'd think that the shaking motions would grind it up and eliminate the binding.

It's possible that the sides of the stove body have a slight inward bend or 'warp' and are causing the grate framework to be too narrow, if this is the issue, I'd still just grind the grates for extra clearance.

Let us know what you find.

Hope this helps..

Greg L


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