Franco Belge Issues

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grobinson2
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Location: Peach Bottom, PA
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Post by grobinson2 » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 2:15 am

Okay guys, I was not going to bother posting all this info as I just knew I could figure it out for my self however while I still believe I could fix or find the problem on my own for the sake of time and a lot of bad words I am going to ask for some help. Here is the setup:

Franco Belge Normandy Model (144.?.?.?) or whatever the long number is that they have for the stoves designation. This has the cast iron top and double round shaker grates with the automatic vent control on the right side of the stove. Burning pea coal with the hopper set on the highest notch. Stove is being vented via a 5 inch single wall pipe out the basement window and up the side of the house so the total run is about 30 feet. It appears that we are getting a good draft as the flames when starting the stove are pulled to the exhaust vents on ether side of the fire box. Home was built in the 80's so it is not supper tight but does have good insulation but is not air tight. I used this stove all last winter at a different house with out any issues at all once I learned the whole coal thing. So I give it to a friend and we put up the chimney ect. We get a good coal fire going at around 2:00PM. Once the burn pot it well lit and the pea coal is all nice and red we shut the ash pan door and close the automatic draft control down to about 4 or 5. I leave and he called about 4 hours later to tell me the stove went out. So I go back the next day and get a good fire going and the same thing happens at around the same time. Same thing the next day. He is not messing with it or shaking it or anything. What is going on???? We seem to have plenty of draft. I replaced all the gaskets for the ash pan door and loading door and hopper plug. There is not any fly ash in the vent areas. We have a Rutland stove thermometer on the front of the loading door and it is running at around 350 to 500 degrees with the automatic draft control at a 6. When I used this stove last year if I had left it on 6 it would have melted down the damn house. Can any one think of what I am doing wrong? Oh outside temps around around 30 <.

Thanks,
Glenn

 
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gitrdonecoal
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Post by gitrdonecoal » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 6:35 am

did you hook up a manometer?

 
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grobinson2
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Location: Peach Bottom, PA
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy, and EFM 520 round door
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Other Heating: Vermont Castings Defiant 1975 FlexBurn, Fisher Grandpa Bear, Vermont Castings DutchWest 224, Vermont Castings Defiant 1945, Ravelli RV-100 Classic, Progress Hybrid, Glenwood Wood Chip Boiler

Post by grobinson2 » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 7:08 am

We don't have one, so no did not put that on there. Just have the manual damper but we have that all the way open.

Thanks,
Glenn

 
packard bill
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Post by packard bill » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 7:37 am

Barometric damper? It is a MUST with a franco-belge, especially if you have a good draft.


 
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grobinson2
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Location: Peach Bottom, PA
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy, and EFM 520 round door
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Coal Size/Type: Rice, Buck, Pea, Nut, and Stove
Other Heating: Vermont Castings Defiant 1975 FlexBurn, Fisher Grandpa Bear, Vermont Castings DutchWest 224, Vermont Castings Defiant 1945, Ravelli RV-100 Classic, Progress Hybrid, Glenwood Wood Chip Boiler

Post by grobinson2 » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 8:27 am

Hummm... I did not have one on it last year but at that house my chimney was only about 8 feet high and went through the porch roof so too much draft sure was not of any concern, hahaha... It should not matter if I have the 5" pipe coming out of the stove and then go into a 6" for the baro and then back into a 5" does it?

Thanks,
Glenn

 
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gitrdonecoal
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Post by gitrdonecoal » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 11:14 am

i would not think it would matter. no matter how big the diameter you are still pulling air through the pipe. make sure you set your draft right per manufactures specs

 
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Post by cabinover » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 11:39 am

I don't know anything about your stove but common sense to me says without a baro if anything is going to happen you'll have more draft. The fire shouldn't go out but burn the coal quicker.

 
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tsb
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Post by tsb » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 11:54 am

Check to see if the clean out covers are tight on the
exhaust elbows. If these came loose during the move,
you will have no draft.


 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 1:20 pm

What does it look like after it goes out? Is the fuel area pretty well burned up? Or does it look like it had plenty of fuel on the grate, but just went out? To go out, it either lost it's air, or ran out of fuel. I'm going to guess you have too much draft. You neeeed a baro damper. I'll bet it's burning the fuel on the grate and because it wasn't shaken no new fuel came onto the grate. Last year I played with a Franco a bit & found it wanted to be shaken every 4 or 5 hours. Eventually got it to go longer, but for the most part, it wants attention. Give it what it wants! Controlled air, and shake often. You may well find that after you have the air under control it will go longer between shakes.

<edit> PS.... are the exhaust tubes on each side clean of ash? There's little doors in the back that open to give access for cleaning.

 
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Post by franco b » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 1:24 pm

Have you verified that the thermostat damper is indeed open when set at 5? Use a light and look. See that the linkage is in place.

When starting a fire close the ash pan door when the wood fire is established and just use the thermostat setting to control air. By leaving the ash pan door open the stove gets too hot, causing the bi metal of the thermostat to over react and keep the air damper closed for too long as the stove slowly cools.

 
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grobinson2
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Posts: 335
Joined: Wed. Dec. 24, 2008 1:35 pm
Location: Peach Bottom, PA
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy, and EFM 520 round door
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Coalbrookdale Darby, Harman Mark III, Stratford SC100, DutchWest 288 (With Coal Insert), Coalbrookdale Severn, Hitzer 50/93, Hitzer 354 Double Door, FrancoBelge La Normandie, DS Machine Anthramax
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Buck, Pea, Nut, and Stove
Other Heating: Vermont Castings Defiant 1975 FlexBurn, Fisher Grandpa Bear, Vermont Castings DutchWest 224, Vermont Castings Defiant 1945, Ravelli RV-100 Classic, Progress Hybrid, Glenwood Wood Chip Boiler

Post by grobinson2 » Sat. Jan. 02, 2010 6:58 pm

Thank you very much guys for all the responses. I am going to do the following on Tuesday as it will be the next available time I will have a chance to work on the stove.

Install a 6" Baro about 24" above the stove

Take the heat shield off the back and the sheet metal sides off and check to make sure that the exhaust clean outs are tight and that no air is getting around the gaskets.

Make sure that there are no cracks or ways for air to get in where the cast iron parts of the fire box come together.

Make sure that the automatic draft control on the side is working properly and not staying closed or open when it is not supposed to.

Checking all of the gaskets around the doors to make sure that no air is getting around them and into/through the ash pan door or loading door.

When starting the stove we will be using charcoal and as soon as it is well lit the ash pan door will be closed and the automatic draft control will be opened to 8 until a nice bed of pea coal is burning.

The Automatic draft control will be set on 4 for normal operation.

Have I missed anything guys?

Thanks,
Glenn

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