I Love This Weather but Its Frustrating on Coal Stoves

 
smokeyCityTeacher
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Post by smokeyCityTeacher » Mon. Nov. 22, 2010 9:03 pm

Been alternating wood and coal but I'd rather just burn coal continuous, but, the weather is too up and down.

"One match - one season" is completely shot.


 
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cokehead
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Post by cokehead » Mon. Nov. 22, 2010 9:07 pm

You just need to redefine when the COAL season starts. Then start counting the matches! ;) And another hint. If the fire goes out us a bic lighter, not a match!!

 
smokeyCityTeacher
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Post by smokeyCityTeacher » Mon. Nov. 22, 2010 9:32 pm

cokehead wrote:You just need to redefine when the COAL season starts. Then start counting the matches! ;) And another hint. If the fire goes out us a bic lighter, not a match!!
The only thing that will relight a coal fire for me is a MAPP gas torch and even then its a brutal marathon. I need something even hotter.

 
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cokehead
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Post by cokehead » Mon. Nov. 22, 2010 9:49 pm

smokeyCityTeacher wrote:
cokehead wrote:You just need to redefine when the COAL season starts. Then start counting the matches! ;) And another hint. If the fire goes out us a bic lighter, not a match!!
The only thing that will relight a coal fire for me is a MAPP gas torch and even then its a brutal marathon. I need something even hotter.
Sounds like a waste of good gas. If the coal bed wasn't to deep I'd bank it, then throw a bunch of paper, cardboard, kindling, and more kindling, then some coal on that. Get it roaring. Only times that failed was when a had a load of bone and when my kindling was too wet.

 
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lowfog01
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Post by lowfog01 » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 5:32 am

I can relate about the weather messing up my stove. It's still less expensive to run the stove then it is to run the whole house NG furnace so I'll keep it going if I can. Today is going to be a challenge as the outside temp is supposed to make it to 67* with rain. I packed the fire box with pea coal and turn the air input way down. Come to think, nut may have been a better choice to ease the airflow but the fire would be way too hot. I may have to open the air intake valve up as the day goes on. I'll also cover my baro with foil so the entire draft is pulling from the fire. I bet the draft will fall to .02 or below. Needless to say the windows will be open. I never expected this transition style burning to take so long. Bummer, but my thanks to all on the forum who gave me the knowledge to keep the fire burning. Lisa

 
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Beeman
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Post by Beeman » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 6:07 am

With my Hitzer 503, I have found an approach to keeping the fire going without driving my family out of the house during these temperate days. I do a full load of Superior nut coal and fill the hopper. Open ash pan door and manual pipe damper as usual to burn off volatiles (even more important with what comes next), then close ash pan door and the sliding vents are set to a near perfect circle--about half as open as usual for my conditions. MPD kept completely open for 30-40 minutes, then closed. With the stove vents stopped down so much, the blue ladies dance even more seductively than normal. With such little air inflow, fan not needed to keep stove in an appropriate temperature range and I certainly do not need the fan pumping alot of heat into the house. Usually runs 350 to 400. I then ignore the stove maintenance after 12 hours and let her sit for 24 hours. inside house temperature does not rise above 74. No complaints from my 'better half.' When ash shaking, the amount of ashes produced with this 24 hour idling strategy is the same as the amount produced over 12 hours in normal burn conditions. Can't wait to open up the throttle when more heat is needed.

 
coalnewbie
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Post by coalnewbie » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 6:18 am

Love the rolling road concept and the coaltrol set at 3 on my Poco. When only a few ounces is burning at one time so much is possible. However ,I must confess to using the windowlater yesterday.


 
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jpete
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Post by jpete » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 7:47 am

Hope the temperature drops off a cliff today. I have been buying bags a week at a time until my ton of stove coal comes today.

I've been able to tailor my coal for the weather. In the last couple weeks, I was able to throttle down on pea and held the house @ 64*. But I stepped up to nut over the weekend and bumped it up to 72-74*

Now it's supposed to be warm and I'm pretty much out of pea so I'll have to go to the bag of tricks to run the stove coal. :)

 
slovak
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Post by slovak » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 10:28 am

Hi; Nov. 23 and still high 50s low 60s. Not to shabby here in NEPA. Get the impression folks are looking for a cold spell to set in. I'm shure it will come soon enough. We had to initiate usage of our HHR,s (housing heat reducers)to bring down the inside temps. Not complaining. Once the stove gets cranking I don't like to mess with the settings a bunch. Each to there own I guess...

 
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EasyRay
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Post by EasyRay » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 11:01 am

I started burning on October 21st and It will stay burning until I decide when it will be shut down in the spring. Unless there is a problem with the stove. (Which I don't see happening.)
I enjoy the stove when its burning but not relighting it.

 
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EasyRay
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Post by EasyRay » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 11:35 am

P1000457.jpg
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This is colder
DSC_2225.jpg
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This is warm weather.

 
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wsherrick
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Post by wsherrick » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 4:02 pm

No problems at my house. Up here on the mountain it has been in the low 50's here during the day, but; by dawn the temps have been down in the upper 20's to mid 30's. At times like this Art must be added to the Science of coal heating.
I just don't shake the Glenwood all the way down because I deliberately want to leave a couple of inches on the grate. Then one of the two primary air dampers gets shut all the way and the other one is just open a sliver. This method controls the burn to a very slow, dull red glow. At night for some more heat I crack the other primary damper open just a sliver and the Glenwood responds by warming up to about 350 degrees or so. At that point I give just enough shaking to remove some but not all of the ashes, load and go. This method provides just enough heat to get through the night in perfect comfort and cool enough during the day to not overly warm the house while shaking and loading once per day.

 
j845125
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Post by j845125 » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 4:24 pm

I'm gonna brag about my outdoor boiler a little, I apologize. It's been burning beautiful since early October. Not a stick of wood, even to light it(used charcoal). Hot water, heat when the thermostat calls for it. I wouldn't switch back to an indoor stove.

 
titleist1
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Post by titleist1 » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 4:33 pm

I've had the windowstats in service since yesterday afternoon hit 78* in the living room and been holding at 73* since then.

 
slovak
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Post by slovak » Tue. Nov. 23, 2010 7:04 pm

Yo; Windowstats... I like that, same as my HHR,s. .....(home heat reducers)..


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