Coal and Wood Parlor Stove Question

O.K., sounds like maybe another visit to my machine shop to get a register plate made because I would like to be able to burn coal and wood. I'll get some pix of the innerds as soon as I get a chance that will also sport my 316 stainless 'fork'. Is the intent to be suspended above the coal grate or can it be in contact with it? I suspect the latter.

You can probably get one from here, see link below. The plate does not lay flush against the coal grate, but; has a spacer on the bottom. On my Glenwood there are tabs on the bottom of the firepot about I inch above the grate for the register plate to fit on.

http://www.roundoakman.com/parts.htm

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE LEAD AND WHERE IT GOES.

Just an FYI, I burned wood for years in my Glenwood without a register plate, just the coal grates. I never knew there was such a thing as a register plate at that time. I never had problems burning wood that way. I don't know what the register plate would do to make it better... But they were made for a reason...

dj

dlj wrote:Just an FYI, I burned wood for years in my Glenwood without a register plate, just the coal grates. I never knew there was such a thing as a register plate at that time. I never had problems burning wood that way. I don't know what the register plate would do to make it better... But they were made for a reason...

dj

dlj, when I look at these antique stoves, I think all they made on their's stove was intended. Nothing seems to be on the stove without a good reason.
I even suspect that the nickeled parts are acting as air deflectors but also the nickel finish is much more heat radiant/reflective than if black. They succeeded in making efficient stoves but with a beautiful look.
""Maybe""??? the register plate restricts the air volume entering under the fire chamber and helps to keep more ash/coal under the wood. Wood likes a deep coal bed.
But not 100% sure.

nortcan wrote: dlj, when I look at these antique stoves, I think all they made on their's stove was intended. Nothing seems to be on the stove without a good reason.
I even suspect that the nickeled parts are acting as air deflectors but also the nickel finish is much more heat radiant/reflective than if black. They succeeded in making efficient stoves but with a beautiful look.
""Maybe""??? the register plate restricts the air volume entering under the fire chamber and helps to keep more ash/coal under the wood. Wood likes a deep coal bed.
But not 100% sure.

I don't have any first hand knowledge of how well or not the register plate works for burning wood. I'm just saying I heated several houses over many years burning wood in the stove without a register plate and it seemed to work just fine. I had numerous other stoves to compare with during that time. The Glenwood isn't the best wood burner for sure, but it's not the worst either. It's a fabulous coal burner...

If I had one without a register plate and wanted to burn wood, I wouldn't hesitate one second.

dj

dlj, when shaking the glenwood without the register, do you send all the ash in the pan? What I mean is that: is it possible for you to keep some ash layers on the grates if wanted so? Thanks
nortcan

nortcan wrote:dlj, when shaking the glenwood without the register, do you send all the ash in the pan? What I mean is that: is it possible for you to keep some ash layers on the grates if wanted so? Thanks
nortcan

I control the amount of ash in the fire depending upon how I'm running the stove. If it's cold out and I want all the heat I can get, the fire is very clean - just burning coal. If I want a very slow fire I'll let the stove get ash choked to an extent. The rest of the time in between it doesn't much matter, I just control with air controls and MPD... I do tend to run with little to no ash though, just because that's how I run my stove... I know others leave some ash in the bottom of the fire...

dj

here is my report on burning wood in my Glenwood #30 WITHOUT a register plate ...
I was out of nut coal a few weeks ago and my neighbor has 4 or 5 cord of seasoned split Cherry stacked up at his place and told me to grab a wheel barrel full to get a fire going until the coal guy showed up with my delivery.
So I shaked down my week long dead anthracite ashes until I had bougt 2" of ash on my grates and lit a wood fire ...I could put 2 pcs. of wood at a time in the Glenwood standing upright and with a little practice on the draft I was able to get bought 4 hrs of good hot burn time on 2 pcs. of Cherry.
The Ol Glenwood put out REALLY NICE heat on a wood fire but it was short lived an NOTHING LIKE A GOOD COAL FIRE!!!
but I am glad to know that in a pinch she can and will make super heat on wood!
just my 2 pennies.
Tim

Tim wrote:here is my report on burning wood in my Glenwood #30 WITHOUT a register plate ...
I was out of nut coal a few weeks ago and my neighbor has 4 or 5 cord of seasoned split Cherry stacked up at his place and told me to grab a wheel barrel full to get a fire going until the coal guy showed up with my delivery.
So I shaked down my week long dead anthracite ashes until I had bougt 2" of ash on my grates and lit a wood fire ...I could put 2 pcs. of wood at a time in the Glenwood standing upright and with a little practice on the draft I was able to get bought 4 hrs of good hot burn time on 2 pcs. of Cherry.
The Ol Glenwood put out REALLY NICE heat on a wood fire but it was short lived an NOTHING LIKE A GOOD COAL FIRE!!!
but I am glad to know that in a pinch she can and will make super heat on wood!
just my 2 pennies.
Tim

When I burned wood full time, I would stack the stove tightly with wood through the doors, then slide the top over and finish filling it through the top plate. It would be really stacked with wood. I could normally get about 8 hours that way, sometimes a bit more. Cherry is not a good wood to burn as far as long burn times. The best wood in this region I used to burn was green locust. I could get 12 hours or better on a load burning that wood. The biggest problem for the Glenwood burning wood is the location of the exhaust, it's half way down the back. Wood puts out a lot more smoke that coal and I got too much smoke in the house when tending the fire. I also used to run a round oak in one house I lived in. Had the Glenwood on one end of the house and the round oak in the center. That stove burned wood better than the Glenwood although once the Glenwood was "cooking nice" and I flipped the valve to put it in base burner mode, you could really feel the difference with the heat coming out of the base of the stove...

dj

Well it is that time of year with 60+ days and 40+ nights. When it was cooler last month I ran the coal at as low temperature as I could (low 200s) and then started letting it go so long and so low that I had to revive the fire every couple of days with wood scraps. The long coal burn with occasional wood revival is nice for the transition weather. Now I am thinking of going to just evening wood fires. Have to clean up some scrap, pallets etc. out of my back yard anyway. Can't bother with the register plate (which I do not have anyway) partly because I want to be able to go back and forth wood to coal if I want a sustained overnight unattended burn. That plus I don't expect to be burning that much wood. Coal is king for sure, even if wood is free. But wood is very convenient for an evening fire.

I'll always keep a cord of seasoned around for the transition periods such as now for instance. The cookstove is burning sticks as I type to take the chill off the house. Its also cooking a big pot of beef and venison chili for lunch! Its been a long and cool spring up in Maine. Fall and spring I'll use it with wood until I can start a coal fire to burn continuously.