Wood to Anthracite in a Vogelzang, Norseman 2500

I read the posts, and have to agree with both sides. The 'Dirt Nap' is HIGHLY overrated! You don't get a change to change your mind, either.
Safety is no accident, but I have met dozens of forum members who are brilliant, and more knowledgeable that most 'experts. Remember me saying: "Change Occurs when someone sees the next step".......well this works for both sides.

I know where nosmoke works, and trust me, they DO IT RIGHT every single time. Lives are dependent upon it. If they see something that could be made better they get the nod to do it when reviewed. I don't know if your stove will do what you want, but I'm damned sure you can review it, modify it, and try it. The fire box design you have does not allow for as much surface area for air to get to the fire, but you have something in mind. You need some secondary air available for the burning off of volatiles also.....you know how to drill, and can make an adjustable cover for that. My biggest issue was getting enough natural draft air through the firebox. I've installed small aquastat operated fans and timers to overcome this issue.

CO 2 detectors are a no-brainer. It would be like welding with no helmet....could work for a few minutes, but the FLASH burns would hurt for days..... Where this is all going is: You are a bright guy, and a stoker is going to be in your future.
Can you possibly imagine having a hot water radiant/baseboard, or other central heat system that utilizes a thermostat to control the temperature? No open windows unless you like the cold Arctic air in your home....no getting up to reload anything in the night......this is the Lexus of heating methods. I'll send you a PM, because the very LAST thing you want to do is make the front page in the obit section!

I've seen many basements with homemade wood stoves, and only a couple with homemade coal stoves. We all know that you do whatever you want anyway, but Bootstrap is absolutely correct: there are plenty of used stoves out there if you just look.
The VERY best of them are no longer made, but remain as hidden treasures...at fair prices. Crane, Russo, Nashua up this way, most any Harman to name only a few.

Whoa bit of controversy here! BootStrap, I understand your position. Safety is paramount.. When I bought this furnace, I understood it as being a dual fuel appliance. Wood or coal. Little did I know at the time, that to achieve dual fuel ability, it had flaws to burn anthracite very well. The main flaw it had was that primary air underneath would bypass the coal bed between the fire box liner and the shell of the fire box itself.

The fire would start out great, but as it burned down, the combustion air would choose the path of least resistance and bypass the grates. My solution to this problem was to stuff these air passages with fiberglass insulation. Doing this, turned my furnace into a coal only appliance. With these air passages blocked, primary combustion air has no choice, it must go up thru the grates and into the burning coal bed.

I welcome you to read thru the posts I put earlier in this thread. Tell me if you think anything I did could be dangerous. I appreciate your concern. Sorry if I stirred up the hornets nest. I'm very grateful for this site and everyone that shares their opinions and expertise

Outstanding. However, you are not "following my logic". My logic is basically saying its not worth re-engineering the current stove to do something its not designed to do, when you can easily acquire one designed to do it.
So, when you built your house, did you not use 16" on center framing? Did you invent some kind of new wiring? Did you in any way not build it to code? And why did you do it the way that others already have? Because its already been figured out.....Thats what I thought. Go beat yourself up.

My, my someone doesn't like being challenged.

1. No I did not use 16" on center in some parts of my house. It is overbuilding in the manner that we build today. Everyone expects it and sheet goods(4x8) made it a standard. My house is made of good old wooden boards, they don't care about 16 on center. Not to mention the spruce and oak beams I used.

2. No new wiring but I did use more 12 wire then a pro would have. And I ran the underground in 1 1/4 black well pipe because I had a couple hundred ft. In other words, I made it work.

3. There is no code in Maine, another reason you can't make a decision for yourself and live with the consequences in Conn.

4. My house is solid and not conventional, and still standing with my family living in it. If I had enough money at the time I would have built it like everyone else's, but I didn't . Hence my point about being able to "invent" the ways to make something work. I would not have been able to own a home in your states. Not my home anyways.

I suggest you sound like an insurance agent, they get very annoyed when I tell them I did everything and its as professional as it gets in Maine. But I always win the argument with them, to date.
This debate is not about you or I, but what he should do. He should take care, educate himself, listen to ALL the advice on this forum including yours, and make a decision based on HIS needs and the codes in HIS state, not yours.

Yours truly,
Kevin

Sorry LudlowLou, this is a distraction from your original post and I won't respond further unless I have some insight for you.

Well, I'm no insurance agent.
Anyways, getting side tracked. If you feel the need to modify a strove that probably took a great deal odd engineering....then have at it. Me... I tinker with things all the time. I'm very mechanically inclined. I work on the space suit for a living.
When it comes to things like wood or coal stoves, I don't think its worth it to take any risk. Just me tho.
Now if acquiring a coal stove meant finding something that was rare or extremely expensive then hey, I might think differently. But when you can get a coal stove easily......
I see another bonus here as well. He could probably sell his current unit and buy a coal stove cheaper especially considering that coal stove demand is alot lower than wood stove demand.

I say cut your losses, sell the stove and buy a stove designed for maximum efficiency.

Fellas, perhaps no one noticed this is an old thread up till a few days ago... Here's a Post from January by Lud after he used my modifications on his furnace. Lets bury the hatchet

Here Come the KINKERS!!!

No hatchet to bury!

Bootstrap makes an excellent point, there are always options and one is to trade in a cheaper unit for a more expensive one, but one that is used, which would net the original poster an excellent stove. I agree with that, however I am a huge tinkerer and feel that; not only do I have the skills to improve my own domicile, but so do other homeowners, and the same net result can be achieved through skill, research and investment. If using your noggin is being a hero, then I guess I am one...

I do think this forum would be pretty boring however if every time someone encountered a problem, the only answer would be to recommend the most expensive heating unit on the market. That would be an advertisement anyway and not a forum.

NoSmoke wrote:No hatchet to bury!

Bootstrap makes an excellent point, there are always options and one is to trade in a cheaper unit for a more expensive one, but one that is used, which would net the original poster an excellent stove. I agree with that, however I am a huge tinkerer and feel that; not only do I have the skills to improve my own domicile, but so do other homeowners, and the same net result can be achieved through skill, research and investment. If using your noggin is being a hero, then I guess I am one...

I do think this forum would be pretty boring however if every time someone encountered a problem, the only answer would be to recommend the most expensive heating unit on the market. That would be an advertisement anyway and not a forum.

Roger that!

Ditto

Kevin