Fly ash and/or residue insulating firebox?

nortcan wrote:

franco b wrote:When you shake down anything you can do to minimize draft through the coal bed will help. If you keep everything closed then close off the air intake also. You can also open the upper door to temporarily divert draft from going through the coal bed. Should lessen fly ash.

100% right. It helps a lot to do so.

Oh yeah, ok - I have to open the ash pan door to access the grates to shake them. I was leaving the top door closed while I would shake. These conditions surely sent a big qyantity of air thru the coal bed to carry fly ash. I'll shake with both doors open and see how that helps.

Thanks for the great advise, you guys rock

I also leave the handle pulled out on the draft ,so that you dont get any fumes in the house.

Different take same principle. Why don't they heat sink the inside of a coal stove or furnace?
Im a machinist , fabricator and welder. Been one since good lord 1981. I know I could build a more efficient stove. Would It cost more? Guaranted. I will say it be a heat proceeding efficient stove. Would it be worth the cost? If it was bult to last and KISS then I think so, no I know so.

I was thinking, how about running a hand full of 2 inch diameter tubes thru the top of it that convection air would pass thru?

Improving heat exchange is much less of a problem with coal than designing for instance, simpler more effective grates or a simple stoker with one motor that only runs intermittently to clear ash.

Well after this evening's reloading and having the dust brush in hand. I decieded to clean the fly ash build up off the fire box walls and water baffels.When the combustion blower turned on I didn't pay much attention,but when the blower did shut off I noticed it didn't take as long for boiler temps. to recover and stack temps. were not as hot as before.I believe I will have to do this every other week since it only took 10 minutes to do. Dennis