Really temperamental stove/draft !!

Hello Tom, you are on the right track I think, you have a very tight house, and with a low burning coal fire are not creating enough heat to get a good draft.
When you open a window, is this in the room where the stove is?? You should be able to get plenty of draft with a window open and a hot fire going in the stove, This is what you had for a few days right? Untill you let the coal burn down too far.

It is very difficult to resurect a dieing coal fire, the coals may be glowing red, but they aren't hot enough to light other coal on fire. If there is a lot of ash, the coals won't get enough air and if the coal is in the dieing stage, they aren't going to revive with more air anyway.

So I'd try to establish an outside air source for your stove, like you did for your oil furnace. The stove needs to have fresh ourside air supplied to near it's vents. Then it won't have to pull a vacuum on the house like the oil furnace was.

Try again, but don't let the fire go so long that the coal is burnt out. With a hand load stove, the fire needs adding to and a shake of the grates every 12 hours or so.

Welcome to the forum, I hope this helps.

Greg L

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Hi Greg,

To answer your question, "yes, the window I open is in the same room".

"It is very difficult to resurect a dieing coal fire, the coals may be glowing red, but they aren't hot enough to light other coal on fire."

Yes, I think this is a big part of the problem, I was having the other day. I went out and purchased another bag of Quick Light charcoal and with about a dozen briquettes, had the think roaring in about an hour. Plus, last year when I started burning coal in the stove, I didn't have the time to "learn the stove", as I was in the middle of construction.

The stove is probably over sized for the room, however I have a blower on the stove and an "air conditioning" thermostat in the room, which turns on the furnace hot air blower, when the room gets hot enough.

The whole stove burning thing has progressed from a negative situation to a "sometimes marginal" situation. Another item, which I had added was a Lyemance chimney damper. This allows me to shut off the chimney, when not burning ... I guess it helps.

Here is the stove yesterday, after the charcoal treatment. I had dampened it down a bit earlier.

As mentioned earlier, the stoves I grew up with all had manual pipe drafts. As I recall, these were the critical item, when it came to heat. (of course the ashes had to be emptied and there had to be coal on the fire.) I can remember, when the steam came up, father saying "go down and close the pipe draft". Or if it cooled off, "go down and open the pipe draft. Sometime after that, a motorized damper control was installed, which was controlled by a thermostat.

I've been controlling the burn, totally with the lower slide draft. But I was thinking, when I want to dampen it down, and I close the lower slide draft, that cuts the air, but the "fire heat" goes up the chimney. Therefore the fire cools, probably sometimes, to the point that it won't support combustion. Or, if I open the lower slide draft, it may further cool the coal, if it is already cooled too low. Kinda like blowing on a candle to put it out or gently blowing on an ember to get it going.

So, anyhow, I installed a pipe draft this morning. Now, I have to relearn that!

Hi Dallas,

I began burning coal this time last year. I went through a learning curve with the help of this forum and every one on it.

I had the same problems you are having. I heated with wood for years, the switch to coal as the main heat source was interesting.

I had the same problem as you are having. There were two reasons why: 1) I had too much draft-resolved by adding a barometric damper and 2) Strip mine coal that was high in impurities-I thought coal was coal, I learned otherwise.

I wish you continued sucess with your coal burner.

We have coyotes and bears 'round here.

Hey dallas,I have a stove just like the one you have.If you can get your draft problem dealt with that stove can belt out some serious heat.Just have to experiment for a while with your settings.You should be able to get 12 hour or more burns no problem.Good luck. BTW are your flues to close together where they exit the chimney?

Wood'nCoal wrote:We have coyotes and bears 'round here.

W'nC, I have the coyotes and bears, as well. I've never seen the coyotes, but have heard 'em. This summer, while sitting on the deck, a BIG bear walked across the front yard. Got the camera, but he had gone behind some trees on the other side of the house.

Pea coal is too small,clogs the grates when shaking.You have to burn nut or stove size,get some more air up through your bed.Try poking up through the grates to get cloged grates opened up.I use a a small rod to poke up from underneath.Try to get it reved up before you shake it. good luck

The chimney that services the oil furnace and water heater is also the chimney for my fireplace with the wood burning insert. From timt to time I have gotten a downdraft into the cellar with smoke from the wood stove flue, so events like this can happen, depending on weather conditions.

I'm more inclined to say the coal your using has a lot of impurities in it, coal is the biggest factor that can effect stove performance.

In my opinion, it is pretty nasty looking coal. Being in "coal country", you'd think we'd have some real good coal, however I believe most of the coal sold around here is brought in from elsewhere.