Coal Chubby Operating Temp?

Honestly, this topic comes up very often. It's almost always not about the operating temps of a given stove, but more about a sizing problem in a given situation. 400-600 degrees is optimum for any hand fired coal stove period. It really doesn't change much by stove design. Yes people can run them hotter and certainly lower but if you are running at 600 and you can't maintain a comfortable temp in your home, the stove is probably a bit too small.

I think of it in these terms. My two stoves can maintain 70 degrees in the whole house (downstairs) down to about the single digit temps. Prolonged periods of single digit or below zero and they can't maintain so I am forced to supplement with my Jotul allagash propane stove (Using the same 50 gal I started with) or the oil steam boiler which I leave on 55 at the kitchen thermostat. If the kitchen goes below 55, the furnace kicks on and helps out. I have the same 100 gal I put in the tank last year. I may have used half of it and most of that was when I was out of town for a week. Could I use a slightly larger stove in the center of the house where the Herald lives? Yes, probably could. But, how often are my temps in steady single or below zero situation? Maybe a couple weeks out of the winter. That being the case, I just supplement for those few weeks. The average winter temps around here are easily handled by the current set up and on occasion (little heat waves) its very hot! So, you can see where I'm going here. My set up is fine for the size of the house under all but the extreme lows.

I could find a slightly larger stove and may do if the right baseheater/burners comes my way, but until then I'll just supplement those 2-3 weeks of extremes. If I did go any larger, the stove would have to be able to idle back quite well as not to be "too much". Just some food for thought.

SteveZee wrote: I could find a slightly larger stove and may do if the right baseheater/burners comes my way, but until then I'll just supplement those 2-3 weeks of extremes. If I did go any larger, the stove would have to be able to idle back quite well as not to be "too much".

Sounds like somebody may be making a trip to RI, tax returns are right around the corner

SteveZee wrote:Honestly, this topic comes up very often. It's almost always not about the operating temps of a given stove, but more about a sizing problem in a given situation. 400-600 degrees is optimum for any hand fired coal stove period. It really doesn't change much by stove design. Yes people can run them hotter and certainly lower but if you are running at 600 and you can't maintain a comfortable temp in your home, the stove is probably a bit too small.

I think of it in these terms. My two stoves can maintain 70 degrees in the whole house (downstairs) down to about the single digit temps. Prolonged periods of single digit or below zero and they can't maintain so I am forced to supplement with my Jotul allagash propane stove (Using the same 50 gal I started with) or the oil steam boiler which I leave on 55 at the kitchen thermostat. If the kitchen goes below 55, the furnace kicks on and helps out. I have the same 100 gal I put in the tank last year. I may have used half of it and most of that was when I was out of town for a week. Could I use a slightly larger stove in the center of the house where the Herald lives? Yes, probably could. But, how often are my temps in steady single or below zero situation? Maybe a couple weeks out of the winter. That being the case, I just supplement for those few weeks. The average winter temps around here are easily handled by the current set up and on occasion (little heat waves) its very hot! So, you can see where I'm going here. My set up is fine for the size of the house under all but the extreme lows.

I could find a slightly larger stove and may do if the right baseheater/burners comes my way, but until then I'll just supplement those 2-3 weeks of extremes. If I did go any larger, the stove would have to be able to idle back quite well as not to be "too much". Just some food for thought.

My experience has taught me that a bigger stove almost always works out better than a stove that is not quite large enough. If you are worried about a larger stove being too hot during warmer weather, don't. An excellent large Base Heater gives you the control to operate it at a low enough temperature during warm spells. I always recommend that you get a stove that can provide enough heat during the coldest possible weather. The reason I have two stoves is because my house was built with two thimbles and that gives me the perfect excuse to have two stoves, but; if I only had one the Glenwood 6 can easily heat my house in sub zero weather all by itself. In your case since you have a large, rambling house, two stoves are probably required.

wsherrick wrote:

SteveZee wrote:Honestly, this topic comes up very often. It's almost always not about the operating temps of a given stove, but more about a sizing problem in a given situation. 400-600 degrees is optimum for any hand fired coal stove period. It really doesn't change much by stove design. Yes people can run them hotter and certainly lower but if you are running at 600 and you can't maintain a comfortable temp in your home, the stove is probably a bit too small.

I think of it in these terms. My two stoves can maintain 70 degrees in the whole house (downstairs) down to about the single digit temps. Prolonged periods of single digit or below zero and they can't maintain so I am forced to supplement with my Jotul allagash propane stove (Using the same 50 gal I started with) or the oil steam boiler which I leave on 55 at the kitchen thermostat. If the kitchen goes below 55, the furnace kicks on and helps out. I have the same 100 gal I put in the tank last year. I may have used half of it and most of that was when I was out of town for a week. Could I use a slightly larger stove in the center of the house where the Herald lives? Yes, probably could. But, how often are my temps in steady single or below zero situation? Maybe a couple weeks out of the winter. That being the case, I just supplement for those few weeks. The average winter temps around here are easily handled by the current set up and on occasion (little heat waves) its very hot! So, you can see where I'm going here. My set up is fine for the size of the house under all but the extreme lows.

I could find a slightly larger stove and may do if the right baseheater/burners comes my way, but until then I'll just supplement those 2-3 weeks of extremes. If I did go any larger, the stove would have to be able to idle back quite well as not to be "too much". Just some food for thought.

My experience has taught me that a bigger stove almost always works out better than a stove that is not quite large enough. If you are worried about a larger stove being too hot during warmer weather, don't. An excellent large Base Heater gives you the control to operate it at a low enough temperature during warm spells. I always recommend that you get a stove that can provide enough heat during the coldest possible weather. The reason I have two stoves is because my house was built with two thimbles and that gives me the perfect excuse to have two stoves, but; if I only had one the Glenwood 6 can easily heat my house in sub zero weather all by itself. In your case since you have a large, rambling house, two stoves are probably required.

Your excuse is the same as mine. I have 4 thimbles in the house and I tell my wife that they shouldn't go to waste! It's just not right for something to not function . Tax returns may be a base burner trip.

Ha,ha,ha.you guys are not helping! But yep my eye is open to the right candidate.

SteveZee wrote:Ha,ha,ha.you guys are not helping! But yep my eye is open to the right candidate.

We don't have to worry about your wallet being jealous because your eye isnt going to be the only thing open

I don't know about other antique base burners, but yes these stoves can be run at a low setting but they can also put a lot of heat if wanted. My case is opposite to the rest of the anthracite burners' as I wanted a low heat output, but if a base burner can satisfy me on a so low demand , they can satisfy most peoples needing high heat output.
And if my small living room has been larger, a bigger base burner would have been here.
At first I was very suspicious about controlling these base burners but they do exactly what you want them to do.But my stove is a Golden Bride .

nortcan wrote:I don't know about other antique base burners, but yes these stoves can be run at a low setting but they can also put a lot of heat if wanted. My case is opposite to the rest of the anthracite burners' as I wanted a low heat output, but if a base burner can satisfy me on a so low demand , they can satisfy most peoples needing high heat output.
And if my small living room has been larger, a bigger base burner would have been here.
At first I was very suspicious about controlling these base burners but they do exactly what you want them to do.But my stove is a Golden Bride .

That is because you made it that way Pierre! Control the bottom air, control the stove.

You know Steve, at first I made all I can to seal eveything to make the Golden as air tight as possible. After a while I decided to make some testing on that. So I removed the rope gaskets placed around the upper 3 doors= no change. Then I removed just one small rope from the bottom section,not from the ash door but the middle section in front of the fire pot. The stove became much more haarder to control.
To be short= the lower sections from the fire pot level to the ash pit level MUST be as air tight as possible. The other sections are not so a priority.
OOPS, out of the Chubby's question!