1st Stove, Godin Grand Oval

Day Number Nine Update, (continuous burn)

Stove has been going strong and steady since Tuesday (last post) I Don't load it in the morning, just shake it down and turn it to 3/4 out, still leaving the pipe damper open. 12 hours later it's chomping at the bit to be loaded and fired. I've had one puffback since Tuesday, Had the door open. I've found that opening a window and the door to the stove gives me the draft I need to prevent puffbac. I can load it to full, as long as I give it enough air through a nearby window it will not puffback. When I see the pipe temp rise to 400 or so I know thw top layer is blazing. That is what's working for me right now. Holy crap is this fun!!!! I've had my share of clinkers, stuck shaker rod, probably due to over tending and low burn temps when I'm away at work. I've been clearing the clinkers with a coathanger, butterknife, or drywall saw

Tonight will be fairly cold and I'm turning out the control to 1.25. The open window(s) seem to make a huge difference. I doubt anyone will leave one open by accident since I always seem to be the most overfired person in any given situation. Tomorrow am I'm home so I can see how it goes. My fingers are sore.

Jak, Thanks for piping in. Great to hear from someone in a similar situation. When I cemented the stove I went directly to the draft tube, but not over either vent at the top or bottom, Once it dried, I lit a match and blew it out at the bottom opening, smoke sifted out through the top vent almost immediately so I know that's clear. Likely the cement between the bricks is causing my puffback issue. In any case, the draft tube is working fine. I've used less than (5) 50 lb bags in 9 days. About 25 lbs (1 bucket) per day. Seems OK to me. Plenty of time to fine tune as I go

My next question is;
How much of the house should I attempt to heat? I'm in a Bi-level. APPX 1000 sq ft on each floor. The stove is on the far end of the finished half of my basement. I keep a door open to the garage half of my basement. I will attempt to heat the entire lower level, even though the other 1/2 of my basement is drafty due to the garage doors and gaps. I have no problem leaving certain parts of my home cooler, the garage 1/2 of the basement and the bedrooms above it. The calculator for square footage says I can easily heat the entire lower level with 38K BTU's max for my region and a mid level insulated home. I already know that if the basement is warm, the upstairs will remain more constant and comfortable. I just have to learn how and when to burn the stove a little hotter.

I may put a fan in the wide doorway blowing the cold air in from the colder garage floor to even things out. Putting vents above the stove and at the other end of the house may give me a good air circuit as well. Just some thoughts.

Thank You Again All for the Help and Replies!!!
I'm Stoked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe

Glad the stove is working for you.

My Godin is on the lower level, a walk in basement. The area it heats is about 1,000 sf (one large family room and several smaller rooms. The rest of the basement level is an unheated garage. Upstairs is 1,650 sf of living space (kit, LR, DR, 3 BR, etc).

The Godin heats the lower level well. It is centrally located and near the stairs. Upstairs has a wood stove which I also burn 24/7. With both stoves going the house stays comfortably warm, high 70s downstairs, low 70s upstairs. I burn about 40 to 50 lbs of coal a day in the Godin. That gives about 20,000 BTUs/hr. I adjust the wood stove based on the outside air temperature. Without the Godin going downstairs the wood stove cannot keep up with sub-freezing temperatures outside. With the Godin going enough heat makes its way up the stairs and the floors are warm enough that the wood stove can handle the rest. I have oil fired hot water heat but the boiler has not fired yet this season (except when I test it once a month for about 15 minutes).

The Godin is rated for 38,000 BTUs but if I burn it that high the lower level is too hot. I have tried but cannot move enough heat upstairs. I would probably have to add some form of ducts and fans to try to move more heat.

Every house and climate is different. This is what works for us.

KaptJaq

Thanks Jaq,

Similar to my situation (somewhat) I have less square footage. Also using direct vent gas heaters upstairs. I can only imagine what some floor vents would do for my place. I think I might have a pretty good circuit with the Godin on one side, vent over that to upstairs, the warmer side of the house, and a vent on the other side, letting the cooler upstairs air fall to the basement (garage). It really can be amazing how constant and comfortable a home can be when you get a good airflow going. Anyway, one project at a time

I'm still having blowback issues, Therefore will only be adding coal when I have time to watch it after I get home from work. I've just completed my 11th day of constant burn and have used less than 350 lbs of coal. The first burn or 2, I let it go out and wasted some, but I'm putting in about one 25 lb bucket a day. I had some blowback this evening after shaking it down and not even adding any coal, the old stuff from last night ignited and let out a small puff through the open door. No window open. Maybe my home is tighter than I thought it was.think they are accumul

Today I bought 10 50lb bags of agil chestnut coal. The 1st 10 bags I used were not labeled except for being 50 lb nut. The agile looks about the same size, less sulfur smell when I added it though.

Been dealing with Klinkers. I think they are accumulating near the grates. I have had to clear between the grates over the last several days with a coathanger, butterknife, hacksaw blade, you name it. Today no matter what I tried the shaft was stuck out. This evening I asked my son to shake it a little while I tried clearing them. He suggested hitting the shaker rod with a hammer to crush the clinkers. At 15 the kid is already thinking. I'm very impressed with his thinking. Anyway I hit the rod moderately and it gradually crushed whatever was stuck in there with no damage. I know there are still many more waiting to drop in and cause me more aggravation. manual states to shake down at least every eight hours, I do it like that when I can. Maybe I'm shaking it down too much when I do. hard to believe these pieces are getting through unburned.

Would it be the coal quality or my over zealousness to shake down too much at once?????

Anyway, opinions more than welcome, Thanks Again Jaq, I'm going on 12 days straight now and don't plan on stopping until March or April. That's my goal. here are the pics:

Thanks'

Joe

That does look like unburnt coal. I've found the two things that jam my grate are unburnt coal or rocks. The grate can usually grind up the klinkers.

Unburnt coal usually means over aggressive shaking of the fire. Putting a rod down through the feeder door and poking sometimes lets some pieces of coal fall below the burning area into the ashes. There it either will not ignite or, if already burning, will go out. As they work their way down they jam in the grate. Rocks are another story. They can be introduced into the coal anywhere from the mine to the bins in your supplier's yard. If you find too many rocks change suppliers.

Tapping with a mallet can dislodge whatever is jamming the grate but cast iron is also a little brittle. Tap too hard and you may be looking for a new grate.

If my clinkers bridge and don't work their way through the grate I use a narrow steel rod to clear them. Open the ash door and slide it through the clean-out grate. Go back and forth a couple of time and things usually start moving again. If the bridging is too high to get to, a gentle tap or two through the loading door will help it fall.

I find it best to disturb the burning bed as little as possible.

When I re-load I throw some coal on top, shake it down, empty the ash pan, then put the rest of my coal in. While I have the ash door open the extra air gets the new coal started, seems to help when I let the fire get a little low. I have also found that dumping the new coal on top before I shake disturbs the klinkers and bridges enough that they appear to drop easier.

Enjoy your stove...

KaptJaq

Well I almost made it to 13 days straight burn.

When I woke up Monday morning it was burning about 600 which considerably hotter than usual for that time of day. I went from 3/4 to 1/2, shook it down, and left for work. My buddy checked on it at 7 and it was the same. Had him turn it in another 1/8 of a turn. He checked it at 10 and the temp dropped to around 400. When I talked to him he had already left the house and I feared the fire was on its way out. I got home around 5 that day and it was. I'm gonna be honest. I was feeling pretty defeated as I cleaned it out for the second time. What a mess. It was warm for the next few days and I didn't get a chance to light it until last night. While it was cleared I also checked out all the places to poke around if the grates get stuck. I thought I was poking in the right spots, I was pretty much just scraping over the top of the grate!!!

After some reflecting I realised that the piece of wood I stuck in the night before probably threw me off. It was still burning hot in the morning, then when the wood was spent the stove was already choked down too far. Lesson seems to be that wood and coal don't mix, or at least expect temps to be higher until the wood is gone. I was attempting to use the wood as a pilot on top of new coal. It didn't work and I can cross that trick off of my list. keeping the lid open a crack for a few minutes after I load seems to be working well.

Last night I only filled up half way before going to sleep. this morning it was warm, rainy and no wind. I had a hell of a time getting the temp to rise above 350. Looked like there was still plenty of unburnt coal on top, so I shook it and tried to draft. Smoke was dumping down the chimney, through the seams in the pipe. High reading on the CO detector was 80 and it was presently hovering around 65. I opened all the windows and the garage doors and it dropped to zero. First time I've had a problem with draft.

Once I started putting more coal on, things started to slowly pick up. Guess I also learned that the stove burns properly overnight when I fill it up before I go to bed. I have to keep a strong enough burn at night. Even though it looks like there is enough coal on top, if it's been there overnight it probably needs coal. And getting a weak fire going with a weak draft is a PIA. To get decent temps the stove can't be filled halfway.

Jak, I've been keeping the MPD open all the way. Right now the stove is at 525 and the pipe is less than 50. I don't seem to be losing much heat up the chimney. Being the wind picked up now, I'm going to close the MPD 45' and seee what happens. I don't know if the MPD will smooth/somewhat stabilize the weather conditions out for me, or is it just a tool to adjust for pressure? I don't know. Maybe just using the draft control with the MPD wide open would work as well???? Thanks a ton for sharing all of your experience with me. There aren't too many Godins around and I've never operated any type of solid fuel stove before, I really appreciate it!!!!!!!

Joe

Hi Joe,

I have a fairly strong draft. If I don't close the MPD the draft sucks the heat right up the flue. If your pipe is staying under 200° F I would not close the MPD. If it gets higher, play with the MPD to keep it in the 150° to 200° range. The colder it is outside the stronger your draft should be the more you might want to close the MPD. On really cold days you might need the MPD, on warm days leave it open or it will stifle the fire. I prefer the MPD open if the primary air supply controls the fire AND the pipe does not get too warm.

My CO readings never move off zero UNLESS the MPD is not fully open and I start the clothes dryer and the kitchen exhaust fan is running and it is a little warm outside and .... You get the idea. If there are too many things sucking air out of the house then the stove cannot vent up the flue properly. When we are going to turn on various exhaust fans we make sure the MPD is fully open and we give the fire a little extra air to heat it up and increase the draft.

You are doing pretty good for the first season with a Godin. Believe me it will only get better as you get used to your installation.

KaptJaq

Thanks Jaq for the invaluable info. 1st burn was 12 days. I've now completed my 21st day on the second burn. no end in sight!!!!! Burnig 25 lbs (0ne bucket) per day.

A few things I've learned over the last few weeks:

Puffback only occurs when I load it up, open the door, then close it without cracking the lid. If I shake it down, open the draft knob 6-8 turns, load it up and let it be, the new coal will gradually catch with zero puffbac. If I'm drafting with the door open and shut it, I will get puffback. Otherwise , no way. As soon as I close the door it will give a small puff. therefore I do not attempt to torch it up with the door open. I just open the draft knob 5-8 turns and let it work it's way up in the pm.

I cannot operate this stove with pea caol alone. It just dowsn't get up to temp. I mix a bit of pea in with the nut and it seems to work fine, Stabilizes.

One of the keys to letting this fire breathe in a healthy fashion is to get the glowing embers showing in the glass. I'm using Agile and the ash is soft. I first poke it from the top, then if needed from the front grate. Just get the orange at least half way to the door.

I'm doing well, but the big variable is the weather. The draft knob has comlpete control over the burn, I only use the MPD when I have the door open poking around. This stove needs to be shaken down evry 8 hours to burn consistenty, therefore I get it good and drafty in the AM when I leave for work. Have to keep it strong.

I definetely need to put some vents in the ceiling to warm the upstairs and cool it down here. It's 80n degrees and puts me in a coma. I have some fans for now, but the vents(3 or 4 SHOULD WORK MAGIC]

i'VE ALSO LEARNED HOW TO keep the area reletively clean.

Sorry for the choppy post. Just wanted to keep you guys updated on my progress.

I'm thinking Once Spring is really here, I'll go to temporary wood fires in the PM. What an adventure!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe

Hello there.

Nice looking stove, Joe. Pretty!

I have the round version of your Godin (3721) and also was mentored by KaptJaq.

I installed a thermometer on the outside chimney to measure the relative chimney temperature and can say for sure that closing the MPD lowers the chimney temp and still provides adequate draft if you open the air intake more. In addition to getting more heat from the stove, burn times are longer with the MPD closed. When the weather gets above 55F I may open the MPD. Otherwise, I open the MPD only when I load coal to suck the dust and fumes up the chimney and to get the added coal burning.

Also, using a MPD and a barometric damper gives me better control of the burn with the air intake. My barometric damper is after the MPD and before the chimney.

Godins are great stoves. I've burned other hand fired coal stoves and I don't miss them.

ringer19547 wrote:Hello there.

Nice looking stove, Joe. Pretty!

I have the round version of your Godin (3721) and also was mentored by KaptJaq.

I installed a thermometer on the outside chimney to measure the relative chimney temperature and can say for sure that closing the MPD lowers the chimney temp and still provides adequate draft if you open the air intake more. In addition to getting more heat from the stove, burn times are longer with the MPD closed. When the weather gets above 55F I may open the MPD. Otherwise, I open the MPD only when I load coal to suck the dust and fumes up the chimney and to get the added coal burning.

Also, using a MPD and a barometric damper gives me better control of the burn with the air intake. My barometric damper is after the MPD and before the chimney.

Godins are great stoves. I've burned other hand fired coal stoves and I don't miss them.

Thanks Ringer, Nice to hook up with another Godin Owner. Doesn't seem to be many around.

I try to keep the stove at 550/600, and usually measure 75-100 degrees on the pipe. I think that's the temp I need on the pipe to keep a good draft. On windy days the MPD would probably help, but I just turn down the draft knob. The Baro would prolly work better for this, but I haven't installed one. I have about 5 or less feet of pipe going into a masonary chimney that is only about 20 feet tall. Probably only mediocre as far as drafts go. You still think I could improve using the MPD? I leave it open all the time now.

Another thing I've been doing is breaking up the ashes thru the front grate before I shake it down. I just think it's saving wear and tear on the shaker mechanism. If I don't poke thru all the slots, the ash chunks just eventually lay on top and I get no more ash in the pan. I poke until I start seeing embers about half way down the window, then close it up and shakedown. It seems to work for me.

My first burn was 12 days before it went out. I started it back up and have been burning for 37 days straight. I have a feeling things are going to start getting a little tricky with the warmer outside temps now. Maybe I'll keep it set around one out where I usually do, and let it burn low, see what happens.

Joe

Hi Joe.

I have no doubt that for my setup closing the MPD is more efficient. I won't even try to explain why, it suffices to say if the chimney is cooler for a given stove temperature the burn is more efficient and longer. I started thinking about efficiency when others on this site posted their stack temp compared to the stove temp. My stack temp (a probe measures the inside temp of the stove pipe) is measured about 1.5 feet from the stove and is not much less than the stove temp. Other stoves seem to have a much higher differential. It makes sense for the Godin, the heat just goes up and out. The plus is that the Godin is easy to light, easy to resurrect and you can burn it when the temperature outside is 65F. The minus is efficiency; your heat is going right up the chimney.

Granted, your setup is different from mine so you may need to keep your MPD open. However, I suggest you try to close your MPD, open the air intake 1 or 2 turns and see what the stove temp is after an hour. I suspect that if you can maintain 550F with the MPD closed you will notice your burn times are longer and have a better combustion experience. Also, you'll have better control with the air intake. Keep a close eye on it and be sure you have a CO sensor, it may not work... But, it's worth a try.

When you see how a baro flaps when the wind outside is howling, you will appreciate it. A must have for the long run in my opinion. The goal is to be able to set and forget, a baro is a big step in the right direction. If the temp outside changes or the wind picks up, the baro compensates and you don't have to.

Being able to get at the burnt ashes with a poker is a good thing. Do it all the time. Makes for a better shake. A big plus for the Godin design. Occasionally there is ash buildup towards the back of my stove behind the shaker which you can get at with a poker. You may have similar problems to either side of the shaker with an oval design. If hot coals land on the metal there will be unburnt coal, so leave some ashes.