Who's still in the one match club?

I was lucky I only put 14 pounds in yesterday. Had the air feed down to a sliver for 24 hours again. I brought it back from the brink of death, took about 4 hours for the fire to creep from the back of the fire box to the front after I added 21 pounds today. Forcast for Olean is low of 36 tonight, but after that I'm having a real hard time justifying keeping it burning thru the next 7-10 days with the warm temps and mild lows at night.

One match winter, despite me accidently turning off the boiler switch for 10 hrs one night. Awesome product, even idot proof!

Never missed a call for heat or hot water, even with 4 women in the house taking unlimited showers.

I lit mine on November 11th and I let it go out lastnite. Actually I stopped adding coal on Tuesday and it finally went out sometime last nite.

freetown fred wrote:You girly guys startin to make excuses already?

OK Fred, you guilted me into taking the warm weather challenge.


My stove is still going and it actually is working out, for now. The stove is in a finished basement which
stays cool on its own. I have only been tending to the stove once a day now and the burn area has reduced
and been just "idling" along as you folks say.
I think I'm just challenging myself to see how long I can keep it going. Even though my wife asked me to crack
the patio door last night, I know she still likes the morning warmth the stove provides.




Kevin

Good for you, but I think we're all kinda coming to that perverbial end of season time. I've got four 5 gall. pails left & I'm done. 30-40's at night upper 60's day. It's been a good season, nobody here got hurt. Kevin, now is the time of year when you can really find out how much we've all learned here & what our stoves can & can't do.

Well I'm done for this year, took the 50-93 3 1/2 days to burn out, went cold noon today.

freetown fred wrote:Kevin, now is the time of year when you can really find out how much we've all learned here & what our stoves can & can't do.

True that Fred.

This site has made my return to coal burning a more enjoyable experience. Funny, I just recently cut up a tree off the neighbors property that came down during Irene last fall.
I was splitting it by hand yesterday and that reminded me of why I was getting familiar with coal again. I still plan on using wood at times, just less often.





Kevin

I'm still in...getting to be in the 60's during the day but at night it has been just below freezing so I use Pea and keep it down so low it looks out then later in day I shake it and open the air intake for the night...I'm lucky I have it in the basement which keeps that warm enough for working down there on my many projects. It's nice to use only one tank of oil a year ( Oil fired Hot Water) but I found I have to add Diesel additive or it gets stale and screws up the furnace. With the additive no anual service calls.
This week will be a challange do to very above normal temps...

I finally let it go out over last night. Just go too hot.
Better than I ever did though. Four months on two matchs and that was because of a jammed grate.









Kevin

well it died on me. i was getting 28 to 30 hours between tending. i guess i pushed it to far this time couldn't save it.

i was getting used to sleeping with the windows open to cool it off. now i have an excuse to finish the boiler and get it installed.

i wish i could have remembered to get a picture of the clinker that was blocking the grates. had to hit it with a hammer to get it out of the stove.

Been going since Novenber !!!


Am very surprised I am still going right now.

Been keeping it going because it is supposed to cool off once again next week!!!

My first year in the one match club... finally getting the hang of this coal thing (plus not having an extended winter vacation this year) burned from November 29-first week of March...

Still have the big old Kodiak going .It gets cool and damp in the kitchen,and my wife makes candy.She needs it warm or the chocolate sets too fast and it gets messed up.I'm burning stove coal in it and I can control it very nicely .No,really I can .

Mike

I did it! My second year. Lit the stove with paper and wood with one match on Nov. 1st. The stove burned until I let it go out on March 15th. Only used just over 2 tons this year and no oil for heat. I had a close call when one of the grates came off of the shaker pin in the back of the stove. (People with Galcier bay and Gilbraltar stove probably know what I mean). I was able to use a 1" pipe and a crow bar to set things right. I used the pipe and crow bar as a lever, inside the ash pan area, to lift the one grate and set it back on the pin.

Vangellis wrote:I finally let it go out over last night. Just go too hot.
Better than I ever did though. Four months on two matchs and that was because of a jammed grate.


Kevin

So my wife comes home this afternoon after being out most of the day and says, "when are you going to start the stove again?"

A little cooler weather coming this week so what the heck. Got a wood fire going and started layering. Good to go again.




Kevin