New Stove, New House, Very Unsure of Myself

Utahstove · By: **Utahstove** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 4:24 pm

Hello! My husband and I purchased a new home that came with a coal stove. We know this because a very enthusiastic fireplace cleaning professional told us so. We thought it was for burning wood :oops:

It is not yet safe to use, he said we need new stovepipe, some sort of reinforcement for the roof, etc. I want to learn how to use it, but until it's in working order I'm just I'm researching the stove itself. I want to know about the brand and when it was made but I'm not finding a whole lot. Can anyone help me? Is this a very common item or not? I had never even heard of coal stoves before this home purchase, so I'm pretty clueless right now.
I can say our house was built in 1916, although that might have absolutely no bearing on the age of the stove.
I found some scraps of info about the company on the internet, this being the best: http://www.d.umn.edu/lib/nemhc/guides/s3614.htm

freetown fred · By: **freetown fred** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 4:43 pm

It would really help if you could get some pix of the innards, sides back, etc. Real nice stove from what I've found but kinda iffy info--the company made a lot of mining stuff.--By the way, welcome to the FORUM

I'm sure you'll get a lot of feed back on your stove, but those pix will be real helpful as far as what condition it is in.

Utahstove · By: **Utahstove** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:13 pm

Okay, here are some pictures. It's hard to get much of the "innards", I know I'll make an ashy mess and I have no vacuum cleaner yet.
The previous owner burned wood in it, and we haven't even cleaned it out yet. The fireplace guy said the stovepipe is only held together by rust at this point, and he thinks it's full of junk. The stove itself is def not airtight but it doesn't look as if it was made to be. Is it safe to use once it's spruced up? Should I just use it for wood? I have been reading the forum to educate myself, but there's so much to learn!!!
Oh, and thanks for the welcome! This is such a great site, I'm sure I'll be spending some time here!

EasyRay · By: **EasyRay** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:26 pm

Maybe its my eyes but I don't see any way to shake the grates and I can't see what the grates look like. Although I've never seen one like that before.

VigIIPeaBurner · By: **VigIIPeaBurner** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:47 pm

E-Ray, it's possible that the grates are the types Vermont Casting used in the Vigilant Coal series. They are hanging grates that move back and forth when the end that the grates interlock with is rotated in a short arch.

From the inside, the total assemblage looks something like this (sorry it's dark):

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Either the front or the back bar will rotate thru a short arc moving and lifting the grates. In the Vigilant, the back piece of "dental work" moves the grates forward and back.

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Every other grate is cast differently and hooks over the rotating bar on alternating high and low spots. Moving the back bar causes them to lift, fall and move to the front or back

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Want to see how they move, just watch the first 20 seconds of the video linked in my signature line below, the one about the smaller fire box in the VigII. Crappy video but it gets the point across :oops:

**Edit to answer E_Ray's question posted before this edit: Can't yet tell on the stove in this thread. Mine has a rod that comes out the front - push-pull.
Just my thoughts...

EasyRay · By: **EasyRay** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:06 pm

So how do you move the grates? From the rear door on the stove in question?
I thought it might be an Art Nouveau looking stove.

I don't have silverlight so I didn't watch the video. Sorry.
Oh.. and welcome to the forum Utah.

nortcan · By: **nortcan** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:23 pm

Welcome to the forum Utahstove.
Can you see if there is a lever connected to the grate system so the stove can be shaked to get the ash down in the ash pan?
On the photo from the top of the flue exit we see a sort of honeycomb white thing. That thing looks like a catalytic device but not shure from that photo. If that thing is from a sort of "ceramic like" product, it could be a cat. If you can elaborate and get some more photos from it that could lead to the answer cause if it's a cat. it's a wood stove :?:

SteveZee · By: **SteveZee** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:35 pm

I wondered about that myself Pierre. Not possible that the stove of that vintage had a cat though? It looks to be a 40's- 50's era stove and could very well be a wood stove. Hard to tell by the pix of the grates. I can remember someone else posting something about a stove like this for sale?

mason coal burner · By: **mason coal burner** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:46 pm

Welcome to the forum . Sorry I don't know anything about the stove .

freetown fred · By: **freetown fred** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:56 pm

I think Vigll is on to something. Marshall Wells started w/ stoves back in the 1920'that catalytic looking thing makes no sense--no discoloration or anything??? U stove, keep looking as I intend to do--you'll get more people chiming in, not to worry--yeah, yeah, before snow flies

It definitly needs some work & depends what you're willing to put into it time & $$$ wise--if you are serious about pursueing coal burning, Craigs List & other things like that usually have some inexpensive, real functional units for sale. You've come this far, explore the concept--you can't beat coal burning as far as economics & efficiency are concerned.

This FORUM will walk you through anything you ask about--like I said, you'll get more feedback on the Marshall Wells.

freetown fred · By: **freetown fred** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:27 pm

OK--or not--real vague info on the stove--BUT--primarily a wood stove--some were made to burn Bitimus coal/ wood. If you use the search feature--top right corner"marshall wells stove" looks like someone else had found one

lsayre · By: **lsayre** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:31 pm

Perhaps if you email these guys they might know something.

http://www.marshallwells.com/about.html

McGiever · By: **McGiever** On: Sat Sep 29, 2012 9:14 pm

It looks to be a Heatroal Type unit

Reading the link provided by the OP, Marshall-Wells was a hardware retailer, among other things.

Possible they were not the manufacture of that Heatrola, as other retailer of the time also had Heatrolas in the inventories and those units too bared the retailers name, i.e. Sears Roebucks, Montgomery Ward etc.

Heatrola Pictures

wsherrick · By: **wsherrick** On: Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:15 am

What you have there is a, "circulating stove," which dates from the 1920's. These are very common in throughout the Country as they are designed to burn Bituminous and other soft coals. Your stove works by drawing in cold air from the bottom and it is warmed as it rises inside the enamel outer shell, it comes out of the top of the stove as hot air. These stoves are rugged, basic units that can take a lot of abuse. You need to replace the mica panes in the front window in the loading door, take the stove apart and reseal all of the seams with new furnace cement. You also need to replace all of the old bolts with new ones. It sounds like a lot of work but it is really pretty easy. Just plan on getting dirty.
Once you fix it up then it will give you many decades of good service. This stove is perfect for the type of coal that is available out west where you live. Not only will the stove keep you warm. It will also keep you secure as it will work no matter what happens with electric power, etc.
The best part is that the stove will save you thousands, I mean thousands of dollars in heating bills. It's worth a little effort and some education to learn how to use it.

Again, this is a coal stove, NOT a wood stove. You can burn wood in it, but; the difference in how the stove performs with the fuel it is made for will amaze you.

SteveZee · By: **SteveZee** On: Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:25 am

McGiever wrote:It looks to be a Heatroal Type unit

Reading the link provided by the OP, Marshall-Wells was a hardware retailer, among other things.

Possible they were not the manufacture of that Heatrola, as other retailer of the time also had Heatrolas in the inventories and those units too bared the retailers name, i.e. Sears Roebucks, Montgomery Ward etc.

Heatrola Pictures

Yep your right McG. They (Marshall Wells) had a factory but also had a big hardware store in Duluth. If you do a search, you can see they sold guns , mining supplies, etc...and I'll bet they had these stoves made up like Sears Roebuck and rebranded. As William stated, they had many of that design from the late 20s through the 50's. Heaterola's , Warm Mornings, are just a couple examples of this durable design. Out there, you'd use bit coal anyways. Wood or Bit.

New Stove, New House, Very Unsure of Myself

New Stove, New House, Very Unsure of Myself

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