1990s hand fired wont get to temp!! help

Purchased home March of this year and used stove for a month, worked good,lots of heat. It was purchasd new from previos owner of home new in late 80s-90s. Looks like a Harmon Mark 3 without glass(generic no name). Problem is I fired it up 48hrs ago and cant get it to put out the heat it was back in March,stays lit for 12hrs at a time, but not much heat. I cleaned chimmney (outside brick chimney). Stove is located in basement of ranch home that we leave door open and heat has gone upstairs with no problem in past. This is a hand fed stove and I have been keeping manual draft open. Last season I turned intake knob (1) about 1/8-1/4 gap and fire roared good. This year I have had knob 1in open (max) and even had door cracked open an inch and I get a bed of red coals but not that great, no blue flame. I even cracked window in basement to make sure house wasent to tight, no difference. last year basement was aboe 80, cant get basement to 70 now, upstairs is only at 68 with help of baseboard heat (oouch). I need help!
PS- Its been low 30s at night with a a high of low 40s at day. Does barometric pressure/humidity make a difference for a hand fired?
PS- Harrisburg Pa

rr, can you post some pix of stove from all sides & chimney pipe included? Most of these fix's are pretty simple/ straight foward. My 1st suggestion would be to close that MPD--you leaving loading door open or ash door? Have you cleaned inside pipe?

Pics please.

ridgeracing wrote:Problem is I fired it up 48hrs ago and cant get it to put out the heat it was back in March,stays lit for 12hrs at a time, but not much heat.

It may take a few days for the block walls to absorb the heat, then warm air should start rising upstairs.

ridgeracing wrote:This is a hand fed stove and I have been keeping manual draft open. Last season I turned intake knob (1) about 1/8-1/4 gap and fire roared good. This year I have had knob 1in open (max) and even had door cracked open an inch and I get a bed of red coals but not that great, no blue flame.

If you have no blue flames you have no air going thru the grates,are you shaking till you see red ash falling thru the grates.If you are firing too hot, you may have created clinkers that are blocking the air passages.

Does it have a temperature control...knob, bi-metallic coil, and chain down to an air flapper?

Does it have a manual baffle to pull or flip a handle to redirect exhaust pathway after a good fire/draft has been established?

You say you cleaned chimney...did you clean the stove to chimney flue pipe?

Loading the coal all the way up to the top of the bricks, aren't you?

How warm is the stove pipe? Can you touch it for more thank few moments? Areas @ your firebox grates 100% covered with coal at least 4" deep? Are you sure this unit is a coal burner? Does air feed from below?

Thanks for all replies, I am going to try and load some photos tommorow.
- I have had the ash door/intake knob fully open, and now i have been leaving the ash door cracked open for best results.
- I have kept the loading door shut as well as the knob on that door, as to get all draft from lower door. correct?
- Cimney is cleaned, all 20ft, verified today. it is coming from wall and then a 90 connected to 1ft, MPD, 2ft, stove. I did not take apart piping to verify, still trying to run stove.
-At its best I am getting a nice bed of red coals but hardly any blue flame if any. I can put my hand on stove as well as pipe, hot but bairebell.
-8 months ago it worked great and heated upstairs in 4-6hrs no problem. 80 downstaires, 75 upstairs. I did same past several weeks with same stove using wood. But this is a primary coal stove, fire box to small for continuos wood burning.
- Coal loaded up to top of brick in back and then tapered down to front door 2in deep. Back stays red coals but only comes about 2/3s towards front, then black unlit coal.
Thank you all for your replies!

Sounds like you are not drafting properly. The top door and/or top damper might be sucking air. Do you have a window? If so, the gasket might be letting air pass. Wood will burn good with air across the top but coal MUST have air from below. Little to no air across the top. I would do away with the manual damper in the flue stack or leave it wide open and seal any leaks. Use a candle flame to see if you are sucking air along the top door, glass or flue pipe connections. Use firebox cement easily found at Lowes to seal leaks.

What diameter flue in chimney? What diameter stove outlet flue connection?

pics posted, all 6in pipe, mpd open

ridgeracing wrote:pics posted, all 6in pipe, mpd open

Chimney inside diameter size and inside material? Clay or block?

concrete block with what I believe is 8in square clay liner inside.

rr, poke ash from the top of grates real well-corners & edges real well--how often do you shake her down & add coal when she's running right. Should be every 12 hrs or so. You need to make sure that horizontal/elbow black pipe is clear of any obstruction--could be small bird nest--who knows-- ya gotta do that plus poking from top of grates & I think you'll be in business again---are you filling w/ coal to the very bottom of big door?(as much as you can get in her) with your bottom vent open like that, you should be COOKING--NO, barometric nor humidity will not make all that much of a difference. Is that the shaker handle on the right front???

I don't think you are drafting properly. Leave the bottom ash pan door open. Toss some wood on top of coals and try and create some extra heat in the chimney. This may help create a stronger draft to assist coal fire. Give that a try tonight.

I would shake it till some red coals fell threw then poke it from under grate at spots were it wasent red coals. I did this every 3hrs today, I wasent seeing any red coals from under, should I? I never stired up anything from top of grate
Yes, I have been filling it at night and morning to top.
Seems like coal ashes have been forming up alot looking at under grate, am I correct to clear this out till I see red coals? Fire does step up when I do this but it happens every couple hours. I am afraid to shake it to much, red coals start dropping but only about 25% of grate is red underneath. And even when I do clear it out coals never really get as hot as they should.
Yes, shaker handle on right
PS- Blackshaw nut coal

Try clearing old ash from top really well--I think you're just choked with old ash--again--you need to check that inside black pipe--