Petit Godin Coal?

Anastasia · Post by **Anastasia** » Wed. Dec. 26, 2012 7:47 pm

I have had this stove for 25 years. I used it in germany with coal bricks. In this country I have used wood but tried nut coal today. What is the diffetence btwn the 2? I just don't remember how high I can fill it with coal. It seems I would block the air flow. Also I have a damper on the pipe and have it open. Should I leave it open? In germany I didn't have that option.

KaptJaq · Post by **KaptJaq** » Wed. Dec. 26, 2012 9:24 pm

I am not sure what you mean by "coal bricks". When we were in France we burned either wood or some carbonized organic matter shaped into small blocks. Similar to charcoal in the U.S. I think it was a mix of soft coal and pyrolysisized(?) wood or peat. The nut coal I burn here is hard anthracite coal. There is also bituminous/soft coal in some areas. Do you know which you have?

I have good results with hard nut coal in my Godin. I usually fill the barrel about half way, probably 40 lbs of coal. If I need an extended burn I will fill it to within a couple of inches of the bottom of the outlet. My normal burn rate is between 1 and 2 pounds of coal an hour. One pound an hour give about 12,000 btus/hour, two pounds is about 24,000. My stove is rated 35,000 btu/hour but I rarely burn it that hot. On colder days and once the stove is in a steady state I close the manual pipe damper about three quarters of the way. It keeps the stove hot, the pipe warm, and helps control the burn. For warmer days I leave it open to help the draft.

Do you have any specific questions about burning coal in your stove?

KaptJaq

nortcan · Post by **nortcan** » Wed. Dec. 26, 2012 9:44 pm

Hi Anastasia and welcome to the forum.
There are some Godin owners on the forum and many others familiar with these stoves. So answers will come soon.
If you can send some photos showing the stove, the installation, outside temp... more infos help to help

Salutations du Québec

firebug · Post by **firebug** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 4:01 am

Hey, Anastasia!
Was für Briketts hattet Ihr denn in D? Die rechteckigen sind Braunkohle, die kleinen Eierbriketts sind Steinkohlenbriketts... brennen ganz unterschiedlich und vor allem die Braunkohle ist was ganz anderes als Steinkohle / bituminous coal oder Anthrazit - da bräuchten wir noch n paar Infos um wirklich helfen zu können

Grüße, Mark

DennisH · Post by **DennisH** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 1:37 pm

firebug wrote:Hey, Anastasia!
Was für Briketts hattet Ihr denn in D? Die rechteckigen sind Braunkohle, die kleinen Eierbriketts sind Steinkohlenbriketts... brennen ganz unterschiedlich und vor allem die Braunkohle ist was ganz anderes als Steinkohle / bituminous coal oder Anthrazit - da bräuchten wir noch n paar Infos um wirklich helfen zu können

Grüße, Mark

Toll, dass Deutsche Forummitglieder sind!!

KaptJaq · Post by **KaptJaq** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 1:53 pm

firebug wrote:Hey, Anastasia!
Was für Briketts hattet Ihr denn in D? Die rechteckigen sind Braunkohle, die kleinen Eierbriketts sind Steinkohlenbriketts... brennen ganz unterschiedlich und vor allem die Braunkohle ist was ganz anderes als Steinkohle / bituminous coal oder Anthrazit - da bräuchten wir noch n paar Infos um wirklich helfen zu können

Grüße, Mark

For the few of us that do not speak German:

Hey, Anastasia!
What did you have for briquettes in D(Germany)? The square is lignite, the small egg briquettes are coal briquettes ... burn very different and especially the brown coal is something completely different than coal / anthracite or bituminous coal - we could do with some info in order to really help you.

Regards, Mark

firebug · Post by **firebug** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 4:53 pm

right you are, thanks for the translation! Only had a couple of minutes between two meetings so I just left a couple of lines without really giving it a second thought

rberq · Post by **rberq** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 7:12 pm

firebug wrote:Hey, Anastasia!
Was für Briketts hattet Ihr denn in D? Die rechteckigen sind Braunkohle, die kleinen Eierbriketts sind Steinkohlenbriketts... brennen ganz unterschiedlich und vor allem die Braunkohle ist was ganz anderes als Steinkohle / bituminous coal oder Anthrazit - da bräuchten wir noch n paar Infos um wirklich helfen zu können

Grüße, Mark

If you get Google to translate this from German to Japanese, then Japanese to French, then French to Hindi, then Hindi to Pakistani, then Pakistani to English, it makes perfect sense:

Ahoy there, Anastasia.
What for do you use the damn brickettes, right side up with brocolli or clinging to the sides of your beer stein? Brandy goes underneath and for everyday use brocolli is easier on your stinkhole. Bituminous coal is older than anthracite -- the branches were nice and even, flames work like hell to coddle you in your pupal or grub stage, Marcus.

Post by **franco b** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 9:57 pm

very good.

Chiefcamper · Post by **Chiefcamper** » Fri. Dec. 28, 2012 12:52 am

I fill my godin with chestnut anthracite coal very close to the bottom of the exhaust outlet.

I leave the manual damper open. I haven't experimented much with the damper.

For my draft, 1 turn out on the draft knob is a good starting point.

It works well.

WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe

vmi1983 · Post by **vmi1983** » Sun. Dec. 30, 2012 9:54 pm

I just received the large-round Petit Godin 3721, and I will try nut and stove. I have been advised not to use pea as it will kill the fire. A MPD say 18" or so up from the flue
is a must. I am thinking stove sized coal will break down allowing for easier shaking? Not sure, it's just a hunch.

Thanks,

Matt

.

biggerpatterson · Post by **biggerpatterson** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 4:54 pm

I fill mine to just below the top exhaust opening. 2 turns open on the bottom air intake and the damper closed or open maybe 1/4. I have an indicator on the pipe that tells the temp. It try to keep it around 200 degrees. I don't shake the stove much. I open the bottom and gently remove the ashes with a small shovel till I can see the glow from the burning coal.. Most times the coal bed will hang in the stove.Close the bottom and open the top. I have a flat piece of steel and a couple pokes around the outside of the coal bed will cause it to fall to the grate.Fill it to the top exhaust opening and I'm good to go. I may open the damper a litte more after I fill the stove to bring the pipe temp up again. Seems to work for me

Chiefcamper · Post by **Chiefcamper** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:18 pm

I opened my front grate once and tried shoveling some of the ashes out.

The hot coals came a tumbling down and I had a heck of a time getting that grate closed. Maybe I lacked the finesse, many possible variables, but for me, Never Again. I guess individual results will vary

I always use a thin poker between the front grates to break up the bigger pieces, maybe get more life out of the shaker. Seems to work ok for me.

I do know that without the poking I'd be shaking mine down forever.

Joe

vmi1983 · Post by **vmi1983** » Wed. Jan. 02, 2013 12:31 pm

I am about ready to install the Large round Godin. Since the grate is off-axis, towards the fire-door, how in the heck, do you remove the ash rear and sides?
It would seem to me I would have to shovel out the ash back of the front grate. That would require the door to be open, right?

To Be honest with you Godin Users, I am a bit
confused

Or say I use the poker under and up through the grate and remove the ash, what about all the remaing ash in the bottom rear? Does the ash somehow tumble
forward onto that undersized grate. My guess is that it could not

You know, I would really appreciate if a kind person would upload a video or step by step procedure on maintaing a Godin. I have read every post on NEPA and as I see it,
one must open the Grate access door and use a small shovel or tool to remove the ash, right? Given the small grate and limited access to the rear of the stove my experience
tells me the stove would become ash-bound.

The other idea

that has popped in my head, is PERHAPS, the fire (majority fire/ash) must be pulled forward onto the grate BEFORE recharging, trying not to disturb the fire so much,( this would require a flat sided tool long enough to extend easily from the top-loading door)
then shake down the excess ash and load staggered fresh coal into the rear of the cylinder. I am told in the Godin, coal burn pattern is front-to-rear.

I don't know?

Thanks

Post by **dcrane** » Wed. Jan. 02, 2013 3:41 pm

DennisH wrote:
firebug wrote:Hey, Anastasia!
Was für Briketts hattet Ihr denn in D? Die rechteckigen sind Braunkohle, die kleinen Eierbriketts sind Steinkohlenbriketts... brennen ganz unterschiedlich und vor allem die Braunkohle ist was ganz anderes als Steinkohle / bituminous coal oder Anthrazit - da bräuchten wir noch n paar Infos um wirklich helfen zu können

Grüße, Mark
Toll, dass Deutsche Forummitglieder sind!!

Huh o.0? gotta some rule against this LOL

anyways, european coal is alot softer and thier grate systems and stoves differ somewhat because of that, the godin should work fine with nut size just be careful about overfiring this unit or pushing the limits as ive seen these babies disintigrate before my very eyes before (very easy to do with our quality coal).