Godin Large Round Fired UP!!

 
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KaptJaq
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Post by KaptJaq » Tue. Jan. 29, 2013 9:30 am

vmi1983 wrote: Does anyone burn nut/pea or pea only in their Godin's??
I find pea is too small for the Godin. It falls through the grate quickly on a shake down and clogs up the coal bed easily. When I was given some free pea I did mix it with some nut for slow burns. I had to be careful and shake 'more frequently than usual or I would loose the fire.

KaptJaq


 
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vmi1983
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Godin Large Round/ La Belle Epoque
Coal Size/Type: Nut/Anthracite

Post by vmi1983 » Tue. Jan. 29, 2013 3:05 pm

KaptJaq wrote:
vmi1983 wrote: Does anyone burn nut/pea or pea only in their Godin's??
I find pea is too small for the Godin. It falls through the grate quickly on a shake down and clogs up the coal bed easily. When I was given some free pea I did mix it with some nut for slow burns. I had to be careful and shake 'more frequently than usual or I would loose the fire.

KaptJaq
Thanks Jaq,

I don't care for the pea/nut either. The Godin runs very consistently on nut. I will never risk losing a fire... going out to the bid for some
nut!!

 
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Post by Chiefcamper » Tue. Jan. 29, 2013 10:16 pm

I just returned two bags of pea from last year. The guy hesitated so I offered him two for one. It wasn't going to do me any good.

Tried mixing it last year and all it did was choke off the airflow, either straight or mixed with nut. My draft seems moderate, especially compared to Matt's setup. If I had stroger draft maybe it would have worked.

 
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vmi1983
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Location: Wadhams, NY
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Godin Large Round/ La Belle Epoque
Coal Size/Type: Nut/Anthracite

Post by vmi1983 » Tue. Jan. 29, 2013 11:49 pm

Chiefcamper wrote:I just returned two bags of pea from last year. The guy hesitated so I offered him two for one. It wasn't going to do me any good.

Tried mixing it last year and all it did was choke off the airflow, either straight or mixed with nut. My draft seems moderate, especially compared to Matt's setup. If I had stroger draft maybe it would have worked.
Hey Joe,

There's some warm weather on tap for tomorrow. Expected high will be in the high 40s with damp conditions. My guess is the nut will
burn more consistently when I trottle back the air-inlet of Godin, becuase of the larger air passages within a bed of nut. Pea would restrict those
critical passages, possibly to a point where I might lose the fire. This is my guess-estimate. Anyway.. I loaded the Godin with nut and she's burning very well.

Thanks,

Matt

 
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vmi1983
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Godin Large Round/ La Belle Epoque
Coal Size/Type: Nut/Anthracite

Post by vmi1983 » Thu. Jan. 31, 2013 12:15 am

High temp today was 50F. I did not modify the operating procedure... MPD still closed, and the air-inlet @ 3/4... the fire burned slower, but I had to open windows and doors.. plenty of fresh air in the house. I may throttle the Godin back to 2/3 or 1/2. Windows and door still open right now, and it is very toasty.

The Godin has been burning non-stop without a hick-up.... next wave of artic weather coming my way in two days...

Folks, just so you know, I am sorta posting day=to=day notes on my experiences with this stove. I hope I am not boring you to tears... God willing
this thread will continue running thru this season, and next season, and next, and so on...

Hopefully, these notes will be of some use someday to smebody. In particular, the first time stove operator.

I was warned by some not to use a Godin and definately
do not buy one as a first time stove. I don't know... but I am certain, the Vigilant II is the perfect stove for the firstime stove operator. Having learned
to operate the Vigilant, the Godin seems surprisingly easy.

I started burning the Godin in really cold weather. I am going to need learn to make adjustments to the stove for warmer temps. In particular,
How to get a long low heat burn without killing the fire.....

Any advice or comments are greatly appreciated.

 
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Trry
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Post by Trry » Sat. Feb. 02, 2013 1:01 am

Lots of great info in this thread. I picked up a large Godin round this summer to replace my wood burner. SO happy I did. I had burned a Harman for 10 years in my old house and the ex is still using it. 23 years old and going strong. I loved the heating qualities of coal and have been on the hunt for a coal burner for a few years. I paid 180.00 for my Godin, spent a few vacation days refurbishing it and could not be happier. I did have a learning curve, mainly on how much coal to load for a 12 hour burn and how to get the ash out effectively. I invented a few tools, some worked and some didn't work so well, but now I think I have it down pretty well. This is the only heat source I use and it is flexible enough to burn on 40-50 degree days without much fuss as well as a recent cold snap during which it performed so well I was amazed. No cold spots in the house at all and even heat all day and all night.
I fill the stove to about 6 inches below the outlet for the most consistent burn, sometimes I need to open a window on the warmer days, mostly for my dog's comfort, but on the coldest days, (-10F at night) that situation is perfect for my 970 sq. ft house.
I load and shake it first thing in the morning, clearing out as much ash as possible with my tools and then again when I get home from work 12 hours later. At bedtime I just top it off with coal and give a quick shake. I burn it with the manual damper closed all the way and the air vent on the door just cracked open, sometimes closed all the way, these are not airtight stoves, so you won't kill the fire that way. My pipe, just above the 90 degree elbow reads 250 to 300 on the coldest days, but It runs at about 150 on days that are 35-40F outside. I have an excellent draft, and the outside temp dictates the burn somewhat, I have found.
The cleanout process was a bit of a pain at first, but now it is routine, since I figured it out and takes me maybe five minutes, it used to take me longer than that just to load my woodstove well enough to burn for 6 hours.
My problem in finding a coal stove was expense and size. With no money and a small house, I needed a smallish, cheap stove. I find that my Godin is actually capable of putting out more BTU than I need, and that is probably why I don't need to fill it to the flue for the burn time I need. I have let it burn out and it burned for 28 hours on one load of nut before it died. The heat kept coming out of the stove for hours after it died though, so I never worry about getting home in time to load it like I used to with wood.
I am very happy with this stove, and even if it is the plain black model, it is still a classy little stove and everyone mentions how nice she looks in my home.
I find that it is predictable now that I understand how it works, and it is so easy to use. Load it, set it, and keep the ash out of the way. Piece of cake.
Speaking of cake, I should mention that I cook on it as well!

 
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vmi1983
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Post by vmi1983 » Sat. Feb. 02, 2013 10:30 am

Trry wrote:Lots of great info in this thread. I picked up a large Godin round this summer to replace my wood burner. SO happy I did. I had burned a Harman for 10 years in my old house and the ex is still using it. 23 years old and going strong. I loved the heating qualities of coal and have been on the hunt for a coal burner for a few years. I paid 180.00 for my Godin, spent a few vacation days refurbishing it and could not be happier. I did have a learning curve, mainly on how much coal to load for a 12 hour burn and how to get the ash out effectively. I invented a few tools, some worked and some didn't work so well, but now I think I have it down pretty well. This is the only heat source I use and it is flexible enough to burn on 40-50 degree days without much fuss as well as a recent cold snap during which it performed so well I was amazed. No cold spots in the house at all and even heat all day and all night.
I fill the stove to about 6 inches below the outlet for the most consistent burn, sometimes I need to open a window on the warmer days, mostly for my dog's comfort, but on the coldest days, (-10F at night) that situation is perfect for my 970 sq. ft house.
I load and shake it first thing in the morning, clearing out as much ash as possible with my tools and then again when I get home from work 12 hours later. At bedtime I just top it off with coal and give a quick shake. I burn it with the manual damper closed all the way and the air vent on the door just cracked open, sometimes closed all the way, these are not airtight stoves, so you won't kill the fire that way. My pipe, just above the 90 degree elbow reads 250 to 300 on the coldest days, but It runs at about 150 on days that are 35-40F outside. I have an excellent draft, and the outside temp dictates the burn somewhat, I have found.
The cleanout process was a bit of a pain at first, but now it is routine, since I figured it out and takes me maybe five minutes, it used to take me longer than that just to load my woodstove well enough to burn for 6 hours.
My problem in finding a coal stove was expense and size. With no money and a small house, I needed a smallish, cheap stove. I find that my Godin is actually capable of putting out more BTU than I need, and that is probably why I don't need to fill it to the flue for the burn time I need. I have let it burn out and it burned for 28 hours on one load of nut before it died. The heat kept coming out of the stove for hours after it died though, so I never worry about getting home in time to load it like I used to with wood.
I am very happy with this stove, and even if it is the plain black model, it is still a classy little stove and everyone mentions how nice she looks in my home.
I find that it is predictable now that I understand how it works, and it is so easy to use. Load it, set it, and keep the ash out of the way. Piece of cake.
Speaking of cake, I should mention that I cook on it as well!
Hey Trry,

Thanks for your post... I load the firepot to 6" below the flue outlet and keep the MPD closed. My setting on the air inlet is 3/4 open to get a 750 F temp
on the sides and 550-600F.... I'll need to experiment with the air-inlet and dial it down, but right now, the Stove is providing heat to a large bedroom upstairs via a large floor register and the stove is heating the rear of the house and kicking heat into the kitchen.... thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Matt


 
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vmi1983
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Godin Large Round/ La Belle Epoque
Coal Size/Type: Nut/Anthracite

Post by vmi1983 » Sat. Feb. 02, 2013 10:30 am

Trry wrote:Lots of great info in this thread. I picked up a large Godin round this summer to replace my wood burner. SO happy I did. I had burned a Harman for 10 years in my old house and the ex is still using it. 23 years old and going strong. I loved the heating qualities of coal and have been on the hunt for a coal burner for a few years. I paid 180.00 for my Godin, spent a few vacation days refurbishing it and could not be happier. I did have a learning curve, mainly on how much coal to load for a 12 hour burn and how to get the ash out effectively. I invented a few tools, some worked and some didn't work so well, but now I think I have it down pretty well. This is the only heat source I use and it is flexible enough to burn on 40-50 degree days without much fuss as well as a recent cold snap during which it performed so well I was amazed. No cold spots in the house at all and even heat all day and all night.
I fill the stove to about 6 inches below the outlet for the most consistent burn, sometimes I need to open a window on the warmer days, mostly for my dog's comfort, but on the coldest days, (-10F at night) that situation is perfect for my 970 sq. ft house.
I load and shake it first thing in the morning, clearing out as much ash as possible with my tools and then again when I get home from work 12 hours later. At bedtime I just top it off with coal and give a quick shake. I burn it with the manual damper closed all the way and the air vent on the door just cracked open, sometimes closed all the way, these are not airtight stoves, so you won't kill the fire that way. My pipe, just above the 90 degree elbow reads 250 to 300 on the coldest days, but It runs at about 150 on days that are 35-40F outside. I have an excellent draft, and the outside temp dictates the burn somewhat, I have found.
The cleanout process was a bit of a pain at first, but now it is routine, since I figured it out and takes me maybe five minutes, it used to take me longer than that just to load my woodstove well enough to burn for 6 hours.
My problem in finding a coal stove was expense and size. With no money and a small house, I needed a smallish, cheap stove. I find that my Godin is actually capable of putting out more BTU than I need, and that is probably why I don't need to fill it to the flue for the burn time I need. I have let it burn out and it burned for 28 hours on one load of nut before it died. The heat kept coming out of the stove for hours after it died though, so I never worry about getting home in time to load it like I used to with wood.
I am very happy with this stove, and even if it is the plain black model, it is still a classy little stove and everyone mentions how nice she looks in my home.
I find that it is predictable now that I understand how it works, and it is so easy to use. Load it, set it, and keep the ash out of the way. Piece of cake.
Speaking of cake, I should mention that I cook on it as well!
Hey Trry,

Thanks for your post... I load the firepot to 6" below the flue outlet and keep the MPD closed. My setting on the air inlet is 3/4 open to get a 750 F temp
on the sides and 550-600F.... I'll need to experiment with the air-inlet and dial it down, but right now, the Stove is providing heat to a large bedroom upstairs via a large floor register and the stove is heating the rear of the house and kicking heat into the kitchen.... thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Matt

 
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Post by Chiefcamper » Sat. Feb. 02, 2013 3:13 pm

Lost Track Of This Thread for a Week :lol:

:idea: :idea: :idea:

So it just hits me now.

Looks like most are not loading the Petit' right up to the outlet, more like 6" below the outlet.

I always load mine to the bottom of the outlet, maybe an inch or two less.

Now on a lot of days, the coal on top is still black after 12 hours and their is Nary a flame. Saw a video on a Hitzer tending today (my apologies, can't remember who posted it up, GREAT VIDEO!!!) and he stated the flames were needed to burn off the gasses. So mine kinda stinks when I open up the top door. I'm sure it's those unburnt gasses going up the pipe.

Loading with that much coal is also producing a lot of variance within a 12 hour burn?

Gonna try leaving 6" of space below the inlet when I fill tonight, perhaps getting a more stable and efficient burn.

Joe

 
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vmi1983
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Godin Large Round/ La Belle Epoque
Coal Size/Type: Nut/Anthracite

Post by vmi1983 » Sat. Feb. 02, 2013 8:04 pm

Chiefcamper wrote:Lost Track Of This Thread for a Week :lol:

:idea: :idea: :idea:

So it just hits me now.

Looks like most are not loading the Petit' right up to the outlet, more like 6" below the outlet.

I always load mine to the bottom of the outlet, maybe an inch or two less.

Now on a lot of days, the coal on top is still black after 12 hours and their is Nary a flame. Saw a video on a Hitzer tending today (my apologies, can't remember who posted it up, GREAT VIDEO!!!) and he stated the flames were needed to burn off the gasses. So mine kinda stinks when I open up the top door. I'm sure it's those unburnt gasses going up the pipe.

Loading with that much coal is also producing a lot of variance within a 12 hour burn?

Gonna try leaving 6" of space below the inlet when I fill tonight, perhaps getting a more stable and efficient burn.

Joe
From the videos, looks like you have a strong draft, like my set-up. If the Oval burns like the Round, and you load it to 6" below the flue outlet, you will get complete combustion. That's my guess....

I hope you will let us know how it worked out!

Thanks,

matt

 
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Post by Trry » Sun. Feb. 03, 2013 1:28 pm

I saw a video on youtube where a fellow was showing how to fire up a Glenwood. One of the things I learned there was that coal stoves need an area for secondary combustion above the fire. That is the reason stoves are tall. He stated that on the Glenwood the coal should take up 1/3 of the space and 2/3 is left for combustion. I think I have that correct in my memory. At any rate, I started to leave some space over my coal bed, and my stove began to run better, hotter, using less coal and with much less fuss. More efficient, in other words. Another thing I noticed with my Godin round is that when I burn a hot, hot fire it is harder to clear ashes, since the coal lumps seem to never break down into ash. They stay the shape they started in. With a Godin's sort of shaker, it is more difficult to shake down that way and I have to crush those with a tool pushed through the front gate to get a good cleaning out of ash. I also notice that there is less bridging above the grate when the stove is burned more moderately. By moderately, I mean to say that my pipe runs at about 200-250. I do burn it much lower than this on warmer days, about 150, sometimes 125, but 200-250 keeps my house toasty on the coldest days here in Central NY State. If I burn this stove any hotter I have to open windows, it really puts out BTU when it is humming happily along at that rate. I need to get another thermometer to keep on the stove body, because I really have no idea what that temp is. I know it is pushing out a lot of heat though, and that's what I am looking for. Keep in mind that I am using a magnetic thermometer that probably isn't all that accurate.
I still get bridging, and I still get those chunks of spent coal, but less of both and it makes it quicker and easier to keep a good fire going.
I hope you get the hang of your Godin, I am still learning about mine, but it always does the job, and even if I loose the fire once in a while, it beats burning wood every time.

 
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vmi1983
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Godin Large Round/ La Belle Epoque
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Post by vmi1983 » Mon. Feb. 04, 2013 3:04 pm

Trry wrote:I saw a video on youtube where a fellow was showing how to fire up a Glenwood. One of the things I learned there was that coal stoves need an area for secondary combustion above the fire. That is the reason stoves are tall. He stated that on the Glenwood the coal should take up 1/3 of the space and 2/3 is left for combustion. I think I have that correct in my memory. At any rate, I started to leave some space over my coal bed, and my stove began to run better, hotter, using less coal and with much less fuss. More efficient, in other words. Another thing I noticed with my Godin round is that when I burn a hot, hot fire it is harder to clear ashes, since the coal lumps seem to never break down into ash. They stay the shape they started in. With a Godin's sort of shaker, it is more difficult to shake down that way and I have to crush those with a tool pushed through the front gate to get a good cleaning out of ash. I also notice that there is less bridging above the grate when the stove is burned more moderately. By moderately, I mean to say that my pipe runs at about 200-250. I do burn it much lower than this on warmer days, about 150, sometimes 125, but 200-250 keeps my house toasty on the coldest days here in Central NY State. If I burn this stove any hotter I have to open windows, it really puts out BTU when it is humming happily along at that rate. I need to get another thermometer to keep on the stove body, because I really have no idea what that temp is. I know it is pushing out a lot of heat though, and that's what I am looking for. Keep in mind that I am using a magnetic thermometer that probably isn't all that accurate.
I still get bridging, and I still get those chunks of spent coal, but less of both and it makes it quicker and easier to keep a good fire going.
I hope you get the hang of your Godin, I am still learning about mine, but it always does the job, and even if I loose the fire once in a while, it beats burning wood every time.
Thanks for the tips Trry. I think I'm on the right path. I am running two stoves. The Godin for me is as simple as it gets. I'm running the stove at 700-750 in the frigid temps. Lately, I dialed the air inlet to 1/3 to 1/2 opening... the IR Gun reads in the hottest spot about 760F....

When after 12 hours, the coal level drops below the center (horizontal) fire-brick line, depending, I may just recharge it (warmer weather) or do a clean out. I can crush
the soft klinckers with my tool or if they have fallen below the bridge, open the fire-grill and scoop them out onto the ash catcher, then I'll close the grill, and use the tool
to scrap away at the rear sides and top until I see the orange glow. Next I recharge with two to three scoops (7.5ils / scoop), opening the MPD and adding two scoops,
set the timer for 15 minutes. I'll return and open the top lid, and the gases will ignite. Then shut the MPD, and come back later and check the fire. Always, I see nice healthy
licks of blue ladies.

If I am home, and some hours later, I might shake the fire... the slight vibration of the shaking motion usually causes some dead ash to fall, opening the lower bridge, allowing the orange glow to emanate.

I do not rely on the shaker to remove major build ups of ash...

 
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KaptJaq
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Post by KaptJaq » Mon. Feb. 04, 2013 4:18 pm

vmi1983 wrote: open the fire-grill and scoop them out onto the ash catcher, then I'll close the grill ...
Watch out when you have that grate open with a bridge that has hot coals above it. If the bridge collapses while the gate is open you could end up with a pile of hot coals around your feet.

KaptJaq

 
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vmi1983
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Post by vmi1983 » Mon. Feb. 04, 2013 4:29 pm

KaptJaq wrote:
vmi1983 wrote: open the fire-grill and scoop them out onto the ash catcher, then I'll close the grill ...
Watch out when you have that grate open with a bridge that has hot coals above it. If the bridge collapses while the gate is open you could end up with a pile of hot coals around your feet.

KaptJaq
I copy.... I'll keep the grill up, can't handle burning coals on the floor.... way too dangerous....

 
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Post by Chiefcamper » Mon. Feb. 04, 2013 10:46 pm

Yeah, it only happened to me once. That was last year. Problem is once it falls, you prolly gonna have a tough time getting that grate back up since the hinge gets filled in. And hot coals are, well you know. Pretty damn hot LOL!!!!!

Anyway after that, I never unlatched that fence again :) If you unlatch, you may want to make sure someone is around to help out. I had help getting a few steel buckets to dump the embers in. Problem was as I cleared the embers to shut the grate, more kept falling down. Like an avalanche :)

Nother note: I've been loading the stove lower and getting some flame, but closing the lid makes the flames dissappear. Could be 8 or ten hours later and if I pick the lid up, flames will slowly appear, close the lid and they are gone. Perhaps not drafting enough??? But my pipe out the stove way before the damper gets up to about 200 degrees. I'm just not sure what to do. Although I do feel that I'm letting unburnt gasses pass up the chimney. Not only a waste of fuel, but environmentally wasteful as well. I gotta put some thought into this and work it out.

Stove is running a steady 600-650 w the knob out 1.25 to 1.5 turns.

Joe


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