My new Glenwood Oak 30 - pics attached - I need advice!

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and parlor stoves in general and was hoping some members may be able to give me some advice and tips on general usage of my stove.

I refinished a Glenwood Oak #30 two years ago and have been using it for the past winters. I've been experimenting with the stove and made a few tweaks based on some advice, but I think I can get better performance out the stove. So I've got some questions that I could use input on...

1) I made a steel plate in the shape of a circle that covers the coal grates in an effort to 'tighten' up the stove. With this piece of steel the ash doesn't fall into the ash bin and the ash door vents are useless. Is this correct or should I remove the plate? I've seen a similar setup with some openings called a summer grate. Right now I burn a combo of bio bricks and wood, but would like to try coal. I'm assuming I can't use this setup with coal.

2) I started using the steel plate because the stove seems to burn through wood very quickly. Even with it I have to feed it every 1-2 hours. Is this normal? How should and how much should I load it? And how long should a fire last? I would love to have something burn overnight. I've tried to damper it down, but find the temperature drops too much or I often lose the flames completely. Once when this happened, it re-ignited the gases that had been building up and the door made quite a racket... I generally keep the door vents 3/4 - all the way open with wood the flue 1/4 open. This seems to allow me to keep the stove temperature at 500-650.

3) I also find sometimes I get temperature spikes and I have to adjust the vents/flue. Is this normal? I have a thermometer on the stove barrel and generally burn in the 500-650 range when possible. Do people use a combination of the vent on the door and the circle ash door vents?

4) I attached a picture of the back of the stove. I'm not sure what it's called, but heard it's to help re-circulate the heat. Is this considered the flue as well? Or should I have a second flue on my stovepipe (I do not have one)?

5) My pipe setup (in case in matters). Glenwood to 8 inch piece of steel to about 3 feet of double wall pipe, 90 degree turn to class 3 pipe, 3 ft to chimney. All pipe is 6 inch.

Thank you for all your help and advice...

Welcome aboard!


You came to the right place, some members that know your stove will be along shortly and share some of their knowledge of these stoves.

Though these types of stoves can burn wood passably well they are very much inferior to a modern wood stove.

They are however excellent coal burners and coal should be your fuel of choice. If the fire pot is not lined with brick or ceramic then I would urge that that be done. Get 5 or 6 bags of nut or stove coal to try and I think you be shocked at the difference. The lined fire pot will make low output burning much easier as well as protect it.

There are a lot of threads on Glenwood stoves which you can find by putting Glenwood in the search box. You will also find links to William's (wsherrick) videos which are excellent.

is this plate (ring) for the purpose of a barrier between the grate and firebrick to prevent wear on the liner? (if so then well done!), if your using a flat plate to block the air from getting from the lower chamber to upper then take it OUT (it will not facilitate wood or coal burning), as the previous poster said this is a coal stove (a very good one!) and trying to use it as a wood burning stove will only frustrate you as much as it frustrates those who use wood burning designs to attempt to burn coal. If you can post some pics inside the stove it would be great (just so people can ensure your grate and liner are adequate for coal burning (sometimes these get lost over the course of 100 years )

Plenty of Glenwood owners here, matter of fact.... ALL OF THEM ARE HERE! LOL .... so welcome to the forum and were glad you found us and we look forward to knowing you more

Thanks for the replies! The steel plate is to block the air from the lower chamber. It's just a piece of steel cut in a circle the approximate size of the stove.

I don't think the stove is lined, but I attached some pictures. The iron is defintely thicker and has a ribbed pattern on the bottom part of the chamber. I'll take some pictures with the stove fully cleaned out and the steel plate removed so you can see the coal shakers.

If I burn coal do I need to have the stove lined? If so, what's the best way to accomplish this? Also, would I need a grate to go over the coal shakers? Or does the coal rest directly on them?

Thank you

Welcome to the forum. Your Glenwood 30 is the same stove as my Modern Oak 116. It's just from the earlier series. You have the divided back pipe too which makes it an even better coal burner. As Richard stated, these are ok wood burners but excellent anthracite coal stoves. The "summer plate" is only for wood burning and should be removed before using coal. You must also keep the stove in the direct draft mode (back pipe) for burning wood or your load it with creosote.

I suggest you buy a few bags of nut coal to try it and see what we are talking about. Just follow the lighting procedures on the first page top for hand fired stoves. You will get nice long and steady burns with coal and you'll be amazed at the heat it puts out. Once you have established a coal fire, you then push in the back pipe damper (close) and set the primary vents on the ash door and off you got for the next 10-12hrs. If you are going to use the stove for coal allot you should line the firepot with some refractory material as Richard stated. You'll never have to worry about damaging the pot.

The vent on the loading door is called the secondary and is to add over the fire air for burning wood and for 15 or 20 min when refueling with coal. After that it is closed and you only use the ash door primaries. You will find that those temp spikes you experiance with wood will all but disappear when using coal. Again there is many pages of start up technique and William has a video (#6 base heater) that is almost the same as your stove. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ako2m5K_uM

Quickly:
Remove the wood plate, and get a hot wood fire with coals going and add some coal a couple scoops at a time. Wait till you have the blue flames going well. Do this once or twice, then top it up all the way and within an hour your stove will show you where it's going to cruise. Adjust the primaries for more or less heat and relax for 12hrs!

Ask any questions you have and we'll help you as best we can. You have a beautiful stove that is an excellent coal burner used properly.

Hi Glenwoodoak and welcome to the forum. As all previous post said, give to yourself the chance to discover anthracite burning and you will never come back to wood.

glenwoodoak wrote:If I burn coal do I need to have the stove lined?

The stoves were sold both lined and unlined. You can use it as is but a lining will even out the heat and lessen the stress on the fire pot. It will also make for a more even burn of the coal since if the coal resting up against the iron fire pot loses heat quicker than coal in the middle, it will burn out quicker and not burn out totally. With a high fire with lots of heat in the fire pot the difference is not as apparent but with a low to moderate fire the difference is very noticeable. The fire pot holds the fire and the more heat kept there the better the combustion. All the professional re builders add a lining. I would suggest one inch thick which is what the original brick linings were from Glenwood.

Again, read the threads and you will find how others have done it. You can buy castable refractory and there is even material you can tamp in place.

The burning coal rests directly on the grates. do you have the crank to shake the grates?

SteveZee wrote:Welcome to the forum. Your Glenwood 30 is the same stove as my Modern Oak 116. It's just from the earlier series. You have the divided back pipe too which makes it an even better coal burner. As Richard stated, these are ok wood burners but excellent anthracite coal stoves. The "summer plate" is only for wood burning and should be removed before using coal. You must also keep the stove in the direct draft mode (back pipe) for burning wood or your load it with creosote.

I suggest you buy a few bags of nut coal to try it and see what we are talking about. Just follow the lighting procedures on the first page top for hand fired stoves. You will get nice long and steady burns with coal and you'll be amazed at the heat it puts out. Once you have established a coal fire, you then push in the back pipe damper (close) and set the primary vents on the ash door and off you got for the next 10-12hrs. If you are going to use the stove for coal allot you should line the firepot with some refractory material as Richard stated. You'll never have to worry about damaging the pot.

The vent on the loading door is called the secondary and is to add over the fire air for burning wood and for 15 or 20 min when refueling with coal. After that it is closed and you only use the ash door primaries. You will find that those temp spikes you experiance with wood will all but disappear when using coal. Again there is many pages of start up technique and William has a video (#6 base heater) that is almost the same as your stove. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ako2m5K_uM

Quickly:
Remove the wood plate, and get a hot wood fire with coals going and add some coal a couple scoops at a time. Wait till you have the blue flames going well. Do this once or twice, then top it up all the way and within an hour your stove will show you where it's going to cruise. Adjust the primaries for more or less heat and relax for 12hrs!

Ask any questions you have and we'll help you as best we can. You have a beautiful stove that is an excellent coal burner used properly.

Thanks! I will definitely try coal. Should I have a flue damper on my stovepipe? I only have the one that you referenced as the backpipe, which I've been using as a damper, but I don't know if this correct.

franco b wrote:

glenwoodoak wrote:If I burn coal do I need to have the stove lined?

The stoves were sold both lined and unlined. You can use it as is but a lining will even out the heat and lessen the stress on the fire pot. It will also make for a more even burn of the coal since if the coal resting up against the iron fire pot loses heat quicker than coal in the middle, it will burn out quicker and not burn out totally. With a high fire with lots of heat in the fire pot the difference is not as apparent but with a low to moderate fire the difference is very noticeable. The fire pot holds the fire and the more heat kept there the better the combustion. All the professional re builders add a lining. I would suggest one inch thick which is what the original brick linings were from Glenwood.

Again, read the threads and you will find how others have done it. You can buy castable refractory and there is even material you can tamp in place.

The burning coal rests directly on the grates. do you have the crank to shake the grates?

Thank you! I don't know anything about the lining, but I will search the forums. If you have any suggestions on castable versus other I would be happy to hear them. I just called my stove shop, but they didn't seem to know anything about one you can tamp... I've heard others mention it so I'll keep looking...

glenwoodoak wrote:

franco b wrote:

glenwoodoak wrote:If I burn coal do I need to have the stove lined?

The stoves were sold both lined and unlined. You can use it as is but a lining will even out the heat and lessen the stress on the fire pot. It will also make for a more even burn of the coal since if the coal resting up against the iron fire pot loses heat quicker than coal in the middle, it will burn out quicker and not burn out totally. With a high fire with lots of heat in the fire pot the difference is not as apparent but with a low to moderate fire the difference is very noticeable. The fire pot holds the fire and the more heat kept there the better the combustion. All the professional re builders add a lining. I would suggest one inch thick which is what the original brick linings were from Glenwood.

Again, read the threads and you will find how others have done it. You can buy castable refractory and there is even material you can tamp in place.

The burning coal rests directly on the grates. do you have the crank to shake the grates?

Thank you! I don't know anything about the lining, but I will search the forums. If you have any suggestions on castable versus other I would be happy to hear them. I just called my stove shop, but they didn't seem to know anything about one you can tamp... I've heard others mention it so I'll keep looking...

I called a stove refinisher. He told me the stuff I wanted was plastic refractory made by Cutter Atlantic. He said it came in about a 50lb box and had strips you could tamp into place. This sound like the right stuff? Now I just have to find a place close to me in Maine that has it...

Rutland sells castable refractory and people who sell pottery kiln supplies also. All I have learned about the tamp in place type is from reading the posts from SteveZee. Read his posts on re building his Glenwood 116. I think others have used a stiff mix of castable and troweled it in place.

The only lining I have installed was by using castable. I used thin sheet metal for the inner form. Easy to twist into the funnel shape needed to match the taper of the stove and then cut off the bottom to make it square at the right point. A few sheet metal screws to hold in place. The grate has to be covered also and I used sheet metal but in two pieces so it could be removed.

Others have used thin flexible cardboard and just burned it out when the cement sets.

I think Nortcan used a flower pot as an inner form that just happened to be the right size on one of his stoves. Read his threads also. Lots of cheap plastic flower pots around. Grease it or oil it before using and it should pull right out.

Marty, yep that's the stuff I used. I know a guy in Orland, Me. that I bought a box from. Mine was called Noxram, but it's the same stuff. I think was about $40 something for the box but shipping would be pricey due to the weight. Anyways the place is called the Love Barn (yep really) and the owner is Mark MaGrath or McCleod? (207) 469-7420

Marty,
could you please take another pic. of the back of your stove and the pipe hookup your pic is aweful dark?....I am not sure you have her hooked up correctly.
From what I can see of the indirect back pipe you are coming out of the top?...if so that is not the correct set-up.
I have a #30 burning 24/7 and should be able to give you some advise/pointers.
Feel free to PM me.
Tim

Thanks Tim. Great timing on your post, I realized this morning the hook up wasn't correct... I just pm-ed you... Thank you for your help.