To Baro or Not to Baro?

Wood'nCoal wrote: And then there's the gray hair...

Bah....at least you have hair.

Ed.A wrote:

Wood'nCoal wrote: And then there's the gray hair...

Bah....at least you have hair.

Good point, sorry. I worry about that to.

Wood'nCoal wrote:

Ed.A wrote:

Wood'nCoal wrote: And then there's the gray hair...

Bah....at least you have hair.

Good point, sorry. I worry about that to.

I don't worry about that because my hair has been thinning since I was 25 years old. I tell my wife if she can have sagging breasts then I can have thinning hair. It is all part of nature.

I’ve been a barometric damper procrastinator. I’ve had one installed since day 1 but it never opened and the boiler seemed to work fine so I went along my merry way in blissful ignorance. One day there was all this chatter on the forum about a good deal on EBAY for Dwyer Mark II manometers so I bought one. It’s been sitting in the box since. Now that I’ve had some time off around the holidays, I got it out and hooked it up. Harman says I should have between .04 and .06 inches of water column. With the damper not opening, I’ve got .05. My stack temp. on the chimney side of the baro was 317*. I adjusted my baro to about .035 (open slightly) and my stack temp dropped to 234*. Boiler still works fine, burning somewhat less coal I guess. I plan to pick up a new field controls baro damper. Is anyone using a type M instead of the RC? It apparently can be adjusted somewhat finer. May be overkill?

coalkirk wrote:I plan to pick up a new field controls baro damper. Is anyone using a type M instead of the RC? It apparently can be adjusted somewhat finer. May be overkill?

Absolutely not, when I spoke with their tech last week, he recommended it for coal. Not only is its adjustment finer, it has bleed holes to prevent flyash buildup. We will need a full report on its performance, of course.

Who 'da thunk it?

I just bought a second R/C so I could experiment with the old one.

I’ve got .05. My stack temp. on the chimney side of the baro was 317*. I adjusted my baro to about .035 (open slightly) and my stack temp dropped to 234*. Boiler still works fine, burning somewhat less coal I guess. I plan to pick up a new field controls baro damper. Is anyone using a type M instead of the RC? It apparently can be adjusted somewhat finer. May be overkill?

If your current baro is maintaining .035 and that is what it's supposed to be then you don't need a better baro, if yours maintains the draft then a better one won't work any better.

Hey Mr Coalstove!

I'm a Novice/Newbie; and dang proud of it! I sorta thought that's what this forum was all about. So us newbies could benefit from all the experience, hope, strength and wisdom of all the Tribal Elders who have earned their Coal Burners! And maybe SOME day, just MAYBE we can become tribal elders ourselves to pass on this great tradition!

Last night I just purchased a Brand Spanky New Harmon Magnafire Mark II and it's to be delivered next week.

Thanks to all you people here I was sufficiently brave enough to install a metalbestos chimney. I've been reading all about how to start and maintain a coal fire here, and can't wait to start! But, to date, I ain't burned one single lick of rice coal, [nor wood for that matter] yet.

A week or so ago it dipped down to MINUS 11 degrees in the Eastern River Valley on which I live up here in the Great Northern State o' Maine, and I was cursing all those towel heads while I listened to my oil burner chew through $5 bills at 2 am.

I have a father-in-law who worked for the RailRoad some several decades ago, and used to be responsible for keeping a few of those old railroad stoves fired up. My dear old dad [now deceased] used to tell me that a lot of those old Brick & Granite RailRoad buildings were fired by pot-belly coal stoves in the dead of cold, sub-zero Maine winters, and the air was so hot it would melt the glass out of ones spectacles! For those of you too young to remember those days, that was before anyone thought of insulation, and those Brick & Granite buildings were some cold on the outside!

Thanks to all of you whom so enthusiastically contribute in these pages. This forum is a GODSEND! And I'm so excited to get started!

Thanks again!

Greenhorn
Dresden, ME

Welcome friend....Welcome. I was / am a newbie as well, got me a Alaska Channing III this year and this is THE place to be. Glad you found it, I do believe it's the only real source out there for us people who saw the Light of Coal.

ENJOY!

Back on the subject of Barometric dampers.

Today while messing with my AA boiler out in the boiler building, I saw the baro damper move for the first time.. I have a relativly short 15'x8" chimney, and it holds a steady draft of .02-.03"wc when my AA is idling or when it is running.

Today was pretty windy, and as I watched the the baro did it's best to control the draft to .05 that I have it set for, and it wavered between slightly open to fully open trying to keep the draft steady.

One monster wind gust, that seemed to last 15-25 seconds, rattled the steel roofing on the building, made moaning sounds around the eves, and ran the manometer up to .1" for awhile. I wonder what the draft would have been without the damper wide open?? .15 or .2 ??

The AA boiler doesn't require a baro, but it is recommended, so I put one in. Doesn't hurt.

Greg L.

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elvinpw wrote: But, to date, I ain't burned one single lick of rice coal, [nor wood for that matter] yet.

Welcome, this is the place to be for coal burning newbees.

Just one note, you mentioned rice coal. You need to burn pea, nut, or stove coal in your new toy. Rice is for stokers, it's too small and will fall through the grates in your new heat monster.
I have found that pea sized coal works the best in my stove.

John