Coal Chubby Sr. (Replacing Jotul 507)

 
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JRLearned
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Post by JRLearned » Tue. Jul. 02, 2013 3:16 pm

So I just bought a used Coal Chubby Sr. on Craigs and I've started a total tear down to refurb the unit myself. Many thanks to I'm On Fire for the great play-by-play on his rebuild here, Chubby SR Teardown. RESIZED TO 640 X 800 but Still HUGE.. I'm currently waste deep in grinding and sanding the rust and paint off the unit, inside and out. I have new Mica and Gaskets in the mail from Larry (GREAT GUY!). I will post pics tonight hopefully.

As for the Jotul 507:
I am hoping the Chubby will replace and outperform my Jotul 507. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my 507, what a great stove! But, after burning all winter long on the 507 I noticed it had difficulty keeping up when the temp dropped below 25 or so. And, in MA this winter we saw a lot of 15 F at night. I have 1800 SQ ft and floor vents to get the heat upstairs. I think I just need a little more output, and from what I've read, the Chubby is the way to go.

A couple questions to other Chubby owners:How low can you run your stove? What is your rate of consumption on the lowest setting? I'm talking spring and fall settings. With the airtight Jotul I could close the intake down low and run at about 350 F for 12+ hours on 8-10 LB. As low as 0.75Lb/hr. This meant I didn't have to run the oil furnace at all, even in fall and spring 40 F temps outside.

How hot do you typically run your stove? What is the typical surface temp? What is your typical rate of consumption? One thing I love about my Jotul is that I can run it at at 450-500F for 10 hours while I'm at work on just 12LB of nut coal. That's about 1.25 LB/Hr. The Jotul 507 is just so efficient. I'm hoping the Chubby does not disappoint. I want a stove with more output, but I dont' want to eat up my cost savings over the price of oil. I'd probably burn coal anyway (addicted), but it's nice to feel like your saving money.

How high do you run your stove on cold nights? What is your rate of consumption on a high setting? The jotul is supposedly capable of running at 800+ degrees, though I never pushed it that high. Above 500 I could easily reach a point where the entire coal bed it glowing red and it started ripping through coal @ 2+ LB/hour. When the entire bed is burning red, I think you're no longer efficient. I felt like I was maxing out the stoves potential. Thus, my drive to find a stove with a little more throughput.

AS A SIDE NOTE: I still have my U.S. Army Cannon heater, but it's just too darn powerful for my house. The cannon heater on its lowest configuration would have my downstairs ambient air temps running at 110F, making the first floor uninhabitable. I'm hoping the Chubby has more control and won't overpower the house. The cannon heater is NOT airtight by any means. The chubby looks like it's pretty close to air tight.


 
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Post by franco b » Tue. Jul. 02, 2013 4:32 pm

Comparing the surface area of the two stoves above the ash pan will give a good estimate of relative output assuming equal surface temperature.

 
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Post by ONEDOLLAR » Tue. Jul. 02, 2013 4:50 pm

Jr

Welcome to the Chubby Cult!!1 Great stove made by one of the nicest people too. Check you PM's BTW....

Also... What part of the world are you burning coal in?

 
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Post by Rob R. » Tue. Jul. 02, 2013 6:20 pm

The Chubby is a great stove, but you will still have to move the heat around. Any way you can use both stoves?

 
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Post by dcrane » Tue. Jul. 02, 2013 10:26 pm

The Chubby can put as as much and more heat than your Cannon (I'm not sure why you could not control your cannon heater since the few I've used could be toned down low or allowed to crank it up?), The Chubby is certainly airtight but as with any cast iron stove bolted and glued together, over time it will loose some of this air tightness and should be disassembled and reassembled like your doing now. Im not sure I would crank up any Cast Iron stove surface temp much over 800 degree's (most folks will say to try to stick around 600 but Ive used a Chubby fine at 800 with no problem, start going beyond that for any extended period and your asking for damage to the stove). You will not miss your 507 at all so no worries my friend ;)

 
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Post by JRLearned » Tue. Jul. 02, 2013 10:59 pm

Rob, yes I could use both if put one in storage. Currently the cannon heater (aka the Beast) sits side by side w/the Jotul. I might put the cannon in the garage until I have a bigger house with a room big enough to utilize the power of the Beast. :D With wood it's a little more reasonable but I think the12k BTU heat content of coal combined with air leaks = runaway freight train! I do have some firewood but I hate re-lighting every night... and tending every 4-6 hours. Not really an option unless you work from home all the time. Coming home to a cold house is no fun. On really cold nights (<10 F) it was nice to fire it up and soak the house in warmth.

 
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Post by JRLearned » Tue. Jul. 09, 2013 9:14 am

Ok, here are some pics of the rebuild process:

Old leg here, backside. It shows some green color because of the Krud Kutter treatment to disolve the rust:
20130705_191241.jpg

Backside of one of the legs, still unfinished.

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Backside of door, wire wheeled to remove rust in the gasket channel. Overall the doors were still in good shape when I got it:
20130705_191214.jpg
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Tough Stripper taking the paint off the front side of the leg. This stove had several layers of paint, even on the cast iron components. I took everything down to bare metal.
20130705_191224.jpg
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First coat, Stove Bright high heat primer on the body. I forgot to take a picture of the bare metal body, but it looked much like those posted by I'm On Fire.
20130705_191318.jpg
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SIDE NOTE ON SANDBLASTING: After 6-8 hours worth of grinding with whire wheels, sanding discs, and stripper discs, I finally heard back from a Sandblasting shop in Medway, MA that quoted me $50 to sandblast the stove down to bare metal. I easily spent over $50 worth of sanding discs and paint stripper supplies. WHAT A WASTE! For anyone else attempting this, SAVE YOUR MONEY AND TIME AND GET IT SANDBLASTED.

1 coat of plain black high heat stove paint inside the stove. I don't know if the paint will survive the high temps inside the stove, but after all the work of getting the rust off inside I'm glad to have a coat on there.
20130705_191326.jpg
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Post by dcrane » Tue. Jul. 09, 2013 9:34 am

Love that built in Damper onto the main flu (I don't think many stoves have that anymore), Is that flu solid welded on the outside (or is is cemented with a bead or calking?)... Its not solid welded on the inside as you can see and if its only cement sealing that then this would be one upgrade id make now (Weld that sucker solid around the inside or outside) since this is one area that can warp & distort from extreme temps.

Your gonna love the heat this thing produces!

 
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Post by JRLearned » Tue. Jul. 09, 2013 9:37 am

After some work on my stove and some discussions with Larry, I determined a few things:

1. LARRY IS AWESOME!

2. The updated fire pot design with the cross member and center pin grate make a huge difference in the shaker action. I ordered one from Larry and, WOW, what a difference. The grates don't touch the fire pot tabs at all and the action is decievingly smooth. You end up questioning whether it's attached or not because it's so smooth.

2.5 Supposedly the existing grate can be used with the updated fire pot, but according to Larry you may need to round out the center hole a bit and add a washer underneath to get the grate up off the tabs.

3. I haven't seen anyone successfully weld a cross member onto the old style fire pot. I've searched the web, but no one has reported success. I'm not a welder, but my father is, but still I didn't attempt it. My 2 cents is, save the hassle and just order the updated fire pot, you won't be disappointed.

4. The gasket on the top casting is a different size than the ones on the fire pot and doors. Larry's gasket kit on his website contains only the door gaskets, so you'll have to get the others yourself or ask him for them.

5. Larry ships your order fast and is very easy to work with. I live in MA so USPS is next day delivery. I will continue to do business with Larry without hesitation.
Last edited by JRLearned on Wed. Jul. 10, 2013 8:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

 
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Post by JRLearned » Tue. Jul. 09, 2013 9:40 am

dcrane wrote:Love that built in Damper onto the main flu (I don't think many stoves have that anymore), Is that flu solid welded on the outside (or is is cemented with a bead or calking?)... Its not solid welded on the inside as you can see and if its only cement sealing that then this would be one upgrade id make now (Weld that sucker solid around the inside or outside) since this is one area that can warp & distort from extreme temps.

Your gonna love the heat this thing produces!
Yes, the rear vent flue is welded on the outside with a large bead all around. The damper is the standard $7.99 type that comes right out. I've ordered a new one because mine was so badly rusted and they're so cheap to begin with.

 
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Post by McGiever » Tue. Jul. 09, 2013 10:14 am

For anyone else doing Stove Brite Paint, NO Primer required or recommeded to be used. for indoor items. NO PRIMER!!!

Stove Bright Primer is used for outdoor items exposed to the elements. This is per the manufactuer. ;)

 
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Post by JRLearned » Tue. Jul. 09, 2013 10:20 am

McGiever wrote:For anyone else doing Stove Brite Paint, NO Primer required or recommeded to be used. for indoor items. NO PRIMER!!!

Stove Bright Primer is used for outdoor items exposed to the elements. This is per the manufactuer. ;)
I considered the fact the stove bright paints are self priming, but figured there would be no harm in using the primer. Additional cost, yes, but no harm. I can't think of a downside, ouside of cost, to using the primer for an indoor stove. If it would withstand the elements outdoors with a primer, then it might help with longevity and withstanding the humidity of a basement.

Another thought: Outdoor chubby chiminea anyone? :D

 
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Post by ONEDOLLAR » Tue. Jul. 09, 2013 10:59 am

JRLearned wrote:Another thought: Outdoor chubby chiminea anyone?
Don't laugh... I have talked to Larry about this idea!

 
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Post by JRLearned » Wed. Jul. 10, 2013 8:42 am

Here is a coat of paint curing. I chose the Redwood color and I'm very pleased with the results. It was up on blocks in my driveway like a old dodge truck. The cast pieces have stove polish, on them, but they haven't been buffed yet. I'm still not sure I want stove polish over paint, but we'll see how they come out.
20130706_101820.jpg
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Post by I'm On Fire » Mon. Jul. 22, 2013 10:22 am

JRLearned wrote:Ok, here are some pics of the rebuild process:

Old leg here, backside. It shows some green color because of the Krud Kutter treatment to disolve the rust:
20130705_191241.jpg
Backside of door, wire wheeled to remove rust in the gasket channel. Overall the doors were still in good shape when I got it:
20130705_191214.jpg
Tough Stripper taking the paint off the front side of the leg. This stove had several layers of paint, even on the cast iron components. I took everything down to bare metal.
20130705_191224.jpg
First coat, Stove Bright high heat primer on the body. I forgot to take a picture of the bare metal body, but it looked much like those posted by I'm On Fire.
20130705_191318.jpg
SIDE NOTE ON SANDBLASTING: After 6-8 hours worth of grinding with whire wheels, sanding discs, and stripper discs, I finally heard back from a Sandblasting shop in Medway, MA that quoted me $50 to sandblast the stove down to bare metal. I easily spent over $50 worth of sanding discs and paint stripper supplies. WHAT A WASTE! For anyone else attempting this, SAVE YOUR MONEY AND TIME AND GET IT SANDBLASTED.

1 coat of plain black high heat stove paint inside the stove. I don't know if the paint will survive the high temps inside the stove, but after all the work of getting the rust off inside I'm glad to have a coat on there.
20130705_191326.jpg
Looks good. One thing I didn't do on mine was use primer on the bare metal. I paid for it during that first winter running the stove and having the paint cook off. Welcome to the forum.


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