How to Light a Hand Fired Coal Stove

MidnightMadman wrote:Help! I have been trying to get my stove burning coal for the last hour. I started up with some kindling, cardboard and paper. I had a little fire and kept feeding it paper and then added some coal. Maybe about 2 handfulls. It sort of crackled a little after a few min but never lit. I keep adding kindling and get it going with newspaper but the coal still isnt lighting... any thoughts?
I have the bottom ash door open.

MidnightMadman wrote:How much wood needs to be burning before the coal will start to ignite?

MidnightMadman wrote:Its a Gilbrator SRC

MidnightMadman wrote:I tried to spread the coals around a little but it seems like they went out! they were orange but as soon as I spread them they stopped glowing.

JLF53 wrote:

MidnightMadman wrote:How much wood needs to be burning before the coal will start to ignite?

I used about 4 shingles and gradually put on 3 splits one at a time. When the fire is raging then start to add coal. a little at a time. I purchased chesnut size coal from a bulk supplier. Unfortunately it came in sizes ranging from stove size to pea. I picked out the pea size and add a coffee can's worth (dumping the contents of the coffee can in the middle of the fire when it lit and was burning the blue flame with some red and yellow streaks I added another coffee can's worth to the center ad=gain. I waited about 10 to 15 minutes. After another 10 minutes it was burning well and I sprinkled the small size chips of coal around the burning coal. I continued to add coal around the fire dispersed over the grates o(where the was either coal fire or wood fire) gradually building a bed of hot coals. I have fireplace tools that include a shovel, tongs poker and brush. All come in handy, bought them at a yard sale.

Sometimes you need to poke the coal to stoke it, when you have a good bed of coals and fir going. Once the coal is burning you willl need to open your bottom vent. I tried to manage the fire by opening the ash pan door to different levels depending on the burn rate of the coal.

Hope that this helps. I have PM's you.

What type of stove do you have?

Razzler wrote:Midnight, You can't fiddle or rake it around untill you have a good full hot fire(the hole fire box filled and glowing red). If you rake a little pile of 10lbs of burning coal it will go out. Get the coal to start burning then add 2 or 3 shovels WAIT this may take 20 to 30 min for that new coal to be glowing. DON'T RAKE! Then 2 or 3 more shovels WAIT for that coal to glow! As the fire gets bigger the more shovels you can put on it at a time. Keep your ash door open the hole time. Be sure NOT to leave the room with the ash door open. You MUST allways keep an eye on it when the door is open. Just keep doing that untill the fire box is full with burning coal. Three rules apply patients, patients and more patients...

MidnightMadman wrote:Huston we have ignition.

Now, I only have a patch about 6"x4" of glowing coal. I am sprinkling more over it every 10 or so min. Will it eventually grow the whole size of the firebox?