Need a Another Stove

So after finding a crack in my pot bellied stove after running it a bit too hot, I decided to look for another stove. my buddy at work has a Franco Belge 13-490. Nice looking coal/wood stove... Anyone have any experience with these?

. This is the tag.

Well there's your problem, the label says wood burning... . That's a good looking stove, good luck with it.

I have to check with him but he said there is another plate or tag on it that says wood/coal and some clearances or something. I still have to go see it.

JimD wrote:I have to check with him but he said there is another plate or tag on it that says wood/coal and some clearances or something. I still have to go see it.

Wood and coal fires are different animals. A stove designed to burn coal may not burn wood easily and a stove designed to burn wood will not burn coal. A coal stove needs shaker grates and a source of under the fire air. Some models have coal kits which can be added but generally if you have to buy you should decide what fuel you will be burning and buy a stove designed for that. It will save you a lot of frustration. Just my opinion, take care, Lisa

The tag on the inside of the door does say wood/coal and says do not over fire. I am going to look at it after work and if it's good he is asking $400 for it.
It is a nice looking stove, would look nice in the living room......I will repair the pot belly and use it in the barn... Where I can monitor it and not worry about any issues at night .

Couple questions to see if what you are looking at will make you happy a couple months from now....

What kind of heat load are you looking for your new stove to handle? Any idea on the BTU output you want? Are you locating / venting through a hearth / fireplace set up? Do you have any desire to connect the new stove to your central heat system, is so what is that? What kind of time between tending the stove are you looking to achieve?

Honestly $400 is not a 'great deal' IMO for that stove, about average depending on interior condition. Do you have any pics of the inside of the stove to see the condition of the grates and the back of the firebox? If you do a search for franco belge you will see a few threads with info on how to get them to burn coal well.

edit to add....i did a search on that stove, but most hits were in french.....can't help ya there....no par le vous for me.

No shaker grates = No deal
Besides that you'd want the doors all airtight and primary air controls in ash pan door.
There is a ashpan, isn't there?

It looks like a wood stove. The tag says wood stove. Everything I found, including on this site, says it's a wood stove.

Chances are excellent it's a wood stove. If you want coal, keep looking.

Rev. Larry

I would recommend something with a deeper firebox that would hold more coal. Those types of stoves look really nice but have a limited capacity and narrow loading door top to bottom. It will burn and heat just not the best setup. I've seen that type with coal kit conversions on them and its a big compromise to a true coal burner.

Be patient and keep looking for a real coal stove. Initially it will be a "great" stove but after a few weeks of fighting and in the end you will hate the stove.

Said coal and had coal grates but not that would shake. No deal. I will keep looking. It was actually bigger than I want. I have mine in my living room for comfort and if it helps with the rest of the house. Great! But don't want one too big. And not expecting a 2 day burn either ha ha.
ThNks everyone for the advice on that one.

Jim

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I would pass on this stove. If you have a budget of $400 or so you can find a much better coal stove with a little looking and word of mouth.

While it is a nice looking unit, European Coal stoves seem to have some issues burning American Anthracite. Mostly from the design from what I understand. In the long run as others have said, a stove designed to burn coal, with a deeper fire bed or pot will produce better results. Which in turn means less time you need to spend dealing with it.

If you tell us what part of the US you are in you never know someone on this forum might have something that will suit your needs. They can also help keep an eye out for a stove for you as well.

I reign in The the frigid Massachusetts

Found a couple on craigslist that I am going to try to look at today if the owners are around.

Eastern or Western MA?
Would you be interested in Crane cooker Model 44? Great little stove in fair shape for $100. Easy pickup, fits in the trunk of a compact car.

I could also throw a bit of nut coal in to sweeten the deal.