Is a Wonder My Cousin Is Alive!

Went over to help family with his coal stove, hitzer 90k with coaltrol. Burning up into the coal bin,says he's cleaned under the carpet can't figure it out. The machine has never hada Draft check ever! I drill a hole at the flue its running like -12"wc!! My Draft gage only goes to - .09wc. He's drafting witha power venter so I install a variable speed control only to find the barometric damper is plugged shut with fly ash as well. We got everything as close to specs as possible. He needsa new barometric damper as it won't maintain -04 wc while off. But the fire is creeping down where it belongs. Cannot believe he's ran this thing for four years and has never had anyone show him how to check Draft or maintain it. He's buying a 460 Dwyer on ebay as a Draft gage. His leisure line stove in the living room wasn't much better off, so after two hours of playing at least he is self sufficient now. Sheesh and to think he's the one that talked me into coal.

Thanks Matt for the help over the phone on the coaltrol as well. Everything is working pretty good.

How many CO detectors does he have in the house?

Two that I saw. Near each stove. That big hitzer stove idles allot of the time and the Draft just sucked the coals clean up to the bin it was so high it was sucking air wherever it could find it,not to speak he let's the bin run low to and doesn't keep the lid on as well. He does now afteri explained Draft

I wonder if there is coal littered out around the chimney top..

If there is that's one good power venter

Ya done real good today ncn. Just remember--just owning them, don't make ya wise The good news is--he got his teachable cousin burnin the black gold

All's well that ends well.... thankfully!

Sometimes, I just don't understand people. I read hundreds of posts on this site BEFORE I ever ordered my stove let alone lit it up for the first time. I had multiple stove thermometers, carbon monoxide detectors and a manometer weeks before the stove was installed. I had read how to,start a coal fire, how to adjust primary and secondary air, how not to over fire the stove, how to shake the ashes,how to clean and summerize the stove and what things to watch out for. When it came time to light her up, it was uneventful and I stayed in the one match club my first season burning. If you're going to do something that potentially can burn down your house and/or make you push up daisies,...learn as much as you can before you do so!

And that Darling hitzer can sure move the heat too.

Damn near a Jet Engine in the making,there! Seems like the "Old Man Upstairs" put You in the Right Place to make a Difference! Good Show,Mate!!