Experience Pays off

I'm writing this to the newbie coal burners here just to point out how experience is your best tool. In shaking down my Harman TLC-2000 today I couldn't get any red embers to fall into the ash pan but, being in a hurry, filled the stove up with fresh coal anyway, just leaving the small flaming section undisturbed. With the ash door wide open, I noticed that the stove temp was not climbing & that the little flaming area was not livening up. (Years ago I might have panicked & tried a bunch of things to save what looked like a dying fire) What I did was just leave the stove alone! After about 40 mins with the ash door wide open , I had a roaring fire again & was able to finish shaking it down, top it off & I'm done.
The lesson here is when in doubt...leave things alone! (You have a better chance of smothering a salvageable fire by playing with it than just leaving it alone)

Well I'm certainly no hand fired coal expert but I do consider myself somewhat of an expert on open wood fires especially when you have poor wood, damp, live etc.. Guess the same applies to them as it does to coal. Nothing worse than spending half an hour coaxing some fire out of some less than desirable wood only to have some jackass come over and start kicking it and stomping it when its just starting to get going. Leave it alone....

When I only have a small fire left. Which is not often.... I usually stick a small fan on slow speed in front of the open ash door and that will cut down on the time to bring it back. Just remember to stay with it and not walk away with the fan going and the ash door open. You may get a little dust from the fan.

I've learned to be patient also, but one trick I tried successfully was
to throw in a piece or 2 of hardwood,, just small 8" long by 2" sq pieces,
and eventually they get going and increase draft, and the coal all starts to
catch. it's amazing that a fire can almost catch downward. and yes,
time, just leave it be if you have time.

Time and patience. If the fire's really low a few pieces of properly placed charcoal gets it going again, I'll also cover the baro with foil for a little while.

When I started my other burner in my stoker, I just shoveled some coals over to the burn plate, threw some new coal on top and turned it on, it looked like it was going out, but I left it alone and it eventually started getting hotter and took off after about 20mins.

Good topic here,i too will use a couple sticks of wood if I am in a hurry or cold.
I have also learned not to shake a cold(low) fire,best to get some sticks or leave ash door open,NOT UNATTENDED,while it gets some life back.A low fire does not like to messed with,it must be treated gently.The sticks are the answer for a low fire on my stove,plus air,like said above I think it gets the draft going.
well this is my .03 cents.
respect.
gw

took me a few tries to get the fires lit at first when we had all hand fed stoves......i found it best to get a good wood fire going (we use lath.....got a whole pile of it out back) and while the wood fire is going good and you got some hot coals, put some coal on......let the coal catch then add more.......the stokers can be a real pita to get lit too