Stove Cleaning

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Fri. May. 16, 2014 11:45 pm

I think I saw a thread on this, but can't remember where. I'm cleaning out my stove for the summer, and have vacuumed out the ash. I thunk I remember some-one giving a tip on some type of liquid, that can be used to neutralize the metal, after vacuuming. Something organic like Ammonia, or vinegar, or toxic waste, or something of that nature. Something to wash it down with. anyone?


 
User avatar
blrman07
Member
Posts: 2383
Joined: Mon. Sep. 27, 2010 3:39 pm
Location: Tupelo Mississippi

Post by blrman07 » Sat. May. 17, 2014 7:00 am

You can clean the glass with a vinegar solution but I don't know about doing the whole stove. It's a cleaner for some things. It may react with the metal and turn everything black. Then again coal is black so what the heck?

Rev. Larry

 
User avatar
Lightning
Site Moderator
Posts: 14659
Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Olean, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Sat. May. 17, 2014 10:14 am

After completely vacuuming ash out, I coat the interior with motor oil with a paint brush. Seemed to work well last summer. I also install a 100 watt light bulb and seal everything up good. I've seen others use fluid film or LPS (I think that's right).

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Sat. May. 17, 2014 10:36 am

blrman07 wrote:You can clean the glass with a vinegar solution but I don't know about doing the whole stove. It's a cleaner for some things. It may react with the metal and turn everything black. Then again coal is black so what the heck?

Rev. Larry
I was using ammonia on the glass panes yesterday Rev., and pushed one a little too hard. Broke it in 1/2. Dang! Drat! Another $6 down the drain.
Lightning wrote:After completely vacuuming ash out, I coat the interior with motor oil with a paint brush. Seemed to work well last summer. I also install a 100 watt light bulb and seal everything up good. I've seen others use fluid film or LPS (I think that's right).
I guess that makes sense to me Lee. I use my "used" motor oil for sealing the bottom of fence posts, deck boards, outside pallets used for storage, ect., but I guess using it in the living space, the smell would give the Mrs. a fit. I imagine you'ld recommend "new" oil?

 
User avatar
pete8116
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun. Sep. 16, 2012 11:41 am
Location: North Central Massachusetts
Stoker Coal Boiler: Leisure Line Pioneer Rear Vent

Post by pete8116 » Sat. May. 17, 2014 7:01 pm

I just cleaned my L.L.. Pioneer for the summer. I used a nylon brush then vacuumed it out. Next 1 box baking soda mixed in 2 gallons of
water and wiped the inside down put a fan in to dry for a couple of hours and spayed the LPS3 looks good as new. I even sprayed the inside
of the hopper.

 
User avatar
Beeman
Member
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon. Aug. 10, 2009 6:31 am
Location: SEPA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 503

Post by Beeman » Sun. May. 18, 2014 6:38 am

The thread to which you referred is most likely "Summarized" the Stove Yesterday. I use Cortec spray with good results as a rust preventive. Link to this product is in the thread just mentioned. Good luck!

 
User avatar
Rex
Member
Posts: 224
Joined: Thu. Apr. 12, 2007 11:25 pm
Location: Indiana

Post by Rex » Sun. May. 18, 2014 7:41 am

The best way to clean your glass is to dampen a cloth and dip it in some fine coal ash. Rub around on the glass and it will be as clean as new!! Best way to clean your glass, hands down..

Next I always remove my stove pipe and will cap the outlet on the stove with a large rubberband and plastic. This will air tight the inside stove. I place a container of DampRid purchased as Lowes inside the stove and shut the door and all dampers. This pulls moisture from the air. I usually will change out the container in the mid summer months. No oily mess or sprays, etc..

I alwalys like to cap my chimney with a tarp and bungie cords wrapped around the chimney.

Hope this helps!!


 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Sun. May. 18, 2014 10:55 am

lots more good tips. Thanx guys.

 
stovehospital
Member
Posts: 267
Joined: Sat. Jun. 25, 2011 7:00 pm

Post by stovehospital » Mon. May. 19, 2014 8:42 am

That is good advice about closing up the stove. In summer we often have hot days and cool nights. At night cool air and moisture fall down the chimney and can condense inside the stove. Moisture plus coal ash equals acids that can eat out the stove from the inside. We often see this on coal ranges with water tanks. The tank end may be paper thin. Best to be safe if you like your stove.

 
User avatar
warminmn
Member
Posts: 8110
Joined: Tue. Feb. 08, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: Land of 11,842 lakes
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Junior, Efel Nestor Martin, Riteway 37
Coal Size/Type: nut and stove anthracite, lignite
Other Heating: Wood and wear a wool shirt

Post by warminmn » Mon. May. 19, 2014 5:57 pm

I clean the coal ash out and burn wood in it to soot up my stove and pipe real good. If it ever warms up this year i'll stop burning wood and unhook my pipe. My last fire will be some real green, wet wood to finish the sooting. The soot will protect it some from the coal ash. Time will tell how good it works.

 
JohnB
Member
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat. Jul. 06, 2013 6:06 pm
Location: Northeastern Ct.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
Coal Size/Type: Mostly nut, some pea

Post by JohnB » Wed. May. 28, 2014 2:01 pm

Might not have to clean out the stove the way things are going. Got a small coal fire going for the second time in the last 7-10 days as it's cool & damp around here. Hopefully this will be the last of the moldy weather & I can give the Hitzer a few months off before it all starts again.

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Wed. May. 28, 2014 4:33 pm

You're right about that, neighbor John. It was a little cool here last nite, but my stove is clean, and I'm not in the mood to have to do it again. So I actually looked at it as something "comfortable", cause I know in a few weeks I'll be complaining how hot and humid it is. I've already made that comment to a few people when it was like that a few days ago. I told them, "I can't wait for winter time". Of course they all looked at me like I had 2 heads. In the winter, the house is a cozy 70*. But in the summer, it can get to a nasty 80 and sticky, when it's 90+ outside. I don't usually turn on my window A/Cs till the heatwaves hit. (Maybe late July into parts of August).
So anyway, enjoy your Hitzer while you can John. It won't be much longer. (Global warming, being what it is :D )

 
JohnB
Member
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat. Jul. 06, 2013 6:06 pm
Location: Northeastern Ct.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
Coal Size/Type: Mostly nut, some pea

Post by JohnB » Wed. Jul. 02, 2014 9:52 am

Finally got around to cleaning out the Hitzer last week. Pulled out all the bricks, vacuumed out the loose ash, wiped the inside down with a damp sponge & dried the inside thoroughly with my heat gun. The coal acids had eaten the paint off & created some ugly surface rust around the inside of the hopper opening in the top, inside of the hopper lid & parts of the area where the hopper lid gasket sit on the top. I removed the rust on the stove body using a phosphoric acid based rust remover/metal prep
http://www.masterseriescoatings.com/index/product ... etal-prep/ and a brush. The hopper lid went into my blast cabinet for cleaning. Ash door also had rust forming/paint peeling around the vent holes so that came off & got the Metal Prep treatment. All damaged areas got new paint & I'll be replacing a couple gaskets (hopper lid & glass) as soon as I pick up a new tube of glue.

I looked at the different products I've seen mentioned on here & ended up buying a few cans of the http://www.theruststore.com/Cortec-EcoAir-VpCI-37 ... 49C28.aspx as I wanted a low odor rust preventative. Coated all surfaces inside the stove but I still need to vacuum out the black pipe connecting the stove to my liner & coat that also.

The 2 13" firebricks that sit under the load door were both broken in half. I'm guessing that I did that early in the season when I was using the poker & pressing down too hard. As the season progressed & I figured out how to shake properly I seldom used the poker. Since the bricks fit in there snugly & the breaks are clean I'll just glue them back together with some furnace cement for the coming season.

Still haven't bought a chimney brush kit so I think I'll try my shop vac idea. Plan is to reverse the hose on the 6.5hp vac & use it as a blower. With my two long hose sections I should be able to run the hose at least 3/4 of the way up through the liner from the bottom which "should" blow any loose ash out through the top. I'll let you know if I see an ash cloud coming out the top. :D

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Wed. Jul. 02, 2014 10:13 am

Boy, you're ambitious during this heatwave, aren't you John?
As for cleaning out your chimney pipe, you could write Dick VanDyke and get his take on an efficient method of accomplishing it. (you do remember Mary Poppins, right?). Just be prepared with your blower method, you don't get any ash, back in your eyes. Have fun, and remember, winter is right around the corner. :)

 
JohnB
Member
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat. Jul. 06, 2013 6:06 pm
Location: Northeastern Ct.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
Coal Size/Type: Mostly nut, some pea

Post by JohnB » Wed. Jul. 02, 2014 10:37 am

Actually it was much cooler in my house then in my shops so it was a nice break from the heat. No relief anywhere today unless I'm willing to throw out my back installing the AC unit. I'm damn close to 64 so I definitely remember Mary Poppins.

I plan to block off the stovepipe exit & around the hose with a large rag so all the ash should blow up & out. Of course then it will be on my roof until the next rain unless I break out the water hose. Does coal acid damage asphalt shingles? It certainly can do a number on a new stove pretty quickly. The nice glass window in the load door was clear right up until late March when I saw a little crazing in the botton right corner. Within 2 weeks it had spread across the entire window. The 10 year old windows in my Jotul woodstoves still look great after a cleaning. I may just leave the Hitzer glass dirty so that I don't have to see the cracks. :(


Post Reply

Return to “Hand Fired Coal Stoves & Furnaces Using Anthracite”