Switching to Coal After 20+ Years of Wood Burning

I also had some soot on the glass when I burned wood in the hand fed. It would bake off and clear up when burning coal though.

One suggestion for the future when you need to replace the 90* heading toward the thimble is to use a T capped off on the end toward the LR. You can then remove the cap to vac out the fly ash through the season without taking apart the pipe. I always figure if it is easy to access it is more likely to be done.

titleist1 wrote:I also had some soot on the glass when I burned wood in the hand fed. It would bake off and clear up when burning coal though.

One suggestion for the future when you need to replace the 90* heading toward the thimble is to use a T capped off on the end toward the LR. You can then remove the cap to vac out the fly ash through the season without taking apart the pipe. I always figure if it is easy to access it is more likely to be done.

Great Idea! I'm starting too think we coal burners are either smarter or lazier than our wood burning friends, maybe both!

I would think without a baffle and secondary burn tube next to it burning wood in a coal stove a waste of time.

JohnB wrote:My Hitzer's window turns black if I burn wood but most of it wipes off & the rest burns off next coal fire. Rutland stove glass cleaner works well for cleaning off wood or coal soot. The 50-93 isn't much of a woodstove but once you get a coal fire going you will love it!

I woke up to a 82* house this morning! This hitzer is a real heater!! The test run is a success now I need to find the off switch!

ddahlgren wrote:I would think without a baffle and secondary burn tube next to it burning wood in a coal stove a waste of time.

The only reason to do it is to take the chill off the house when it's not cold enough for a coal fire. Eventually I'll have my Jotul 500 set up in the livingroom so we'll have a real woodstove back in the house for early Fall & late Spring heating. No central heat here so I like having options!

ddahlgren wrote:I would think without a baffle and secondary burn tube next to it burning wood in a coal stove a waste of time.

It wasn't very efficient in my Mark III that's for sure. But we had lots of blow down that gave me exercise and as mentioned it worked in the shoulder months to take the chill off in the evening and morning for a few hours if necessary. And it saved my coal pile for the real cold weather when I really didn't want to have to load the stove every couple hours with wood.

rstrawsburg wrote:The test run is a success now I need to find the off switch!

Been there.....Activate the windowstat's my man!!!

rstrawsburg wrote:

JohnB wrote:My Hitzer's window turns black if I burn wood but most of it wipes off & the rest burns off next coal fire. Rutland stove glass cleaner works well for cleaning off wood or coal soot. The 50-93 isn't much of a woodstove but once you get a coal fire going you will love it!

I woke up to a 82* house this morning! This hitzer is a real heater!! The test run is a success now I need to find the off switch!

Ahh, The delema of the hand fired. The only cure I've come up with is the "Window Stat".

-Don

johnB I hear you I have central heat though chose not to use it other than once in a blue mood I took sick to do something more sensible. If I was not so distracted by finish tax stuff for the thieves at IRS I would be finishing up the Crane 404 and installing it so I work less and terrify my yuppie neighbors by burning the evil coal. Wood has it's place I have been tossing wood into my Avalon Pendleton last night and this morning and cheap heat to be honest. For me coal is 35 to 40 % more than wood so a luxury oil just a complete waste of money and beyond discussion. Right now the little woodstove is burning 2 year old maple rounds nice and slow as high 40's and house is 74 and tee shirt boxer shorts weather. Before that I was just cold and got the flu several times a winter and never going back there.

rstrawsburg wrote: I woke up to a 82* house this morning! This hitzer is a real heater!! The test run is a success now I need to find the off switch!

You will learn to idle it down with practice! My Kodiak has the house at 72F this morning (48F outside) with the temperature of the stove at about 160F on the side of the stove. Until you get the idle ironed out there is always the window!

Since these stoves will idle so low don't worry about an oversized stove. Mine runs at about 20-25% most of the heating season with cold snaps taking it to maybe 35-45% of stove capacity. This usually gives me 24 hour burn times instead of the 12 hour most see here and enough heating capacity to take the once in a while whopper of a winter in easy stride.

If you haven't bought your CO detectors (more than one as man made things fail) please do so! I usually have at least three going from different companies or at least different lot numbers. Make sure some will run with batteries since blizzards happen!

SD

Well this stove is pretty much out and this is what I have left. What do I call it? Do I try too burn it or throw it away? This isn't what a dead wood fire looks like so I'm a bit lost.

Thanks,
Ron

rstrawsburg wrote:Well this stove is pretty much out and this is what I have left. What do I call it? Do I try too burn it or throw it away? This isn't what a dead wood fire looks like so I'm a bit lost.

Thanks,
Ron

This is the stove a couple hours earlier. This is with the damper full open. All the air it needed.

Hey wait a minute. Is that a "picture" of a fire? It looks "too" perfect.

rstrawsburg wrote:Well this stove is pretty much out and this is what I have left. What do I call it? Do I try too burn it or throw it away?
Ron

Give the grates a few shakes & leave what stays behind in there. Add some fresh coal to the pile next time you want to start a fire.

Shake it good, shove all that stuff high up the sides, and start your starter fire in the middle. Add coal as the fire progresses. All that stuff will catch.

A good,real easy way to clean a window, or mica, is those 'easy wipes'(for babies )!