Reviving A "Lost" Coal Fire

Please note, I'm really not insane! So many times as I got better at running my coal stove, I wanted to push the boundries on how long the stove could run without touching it or how far gone can a coal fire be before I cannot revive it. Even though I know the quick and easy ways to get a stove back on track, I find myself enjoying the challenge of reviving what my wife says is a lost fire. She's good at running the stoves but not as good as I am and she'll be the first to admit it. She likes the stoves and the money saved and the safety of heat during frequent power outages but she likes stoves while I love them. I read and read and learn as much as I can and truly find myself enjoying, not annoyed by the challenge of getting a stubborn stove lit. Sometimes the coal has formed a pocket where it looks good but its thin on top with a pocket underneath. It doesn't happen as much using stove coal but smaller sizes it's more common. The other scenario is when the stove hasn't been shaken enough. These things happen to my wife and I'll get calls from work to help diagnose the problem and work through it. I've gotten the this f-ing stove sucks call, I've shut it back down, you deal with it when you get home. I personally love that one because she's so stubborn, she's a red head, that she's tried something for several hours before even calling me and she's given up. She calls me the coal whisperer because it's rare that I cannot nurse a fire back. Unless it's a time restraint I enjoy the process of getting the stove going and tell her because I really like stoves I read about them and feel I understand them more and therefore I can figure out what's going on and solve the problem and getting it back up to speed quickly. A cocktail is always necessary when nursing a fire back. It's relaxing and challenging, in a good way, and it keeps me from being hooked on tv. I show my kids what's wrong and why we're doing what we're doing. I've found patience and gut instinct serve me well when bringing fires back. I'm curious, do any of you enjoy the challenge of tackling a stubborn fire. What's great at the end of it when it's running again, my wife will ask what was wrong and I get to tell her it was her fault!

you my friend better hope the weather changes quick or i'm going to be getting a call from your house wondering if I can come up to help box you up for a trip to the "facility"

are you sitting in the door way looking back and forth from the back living room to the dining room droolin' right now or what ?

I'm torn because I love the weather but am looking forward to getting the stoves going and seeing how much better the Crawford will run now that it's fixed. I've got a system down. I do both stoves at the same time so that's why I wanted 2 Crawford 40's. I open both ash pan doors and get her up to temps. Then go from one to the other. Great system for the stoves and I shake one down and walk to the other and shake down. Then the poker under neath if necessary then start adding to one and then to the other. Repeat process til both are ready to go for the night. It adds about 5 extra minutes to run 2 stoves vs one.

You've got reasons to be "impatient" BP, those Crawfords are some beautiful stoves. I forget what region you're in, but I hope it's not Arkansas, or some place that a stove isn't really necessary.
As for trying to rekindle a dying fire. My 1st couple years with my square stove seemed to constantly need refiring. Because mine is hopper fed, I didn't realize how much life was left, in the coals above. When in the beginning, I used to clean out my grey ash pile, and begin the new fire process all over, I learned that the hot coals in the hopper had enuff life to rekindle the grey ash bed. After a good nites sleep, and coming down stairs to what "appeared" to be a dead coal bed, in less than 10 minutes, I could get it back to it's former glory. Unfortunately (?), I have to address this much more often than you do.

BPatrick wrote:I'm torn because I love the weather but am looking forward to getting the stoves going and seeing how much better the Crawford will run now that it's fixed. I've got a system down. I do both stoves at the same time so that's why I wanted 2 Crawford 40's. I open both ash pan doors and get her up to temps. Then go from one to the other. Great system for the stoves and I shake one down and walk to the other and shake down. Then the poker under neath if necessary then start adding to one and then to the other. Repeat process til both are ready to go for the night. It adds about 5 extra minutes to run 2 stoves vs one.

i'm with ya man, since I have the stove project just about wrapped up i'm pretty antsy too.

last yr. i'd come down in the morning or home from work, put a big mug of water in the micro for 3 mins. to heat for tea, go to the stove do everything it needed and be done before the water was ready.

good stoves and a solid system are a true and wonderful luxury.

I am very proud of you. One of my absolute best students. You may now go hither and teach others and comfort them in their hour of panic or uncertainty.

I sometimes find it is faster to dump and rebuild rather than wait out an old and almost dead coal fire. Trying to rebuild is not always a winning preposition. Besides, a fresh coal fire in a cleaned out firebox burns much hotter for the next 24hrs!

CPR of the dying coal fire.. Takes skill, patience and a doctor at his finest hour. Make several combustion air access points up thru the grates. Carefully take the poker tool and make incisions about 1 in every 4 square inches. No shaking, no disturbing. Open the ash pan door and watch for glowing. At the points of glow, gently place handfuls of nut size over top, careful not to collapse the fragile ash bed underneath. As the fire grows, a couple light shakes to get more combustion air up thru. It can be a white knuckle experience. Watch the temp gauges for a flatline. Once she starts to take breath and her heart pulse is stronger, another light shake and more coal on top. As she gets her strength back, more shake more coal until she can stand on her own.

You've successfully brought her back from the brink of death.
It's a very emotional moment..

The last month or so of last winter if I had a low amount of coals burning, I'd put a handful of wood pellets on it. Then when it got burning which was quickly, I put a scoop on it. Then when it got hot I put fresh coal on. That procedure took maybe 5 minutes. After that when the coal took off good I shook and added more. Much quicker "for me" than any other method Ive tried so far. Your results may not be as good. Its kind of like the damper issue. What works for one sucks for the next guy

" .......................What's great at the end of it when it's running again, my wife will ask what was wrong and I get to tell her it was her fault! "

What's even better is that she let you live to tell the tail !!! I'd be afraid to close my eyes in the same house with a red head, after telling her something was her fault

Paul

Cap wrote:I sometimes find it is faster to dump and rebuild rather than wait out an old and almost dead coal fire. Trying to rebuild is not always a winning preposition. Besides, a fresh coal fire in a cleaned out firebox burns much hotter for the next 24hrs!

I experienced this tonight. I didn't do a full stove session this morning as I was in a hurry to get out the door. We had an electrical inspector coming sometime in the morning to inspect the rewiring we did on our second floor at the church. Volunteers doing electrical work always makes me nervous no matter who they are. We did find four outlets that had the neutral and hot reversed. The inspector waited while I changed them quickly and then passed us. Before I left the house though I had dumped a small pail of nut on the stove, set the air inlet back a tad (professional measurement term) and shook the handle about ten times. That was it.

I got home at 9:00, 14 hours later, to a very anemic looking ashed up fire. I looked in the top and there looked like a full layer of unburned coal with a feeble glow underneath. I opened the ash pan door and let it sit. It didn't get any brighter. I knew the grate was ashed up and I also knew if I shook it I would lose the fire. I opened the front doors, took the knife and ran it into the center of the stove. The entire pile collapsed and I saw a steady stream of ash falling into the open ash pan. I shut the ash pan quickly and then poked the rest of the grates from underneath and got a half pan of ash. I opened the ash pan door and let it cook. 30 minutes later I added a half pail of nut and waited. 30 minutes later I saw the first blue lady dance....then two....then the entire top layer lit off!!! I shut the ash pan door and now a little over an hour later I have a new healthy glow of lit coal. Total elapsed time about an hour and 15 minutes.

Was it worth it? I'm still running on one match 13 days later with some day temps getting into the mid to upper 70's and the night getting into the 40's.

You really gotta love the challenge to not just dump the fire and start over.

I just play this song

and then tend the stove....I don't find much excitement in having it almost go out .. when its burning, its burning for a reason

to each their own ... makes you happy I guess

Lightning wrote:CPR of the dying coal fire.. Takes skill, patience and a doctor at his finest hour. Make several combustion air access points up thru the grates. Carefully take the poker tool and make incisions about 1 in every 4 square inches. No shaking, no disturbing. Open the ash pan door and watch for glowing. At the points of glow, gently place handfuls of nut size over top, careful not to collapse the fragile ash bed underneath. As the fire grows, a couple light shakes to get more combustion air up thru. It can be a white knuckle experience. Watch the temp gauges for a flatline. Once she starts to take breath and her heart pulse is stronger, another light shake and more coal on top. As she gets her strength back, more shake more coal until she can stand on her own.

You've successfully brought her back from the brink of death.
It's a very emotional moment..

Display your insurance cards, the Dr. is in. (No affordable health care recipients need apply.)

Lightning wrote:CPR of the dying coal fire.. Takes skill, patience and a doctor at his finest hour. Make several combustion air access points up thru the grates. Carefully take the poker tool and make incisions about 1 in every 4 square inches. No shaking, no disturbing. Open the ash pan door and watch for glowing. At the points of glow, gently place handfuls of nut size over top, careful not to collapse the fragile ash bed underneath. As the fire grows, a couple light shakes to get more combustion air up thru. It can be a white knuckle experience. Watch the temp gauges for a flatline. Once she starts to take breath and her heart pulse is stronger, another light shake and more coal on top. As she gets her strength back, more shake more coal until she can stand on her own.

You've successfully brought her back from the brink of death.
It's a very emotional moment..

Excellent description. Love it.

I had heard that wood should never be added to a coal fire because it chokes off the fire. Well I decided to try it anyway with a dying fire figuring I had nothing to lose.

Using twigs (finger thickness size) and small twists of newspaper, I found that the twigs and paper burn quickly and hot enough to get the draft strong and bring back a dying fire rather quickly. The amount of ash the twigs contribute to the coal bed is minimal and doesn't seem to hinder it at all.

The mistake I've made the first few times was to shake the fire first. That just allows a lot of cold air to rush into what has become a small fire that is barely enough to keep a draft going and cools the draft rather than helping to increase the fire.

So, now I first pile on the twigs and paper twists. Stick the BBQ lighter in and within a minute, or so, I have a strong draft going. I add more twigs and coal, about 50/50 mix. Within about 10-15 minutes I have a good layer of burning coal, a strong draft from the chimney getting a good volume of heat, and not much wood ash. Then I can start adding layers of coal and shaking coal and wood ash to clear and rebuild the fire bed back.

A lot faster than shoveling out the firebox and starting all over again.

Paul