Bituminous Coal/ Not Hot Enuff After a Few Hrs

 
Jared43758
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Post by Jared43758 » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 3:06 pm

When the temp is 25 or above this stuff works great. When it's lower than 25 it sucks. Already started hauling in firewood for the cold days. When it is windy and below 20 my stove needs to run 400 degrees plus at all times to keep my house warm. With wood it's not a problem, just have to reload every 8-10 hrs instead of 12-14. Now this coal, while the gas is burning off it makes the heat I need. When it turns to coke it doesn't matter how much air I give it it won't heat over 300 degrees. Shake the grates like hell. Open the bottom door. Doesn't matter. So I have to go down every few hrs and add a little more just to get fresh gass to release to make more heat. Then pretty soon you end up with a stove clear full of coke coal, and your house cool,


 
Jared43758
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Post by Jared43758 » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 3:07 pm

Ok maybe 325-340 sometimes. But not over 400 that I need and get outta wood

 
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Post by franco b » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 3:34 pm

Despite shaking like hell I suspect you are still ash bound. I believe you have to rake from the bottom and perhaps along the sides from the top. Read what Lightning does to clear ash. Break any crust on top also. If it can breath it should burn well.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 3:49 pm

I'm afraid that was my experience with bit coal too, partner. It heats like the fires from hell until the gases are baked out, then it cools down quite significantly. I don't have a solution for obtaining a steady heat with bit coal. I didn't tinker with it long enough.. Banking the fire might help? and busting it up half way thru the burn cycle helped me revive it some too.

 
Jared43758
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Post by Jared43758 » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 5:46 pm

Yea it not a ash problem. I always scrap the coal bed sides to get all the ash then I eaither hoe all the coal to the front or shove to the back and I can see the grates plain and tell there is no ash. I got two cords of wood from last year I'll use when it get real cold to make it though this year.

 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 7:09 pm

Is it possible to try a different coal? What bit burning Ive done, its real volatile, like burning oiled down tires, for a while then controllable after that. I'd hate for you to just think all bit coal is that way.

 
Jared43758
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Post by Jared43758 » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 8:10 pm

I'm just trying to make it through this winter. I have the solution to my problems. I'll have it fixed for next year


 
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Post by Berlin » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 9:49 pm

Jared,

This is a problem of too much overfire air and too little air from under the grate. Either it's leaking by or your draft is weak. With a stove full of coke I can make a stove glow like a bulb.

Lightning, your problem was from the coking/agglommerating tendency of the coal which caused the coal bed to fuse together. If he's getting a glowing bed of cracked coke, that's not his problem.

 
Jared43758
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Post by Jared43758 » Tue. Dec. 16, 2014 10:05 pm

I have lots of over fire air. Are u suggesting when it's coke that I close off most of my overfire air and open up my under the grate air?? I have zero problems of fusing or clinkers

 
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casino_boy
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Post by casino_boy » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 12:02 am

Have you tryed a mpd in the flue.
When I first started to use my hitzer 82 fu when it got colder I could not heat up my 2000 square foot house till I installed one.
Works great now were in single didgits now and at 250 stove temp and house at 72 :D
im gone 10 to 12 hours at a time so I don't get to breack up the chunks till I get home.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 5:42 am

Jared43758 wrote:Are u suggesting when it's coke that I close off most of my overfire air and open up my under the grate air??
Yep.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 7:37 am

Rob R. wrote:
Jared43758 wrote:Are u suggesting when it's coke that I close off most of my overfire air and open up my under the grate air??
Yep.
Right.. try that instead of opening the ash pan door.

 
Jared43758
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Post by Jared43758 » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 2:25 pm

Tried the less secondary air. No change.

 
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Post by franco b » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 2:40 pm

Jared43758 wrote:Tried the less secondary air. No change.
Are you certain that air can not rise up out of the ash area and bypass the grates? I believe Lightning had to seal off some areas. That coke should burn very hot as Berlin stated.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Dec. 17, 2014 2:50 pm

Good point franco b.. :) Click the link in my signature to see about the mod to block the air passages between the front and rear liners..


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