It's Just Too Hot for Comfort ...

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Thu. Jan. 08, 2015 10:48 am

Smokeyja wrote:
Photog200 wrote:Josh, I mixed in some Kimmel's in the BB tonight, probably on 40% and I can see a little difference in the heat coming off the stove. I kind of chickened out of filling it all the way with Kimmel's after reading the problems you had with it. At least I know I will be able to burn it fine as this mix. Stay warm and safe, it just went down to -2° here.

Randy
So the mix did you well through the night ? I know mine did ! I didn't have a lot of ash either . I was surprised .

Yes, the mix did do well, I went to bed around midnight, temp on the stove was 455°. When I got up this morning, the stove still read 450°, so I was pleased, at least I know I will be able to burn up the Kimmel's in the BB as well as in the cook stove. I put 3/4 of a bucket of Kimmel's when I reloaded today, will see how that does.

Randy

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Thu. Jan. 08, 2015 11:05 am

Randy,

I would think that, with the better control of over the fire air that the Kineo has, the Kimmel's should be easier to control than in the range ?

We've pretty well thrashed it out with the ranges, I'd like to hear about how well it does with high percentage mix, and even straight Kimmel's, in the base heater.

Paul

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Thu. Jan. 08, 2015 11:12 am

Sunny Boy wrote:Randy,

I would think that, with the better control of over the fire air that the Kineo has, the Kimmel's should be easier to control than in the range ?

We've pretty well thrashed it out with the ranges, I'd like to hear about how well it does with high percentage mix, and even straight Kimmel's, in the base heater.

Paul

I loaded the stove at 0830 this morning and I put 3/4 bucket of Kimmel's in and it took a couple more scoops of Blacshack to top it off. The stove is sitting right at 436° on the barrel with the primaries only open 1/4". I am having no problems controlling the fire in the BB. I guess the cook stove just has so many more places for leaks to come in and feed the fire too much.

Randy

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Thu. Jan. 08, 2015 11:18 am

Yeah, with the range's many removable top plates, and the more volatiles of the Kimmel's burning sorta like bit, I think the extra secondary air that the top plates allow in just boosts the burn rate. Whereas with the harder, less volatile Blaschak, that secondary air only serves to help slow the fire.

At least we don't have to worry about puff-backs with our ranges !

Paul

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Thu. Jan. 08, 2015 1:27 pm

I think the Kimmels works fine control wise in the base heaters . I just couldn't get it to keep a low idle . But hopefully the magnehelic gauge will shed some light on that.

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 2:33 am

Yes I know I brought this thread up again lol.

Interesting turn of events . About a week ago it seems I was having a harder time keeping that Blaschak up in the temp ranges I wanted without opening the primaries more and the MPD more . Really interesting change. So I started loading the Kimmels more and it's acting like the blaschak did when I wrote this article . Now last year and up until now I've always been able to shut that MPD closed (it's not 100% closed btw it has holes in it ) . But now I'm running it 3/4 of the way and the primaries slightly open and cracking the secondary a little open as well to get it were I want it . I men's it's all keeping the house warm just fine . It just seems it was a lot easier a few weeks ago than now . Temps aren't cold at all really either . Kinda steady in this muddy old Virginia .

Guess I have some exploring to do . I checked to see if any blockages in the stove were causing it . Nope . It might just be a fluke thing as well. I need to hook up the Magnehelic sometime and see what I can figure out . Do you guys think it would be a waste of time to temporarily hook it up 6" below the MPD until I can figure out the new piping in the spring ? Or could I get something out that?

None of this is a big deal it just changed on me a little.

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 4:09 am

If all it took/takes is a little change on your part, I'd pass on anything else till Spring:)

joeq · Post by **joeq** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 10:06 am

so many variables, even with your consistencies of manual settings. I have the same problem with my little stove. I change "nothing at all" in my daily stove routine, yet it never seems to burn the same, on the long hauls. The heat-output is relatively constant, on mine it's just the burn-times that aren't. I would think with your big 6, it would be a little more tolerant to small changes. Such as bagged coal, barometric changes, air temps, ect.ect.

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 10:40 am

freetown fred wrote:If all it took/takes is a little change on your part, I'd pass on anything else till Spring:)

Of course it's staying lit! I'm not doing anything until spring lol !

joeq wrote:so many variables, even with your consistencies of manual settings. I have the same problem with my little stove. I change "nothing at all" in my daily stove routine, yet it never seems to burn the same, on the long hauls. The heat-output is relatively constant, on mine it's just the burn-times that aren't. I would think with your big 6, it would be a little more tolerant to small changes. Such as bagged coal, barometric changes, air temps, ect.ect.

Yes there are . The 6 has pretty much stayed the same for a season and a half now . There is also slight coal changes too . Where in the vein they dig , and so on . None of this should be expected to stay "clock work" consistent but I did want to pass on the info . Maybe as Paul has experienced that he needed the Kimmel's in lower draft situations .

Either way I can still set the stove and forget it . Whatever I burn it will all work.

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 1:44 pm

Hmm must have been a fluke for a week. Today it's back to cranking with the primaries and secondaries shut and the MPD shut down.

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 3:30 pm

Josh,

If I understand your situation, during warmer weather you had to open the MPD more to maintain the stove temps you wanted ?

If that's the case, then yes that's normal. In warmer weather the stove and chimney system will have less draft strength, so you have to open the dampers more to allow it to breath more easily. Less draft needs less damper restriction.

When cold weather sets back in, the dampers will need to be closed tighter again.

Paul

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 3:48 pm

Sunny Boy wrote:Josh,

If I understand your situation, during warmer weather you had to open the MPD more to maintain the stove temps you wanted ?

If that's the case, then yes that's normal. In warmer weather the stove and chimney system will have less draft strength, so you have to open the dampers more to allow it to breath more easily. Less draft needs less damper restriction.

When cold weather sets back in, the dampers will need to be closed tighter again.

Paul

Yes I understood that part of it . But it was in the 30's having this issue and I thought that it was just less draft but today is 54 and the stove is shut down , with MPD down and it's cranking like its old self again. It was just a fluke for a week. Maybe a difference in pressure .

joeq · Post by **joeq** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 7:41 pm

Go figure. Yours went back to normal, and mine went weak after only 6 hrs. I've given up, trying to figure it out. I now just accept it and deal with it. Big storm coming here in a couple days. We'll see what kind of results that brings.

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 10:18 pm

joeq wrote:Go figure. Yours went back to normal, and mine went weak after only 6 hrs. I've given up, trying to figure it out. I now just accept it and deal with it. Big storm coming here in a couple days. We'll see what kind of results that brings.

Joe you just wait until you have your Base Heater up and running . you're going to be like What ? this is it ? This is too Easy ! and then you will go crazy and find some other stove to fiddle with . I had it way to easy last burning season which is part of the reason I was dormant on the forum . This season is easy too. But I kinda kick started my enthusiasm again when I found out I had kimmels instead of blaschak. Now I really want a cook stove to put in my kitchen where the original cook stove used to be. The chimney is ready to burn in it and is lined with terracotta < however you spell that> . But that will be a very long time as I will be paying back Kodaks medical bills. I also have two Warm morning 414a's . One I want to put in my blacksmith shop Im building behind the garage and maybe the other in the garage if I don't find something larger to heat it .

anyways these little changes keep us on our toes . I wish I had folks closer to actually talk coal in person with.

joeq · Post by **joeq** » Sun. Jan. 25, 2015 10:41 pm

Smokeyja wrote: anyways these little changes keep us on our toes . I wish I had folks closer to actually talk coal in person with.

I hear ya Josh. I feel the same way. When it's slow in work, I'll be talking coal, to people who could care less.