Great Stove, Some Issues

I've been burning in my Chubby for several years now and couldn't be happier with it. This stove is built like a tank and Larry is a pleasure to deal with. I started with one of the original rear vent designs with an internal shaker rod. Traded it in for a top vent with a new style fire pot, world of difference.

I'm sure each stove has issues, just curious what others think?
- I've experienced a cracked grate every year. I reached out to Larry for advice and changed my tending routine, hopefully it helps. Even if I replaced the grate every year, a small price to pay for what I'm saving over oil.
- The shaker nipple wear drove me crazy. I fabricated a fix utilizing a replacable cap. The spring handle is actually much easier to shake the stove with than using the poker. Here is the link: Coal Chubby
- I've been having a problem with ash in the bottom of the stove. It seems the pan is too small to catch all the ash, but it's the biggest pan that will fit through the lower door. I even put the fire pot ring in, it seems to help a little. The problem is no matter how careful I am, shoveling the excess ash out from the bottom of the stove gets messy. I thought of using a shop vac, didn't want to melt it or set it on fire.

Tcalo,
I use a 12" wallpaper brush, and a 6" drywall knife, sweep it after the shake. One thing I noticed about shaking, after 5-6 seconds of shaking, the grate gets real light-nothing will fall. I only shake in the morning tend. I bent a piece of 1/8 rod(3" 90 degree bend, about 18" long) that I use to poke and slice the ash from the bottom, in the evening. On occasion, I get 2 pans of ash. After shaking in the AM, and poking in the evening, I run the poker around the top edge of the firepot to get the coal to fall, then re- fill. I let it climb to 400*, then set the drafts.I run the Chubby at 300*-350*. Maybe this method will help your grate live longer. It works for me, but, you know, "different strokes for different folks" !
Cheers

Hi guys!
I have a similar routine D-FROST I just empty the ash pan prior to over filling it. The hotter you burn the more ash you'll generate. The Chubby design is based on vertical inches so the flue is height can fit under a 25" high fireplace opening. The top vent shares the same measurements as the rear vent. I tried!! Someday if business gets really good I will make the top vent Coal Stove Chubby taller giving you guys a deeper ash pan.. Until then I will empty my top vent before it over fills. Tom you have a knack for re configuring let me know if you find a simple solution! Best.

LT,
Every stove has it's good points, and not so good. Once you figure out how your stove wants to run, and if it's putting out the BTU's you need, you can be a 'Happy Coaler'. Larry, you built a great little heater that does not take up a ton of floorplace. You can very proud.
"You gotta'luv a Chubby"
Cheers

tcalo,
I don't run my Jr year round, but to clean up ash that misses the pan, I use one of those real cheap tin flat stove shovels that they sell everywhere, and move it around to pick up that ash. I don't dump the full shovel in the house. I set it on top of my ash pan and take it outside with the pan to dump at the same time.

Maybe an ash vac would work, but I don't have one, so have no idea.

IN many stoves, a grate will warp before it breaks. When it warps, it becomes hard to move and then the breakage occurs. My Chubby overheated ( yup left the door open) and my shaker became a chore unless cold. After asking Larry, I ground the edges of the top, I found the clearance really tight, and with the new "Fire pot ring" The diameter of the grate isn't as critical. Once most of the whole edge was ground off with a 4.5 inch grinder in my vice, and a couple warped slots opened up, the shaker worked like new again !!. While I like the looks of that spring handle ( linked above), Mine is so easy even after a 12 hour burn, I don't feel its needed.
Before I bought my Chubby I was told "it wont crunch up the klinkers" But now, I really don't have many klinkers and those I see I just push through from up top. about 97% coal is burned now with few and sometimes no pieces of coal in pan.
When I get a new grate I will grind the top edges all the way around aside from the handle area. It only comes close in 4 spots, but it moves back and forth too.
my 2 cents

A little comparison made me appreciate my Chubby! After reading all the hype about antique base burners I finally got my hands on an Our Glenwood 109. I'm in the restoration process now so I don't know how well it burns compared to my Chubby. The castings on the Glenwood are beautiful, but quite thin. The Chubby is quite a looker herself with beautiful scroll work adorning the doors and top plate. Compared to the Glenwood the Chubby is built like a tank. The castings such as the doors and top are massive and the barrel is really thick. The fire pot is a monster too compared to the Glenwood, although I guess it needs to be since there is no fire brick to protect it. I have no worries about burning my Chubby hot, I know it could take it! I would be hesitant about running my Glenwood hard. We heat our home solely with our Chubby during the winter. Although she does a good job I do wish the fire pot was a bit bigger. I usually tend the stove every 12 hours but in the dead of winter I tend it 3 times a day just to keep it running smooth. I do have an issue with cracking my grate every year. I've followed Larry's instructions to a tee but still eat through grates. I'm sure it's operator error as I tend to push my stove in the dead of winter. I could live with an annual expense of $100 for a new grate, not to mention the great customer service from a revived company. Larry is by far the nicest individual I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. In fact during our trick or treating excursion I came across a Chubby in one of my neighbors driveways. It looked so sad sitting out there in the cold. Too bad nobody was home, I was going to offer a warm home to that tired old stove. Keep up the good work Larry!