Jamming Grate
- tcalo
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- Baseburners & Antiques: Crawford 40
- Coal Size/Type: Nut/stove anthracite
I've been fighting with my grate an aweful lot this season. It's been jamming up on me and I'm not sure why. I've checked for cracks and haven't noticed any. I would need to shut down to look it over good. I don't think it's a cracked grate because the grate will free up for a bit then jam back up. My assumption is if it was a crack and the grate swelled then it would get stuck until it cooled. I've had my fair share of cracked grates so I know the feeling! I thought it was the fire pot ring causing the grate to bind so I decided to run the stove without it and see if there is a difference. Sadly there isn't. My guess is that the grate is getting jammed with coal. I've read many posts that say the coal will eventually burn up freeing the grate. Unfortunatly it tends to happen when I first start to shake the stove down. If I let it sit then I risk loosing the fire. It's a pita to get the grate free. The grate gets so tight that the stove actually moves around when I'm working the shaker rod. Have you ever tried to move a hot stove back into position...not fun! The coal is free of debris and the ash is powder. I'm so frustrated I'm about to turn my oil burner back on.
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Some of the ash evidently is not powder. There can be a big difference in the coal used. You might try a bag or two of a different coal. Perhaps shake less and leave more ash and see how it goes. Perhaps any poking is leading to solid pieces doing the jamming. There is also the possibility of some clinkers doing the jamming. A clean out would verify that.
- tcalo
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I just shook down the stove and it was flawless. I'm getting close to the bottom of my bin and am starting to scrap up some smaller pieces. These could be the culprit.
- Lightning
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- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
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It sounds to me like you are getting the same thing I'm getting.
Check this thread...
What Is This in My Coal?
Check this thread...
What Is This in My Coal?
- tcalo
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- Coal Size/Type: Nut/stove anthracite
Drats, went to shake down this morning and the shaker handle jammed solid. I looked around the bottom of the grate and didn't notice any cracks or warping. I opened the primary a bit and let the stove chug along hoping to burn whatever was in the way, but no luck. I closed the stove up hoping it's out by tonight. I plan on cleaning the stove out after work. I hope it was just debris caught between the grate and pot. This is getting old...where is spring?
- Lightning
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- Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
- Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite
Can you get underneath to poke and slice up thru the grates instead of letting the fire out? Works good for me, maybe it would for you too..
- tcalo
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I got home from work and the stove was cool enough to clean out. Thankfully the grate wasn't cracked, but I did find the culprit. Rocks! Looks like I need to have a talk with my coal guy.
Attachments
- davidmcbeth3
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He'll say "that's Tennessee coal" ... and then you can crush him with it....tcalo wrote:I got home from work and the stove was cool enough to clean out. Thankfully the grate wasn't cracked, but I did find the culprit. Rocks! Looks like I need to have a talk with my coal guy.
terrible....
- tcalo
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- Coal Size/Type: Nut/stove anthracite
Grate news!!! My grate jammed again last night so I decided to let the stove burn out. It finally went out this morning so I decided to clean it out and give it a good inspection to see exactly what the problem is. I though it was rocks again. I emptied the stove and didn't find any rocks. The grate was still jamming up in spots with an empty stove. I did noticed that the outer edges of the grate were beginning to sag. The bottom of the firepot is beveled and this is where the grate was getting jammed up. I remember Larry telling me to put large washers on the center pin under the grate to raise it off the support tabs. I slipped 2 large washers under the grate on the center pin and now it feels like it's on ball bearings. Glad it was a simple fix. Any other Chubby users experiencing sagging grates?
- Formulabruce
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I have had this. I took out my Grate in Feb and I ground off the whole top edge on my bench grinder. The top outer edge of the grate at a 30 degree angle took off about 1/4 inch in and 1/8th cut deep inch all the way around. It worked like it was greased after that, if it warps any, it still cant hit, and the ash "ring" covers that area, so its not impacting it at all. . I feel this could be done to new grates to prevent any problems down the road, the clearance is tight.tcalo wrote:Grate news!!! My grate jammed again last night so I decided to let the stove burn out. It finally went out this morning so I decided to clean it out and give it a good inspection to see exactly what the problem is. I though it was rocks again. I emptied the stove and didn't find any rocks. The grate was still jamming up in spots with an empty stove. I did noticed that the outer edges of the grate were beginning to sag. The bottom of the firepot is beveled and this is where the grate was getting jammed up. I remember Larry telling me to put large washers on the center pin under the grate to raise it off the support tabs. I slipped 2 large washers under the grate on the center pin and now it feels like it's on ball bearings. Glad it was a simple fix. Any other Chubby users experiencing sagging grates?
I have had a couple pieces of slate, and a couple pieces of "pegmatite" ( granite type mix rock) But the Blashack has been pretty good.
- davidmcbeth3
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Its a chiiiinker !!!!!!!
We have to be experts in the manipulation of metal it appears ... grinders, welders, mills etc.
metal v man who will win the battle?
- stovepipemike
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Man wins the battle . Mike