Becoming Discouraged With Coal...

 
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Sunny Boy
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Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Thu. Mar. 19, 2015 10:31 am

If you get the chimney good and hot, get all the cleaning stuff ready, then close the stove dampers down almost all the way, you can open the tee cleanout cap and quickly vac that horizontal section without having to shut the stove down. Extending the chimney higher will add to that ability.

There will be enough residual heat in the chimney, plus with the stove draft restricted enough, the opened tee won't reverse flow. The chimney will still maintain enough draft so that it won't back draft through the open cleanout in the tee giving you several minutes to brush and vac the fly ash buildup out of the bottom of the horizontal section.

The colder the day is outside when you do that, the better it works and the more time you have to clean while the tee is opened.

Paul

 
titleist1
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Post by titleist1 » Thu. Mar. 19, 2015 8:23 pm

Here is a pic of what I mentioned regarding the 'T'. This probably makes it clearer than my description.

With your low draft I would recommend you put a cap on the end where I have my baro. As SunnyBoy mentioned just remove the cap and quickly vac out the fly ash from the horizontal flue pipe. I usually do it after about each ton, I do get a little exhaust smell through the vac but if I do it fast enough the co monitor doesnt register a reading. if I am slow it will get to about 10 or 11.

 
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Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25559
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Mar. 20, 2015 10:56 am

I forgot to mention. Another plus for cleaning the pipe while the stove is still providing draft is that any fine fly ash dust you stir up gets sucked up and out the chimney.

If the pipe is cleaned when the stove is out and the pipe has cooled, the cold air in the chimney will naturally get drawn into the house. Then no matter how carefully the pipe is vacuumed and brushed, some fly ash always gets sucked into the house.

Paul


 
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2001Sierra
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Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34

Post by 2001Sierra » Fri. Mar. 20, 2015 12:46 pm

I have a really long vac hose, and the vac is outside. No smell or dust in the house whatsoever. The hose actually looks similar to a pool vac hose.

 
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LinMar
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Location: Fillmore, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Piece of Junk
Coal Size/Type: Rice

Post by LinMar » Wed. Dec. 21, 2016 8:34 am

I feel your pain, I have run into similar problems. I had to get a draft inducer for mine as my chimney was so tall (two story) to keep a good draft. I have also discovered I have to clean out the fly ash from the vents and stove pipe every 2 ton that I burn. That's a pain when it's in the single digits because my furnace has two inside vents that fill so I have to completely shut down to clean it.

 
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WNY
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Location: Cuba, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90K, Leisure Line Hyfire I
Coal Size/Type: Rice
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Post by WNY » Wed. Dec. 21, 2016 8:45 am

any status on this? you still burning your stove this winter? hope you got it figured out.


 
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kickincoalinNY
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Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2014 9:12 am
Location: UpState NY ~ Dundee
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite
Other Heating: Propane

Post by kickincoalinNY » Wed. Dec. 21, 2016 10:22 am

Hi Dave...No. I ended up selling the stove and going with an easy to use thermostat :) I LOVED the coal stove and the heat it produced but I didn't care for the maintenance. :(

 
coalnewbie
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Location: Chester, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: LL AnthraKing 180K, Pocono110K,KStokr 90K, DVC
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Invader 2
Baseburners & Antiques: Wings Best, Glenwood #8(x2) Herald 116x
Coal Size/Type: Rice,
Other Heating: Heating Oil CH, Toyotomi OM 22

Post by coalnewbie » Wed. Dec. 21, 2016 12:49 pm

I guess you gave up - shame.

 
titleist1
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Post by titleist1 » Wed. Dec. 21, 2016 5:12 pm

kickincoalinNY wrote: I LOVED the coal stove and the heat it produced but I didn't care for the maintenance.
This is something a lot of people don't realize when they look for alternative heat fuel whether it is pellets, wood or coal. It is kind of a hobby when you go to solid fuel.

There is a commitment to self maintenance that is not there with oil, gas or propane where you call someone to fill the tank call someone to service it once per year and then just turn the 'stat. Then you hope it doesn't c rap out in the middle of winter where you get put 20th on the list of repairs for the service guy! If you want real maintenance free just go all electric!!

 
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Uglysquirrel
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Post by Uglysquirrel » Wed. Dec. 21, 2016 7:19 pm

Reminds me of a work friend who was so terribly proud that he used the same 10 -15- 20 year old stovepipe for his wood stove as you started to observe all those tiny pin holes in the pipe. With no screws holding them together. Three kids, wife. All those years.

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