Who's Uses Pea Size Coal in Harmon MKI?

I just bought a bagged ton of it (Blaschak ) and am wondering how you set the ash door draft control knob. I used to use nut size coal of the same brand and used to set it 3/4 of a turn open. Stove temps were about 275 to 300 degrees with that setting. I'm trying it at 1 1/2 turns open now. I'm just curious what you guys are using and what works well for you. What are your results and do you find it any better than nut coal? I'm hoping it will be a little better controlling the stove temp and burn times.

Thanks for the help.
Pete..

I burn some pea in my stove (not a Harman) but I have found that you need the draft open a little more to get the same heat. I burn nut most of the winter, as it will give you more heat, but this time of the year I find the pea last longer and is easier to control.

Probably about 1 1/2 turns on the air for pea. With the nut I have now- 3/4 works well. Pea needs more air because it packs more tightly together then nut. By the way, when I was burning strip-mined coal I had a lot of problems keeping a good fire going with nut size, even tried mixing nut and pea. Pea size was the only coal that would burn well. The coal I have now is nut size, no problems.

I've never tested the draft, nor have I put a thermometer on the stove but I run pea in my Mk I all year. As long as the temp is above 30* or so, I run it at about 1/2 a turn and can keep my 1200sf house (one level) between 65*-72*. If it gets down around zero degrees, then I can open it up to around 1 1/2 turns, maybe two. At that point, I can only get about 6 hours out of the stove before I have to attend it vs. nearly 20hrs running it at 1/2 a turn.

If I run nut coal, and I did for about 2 years, I can't get it to "idle" to a comfortable heat level. It's either hot, or it's choked out dead.

I am, I guess, somewhat unconventional, but I run a manual damper that I fully close when I'm running it. I think I just have an extra strong draft or something. If I crack the damper at all, I get a runaway fire. Even though I only have the air adjustment open 1/2 a turn.

Jeff, it does sound like you have a good draft. I'm curious: How far is it from the stove outlet to the top of the chimney? What kind of chimney? is the chimney exposed for most of its length, or does it run inside the house?

I'm beginning to have great respect for chimneys -- they seem to be more critical for coal burning than when I was burning wood, especially this time of year when outdoor temperatures are milder.

As you can see, I took the legs off my stove and made it kind of an insert. I made a sheet metal plate to cover the hole left by the original fireplace damper. The only stove pipe I have is a 90* elbow to a round to oval adapter. The rest of the chimney is regular terra cotta lining. I think it's 9"x13" or something like that. It goes up to the roof to a height of maybe 15' or so. The chimney is totally enclosed in the house. I have a laundry room and family room on the other side of the wall shown. Once that sucker gets hot, it stays hot. You can go in the laundry room and feel the warmth to the touch. Really, it's like a brick oven if you think about it.

I don't pretend to know how my stove does what it does. I only know that I'm happy it does it.

Yours is a little bit like the Russian Fireplaces and other such designs, where there's a large amount of stone or brickwork that absorb heat from the stove, then radiate it back to the room. Supposed to be good for evening out the heat.