Keeping Franco Belge Going

 
jasius
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Allentown, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 10:03 am

Belgianburner wrote:Hi..

You may want to look through a long thread here titled "Diary of a Surdiac". These stoves are very similar to your Franco Belge except that they have no front shakers...only the slots for riddling. The author of this thread also posted an excellent video of how to properly shake down these stoves. It's not complicated, but has to be done properly so the coal bed received enough air from below.
I also wonder about your chimney...can you tell us about it? You should be able to easily start your coal with a wood fire if you have adequate draft. I've never used Matchlite...sounds stinky (I wouldn't want that lighter fluid smell in my house). Hopefully, we will solve your problem soon because its rather fridgid this weekend....glad mine is keeping the house in the mid 70's.
holly crap, 70 degrees in the house.. I use electricity and hold it at 60 degrees since it becomes prohibitively expensive (provided my stove issues)


 
jasius
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Allentown, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 10:11 am

how critical is to measure the draft in the chimney and flue temperature as I see that in all the posts? Should I pick up something from Home Depot to do that, perhaps that would help me diagnose things?

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 10:14 am

If you lose fire just do a really good job of shaking and slicing or riddling, then make a hollow in center for new fire , preferably charcoal.

To shake down and slice: Move both handles to left to uncover openings, the slicing tool is offset, so start with the offset pointing to the left and insert into the left hand slot. Work the tool back and forth while slowly advancing. Do that with all three slots and then reverse to offset part of the tool and do it again to all three ports. Finish with a shake of the handles. Top off hopper.

It is a good idea when burning hard to run the poker along the front edge of the fire from the top to begin with before slicing. Open slots first though and be sure to close them when done with slicing.

In cold weather do this every 8 hours. Should not take longer than a minute. Leave thermostat alone unless you want more or less heat. It automatically opens when the fire starts to ash up and is open to allow more air when tending the stove and will close down when heat comes back up. I doubt there is any stove quicker and easier to tend. Empty ash pan once per day. Forget what you may read on this forum about tending a batch fed stove. This stove is different because of the hopper, thermostat, and shallow fire bed which lights off very quickly after clearing ash and hopper feeds more coal. Keep hopper plate as high as it will go on supports.

 
jasius
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Allentown, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 10:26 am

I apologize... None of this is clear to me

To shake down and slice: Move both handles to left to uncover openings-somewhat clear, handles underneath to the left, presumably holes align for ash to fall out

the slicing tool is offset-unclear, I thought that tool was that crooked hook I found that previous owners left so it can't be offset

so start with the offset pointing to the left and insert into the left hand slot-really unclear

Work the tool back and forth while slowly advancing- I assume I stick that tool through the burning coal leayer untill I reach the holes of the grate and just try and follow to clean those holes?

Do that with all three slots - three slots within one shaker?

and then reverse to offset part of the tool and do it again to all three ports- unclear

I wonder if somebody has a video of this?

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 10:35 am

jasius wrote:how critical is to measure the draft in the chimney and flue temperature as I see that in all the posts? Should I pick up something from Home Depot to do that, perhaps that would help me diagnose things?
It is not critical but nice to know. A thermometer stuck to smoke pipe is nice.

No manual pipe damper and no barometric damper is necessary. The thermostat regulates the air.

If when you start from cold the chimney pulls the smoke out very quickly, then you have adequate draft. Having a manometer to measure it is also nice , but not critical. Amazon has the Dwyer Mark ll model 25 for about 28 dollars. there are usually sellers on Ebay as well. there is a thread in this forum on installing.

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 10:56 am

jasius wrote:I apologize... None of this is clear to me

To shake down and slice: Move both handles to left to uncover openings-somewhat clear, handles underneath to the left, presumably holes align for ash to fall out

the slicing tool is offset-unclear, I thought that tool was that crooked hook I found that previous owners left so it can't be offset

so start with the offset pointing to the left and insert into the left hand slot-really unclear

Work the tool back and forth while slowly advancing- I assume I stick that tool through the burning coal leayer untill I reach the holes of the grate and just try and follow to clean those holes?

Do that with all three slots - three slots within one shaker?

and then reverse to offset part of the tool and do it again to all three ports- unclear

I wonder if somebody has a video of this?
By offset is meant the angle or hook at the end of the tool. When pointed to the left it can more easily reach the left hand side and corner of the fire bed, and the same when it is pointing toward the right to reach the right hand corner.

What you are doing is sliding that tool in just above grate level into the burning coal and ash to break up the ash and let it fall through the holes or gaps in the grate. Advance until you reach all the way to the back of the fire pot. Shaking alone does not clear ash well enough so slicing is needed as well. Just put the tool into one of those slots and work back and forth and in and out until you reach the back of the fire pot, then go to the next slot and do it again. If you do it with the stove empty you can see the action and what is happening.

By moving the shaker handles to the left , one handle uncovers two slots and the other one slot, to let you slide that tool in.

 
jasius
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Allentown, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 11:01 am

So I have to point the end of that tool down, punctuate through the coal bed, try to find the slots and the have that end of the tool in that slot and then slide it? Wouldn't that stir all the coal bed? I thought that would be detrimental to fire


 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 11:03 am

If this is still unclear I am sending you my phone number and you can call me.

Look at the picture of the envelope at the top of the page and click on it to get the message.

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 11:16 am

jasius wrote:So I have to point the end of that tool down, punctuate through the coal bed, try to find the slots and the have that end of the tool in that slot and then slide it? Wouldn't that stir all the coal bed? I thought that would be detrimental to fire
You keep the tool flat, not pointed down. It points to one side or the other. It is sliding under the coal bed just over the grate, so does not disturb it. It is disturbing the ash on the bottom.

 
User avatar
joeq
Member
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Northern CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson

Post by joeq » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 1:55 pm

Not sure if I can help you "J", cause you've got some pretty knowledgable folks guiding you along, but maybe I'll add this. I used to have a Surdiac, and had similar problems as you. the tool I used for riddling looked like this.
Image
And was used by scraping through 3 slots in the frt of the stove. If you look at this photo, you'll see them, where the tool is protruding through.
Image
After you scrape the grates in one slot, you pull the tool out, and go to the next one.. I have a whole thread for my stove, and BelgB thought you may benefit from it. Here is the link, and if you go partway down page 11, you'll see my comments on riddling. Hope it helps. Actually Belgianburner just reminded me of my video I posted on page 21 of the cleaning procedures on a Surdiac. How it will correlate to your stove, I'm not sure.
confedsailor @ Diary of a Surdiac

 
jasius
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Allentown, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 6:26 pm

joeq wrote:Not sure if I can help you "J", cause you've got some pretty knowledgable folks guiding you along, but maybe I'll add this. I used to have a Surdiac, and had similar problems as you. the tool I used for riddling looked like this.
Image
And was used by scraping through 3 slots in the frt of the stove. If you look at this photo, you'll see them, where the tool is protruding through.
Image
After you scrape the grates in one slot, you pull the tool out, and go to the next one.. I have a whole thread for my stove, and BelgB thought you may benefit from it. Here is the link, and if you go partway down page 11, you'll see my comments on riddling. Hope it helps. Actually Belgianburner just reminded me of my video I posted on page 21 of the cleaning procedures on a Surdiac. How it will correlate to your stove, I'm not sure.
confedsailor @ Diary of a Surdiac
that was the main question so, yes, you helped. the problem was that I simply wanted to open the top door and poke somehow through the coalbed trying to clean that grating. That was the part I could not understand. Now it's clear

 
jasius
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Allentown, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sat. Feb. 13, 2016 6:27 pm

anybody can suggest a thermometer from ebay to measure the temperature of the flue gas?

 
Belgianburner
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat. Feb. 14, 2015 8:15 am
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Surdiac Gotha 713
Other Heating: heat pump (electric backup)

Post by Belgianburner » Sun. Feb. 14, 2016 8:58 am

You want to minimize poking into the glowing coal bed...only poke at the ash around the edges, then shut the door and proceed to the riddling slots. Here, you will also only be removing ash from just above the grates. As you remove it, the live coals will fall onto the grate. When you see a few drop into your ash pan, or when you see the glow from the embers, you're done. My Franco Belge needed tending about every 5 to 6 hours, 8 was sometimes too late to save it.

 
jasius
Member
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Allentown, PA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sun. Feb. 14, 2016 9:51 am

Happy to report that it works! Now on to finetunning.

My question is: I understand that I should run it continuously. But what do you do in a weather like this? 10 degrees today, 30 tomorrow, 50 by the end of the week. Also, do you dial it down when you leave for work?

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sun. Feb. 14, 2016 10:22 am

jasius wrote:Happy to report that it works! Now on to finetunning.

My question is: I understand that I should run it continuously. But what do you do in a weather like this? 10 degrees today, 30 tomorrow, 50 by the end of the week. Also, do you dial it down when you leave for work?
Gradually lower the thermostat setting as the weather warms. You can increase time between tending. By doing things gradually you will get a feel for how the stove responds. 15 to 20 pounds per day is about the minimum. Draft reversal can be a problem in some systems with low stack temperatures, so be sure to have t least one and preferably two carbon monoxide detectors.

Any lowering when you go to work should be very little because response time is so slow getting the temperature back up and that is not a large stove. I would tend to leave it alone unless warm weather is expected.


Post Reply

Return to “Imported Hand Fired Coal Stoves Using Anthracite”