How many tons to purchase for season?

this is a great topic, i have the us stove 1800 model and some of the challenges jimbo is having. i also blocked the over fire airways. but the question is the flapper door on the forced air blower, if used to restrict air while the blower is running will it harm the motor or is this how its done. i called us stove and the lady said to use the flapper door. does any agree/disagree? if not any ideas? i havent used the blower ever fire gets to hot but if i can get people to agree on the flapper ill just use that. thanks for input.

The US 1800 I Think is a lot like my furnace there are a few pics of the firebox and grates earler in the topic. I came across the topic about successfully burning coal in clayton 1800. Did you start that topic?
I have read it and found it very informative. I bought my furnace to burn wood and then decided to burn coal after finding this forum.
Have you burnt any Kimmel's stove coal in the us 1800? I went to a grand opening of a new store that is selling Kimmel's coal and selling Reading stoves here in our village. He is going to start stocking stove coal for some of us guys that my want to use it. I have a ton of nut in basement figure I can mix it with the stove to get rid of it.
thanks Jim

Between 5 & 6 ton of chestnut size coal. Closer to 6 ton.

LsFarm wrote:Well, a lot of times the 'V' shaped firebox causes problems,, A well designed firebox for burning coal has vertical sides or nearly vertical sides.. The problem is that coal has at least 10% ash,, and as the coal burns,, the coal bed settles down with a tapered 'V' firebox, the coal and ash get compressed together as it settles,, this causes clinkers. and the concentrated ash on the grate can cause airflow problems..

I built my own boiler using the 'V' shape,, and regretted it.. If I were to build another hand fired stove or boiler the sides would be vertical, and the firebox very deep, so I could easily have a coal bed that is at least 10" deep.. this is what anthracite likes.. a deep fire with vertical sides..

Do a search on the forum for US stove, and wood coal combination. You will find several threads about the frustration some members have had burning in these type of stoves..

Your particular brand, I don't think has been mentioned on the forum before,, maybe the smaller firebox will work for you.

Greg L..

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Here you go Greg All you have to do is ask I have them All booked marked and for the older ones that are no longer made there in My head

http://www.firechiefwoodfurnace.com/fc700.aspx

The firechief shows no separate air intake for the ashpan area, no combustion air vent for the ashpan door or area.. Unless the combustion blower is internally vented to route ALL of it's fan-forced air to below the grates,, this furnace will be a big frustration trying to burn anthracite..
It might burn a wood/bituminous coal combination with the over the fire 'secondary air' but for anthracite you want zero air getting above the coalbed, otherwise you are stealing air and oxygen from the coal fire.

Maybe i'm not seeing something, but it looks like a wood burner to me. with coal added to the description for marketing.

Greg L

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Ls Farm
It has the damper that is mounted on a carriage bolt in the ash pan door. Would be the same as you drilling a hole in a pipe cap and threading it and either tighten or loosen it for draft controll. The damper cap is about 2 1/2 inches O.D. I think the over draft is an option that does not have to be used. The over draft blower does have a diverter plate that stops 3/4 of an inch above the grates I think if I plug the holes that are currently in the over draft diverter which I have done by making a 3/8 inch thick steel plate that can be removed just by picking it up and pulling it out. I drilled and tapped some 1/4x20 bolts in the 3/8 plate so that the 1/4 inch bolts go through the holes that were in the diverter plate the heads of the bolts will keep it from falling off so the steel plate just kind of hangs there. The diverter plate is angled so the steel plate lays nice and flat against the dirverter plate. I was thinking this would divert the air down under the bed of coal and allow us to use the thremostat the help give it a shot of air if it starts to die off. It may work maybe it wont by looking at pics I think this furnace is similar to the brunco and the clayton 1800. I have read the topic about succesfully burning acthracite in the clayton and have found it very informative. I am going to go to the local dealer and get some stove size coal this week as that what he burns in his clayton.
Jim