Trouble Keeping Coal Stove Buring

 
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rockwood
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Post by rockwood » Wed. Oct. 29, 2008 9:19 pm

I think coalkirk is right. The firebox in the photo doesn't look like it's deep enough for hard coal to burn well.

Maybe soft coal would burn in this one???


 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Wed. Oct. 29, 2008 9:25 pm

From the web site:
Morsø 1410 is available as a Coal Heater.
wpkm says:
Yes, It is the the coal version, shaker is bottom right, small rod with hole to attach a handle to shake the ash.
Blaschak coal eliminates the "bad coal" question. Assuming this stove can burn Anthracite then we need to look at other reasons such as poor draft.

How about a photo of the firebox and shaker/grates?

Manual for the 1410 Coal model:
**Broken Link(s) Removed**From the diagram the shaker portion of the grate doesn't look like a good anthracite burner, but one never knows.

 
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spc
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Post by spc » Wed. Oct. 29, 2008 9:46 pm

From the pic it looks like the stove isn't made for a deep bed of coal. You may want to try adding fire brick.
Look at this thread:
Post by Dallas - Reducing Grate Area for Spring Burning

 
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baldeagle
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Post by baldeagle » Fri. Oct. 31, 2008 9:54 pm

I looked also, literature says it is a woodburning stove. Best, baldeagle

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Fri. Oct. 31, 2008 10:49 pm

Ditto the advice to keep the top air inlet fully closed, and check that the pipe connections and chimney are well sealed and the chimney clean-out door is not open.

And try nut coal instead of pea -- with my stove and chimney combination nut burns very well but pea does poorly because it packs tighter together and it's harder for the air to get at it and through it.

Also, as Wood'nCoal said, the grate doesn't look that great for anthracite. Get a stiff metal rod with a 2-inch right angle bend at one end, and when the fire slows down try poking up through the grates from underneath via the ash pan door. Wiggle the rod around and get the ashes to drop down. If that clears the passages and revives the fire, then part of the problem is too many ashes packing and blocking the grates.

 
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Post by wpkm » Sat. Nov. 15, 2008 12:56 pm

Well, I swapped out my ton of pea coal for Nut. Yes, it burns better. It actually burned overnight while I slept but only a small section in the center. Most of the coal was left unburned. I noticed when I left the door cracked a little the draft was strong the the coal was burning great. Then I added some leftover Pea coal on top and the fire basically went out. To me it seems there is not enough air getting in along with pea size coal smothering the fire. I had the top vent closed the whole time too. I did try sticking a metal rod to from underneath the grates, lots of ash would fall out.

Next time:
1) Use only Nut coal
2) when fire goes low, shake ash from bottom to verify not enough air

 
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Post by rberq » Sat. Nov. 15, 2008 6:03 pm

My apologies if you already answered this, but: what are the dimensions of the firebox? Not the whole inside of the stove, just the portion that will be filled with coal. That is, measure from the grates to the top of the firebrick. Then measure from side to side, and back to front, inside the firebrick.

The lower air inlet, in the pictures, appears to introduce air directly into the front of the burn chamber, rather than underneath the grates as it should. Is that so? Is there a separate ashpit door, or is the whole door a single unit like the picture seems to show?


 
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Post by captcaper » Sun. Nov. 16, 2008 4:28 pm

I'll throw in my 2 cents and say these stoves,combo ones,don't burn coal well at all. I was taught that years ago. Wood burns very differently then coal.

Bring it back while it's still new and say it's terrible and get another one that'll do the job.

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Sun. Nov. 16, 2008 6:45 pm

captcaper wrote:Bring it back while it's still new and say it's terrible and get another one that'll do the job.
I'm afraid captcaper may be right. From the owner's manual, it sure doesn't look like a stove that will burn coal. There are plenty that will.

 
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Post by rockwood » Sun. Nov. 16, 2008 8:08 pm

From the photo it looks like there's only one door, no separate ash door?
I don't think I've ever seen a modern stove designed to burn coal that only has one door directly covering the firebox and ash pan.

 
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Post by wpkm » Mon. Nov. 17, 2008 9:26 pm

Thanks for all the input so far. Stove shop owner going to check it out tomorrow. There is only one door for both the ash pan and grate. If I crack the door of the stove slightly, then the stove runs great. I think its lack of air getting to it. If I poke from underneath the grate, the ash falls and it lights up better. I am trying tonight if it runs all night with the nut coal and top vent closed. Last night I tried it with the top vent slightly open. It went out by morning. Bottom full open full.

Morso is the oldest stove making company, they must have been able to iron out the design since 1860 :). I don't know, I'll keep trying everyones ideas.

thanks for all the input everyone.

 
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Post by captcaper » Tue. Nov. 18, 2008 7:24 am

Take it back..Shop owner looking at it won't help it burn proper. These stoves are known for bad burning. Your going to loose interest in burning coal and buy a pellet stove or something. My buddy bought a pellet stove off the internet and it burns and run's so bad he hates it. I told him to get a brand name one. Get a Harman or other brand listed here used by many. Or get a used Chubby Coal. They burn so good and built well. We can only lead a horse to water can't make him drink it.
Good Luck.

 
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Post by lincolnmania » Tue. Nov. 18, 2008 8:13 am

most wood/coal stoves do a lousy job of burning coal.....i've never had a coal fire go completely out in 2 hours.....we have an old potbelly that will only go 6 between feeding and shaking....i thought that was bad.......figure out a way to get a good coal stove before you give up

 
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Post by MrMikie » Tue. Nov. 18, 2008 9:27 am

My first coal stove was a Parlor combo stove, new in 1979. I had access to free hardwood pallets. So I used an electric chain saw and cut them up and stacked them in my shed.

When I started the stove I would get a wood fire first, and then dump a hod full of nut coal on top. I always left the ash pit door open until it was burning good. When that had burned up I would shake the fire down vigorously, and lay a couple pieces of pallet wood on top and when that got burning good, I would again just dump a bucket of coal on top and follow the same procedure. This worked well for that stove, and I realized that if I was to burn just coal I would have been better off to get a stove designed for coal not both wood and coal. I put up with it for 2 years and then junked it.

I bought a new stove designed to burn wood and used that for 14 years.

We are not getting any younger and I have had my fill of cutting, splitting and stacking wood. When the price of oil was $.42 a gallon and I decided to install an oil fired boiler, and that has served me well. When the price of oil went out of sight I decided it was time to research modern coal stoves. I must say I was pleased with what I saw in the new designs.

I bought a new LL stove and have been impressed. Jerry builds a hell of a stove.

Everyone has a different situation and needs to find what would work best for them. Too many people just buy on impulse only to find out its the wrong stove for their application. I did 3 months of research before I made my decision on what to buy, right down to where I could get coal. I figured why buy a stove I could not get coal for.

My belief is, buy a wood stove for burning wood, or a coal stove for burning coal. Combo stoves are not that good at either. Wood is much more forgiving than coal is to burn.

 
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Post by sharkman8810 » Tue. Nov. 18, 2008 10:18 am

I wish I had an anwer for you, but the owners manual for your stoves instructions for burning coal seemed fine, if it actually works in your stove. If they don't work I'd call it faulty and say you follow the manual and it doesnt work, and try to return the poor performing stove, or just use it as a wood burner. The only other thing I can do is recommend a hitzer 254 as a stove brand/model that has pretty good rep, and appears as a similar type to yours and should fit and look nice in your area fairly easily.


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