Initiation Boom

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DavidL
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Post by DavidL » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 12:34 pm

Well I have been burning coal since Tuesday. This morning I added coal and boom, baro flew off and clean out door flew open. The explosion was only minor; probably didn't let the volatiles burn off. I had screwed all my pipes together with 3 screws, except for the baro. The baro now has 3 screws in it and the clean out door is sealed. I had minimal soot to clean up.

Now I will be more careful and not be in such a rush.

 
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Dallas
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Post by Dallas » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 12:49 pm

My observations:

I've never had any "booms", but some minor "poofs".

I've loaded the stove, left the Manual Pipe Damper open to get the burn going. While doing this nothing seemed to be happening. As soon as I close the MPD, I'll get a small poof and the blue flames with commence dancing on the coal surface. If I open the MPD again, the blue flames disappear. Close the MPD ... poof, flames are back.

I can't quite figure out what happens. Either the extra draft, at that particular time, with the MPD open, is sucking the volatiles up the chimney or the heat needed to ignite them is going up the chimney. It is interesting, as it's like turning a switch on and off.

 
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jeromemsn
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Post by jeromemsn » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 2:45 pm

I use to have poofs and booms also until I found out that if I left and area open of the real red hot coal so a flame was there I would not get any poofs or booms no matter how I loaded the coal up. seems like all it takes is one flame to burn off the volatiles of a fresh load of coal.

 
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rockwood
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Post by rockwood » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 3:01 pm

Dallas wrote: I can't quite figure out what happens. Either the extra draft, at that particular time, with the MPD open, is sucking the volatiles up the chimney or the heat needed to ignite them is going up the chimney. It is interesting, as it's like turning a switch on and off.
I think that's exactly what it is. Sudden large increase in draft.

I have watched a commercial boiler do the same thing. It was cool weather so not much call for heat and the fire was only about a foot high, then the FD fan kicked on and the flames virtually disappeared until more coal was stoked in after which the fire would start to get larger.


 
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DavidL
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Post by DavidL » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 4:11 pm

It was very windy

 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 7:29 pm

Welcome to the Boomers club. Not a particularly fun club to be in, but now that you're a member your job is to not boom any more. Best of luck with that chore.

 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 7:43 pm

All about your 'boom'

Minor Explosion in Coal Stove

Greg L

 
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SemperFi
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Post by SemperFi » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 7:50 pm

I must be crazy because I get a kick out of the little puff when I crack open the hopper door. I guess Im a big kid at hart.


 
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DavidL
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Post by DavidL » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 8:01 pm

I don't think I would have called it a litte puff. I am glad we have this forum otherwise I wouldn't have know what it was and it would have scared the crap out of me.

 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 8:05 pm

These 'puff-backs' can vary from a small 'burp' to blowing the door handle out of your hand, burning your eyebrows and eyelashes off, and blowing the cleanout door off of a chimney..

These puff backs can be rather 'entertaining' if you burn bituminous coal,, the accumulated soot gets blown up and out of the chimney,, it looks like a black nuclear-blast cloud !! :lol: :shock: :shock:

Greg L

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 10:10 am

LsFarm wrote:All about your 'boom'

Minor Explosion in Coal Stove

Greg L
We all go through the "Initiation"!

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