The care and feeding of a Warm Morning stove

Years ago I saved my grandparents Warm Morning, model 523 coal/wood stove and kept it in the woodshed. Now after many years of burning wood (lots of work), then on to propane (till it hit $3 a gallon). So I figure now is a good time to switch over to coal. The old Warm Morning stove is made to burn bit (and wood too I suppose) so I've concentrated on learning as much as I can about bit coal. I have read a lot and learned a lot from all the experienced posters but I have a few questions about the old Warm Morning stove.

The interior of the fire box is 14" x 14" and 18" deep. It is lined with typical firebrick except all 4 corners have hollow bricks, 3 stacked on top of each other forming an air channel. Does anyone know why they are hollow?

The loading door has no gasket and will obviously leak a lot of air. Also, there is a sliding draft inlet in the middle of the loading door that is loose as a goose and will also leak some air. Should I put a gasket around the loading door in order to seal it? Do I need an airtight stove?

Thanks a bunch for all the wisdom you all have shared about hand firing a coal stove with bit and I'm looking forward to learning more.

I am so glad to see someone else with a Warm Morning Stove. I have the model 400, and this will be my first season using it, so I am no expert, but I will tell you what I have learned. The 4 hollow channels in the corners serve almost like internal chimneys or flues if you will. The Warm Morning was designed to really burn Bit very well, and to do so it is important to burn the volatile gases properly. Those channels vent fresh air up, around and into the coal from the bottom and really burn the bit gases properly. This design is actually patented by the Locke Company that designed the stove. It burns anthracite and wood as well, but it was really made to handle bit the best. I do not know about the lack of gaskets, as mine does not have them either, but I believe that is part of the design. I hope others far more knowledgeable will chime in and add on and/or correct what I have have stated!

envisage wrote:The loading door has no gasket and will obviously leak a lot of air. Also, there is a sliding draft inlet in the middle of the loading door that is loose as a goose and will also leak some air. Should I put a gasket around the loading door in order to seal it? Do I need an airtight stove?

These were not meant to be an airtight stove, and work great without any gaskets.

Terry

Thanks for an explanation on the hollow brick channels envisage.

Our area is just entering the heating season. Just a few cold nights/days so far but I imagine you all have already been firing up for a few weeks. In your experience have you been able to observe that as the fresh, hot air rises thru the channels the volatiles actually flame up as they burn-off?

Considering the size of the 523's firebox is 2 cubic feet (1.167' X 1.167' X 1.5' = 2.04 cf) is it recommend to keep it filled up? If so, I would hope that much coal would take a good while to burn because that would be about 5% of a ton of coal. The little experience I have burning coal was years ago as a young kid visiting my grandparents. Wish I had paid more attention. I remember going to the coal yard with my grandfather. He would handpick thru the pile for the big chunks. Some of those were 6" x 12" and some much bigger. He just loaded them into the stove whole and I don't remember him spending much time fussing around with the stove so they must have given a good burn time.

My big concern at this time is the poor condition of the oval boot (see photo). I have search all over the internet for one that measures 8.5" X 4.5" but have not found a replacement boot. Any instructions you might want to give me will be much appreciated.

Thanks, Terry for answering the question regarding the lack of gaskets around the loading door.

The Fields Control bormetric damper I ordered from Patriot Supply just arrived today. I plan on fiiting it to the pipe about 14" from the thimble and above the elbow and heat reclaimer.

Does anyone have a lead on a boot for this stove? I measured the circumfrance at 22". If I can not buy a boot to fit I will fill the holes with cement then make a template of the existing one and have a new one fabricated.

The fact that this model of Warm Morning is designed to handle bit better than anthracite is good news to me since there are a few bit mines located about 50 to 100 miles away. Should I expect to fully load this stove and get a long burn time on a medium draft?

i have a warm morning also...... my roomates got it for mowing someones lawn. gotta love the blue flame coming thru those hollow fire brick......i use mine in the fall and spring for when it's still too warm to fire up the efm af150.

It's been so long since I've seen a Warm Morning -- When you open the top door to load new coal to an existing burn, does a lot of smoke/soot leak into the room? I would love to have one of these stoves for my den, but I'm afraid I might have to was the walls on a daily basis.

no i dont get any smoke or soot unless you are just getting the coal started on wood

dangit wrote:Does anyone have a lead on a boot for this stove? I measured the circumfrance at 22". If I can not buy a boot to fit I will fill the holes with cement then make a template of the existing one and have a new one fabricated.

You could have a metal fabrication shop make a sleeve to slide over the entire flue collar.

Terry

dangit wrote:The Fields Control bormetric damper I ordered from Patriot Supply just arrived today. I plan on fiiting it to the pipe about 14" from the thimble and above the elbow and heat reclaimer.

Does anyone have a lead on a boot for this stove? I measured the circumfrance at 22". If I can not buy a boot to fit I will fill the holes with cement then make a template of the existing one and have a new one fabricated.

The fact that this model of Warm Morning is designed to handle bit better than anthracite is good news to me since there are a few bit mines located about 50 to 100 miles away. Should I expect to fully load this stove and get a long burn time on a medium draft?

Call this Place for a boot they have alot of older stove Pipes and boots that might fit yours Is the oval Pipe flue 7 or 7.5"

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=n ... e+PA+17901

Thanks for all the responses and help. Now for an update to all who responded regarding a new boot for the Warm Morning...and to coal berner who wrote: "Call this place for a boot they have a lot of older stove pipes and boots that might fit yours. Is the oval Pipe flue 7 or 7.5?"

Well, the boot is 8.5" wide by 4.5" high and reduces to a 6" circumfrance. I found several internet listings for oval boots but none of them seemed designed to fit those dimensions, although they may do just that.

But because I'm low on $$$$, I got to thinking, "dangit, Tamecrow is right, just fabricate a new one." I remember when our Seabee battalion was stationed in Antarctica back in '72 we fabricated a lot of stuff for an incinerator we built at McMurdo Sound. So on Sunday I made a template out of that old, rusted-out oval boot and fabricated a new one from some galvanized sheetmetal. Problem solved for the time being but I would really like to have it made from stainless.

Next on the fabrication list is a pre-warmer for the H2O heater.

Now, today (Monday) I asked the wife to drive her 'girlie' truck up to Thorn Hill and get us a load of coal. She came back with a real good load of mighty BIG LUMPS out of a mine in Harlan, KY (see photo). $85 bucks a ton. Whoa, I'm telling you the truth, those suckers are burning like logs, real nice even burn, very little smoke and NO sulfur smell. This is some good fuel for a starving hand-fired coal stove. I will search around for the specs on this coal and post them here.

"So on Sunday I made a template out of that old, rusted-out oval boot and fabricated a new one from some galvanized sheetmetal."

Galvanized metal produces toxic fumes at high temperatures so galvanized metal directly exposed to flue temperatures should not be used for any solid fuel appliance.

rockwood wrote: "Galvanized metal produces toxic fumes at high temperatures..."

How high?

dangit wrote:Thanks for all the responses and help. Now for an update to all who responded regarding a new boot for the Warm Morning...and to coal berner who wrote: "Call this place for a boot they have a lot of older stove pipes and boots that might fit yours. Is the oval Pipe flue 7 or 7.5?"

Well, the boot is 8.5" wide by 4.5" high and reduces to a 6" circumfrance. I found several internet listings for oval boots but none of them seemed designed to fit those dimensions, although they may do just that.

But because I'm low on $$$$, I got to thinking, "dangit, Tamecrow is right, just fabricate a new one." I remember when our Seabee battalion was stationed in Antarctica back in '72 we fabricated a lot of stuff for an incinerator we built at McMurdo Sound. So on Sunday I made a template out of that old, rusted-out oval boot and fabricated a new one from some galvanized sheetmetal. Problem solved for the time being but I would really like to have it made from stainless.

Next on the fabrication list is a pre-warmer for the H2O heater.

Now, today (Monday) I asked the wife to drive her 'girlie' truck up to Thorn Hill and get us a load of coal. She came back with a real good load of mighty BIG LUMPS out of a mine in Harlan, KY (see photo). $85 bucks a ton. Whoa, I'm telling you the truth, those suckers are burning like logs, real nice even burn, very little smoke and NO sulfur smell. This is some good fuel for a starving hand-fired coal stove. I will search around for the specs on this coal and post them here.

Warm Morning - Coal Supply.JPG

call that number I sent you. They might have a 8.5 to 6 they have alot of older stuff. They bought out a old time
hardware store. They have the heavy black pipe 22 ga and some might be 18ga. Better yet I will go tomorrow and check it out if they have the size. I will send it to you I will PM you for your info

Wow!!! Thank you coal berner for your generous offer, it is very much appreciated. The few places to shop for stove parts & accessories around here only have the most basic stuff so I have to rely on internet sites for anything out of the ordinary. Thanks also to rockwood for a heads up that galvanized metal produces toxic fumes at high temps.