Mahaontongo Stove Does Not Get Hot

Hello. We just purchased the Mahantongo to replace our Jotul wood stove. We have the coal stove installed in front of the old fireplace hearth the flu exits the back on the lower exit option the flu goes back 20 inches connects to a tee then to a stainless steal flu which goes all the way up the chimney. We do not have a barometric damper we were told we did not need one. Here is the problem we can make a beautiful fire but the stove does not get hot enough to heat the room. We have a log cabin less than 900 sq feet we were told that this would be plenty hot to heat this space. I have 2 stove thermometers one on the stove itself one on the flu pipe when the stove is running good they get to 450 to 550 on the flu and 500 max on the stove. Reading many posts here I believe a manual pipe damper would help keep the heat in the stove.
I just want to say we have had many stoves wood coal etc even an antique coal stove. The wood stoves you couldn't get get within in 1 foot without being on fire same thing with old coal stove it was so hot you couldn't stand with 18 inches of it. Now we have this brand new modern stove and you can walk right up to it almost touch it and be a little warm. We are freezing. This is our only source of heat. Any feedback would be so helpful. The days are getting shorter and we are getting colder.


Thanks ,Lene

Who told you a baro was not needed? Sounds like you need one to me. And a manometer as well to set your draft. Research in the board index and see what others think.

550 on the surface of the pipe is VERY high -- you are saying the stove pipe is even hotter than the stove. Much of your heat is just going up the chimney. You need the baro damper! Should be able to install it on the 20-inch horizontal pipe. It's only $25 to $30 for the Field Controls RC model. Don't try to get by with a manual damper.

I looked on the web at specs for the Mahantongo. It looks like it should heat your 900 square feet OK, depending on how tight your house is and how well insulated. I wonder why there is no blower option with it. A lot of coal stoves can generate more heat than they can radiate due to inadequate surface area, so most have a blower to force air along passages and "wash" the heat off the stove. You might experiment with some fans blowing on it.... But baro first.

Thanks for the feedback. I thought a baro was to control over firing the stove. On my stove i can open the ash door and the stove will not run away with heat. So with the ash door closed i get a stove temp of about 350 and with it open around 500 with a fresh shake and poke of the clogged ashes. I dont mind putting in either damper i just thought a manual damper would keep more heat in the stove. Like i said earlier i just want to be warm. thanks lene

Well, no guarantees, but hopefully the baro will help. It doesn't really prevent over-firing on most stoves, because with enough air coming through the inlet many can be made to burn too hot even with the baro. What the baro does is limit draft to the manufacturer's recommendations, which according to the Reading manual for your stove is .04 to .06. With too much draft the hot combustion gases can be sucked out of the stove and up the chimney without giving up their heat to the body of the stove. At the very least you wind up using a lot more coal for the same heat output.

As North Candlewood recommended, ideally you would also use a manometer to set the baro accurately. However, if installed plumb and level you can get a reasonable setting with the sliding weight scale -- I'd recommend starting with the higher .06 setting, see if it burns well, and maybe reduce it towards .04 and see how it does.

Good luck, and post results if you can.

Well I had to leave for a few days to vote but i will be back in the morning. Iam going to my stove store to see if my hand damper that i ordered is in. I also will ask if they can get me a baro and i will go from there. Maybe i put both in I dont know. I do know iam not happy with the stove so far. My stove that was a 130 years old made more heat. In addition i was really hopping bill from reading was going to post but nothing so far. Once again if anyone has this stove i would love to hear from them so we can bounce some ideas around.

Ideas have been bounced, and the solution is on the table. A barometer damper IS the answer. I promise it will make a HUGE difference. A hand damper will only frustrate you. Money spent well, in this order: Barometric damper, manomometer. AFTER you have done this and you still want a hand damper, feel free. A hand damper without a baro damper is a waste. A hand damper without a manometer is a bigger waste.

lene8276 wrote:I also will ask if they can get me a baro

I don't know where you are -- you said you had to leave for a few days to vote, so I picture you paddling your canoe up the Yukon to the nearest settlement with a voting booth -- but don't necessarily rely on your stove dealer to get you a barometric damper. if there is a plumbing and heating supply place around, you should be able to get the Field Controls RC model from them. Stay away from the cheapo flimsy uncalibrated versions.

Well I live in NW New Jersey but iam registered to vote in New York. Now that iam back iam going to look for the rc baro. My hand damper just came in today so if i cant find a baro in the morning its a hand damper for now. I have to take advantage of this warm weather 58 here outside the cabin i will post my results friday night. thanks again everyone

After a long day playing with stove pipes its back together. I couldnt buy a new rc baro this am so i borrowed the one off my other stove which is broken and in a building shut down for the winter. I have the rc baro set for 4 but its so warm out tonight i dont know if this a good setting. The stove seems hotter than before however the thermometer says its cooler than before--- funny eh? I have a nice fire going looks lively with air control wide open throtle. Like I said ,it's warm out tonight but i am hopefull this will keep our little log cabin warn and no one finds us like ice pops this winter. I am going to keep the air open all the way tonight and see how it does though the night. I took a few pics I hope u guys enjoy.


Thanks lene the blue coal man

What size coal are you buring? If you are burning pea try some nut coal. You won't get as much burn time but you will get much more heat.

We're burning a blend of pea and nut......

This may be a dumb question but, Is that chimney sealed where the stove pipe goes through the fireplace insert? Or could you still be drafting air out of the house and up the chimney?

well its been 2 weeks since the baro install and so far the stove is not hotter. since i was getting no results a week ago i installed a hand damper also. same as before i played with tons of setup possibilities with both dampers and its the same. the best i get is 550 with the ash door open and the hopper out.
so i am thinking all this time its the stove. just to make my self happy i start all over with no hopper and make a wood fire. whooooo all of a sudden ash door closed 1000 deg fire so hot the thermometer falls off. very excited i let the wood fire mellow and start to add coal. after a few hours i have a nice coal bed no hopper and the stove is about 700 ash door open closed 550. at this point i think great i put the hopper back in and the stove starts to get colder and colder even with with ash door open. now iam back to where is started with the ash door closed stove goes down to 250 300 area and i dont even feel slightly warm.

sure i could run the stove with no hopper but who wants to get up every 3 or 4 hours and add coal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why can i make wood fire in this stove so much hotter than a coal fire when coal burns hotter?????????????

Junk Coal?

Try picking up a few bags of a different brand.