Introduce Yourself

HI! I'm Larry, a registered "coal offender." I just got my 1st coal stove A vintage Keystoker 70k, which ,thanks to the forum I have morfed into a furnace complete with new ductwork. i've only been oncoal 3weeks but am thrilled by the excess heat I never had but still paid for with "profane" (LPG) I am a hardcore project animal who loves a challenge so I think I would play with coal stoves even if they didn't heat my house. Well, maybe not.I'm in south central Pa . Anybody have info good or bad about my 70k? Would eventually like a boiler. Thanks for all the great info. Merry Christmas
Larry Bowen

Hi, Larry. I'm not familiar with the 70K Keystoker, but I have an older 90K model that I rehabbed from a basket case, pretty much. It was ugly, but mechanically and structurally sound. They are tanks. Can you post some pictures of your stove? If it looks like mine, beware of one thing - fly ash buildup in the heat exchanger area above the firebox. Take a look at this thread http://www.nepadigital.com/bb/about2706-15.html. Member Dennis S has a Keystoker like mine and had the same issue with fly ash impaction that I did and was able to clean it out effectively. I cleaned out mine by default in moving the stove to my house on it's side, and the process knocked down pounds of fly ash. Search for several other Keystoker threads I've started with pictures, etc. of my stove rebuild process.

Good luck and stay warm!

HI THERE 41 YEAR OLD FATHER OF 2 FROM GRANBY CT
I HAVE A FRANCO BELGE STOVE HAND FIRED AND FEED 1025 MAYBE MODEL AND TRYING TO GET TIPS ON HOW
TO OPERATE IT . NOT DOING SO WELL AND READY TO GIVE UP
SEEMS TO ME YOU GET THE FIRE STARTED AND ADD COAL TO BURN
NO SUCH LUCK
PUT IN A LOT OF TIME TO RUN BUT NO LUCK
TOOK ALL THE ADVICE THAT I READ FROM FORUM AND SOME HELPED
I PUT IN A BAR DAMPER HOPING THIS WILL DO THE TRICK
DO NOT HAVE GAUGE SO I AM GUESSING ON THE SETTING
WOULD ALL OPEN BE GOOD? WOULD ALL CLOSED BE GOOD?
WHAT IS THE RIGHT SETTING FOR DAMPER
HOPE SOME HELP IS OUT THERE SO I DON'T RETIRED THE STOVE TO E BAY OR BACK IN GARAGE IN THE CORNER
VERY FUSTRATED BUT WITH 2 WEEKS FIGHTING THIS THING I FEEL IT IS A MISSION NOW
HOPE HELP IS OUT THERE THANK YOU
BRENDAN OIL OUT COAL IN !!!!!!!!

GRADY wrote:Hi there 41 year old father of 2 from Granby Ct
I have a Franco Belge stove hand fired and feed 1025 maybe model and trying to get tips on how
to operate it . Not doing so well and ready to give up
seems to me you get the fire started and add coal to burn
no such luck
put in a lot of time to run but no luck
took all the advice that I read from forum and some helped
I put in a bar damper hoping this will do the trick
do not have gauge so I am guessing on the setting
would all open be good? Would all closed be good?
What is the right setting for damper
hope some help is out there so I don't retired the stove to e bay or back in garage in the corner
very frustrated but with 2 weeks fighting this thing I feel it is a mission now
hope help is out there thank you
brendan oil out coal in !!!!!!!!

Hi Grady a moderator may move the question to a more appropriate area but in the mean time I can tell that just about every aspect of operating the stove you have is covered here, somewhere sometimes in different threads and recently, what I would do is perform a search under "Franco Belge" and "Hopper Fed" read the discussion and see if any of it hits home or rings a bell then hit us with a question a little more specific to the area giving you trouble, if you lived closer I'd come over and build ya a fire and that would prolly answer most of your question but we can't so don't give up they are great little heaters .

For Starters

I have a fire in about 30mins in an hour its filled to the top with coal and on its way.

Open the hand damper all the way, one sheet of heavy duty foil over the glass and gaskets folded over at the edges of the door with a hole for the door latch, ashdoor open.

Pile of matchlite charcoal in the middle of the firebox about 10 - 15 pieces just cause I'm pushy I put a quick squirt of Zippo lighter fluid over the charcoal . (not soaking them just wettin them)

Now I put the match to it and close and latch the door heres the hard part leave it alone for 15 or 20 mins (I go smoke a cigarette) open the door and peek in to see if the coals are completely lit like your supposed to due when you cook with it, if so put about 2-3 coal shovel scoops of Pea coal over the embers but don't smother them now again the hard part, remove the foil cover, close the door and leave it alone for 15-20 more min peek inside and the anthracite should be showing some sign of burning add 4 - 5 more scoops and give it about 20-30 mins or so, peek if it looks like a fire fill'er up and don't worry go do something else for awhile (remember the ashdoor's open) and when you get back the miracle of anthracites preference for privacy when getting burning will amaze and delight you.

I ran accoss this forum about 5 months ago, just looking and thinking about making my life a little easier. My name is Shane Smith, I am from Crescent, IA, which is SW Iowa around Omaha NE, I live in the Loess Hills, which is heavily wooded, mainly with oak, elm, ash and black walnut. To make this short, I have burned wood all of my life, I have a Clayton wood/coal furance and last year I modified it to run radiant heat (Mini boiler) to my garage, and then had to go under the bathroom floor, which was tiled. The problem I ran into was not consistant heat, i.e. thow a log on the fire, tempiture goes up, and vice-versa, I was spending to much time "trying" to control the fire. Hence, the coal experience, I have to drive 200+ mile round trip to buy this coal, which is Kimmel's Anthracite coal in a 50 lb bag @ $8.00/bag, and try to figure out how to use it, and make it work. Like I said early this was going to make my life easier, so far, the coal is winning, which means I am not having much luck burning coal. Thank you for having this Web site, I intend to view it/ask more questions as time goes on.

Morning,
I'm Keith from Dexter NY (near Watertown). I need your help!
I just spent $3.399 for 155 gallons of fuel oil, for 30 days which is about $17/day.
I'll use approx 1400 gallons a year. Probably a lot more now that my in-laws are living with us and the house is 68 degrees 18 hrs a day.

So now I'm looking for a coal boiler to plumb into my existing hot water base board boiler.
I'm heating 2600 sq ft 1 & 3/4 stories old farm house
Also using an ss w/w heat exchanger to heat our spa and have an amtriol boiler mate DHWM I did R30 in the ceilings new thermo pane windows all around
walls are only 4" fiberglass.

So questions are?
Good boiler, w/ decent customer support, at a fair price (I believe in the "you get what you pay for" thought)
Coal- bag vs. bulk & suppliers in Northern NY, at three+ a gallon for gas it certainly could eat up any savings traveling to pick it up.
My real job is w/ the state but my fun job is small engine repair and antique tractors.

Please no questions in this thread, if you have a question start a new topic

Hello Everyone,
My name is Jim from Kingston Pa. We installed our stove just five days ago, and we are thrilled with the results so far. We live in a two story home with a finished attic, and the primary heat source is a gas forced hot air system. Our only experience with coal for me and my wife is what we remember from our childhood from our parents ancient furnaces We decided to purchase a coal stove to off set the rediculously high prices of natural gas. I've picked up a quite amount of usefull tips since joining, as I am sure I will be seeking more information and tips on running a coal stove as the temperatures change thoughout the rest of the heating season. Happy New Year

Hello everyone!
My name is Lance and I am new to the site and to coal. I have already found the site very helpful getting my first coal fire up going. Thank you for the great information.
I live in SE Ohio.
I have Hitzer 983 wood\coal stove. I grew up burning wood in my parents home so I have pretty good handle on wood heating. However, coal is a new critter to me. I have a lot of questions regarding best practices for coal heating, stove use..... which I wil post elswhere in the forum.

Hi all, I am Joe:

I have been reading the posts for a while and have learned a good amount from all you guys.

Well here is my story... I am 45 and married and live neat Phillipsburg NJ. I have been here burning coal form 8 years in my Franco Belge stove. Before that I lived in Brooklyn NY and new nothing about coal. In 8 short years I have good understanding of it. We have a 3 bedroom ranch that we heat 100% with coal... I love to watch the oil trucks on my street pass me by.
I just built a new 3 ton coal bin this year. Up grade from my 1.5 ton bin. I have several good coal supplies that are very close so good coal is never an issue. This year I am burning Citerila

I work as a sale rep for a septic company so if you ever have any septic questions I can help. I got the feeling that most people who burn coal are on septic. Thats just what I see

I think this is the last year for my franco and I will move up to an auto feed, so at some point I will need advice on what to buy.

Thanks and we will be talkin

Joe

My sister and I bought a pretty little cabin in Trout Run, PA. Just north of Williamsport on the Lycoming Creek. The place had an old hand fired Suburban coal stove in the basement, which we could not keep lit. We have replaced it with a Lesisure Line Econo Sidewinder with a Coal-trol thermostat. Now instead of using coal as a backup to our propane furnace, we use the propane as a backupto coal. I lurk around this site trying to find advice from more experienced coal people. I have learned a lot but that's a fraction of what I need to know to be an old hand at this. This site is great and I appreciate all the helpful input. I laugh out loud at some of the posts--the user profiles are espcially entertaining.
My sister and I were born six and twelve years after D-Day (you do the math). Between us, we have one husband, one son, four dogs, two goats, and a cat. This Spring we plan to add a miniature donkey to the mix. We love living in the woods and learning the ways of the mountains.

Hi, I go by Lazza, and I live in the Peoples' Collective of Chicagoland. I have always tried to be as independent as possible, and this extends to preparations in case something bad happens. I'm not a "end of the earther" but after Hurricane Floyd hit my former home, I saw how unprepared most people are firsthand. For me, learning about coal heating fits in nicely with the whole "beans, bullets and BTUs" ethos. I grew up cutting hardwoods for use in our wood stove, and listening to my grandfather talk about King Coal and its interrelationship with the railroad. This forum has been great wrt practical tips for coal burning. Now I just have to find a good used coal stove, and I'll be on the way to lower dependence on the Arabs.

Just wanted to stay Hi,

I Have bin reading on the forum for a month now. I've gotten so much GOOD info from here. I just want to say thanks to everyone! And a big thanks to the admin for havin this great forum...
I got tired of $$ to the oil man! I live in Northamptom Pa. not to far from coal country 25min ride or so. This is my first seson with coal and i can't figer out why i didn't do this 15 years ago...I have a 2400sqft ranch house and keep it at 71*. With a harman SF250 in the basement, with a heat collector on it that i ran into the centroal ac duct work. I run the fan 24/7 so that it blows the heat through out the house, not the best way doo to the fact that the registers are in the ceiling but it moves some heat. I put a hilkoil in and hooked it in to my EFM boiler but couldn't keep the water temp up much past 140* for a domestic hot water tank that would be fine, but not if you want to try to heat the house. So i designed my owne ciol, the hiokoil was 57" long and the one i made was 120" and it still wasn't anuff. I could get the water to 170* but couldn't maintain it to long. Now i install the 57" ciol in as well it was a tite fit but i got it in there and hooked it in sequel for total of 15ft. Now i can heat the hole house and the domestic hot water as well i can maintain between 160* and 180* the only time the oil burner will kickin if there are back to back showers (with three women in the house )that uses alot of hot water and then it will only run for 3 minutes or so. Harman makes a great stove. I have no complaints at all. This coal heat thing has became a big hobby of mine, my wife thinks i'm nuts! I think she's just jealous of the stove !

Jeff

Hi,
This is my fist time here! I've been reading the forums for about two hours now. I have learned alot on burning coal. I have bitimious coal and have had a few problems burning it. I would like to post a couple of questions in one of the forums but wasn't sure how to. can you help with this problem?

For bituminous questions use the bituminous forum, Using Bituminous Coal

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