Finally Got Cold, -3 for a High -19 for a Low.

 
SAU
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Post by SAU » Wed. Dec. 17, 2008 9:41 am

do you need to open the paddle cover over the secondary burn opening to burn bit?
I used it right up until I found out I didn't need it. I started burning in Oct. and was pretty inefficient with the stove for the first month or so. I have it down pretty good now. I can keep the stove @ 700 degrees +/- 50. I think that cover is a throwback to the wood/coal days.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Location: Pequest River Valley, Warren Co NJ
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker(down)
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Casting Vigilant II 2310
Other Heating: #2 Oil Furnace

Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Wed. Dec. 17, 2008 9:25 pm

SAU wrote:
...8<..I think that cover is a throwback to the wood/coal days.
Yes, I'm pretty sure it is. My Defiant had the same exact secondary air set up. Back in the day before there were cat systems on wood stoves. The concept was to introduce pre heated air into the "secondary burn chambers" to help flash/light off the hot smoke. I thought it might have some use when burning bit that has more volatiles. I tried it with anthracite and just lost draft - worthless for hard coal fuel. I don't know if it ever worked as planned but it did work sometimes.

Worthless story alert, for coal burners anyway :) About the secondary air hole on the Vigilant....when I burned wood in the Defiant in the spring as it was warming up overnight, the smoke alarm woke me so I hustled down to the stove. Found it chugging away like an old steam piston; chug-chug-chug .... and with each chug a puff of smoke would come out of the secondary and primary holes. Each chug was a mini explosion in the secondary chamber. Not enough draft to pull up the chimney so the O2 starved smoke would settle in the chamber, get enough O2 from the secondary air hole, pop off a mini boom shooting smoke out of the hole. Then it would repeat .... chug-chug-chug... and slowly fill the room with smoke :shock: Had to make sure it was set to a smaller opening for those outside conditions to keep the draft up thru the cooler fire.
Last edited by VigIIPeaBurner on Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 2:18 am, edited 1 time in total.


 
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coalmeister
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Post by coalmeister » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 12:57 am

Minus 19?? :shock: :shock: I know without a doubt my boiler would have to have white hot coals streaming off the grate like a river and it still could not do it. Seems -19 is a pretty extreme test for a stove, particularly a hand fed.

 
SAU
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Post by SAU » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 10:02 am

Vig, I've seen mine do the chug, chug with coal. Nothing violent and no smoke in the house, but with the ash door open, It was chugging away. Closed the ash door and it quit.

Latest prediction I saw was for -24 this weekend. brrr. I gave up on using the Nordic. I might light it on my days off, but it isn't worth the hassle when I'm working.

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