Anyone burning coal in a Biasi 3 Wood/Coal

you may want to check out the aquastats some even though you set it at a temp when it actually goes may be different. My high is set the same as l40knocker but when i adjusted it the actually setting you see is 180 deg. but the boiler will hit 200 deg. before the overheat actually turns on the circulator. Dont really know why its that way but the low is the same way 15 to 20 deg difference from what its adjusted to. I start a fire with some kindleing a few pieces piled in across the bottom length wise 5 or 6 pcs. then the same across maybe a few more since the stove is longer than it is wide. Then one more row across so you cris cross the kindeling. spread a few pieces of coal around the kindeling not enough to block it off but spread a couple handfulls around over the kindeling. Sprinkle a shot of lamp oil or kerosene "just a shot no more than" over the kindleing and coal. make sure the bottom door is open a little for air and from the top door use a torch to start the kerosene or oil, close the top door and let the fire get going it doesnt have to be burned up just going well. Once the fire is burning well put a 2 or 3 scoops of coal in the stove "i use a grain scoop" leave the bottom door open a little and let it get enough air to keep the kindleing going and get the coal started, about 5-10 minutes, look in the top door and see if the coal is glowing. If it is add 2 or 3 more scoops, keep doing this untill you have a full bed of coal. I round mine up over the front grate and slope it to the back or slightly round it i should say. Once full close up the door, close the damper 1/2 to 3/4 of the way and adjust the automatic damper to your liking i set mine at 170 to 175 before the door closes I do adjust the draft door so its about 1/6" to 1/8" open. You should be all set for about 12 hrs. but with the first fireing i was checking it alot to make sure i had everything set right. It doesnt take long to get full and up to temp. usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes this way and it works everytime. for me anyways. hopefully goes the same for you.

Thanks again for all the info.
I thought I was doing okay then I statred to confuse myself reading about and looking at the draft regulator.
First of all ,the book states that there are RED marks which I do not see ("red 40° mark" and "red 90°mark"). Are all the numbers supposed to be red? Maybe mine are just faded.

From what I can gather from the instructions, when the knob is set to 90°C then the opening at the bottom of the draft door should be open 1/32". That seems about right. From there I can turn the knob slightly clockwise and the door is completely shut as I approach 80° and then the chain is slack if I keep turning to 70° or below.
When I turn the knob counterclockwise and the chain pulls the door open more and more as the knob is turned. When I go counterclockwise from 90°, the next mark is 100° then 30°, 40°......
The numbers on the dial do not seem to make any sense to me. There are also 2 rows of numbers on the dial.
Very Confusing

I dont pay attention to the numbers on the dial. I set by temp. I open the draft more than i need to and when the boiler gets to 175 deg. i just turn it back so the draft door is closed. I can use the number it lands on as a guide for the next time i start, it will give me an idea where i should be. Dont let it confuse you its just a guide. if your chain is longer or shorter it wont line up the the numbers. I know mine doesnt line up with anything, so i just go by temp.

Same as Spidy here. I just use it as a guide, I have never known what the numbers even mean. I just know that if I set mine on the 70 mark it will keep my boiler at about 175 degrees and all is well. Don't get too hung up on that. I would pay closer attewntion to the barometric damper and having a CO detector.

Okay, I'll play the numbers when we get to that point.
I was tempted to light the stove last night as the temps dipped into the teens last night. I was okay with trying it without the barometric damper but I know that the top of my flue is caked up with creosote. I'm going to have to wait another 2 weeks until I can get it cleaned.

In the mean time, where would be the best place to install the damper? I don't have too much choice in the matter.
Right off the back of my stove there is a 90°, then a vertical piece 21", another 90° elbow connected to a 6" horizontal pipe. After that 6" it all goes to "metalbestos". A section about 2 feet then to T with the other 2 ends being the cleanout and the flue to the roof. Before the matalbestos it is all 7" stainless steel flue and I hate to hack into it to install the damper. The only way I can see doing it is to replace a section of the 21" vertical with a "T" to put the damper in. Does it matter if the damper is 7" or 6". The 7" seems to be a bastard size and the 6" or 8" seem easier to come by.
(I am going to try and figure out how to post pictures right now.)

Here goes ....

here is an email that I just sent to QHT-BIASI:
Greetings,
The instruction book included with my Biasi stove (Rev. A 1/08) states on page 21 that the Samson draft regulator is installed with "the hexagon screw (8) must be at the top".
When I look at the instruction book online ( Rev. B 9/15/10) located at http://www.qhtinc.com/pdf/3woodmanual1110.pdf ,page 21, it states the complete opposite. That "the hexagon screw (8) must be facing bottom."
Could you please confirm the correct position?
Thank you

Which position is the hex screw installed on your stove, top or bottom?

Bob B wrote:here is an email that I just sent to QHT-BIASI:
Greetings,
The instruction book included with my Biasi stove (Rev. A 1/08) states on page 21 that the Samson draft regulator is installed with "the hexagon screw (8) must be at the top".
When I look at the instruction book online ( Rev. B 9/15/10) located at http://www.qhtinc.com/pdf/3woodmanual1110.pdf ,page 21, it states the complete opposite. That "the hexagon screw (8) must be facing bottom."
Could you please confirm the correct position?
Thank you

Which position is the hex screw installed on your stove, top or bottom?

QHT's Reply:
Hello,



We have changed the manufacturer of the Regulator to a new brand, if you have a Samson regulator the hex is to be installed in the upper position, if you are using the new “Regulus” control needs to be mounted facing down.



Thank you,



QHT Inc,

1800-501-7697

http://www.qhtinc.com

I would say install it in the 21" section. remove that section get a T that will fit shorten the 21" pc. so it will fit with the T. Screw all sections together and you should be set to put the barometric in the T.

Picture of my barometric.

Hi everyone I'm new to this site but I have been tring to read most of these post's.
I bought a Biasi 3 wood this past year and I fired it back in October using wood only,and it has been working pretty good.
I've seemed to be getting used to working it ---- then I tried using coal..... .tring to follow what I have read here.
The problem I've been having is ,I get a nice coal fire going looks good burns nice ,,,then the boiler gets to temp and none of the
zones are calling for heat for a while, then when they call for heat temp goes from 175-180 down to 140 and the coal just doesn't want to fire
back up to were it was ,,, HELP what am I doing wrong or is it just to warm outside to use coal??? Once I stir it up the coal is burning but not with any heat output!
What I have been doing which seems to help is put a couple of pieces of wood on top of the coal and that seems to get the fire going again-- but I don't think this is right.
Any sugestions would be greatly appreciated and Merry Christmas to all
Thanks Tim

Hi Timster, I am one who has not lit up a wood or coal fire in my stove yet, so take this with a grain of salt.
From what I have learned on the internet, a coal fire needs to have its combustion air drawn through the coals from the bottom. A wood fire will thrive with air from anywhere. So the coal bed has to cover the entire bottom grate so that the only source of air is through the coal bed from the bottom. From the design of the stove, I would also think that the front grate (when you open the ash door) must also be filled or the air drawn in will just go up and around the coal fire. As you stated, if it is warm out, you may not be creating enough draft in your flue to keep a good fire hot.
Do you have a barometric damper installed on your stove? That also seems to be something that those hepling me here recommend.

Understand that coal reacts very slowly in comparison to a wood fire. The biggest difference is that coal won't creosote up you stove, stove pipe, and chimney, I have the same 105K hand fed and it creosoted soooooooo badly that i wouldn't burn wood in it ever again. It stands to reason that a cooler water jacket surrounding a fuel with moisture in it will deposit something on the walls of the boiler....less likely in a stove. I burn Nut without the available grates (not much room in the firebox anyway, and the grates make it 'less space', so I do the bent re-bar trick. I have burned in stokers since 1977, so I 'play' with handfeds just to reassure myself that you can do so.....not well perhaps, but you sure can do it. Jim Darcy from Patriot Coal has looked over this issue with me as we entertained installing a small stoker in the thing....but we both agreed it was not money well spent. I currently run it in series with two stokers, so I can play at will and experiment at my leisure.
You are in for a 'hard-ride' unless the other guys can get you comfortable with this beast. If you want to extend your knowledge base, go look over the stoker pages. All things being equal, knowing what we all know now, a stoker would be the first and last solid fuel appliance you would own. I started with two Axemans and have never looked back. I installed an Itaska 215K wood/coal hand fed for my mom in 1972, and it outperforms every Biasi even today.....steel boiler, tall enough for a normal person, big enough for 18" of coal, and an easy to use shaker grate.....made in America...what a concept! Do I assume that you are not in series with another boiler in this home? usually an oil or propane(ouch) boiler was there first......Thermal mass is a big advantage and the temp drops you see as your home temps cycle cause the sometimes 'land of slow return'. Even a stoker with constant blower enhanced firing will lag at times. Do NOT forget that you cannot have the rapid temperature rises without some form of a blower, not usually available on hand fed units. The ash/clinker removal is something else to read about. Not trying to rain on your parade, but there are other solutions to the heat dilemma.....especially if coal is your permanent choice of solid fuels!

Coal does take more time to react to the call for heat. The last couple of days here the temp as been 4 to 5 deg. with the wind blowing. so my boiler will go from 175 / 180 to 140 and keep running to try to warm the house, my system is hooked up in paralell so the coal does take some time to get going again and the coal will come back it just takes some time. i considered setting the boiler temp higher like 180 to 190 with a high of 200 to see if that offsets the lag time for the coal to warm up. When it gets colder out it may be necessary to set the temp a little higher. I believe that is what l40knocker does.

The way I have my boiler set up is that it just keeps circulating the hot water from the Biasi through my oil fired boiler so the burner never fires. The rest of the system works as it would normaly work on the oil fired. This gives me 2 boilers full of hot water ready to go. The only time my Biasi will not heat water fast enough is when it is warm outside and the coal fire is just simmering and then my indirect water heater turns on. Once it is cold out, the fire is rolloing along pretty good so there is always enough heat to satify the system.

If your boiler is undersized for the heating system, then you will have that problem forever because so much cold water is dumping into the system that the slow reaction of the coal fire will not keep up. I actually run my boiler temps higher when it is warm out to compensate for the delay a little.

You have to make sure that the ash is all cleaned out so the air can get through easily also. If you have shaker grates this becomes less of an issue because the shaker grates are above the water grates which leaves a nice air passage under all of the coal. The shaker grates also have a nice tall front grate which allows you to pile the coal pretty deep. I have the 3 wood 4 section which is the smallest one rated at 75000 BTU and I can get 40 lbs of fresh coal piled up on top of a good bit of burning coal with the shaker grates installed. I don't use the shaker grates for what they were meant to be used for because they really are a poor design but they serve the purpose of air flow and filling capacity.

If you need to set your temps a little higher to keep up that is OK too. I have a really good over heat loop and I check my pressure relief valve regularly si I am not afraid to run it close to 200 without much of a problem at all.

I love the biasi and love the hand fed part too. We were out of power for 5 days and I ran the boiler with a 12v pump on my overheat loop and kept the house at 70. My next trick will be to get that same loop to go through the water heater and I will have hot water and heat with no power!