Slow Blue Dancing with Red Dressed Ladies in a Clayton

I thought it's time for the Clayton 1600 owners to show how to slow dance with the Blue Ladies. I'm firing Reading buckwheat anthracite coal. That is why they are in red dresses. Red dresses can get HOT!!! This is adding Reading buckwheat anthracite to a wood fire.This is after 15 minutes.This is loaded to the top of the fire brick, mounded in the center after 30 minutes.Another picture of mounded coal in the center of the length of the firebox.You'll notice how the Clayton 1600 burns from front to back after 45 minutes.

To be continued next post.

This is the ash door spinner 4 turns out and the combustion blower flap almost shut.This is showing that there is .06 inches of draft being pulled through the fire at the ash door spinner.This is after 1 hour of firing.This is the Red dressed coal logo on the Reading Anthracite Coal.

Hope this gives the Clayton 1600 owners a boost with their successfully burning anthracite coal in their Clayton. Yes it can be done and fired for a long time.

Hey, North Candlewood! Chime in on this!! DOUG

Here is a picture after 2 1/2 hours.Another view at 2 1/2 hours.The fan limit switch reading 155 degrees. Another view at 155 degrees.

I think I have a piece of that. It's the only piece I found in tons.

I'm going to have to go out and get some of that buckwheat, Buckeroo!
I'm always up for a challange, not that I think this will be one, but more an experiment for me.
I just got in the door from Vernon CT,the other side of the state,my buddy with the 1557 but burns wood only.
All he can say about his unit is"best money I ever spent for him". Teach him how to burn was the easy part, teaching him about draft was another thing. Once he learned that his usage went down and he just When I got there he was just loading in a full belly of wood not quite a wheelbarrow full. 10 hours later before I left filled again same. I loaded at 8 AM and almost 16 hours a quick shake down add it up to full and off to bed. How can you go wrong with that. That's a .05 draft burning Blashak nut. I'll be interested to see how the buckwheat burns. I'll go see if they have any at the local supply before the snow flies.
Thanks Again
I'll keep you posted on my findings
Charles

This is after 10 hours of firing. Note how the Clayton 1600 burns front to back.This is the fan limit switch at 125 degrees after 10 hours of firing at 4 spins out and the draft blower flap almost shut.This is what the ashes look like after 10 hours and a choppy shake.Here is the new charge after 15 minutes.

Here is the ash door open all the way, and the draft fan flap open for 15 minutes after the new charge is loaded.This is the ash door spinner and the draft fan almost closed after the 15 minute charge is flaming blue.This is the blue flames with the new charge after 20 minutes.The outside temperature has been a steady 18 degrees outside and the 3700 sq.ft. house is 72 degrees.

After 4 hours of firing at 4 spins out on the ash door spinner, the house temperature was raised to 74 degrees for the next 4 hours. After 10 hours of firing the house temperature dropped to 72 degrees. After the new charge, the house temperature will fall to 70 degrees. It will take 2 hours more to reach it back to 72 degrees and after 4 to 5 hours into the new charge the house will be back to 74 degrees at that setting.
Note that this Clayton 1600 is heating a 3700 sq.ft. house and the outside temperature is 18 degrees. So, I know a much smaller house will be able to be heated for a much longer time at even lower ash door spins, at .06 inches of draft through the fire, with Reading buckwheat coal, and with very little effort on the Clayton 1600.

This should bring some true results of how to successfully burn Anthracite coal in a Clayton 1600. Hope this has helped out those still trying to figure it out. Patience and the same procedure will always give the results you want. Record what is happening when you operate you Clayton 1600 and you'll always be able to repeat it's performance.

Here is an update of the fire after 2 1/2 hours with the new charge.The fan limit switch is now at 150 degrees.The house temperature is now reading 71 degrees, the 65 is the temperature the gas is set to come on as back up.This is all three thermostat controls. The left one from USSC, controls the combustion draft fan when I burn wood. Not used for coal. The center is the Coal-trol for the stoker fired Clayton 1600. The right one is the conventional gas and air conditioning.Note the draft fan switch is always off when burning coal. Now for daytime setting the ash door spinner is set to 2 1/2 turns out and the draft flap is almost closed shut.

As long as the outside temperature stays between 20 and 30 degrees, I will not have to do anything to the Clayton for at least 12 to 16 hours at this burn rate. If it gets colder outside, I just spin the ash door spinner out to my recorded amount of turns to match the heat demand needed for the outside temperature. If it gets warmer outside, say above 40 degrees, I just spin the ash door spinner in, but not shut and crack a window. I don't want to extinguish the fire from lack of air.

Once again, patience and record what you do and what happens when you do it. Then you'll be able to always repeat the desired performance from your Clayton 1600. DOUG Happy burning coal!

Dancing the Blues with Red dressed Ladies. Three hours into the dance.

Ash door spinner out 2 1/2 turns, the combustion draft flap almost closed shut, the draft setting at .06 inches, with Reading buckwheat coal.

Now that I think about it, I should have named the post that way. DANCING THE BLUES WITH RED DRESSED LADIES

I'm amazed that you have been able to burn Buckwheat size coal. Buckwheat is only the size of your first knuckle of your baby finger. about 1/2" is the largest for Buckwheat, down to about 3/8". Pieces about the size of a baked bean are normal.. Buckwheat is usually burnt in stoker stoves where there is a fan forcing combustion air through the fire.

Buckwheat is so small that you must have very tight fitting grates to keep the coal from falling through the gaps.
And the coal bed will be so tight and compact that it restricts the air flow through the coal. Usually small size coal is used to slow down or cool down a fire.

Many folks that normally burn nut coal will add Pea size coal [9/16"-1-1/8"] to restrict the air more, making for a slower burning fire. Adding Buckwheat could just about put out a fire in many stoves..


What is REALLY interesting is that several HotBlast, Clayton and other US Stove owners go the OTHER way, and burn STOVE coal [the size of a clenched fist] in order to get their furnaces to make enough heat for their instalation... Very currious situation...

Try using your Draft Rite draft gauge in your chimney flue.. remove a screw in a fluepipe joint below your BaroDamper, and measure the draft there.. I'm betting it is much higher than .05". more like .08-.09" to be able to pull enough air through a bed of Buckwheat coal and create enough heat.. sticking the Draft right in the wide opening of the spinner knob doesn't give a true draft reading.. at least it doesn't with my meter, I have to read my draft in the flue pipe. When I stick the draft right in the opening like your photo shows, I get about half the draft reading that I get in the flue.

I'm real currious to find out the flue draft for this instalation.

Congrats on figuring out what it takes to get your Clayton to burn well !

Greg L

Okay, Greg.The draft is reading about .05 inches.I removed a screw, leveled the draft gauge for the reading.This is the fire 5 1/2 hours after the new charge. Two and one half spins out on the ash door spinner, with the draft flap closed. Notice the front to back burn of the Clayton 1600.This is the house temperature, 71 degrees with a window cracked open.The outside temperature is 20 degrees.

Thanks for checking this out Greg. Always great to hear from you. You've taught me a lot. Thanks, DOUG

Well no Buckwheat coal locally, so it will have to wait till I get to Tri County in Carmel NY, maybe next weekend to try this.
My question is in the science of draft. With the spinner open (O),the volume of chimney (C),drafting at .0?(D), CFM's would be (Z). So each of our setups are different but could possibly work in the same manner. One may need more O & D to compansate for our C having more or less volume.
OK I think you have the idea of where I'm going with this.
Kind of in the simular princapals of the ducting you have done Doug.
Like exhausting a diesel engine.
Or am I just

Well, 12 hours after the first recharge.It settled and leveled out.The ashes shaken until the first live coal dropped into the ash pan leaving an orange glow in the pan front to back.The second recharge of approximately 35lbs of buckwheat coal.

Second recharge after 15 minutes of the ash door open and the draft fan flap open half way.The house is at 70 degrees.The second recharge after 30 minutes and the ash door closed, the ash door spinner 2 1/2 turns out and the fan flap closed almost all the way.The outside temperature is at 23 degrees.

I could of let the fire go longer before the second recharge, but I wanted to post this before it got to late tonight.

Greg: I was thinking about your post. I was wondering whether the Clayton's firebox and grate design with combination of using the buckwheat coal makes the Clayton fire so well on it. It seems to burn much better than when I used nut or stove coal. As long as I fire the stove at a moderate temperature, it burns beautifully. If I try to push it hard, the coal wants to fuse together into one big conglomeration. Any thoughts? The coal doesn't fall through the grates. Notice the ash pan pictures. The less I mess with it, the better and longer it burns. It seems to only need attention every 12 to 18 hours at a moderate burn rate and burns the coal completely. I'm happy!

I really hope this inspires the Clayton 1600 owners to successfully burn coal in their furnace. The Clayton 1600 can be a nice warm friend for a long winter's weather. DOUG