Question: Coal does not shake down

well its about time LD LOL

curious, what stove did you switch out for? you sound like a pure coal man to me

Yes! These pic's are my stove! Though the I diction of the plates have not gotten this bad (yet!). What I will do this week may be over kill but I will add fire brick and refractory lining. Lining to the plates and brick to all sides. Though this may solve the smooth side issue - an possibly the even burning - the stove is currently as air tight as I can get it. All air coming from a sealed bottom door w dial vent. I do not have glass doors (took them out and replaced w plates). I'm thinking to start looking for a real stove - my next adventure - which 1 to select for mid range price or good name to start w - lol!! My training wheel stove (current 1) may not last very long - but what an experience

I think you will be surprised at the improvement and your stove will be a real stove.

dcrane wrote:well its about time LD LOL

curious, what stove did you switch out for? you sound like a pure coal man to me

I swapped out for DS Machine 1500 Circulator. Night and day difference. It's alot easier to operate all around. The bi-metal t-stat and the hopper make burning anthracite coal a breeze. Actually, almost TOO easy for my liking.... I like to play with my fire a little bit

The shaker grates and ashpan setup are also much better. On the Dutchwest, the shaker grates are wider than the ash pan, so you need to shovel ash just to get the pan back in, and you need to empty the ash pan after almost every shaking.

The DS will do every-other day on emptying the ash pan, and the pan is wider than the grates, so I don't need to shovel ash by hand. The amount of dust in my house is way, way down compared to last year.

ZumDish wrote:Yes! These pic's are my stove! Though the I diction of the plates have not gotten this bad (yet!). What I will do this week may be over kill but I will add fire brick and refractory lining. Lining to the plates and brick to all sides. Though this may solve the smooth side issue - an possibly the even burning - the stove is currently as air tight as I can get it. All air coming from a sealed bottom door w dial vent. I do not have glass doors (took them out and replaced w plates). I'm thinking to start looking for a real stove - my next adventure - which 1 to select for mid range price or good name to start w - lol!! My training wheel stove (current 1) may not last very long - but what an experience

The Dutchwest really isn't a bad stove, and it was a pretty good design for the mid 1980s. It's just that it is a better wood burner than coal burner, and there are FAR superior stoves on the market today. If you're looking for a hand fired, DS Machine, Hitzer, Alaska, and others make great coal burning stoves that are reasonably priced.

If something old would be your cup of tea, a base burner stove like a Glenwood would also be a great option.