Yay, I Got the Fire to Last All Night!

First time really burning coal in the new Yukon husky. Got a nice wood fire going and lots of nice red ash, started to layer the coal in about 10 minute increments till I was about up to the fire block then let go for the night. Woke up at 2 am hot, so looked at the thermometer and it was 75 and the coal was nice and red with a small amount of flame. Woke up at 5 and looked the same just smaller, still 75 in the house. Shook the grates and added a new layer.

Ironically it burned better with the ash pan closed. I thought the air under there would help but it lagged till I closed it then it really took off, must be the way the furnace is designed

https://youtu.be/5IISI7XqIhc

That's one good looking fire. Warm and Toasty!!! Yep closing that door allows the unit to draw the air in the way it was designed.

Once you got your fire going, keep that door closed unless your pulling ash.

Correct, most of the time I've found that with the ash door open it allows to much air in which in turn cools the fire, this was when trying to revive a almost out fire.

I hope I keep the hang of this, I am sold on coal for the constant warm heat. Just with it radiating through the registers have been more than enough but it is also 40 degrees outside.

Djcoak6071 wrote:I hope I keep the hang of this, I am sold on coal for the constant warm heat. Just with it radiating through the registers have been more than enough but it is also 40 degrees outside.

You just experienced on of the biggest benefits

Woke up today and it was a toasty 76F ... closed it down a little ...

davidmcbeth3 wrote:Woke up today and it was a toasty 76F ... closed it down a little ...

I would melt at 76! I'll have to shut it down on Sunday morning as it will be in the 60s all next week. Plus I got a lot of wood I need to burn

Save the wood for outdoor burning lol

Djcoak6071 wrote: Ironically it burned better with the ash pan closed. I thought the air under there would help but it lagged till I closed it then it really took off, must be the way the furnace is designed

To my knowledge, on an athracite coal furnace, there is no way having the ashpan door open can make the fire "lag". Does this furnace have a forced air combustion blower?

On furnaces and boilers that are designed to burn wood and bit coal, there are air passages that lead from the ashpan area to the firebox. This could cause what you describe here. If your furnace has these passages, you should block them off as they will cause to much overfire air for burning anthracite.

-Don

Don, I have found that with a fire that is not mature and established, opening the ash door to far lets to much air in and actually cools the fire, but yes if you have a good cooking fire going, and open the ash door, hold on!

StokerDon wrote:

Djcoak6071 wrote: Ironically it burned better with the ash pan closed. I thought the air under there would help but it lagged till I closed it then it really took off, must be the way the furnace is designed

To my knowledge, on an athracite coal furnace, there is no way having the ashpan door open can make the fire "lag". Does this furnace have a forced air combustion blower?

On furnaces and boilers that are designed to burn wood and bit coal, there are air passages that lead from the ashpan area to the firebox. This could cause what you describe here. If your furnace has these passages, you should block them off as they will cause to much overfire air for burning anthracite.

-Don

There are no air passages as tou describe. Yes it is forced air.

I realize I am just a stoker guy now. But, before that I spent many years with handfired stoves and furnaces. Through that experience I have learned that step one to recovering a nearly dead coal fire is, open the ashpan door. The only way this can fail is if there is some way that the air will go around the coal bed rather than through it.

Since both of you are running handfireds that are designed with combustion blowers, that must have something to do with it.

Perhaps the combustion blower air comes out the ashpan door when you open it? That would explain it!

-Don

I didn't think the Yukon had a combustion fan? And I'm not talking about my New Yorker when discussing anything, that thing is as simple and easy as it gets, I'm referring to my past with the hotblast furnace and baseburner, yes crack the ash pan door, but if your fire is nearly out, an you open the ash pan door wide open, I think it's to much air and it will cool the fire causing it to go out.

hotblast1357 wrote:I didn't think the Yukon had a combustion fan? And I'm not talking about my New Yorker when discussing anything, that thing is as simple and easy as it gets, I'm referring to my past with the hotblast furnace and baseburner, yes crack the ash pan door, but if your fire is nearly out, an you open the ash pan door wide open, I think it's to much air and it will cool the fire causing it to go out.

It doesn't air is induced through the draft. The only fan is to distribute air to the house

I have a Yukon Eagle, and 12 hours are the norm. My furnace tending times are 6am and 6pm. Simple and done.