Q&A Dial on European Coal Stove

Question:

I recently bought a house that has a coal stove. I really don't understand how it works. There is a round dial on the left side of _the stove with numbers from 1-8. Does that control the amount of air that fuels the fire?



Answer:

Yes- you probably have a European Coal Stove which uses a thermobulb connected to a control knob. The dial opens the draft inlet (higher number is more open)- and then when the stove gets hot- the thermobulb closes and opens the inlet to even out the effect of the fire. You probably have an Efel- Surdiac or Franco-belge model stove. If so- they use a hopper feed- top loading system to burn the coal. make certain the stove and chimney are clean- and that you have some kind of directions before you attempt to start the fire.
<p>

Check out our coaltips article as well as our article about hoper-fed coal stoves at the links below.

Link: Coal Burning Tips

Link: Using Hopper-Fed Coal stoves