harryback does this look right?

this is a pic of my coal bed on a feed rate of 2 on the off cycle
harman magnum stoker

it doesnt look bad, limey....theres never really much of a flame with coal, and im not sure in a flash image if youd see the flame anyways....seems to be burning at around the right place, no live embers falling off the leading edge....seems well burnt.....try to turn it up a bit....play with it some....dont make huge changes, incremental ones, and wait like 2 hours in between for a difference...what have you got to lose?

well i did try that anything more then a 2 dot feed rate and hot coals start to push off the grates which isn't good

Do you have enough combustion air?
I don't know how your stove is suppose to work but I do know in my stove when the combustion air is blocked by ash the coal will not burn completly.
I cleared all the airways and the coal burns to a nice ash with very few cinders, none of them are black just grey ash.

Good point zogboy, but you also need to check your on and of times on your control box. this may be part of you problem with it over feeding. Now if the unit is keeping your house comfortable I wouldn't mess with it.