What I've learned about coal

[Millworker]

6AM - 2500 sq. foot farmhouse is 71F. Coal is still burning!

This morning I opened air full and waited for temp. to rise to 500F. Shook her down, and re-loaded. This is taking a while though (currently at 90 minutes), I am afraid to go to work until stove gets back up to 400F before I damper down. Currently at 325F.

Can I speed things up by opening air, waiting for temp to rise to 500F, and then re-load AND shake down at the same time?

 

[Mike Wilson]

Wow... not for nothing, but I am smiling at what a success story this thread has been for you. Read the first few posts, and compare them to the last few... amazing.

-- Mike

 

[Corie]

6AM - 2500 sq. foot farmhouse is 71F. Coal is still burning!

This morning I opened air full and waited for temp. to rise to 500F. Shook her down, and re-loaded. This is taking a while though (currently at 90 minutes), I am afraid to go to work until stove gets back up to 400F before I damper down. Currently at 325F.

Can I speed things up by opening air, waiting for temp to rise to 500F, and then re-load AND shake down at the same time?

Yep, you can definitely do that. You'll find a method and a rhythm that works best for you. Of course, like I said, it will depend a great deal of how strong the bed of coal you have left is. A very weak, almost gone bed of coal will take some careful babysitting to get back to life. If you wake up to a lot of glowing hot coal, open air up fully, wait for temp rise and then reload right on top of it, let it catch and then shake her on down. That will work just fine too.


You'll get all the little details taken care of here fairly shortly, but you've gotten the main part figured out.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Yep, you can definitely do that. You'll find a method and a rhythm that works best for you. Of course, like I said, it will depend a great deal of how strong the bed of coal you have left is. A very weak, almost gone bed of coal will take some careful babysitting to get back to life. If you wake up to a lot of glowing hot coal, open air up fully, wait for temp rise and then reload right on top of it, let it catch and then shake her on down. That will work just fine too.

Millworker, I laughed so hard just now reading through the rest of this thread my eyes watered!

Cories right, when you get used to it, you'll cut down the reload time to 30 minutes or less. Like, you'll get up, go and open the air of the stove, then take a shower, then go back and load a pile on top, then sip some coffee, then shake 'er down, then top 'er off with fresh coal, and head to work.

Dang right, when you said you lost your eyebrows, I knew you had that coal fire burnin', haha.

funny as all get out.

Oh yeah, shakin 'er down, you'll get to learn the "feel" of it when your shakin'. I could tell when the ash was done shook out and I started grindin' on good coal, you can feel it in the shaker handle, when you need to stop shakin' is when you feel it startin' to grind on the good hard coal....stop as soon as you feel that.

As I used to tell my wife.... "how hot you want it???"

 

[Millworker]

First, let me thank all of you superheroes who devote their time to saving people like me from wood/coal stove failure. Corie, I will call you BluFlame. Ansehnlich, I will call you......(((GrateShaker))). I realize you all are busy dashing into phone booths, donning your capes, and helping people with all of their wood/coal stove disasters. Turning peril into promise, tragedy into victory, and cold homes into warm homes. Rest assured, I feel confident I will soon master the coal fire. Hopefully I can pay it forward someday. I will continue to post some of my foibles, challenges, and wins. Maybe somebody out there will learn something.

**Yesterday**

Got home from work anxious to see if coal fire was still burning. It was. This was my 1st 24 hour burn cycle! Lots of coal still in the box. I opened the air control, and waited for temp. to rise to 500F. I was feeling victorious at this point, confident, full of pride. I SHOULD HAVE RELOADED AT THIS POINT. Instead, I decided to not re-load yet, thought I could burn some minutes and reload closer to bed time. Later that night I looked over from the couch and noticed a lack of a red glow from the firebox. Looking closer I noticed a "black spot" in the coal embers. Temp was down to 325F. I knew it was over but didn't want to believe it. I paced back and forth wringing my hands, all the while the black spot spreading. I tried to move some of the hot coals into the black spot and pretend like it wasn't there, like a balding person who comes their hair over to cover the bald spot. I peered out the window into the sky, wishing to catch a glimpse of the BluFlame, coming to save my fire. .....

Alas, I resolved the fire needed to be rescued. I threw in some wood, reestablished a good wood coal bed and rebuilt the coal fire like I was taught. It went quicker this time, I was less timid, and was able to combine some steps. The fire has been running for about 10 hours now, and I just reloaded.

The lesson is this: It is better to "top off" a coal fire by adding a small to moderate amount of coals more frequently, than to burn all the way down and have to reload the entire stove. The saying "strike while the fire is hot" seems to be particularly relevant to coal.

 

[Corie]

Very good, my young padawan. You have much to learn in the ways of coal, but a great coal burner, one day you will become.

 

[ctlovell]

Great thread!! I learned so much and I don't even have a coal stove. Kinda makes me wish I had one to play with.

Good luck and keep us all posted on your continued success.

 

[wg_bent]

I'll look at getting one when Corie gets done building mine.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Hey I miss my Baker Coal Stove. That bad boy was sweet..... no creosote, awesome heat. I gave that stove to my brother and he's still using it. I built a huge reinforced box in my basement, it held 3 ton, the guy would back up to the window, slide the chute in there, raise the bed of the truck, and such a racket you ever did hear, 10 minutes later I got 3 ton in the basement and didn't even lift a finger, sweeeeet!

If I ever burned coal again I'd go for a Stoker, I'd like to see if I could get a 5 DAY BURN, HAHA, that beats an "overnight" wood fire any day

 

[Corie]

Stokers are for pellet burners. Real men load their coal by hand.


Plus, what's the benefit of burning coal if you have no heat when the power is out?

 

[ansehnlich1]

Hey Corie, guess I was getting a bit carried away there with that last post, thanks for bringing me back into reality!

BTW, I split near 8 cord by hand this summer, does that count?

 

[ansehnlich1]

Actually, I'm just trying to make 100 posts

And yeah, I got a Jotul, and when the 'lectric goes out I'm set, expect the whole neighborhood to be over keepin warm at my house

 

[drizler]

You sold me with the wife runnin round nekkid part. Where do I get one of those critters. I run the corn burner around 68 F and well, ah the nekked just doesn't happen. Never , ever for ......months. I gotta start digging up some coal!!

 

[agz124]

Millworker- if there is an award for the funniest freakin posts you've got my vote.

After looking at the picture of your stove (forgive me if you already know this) you have one of the best coal stoves around. It is a Stratford SC-75 or maybe SC-100. I used an identical stove for 4 years and then just switched to wood this year None the less, it is a great stove. If you ever need any parts or info call Dussingers Stove Shop in Smoketown (lancaster) pa. It is built to burn nut coal and it is quite normal for the cast iron plate in the front to bow inward. Good luck and consider comedy as a second career

 

[tinkabranc]

Millworker- if there is an award for the funniest freakin posts you've got my vote.

I second the motion!
OMG- Your posts are so funny!
Parden me while I go wipe up the coffee now that I spilled over from laughing.

 

[Millworker]

Came home from work today to a cozy house. Opened air baffle all the way and stuffed stove full of coal as soon as it hit 500F. Shook her down and cracked a beer to enjoy the fire. E-A-S-Y

Sat down by the fire and wrote my wish list to Santa,

Dear Santa:

I have been real bad this year. I don't think I deserve ANY presents. Instead, I deserve a ton of coal. In fact, 2 TONS of coal!

Yours Truly,

Michael

P.S. Don't come down the chimney this year or you will burn your A$$ off!!

 

[Corie]

Haha man you really crack me up



We just noticed, btw, that you're from Downingtown! We just left there in June; lived over in the Ghetto, er, Meadowlake Apartment complex! We were like friggin neighbors!

 

[Millworker]

Neighbors indeed! We moved here in March, about 5 miles from where you previously lived. Have any enemies at Meadowlake, I'll soon have a lot of fly ash to dispose of (wink, wink).

Can u recommend a good local stove shop, and a place that is convenient to get coal? Maybe even somebody that delivers? agz124 recommended Dussinger's in Smoketown.

And finally, I just scared myself by reading some of the other posts at Hearth.com. Scared myself because I'm reading posts on Hearth.com. Tell people that you participate in a chat room about wood stoves and they just don't look at you the same anymore Secondly, because there was a post about stove lined with firebrick, and if the firebrick was missing, a hole would burn through the side of the stove. Now, I'm not missing any firebrick, but 1 or 2 are cracked - clean through - but still in place and creating a solid barrier between the fire and stove wall. I INTEND to replace them, just wondering the urgency on this?

 

[Jags]

Scared myself because I'm reading posts on Hearth.com. Tell people that you participate in a chat room about wood stoves and they just don't look at you the same anymore

Tell me about it. As Bill Engeval (sp?) would say, "Just 15 degrees off cool". It would be much more acceptable to most if I was looking at p0rn!

 

[ansehnlich1]

Now, I'm not missing any firebrick, but 1 or 2 are cracked - clean through - but still in place and creating a solid barrier between the fire and stove wall. I INTEND to replace them, just wondering the urgency on this?

Doesn't sound like an emergency issue to me, having a cracked firebrick in there. But knowing me, I'd worry about the dang things and wind up replacing 'em sometime when the stove's cooled off.

 

[agz124]

My stove shop says that as long as brick (both parts) is in place you should be just fine, cracks don't matter.

 

[Codeman812]

Man, I had no interest in coal, but this thread (Millworker) is absolutely hilarious. I think I wanna get a coal stove now. Just for the naked part.

 

[begreen]

This has been one of the best threads I have read in a long time. Millworker, I am so happy for you. Wish my wife would run around naked.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Wish my wife would run around naked.

Dane Harman, is your advertising department listening? :wow:

-- Mike

 

[RugerRedhawk]

I don't know about the big lumps of coal you're using. I use rice coal and it works wonders. I think you have a different type of stove too, mine's a stoker. So all I have to do is fill the hopper once every day or two and empty the ash pan every few days. It stays lit all winter. It takes 5 minutes to get started again if needed with a little charcoal. So I think it's really your stove/type of coal that's causing the problem. For me coal is warmer, safer, cleaner, and about the same price as wood.