Is your stove set up for bituminous? If it is and you are burning anthracite the restrictor plates have to be removed. See page 26 in the manual. I have found a mix of pea and nut coal works best. This stove does have a problem with ash buildup. In addition to shaking it down regularly I also use a poker and skim around the bottom of the firebricks to get rid of the ash. If there is too much ash the coal will smother itself.
I have always started my fires with a good wood fire. Burning oak or another wood that makes good hot coals, then I sprinkle a shovel on and let it go a bit. Keep sprinkling a little until the wood coals have fallen through the grates and the coal is burning hot. Once it gets going pop it into downdraft.
Has it ever been cleaned? I do a complete tear down every year since the air passages in the bottom and the back get full of ash and when that happens burning coal will not work. Take out the grates, open the ash pan and using a shop vac clean it out behind and below the fireback. It is amazing how much ash gets left in there. There needs to be a good path for the air from the inlet. Wood will not care - it just sucks the air in but coal needs a good draft.
One last thing - when reloading make sure you bank the coal and do not cover the entire surface with new coal. If doing that with a hot fire the existing bed of coals will not be able to draft up the chimney and you may get some back puffing. You will know it when it happens. It's like the stove just passed a bunch of gas.
I have always started my fires with a good wood fire. Burning oak or another wood that makes good hot coals, then I sprinkle a shovel on and let it go a bit. Keep sprinkling a little until the wood coals have fallen through the grates and the coal is burning hot. Once it gets going pop it into downdraft.
Has it ever been cleaned? I do a complete tear down every year since the air passages in the bottom and the back get full of ash and when that happens burning coal will not work. Take out the grates, open the ash pan and using a shop vac clean it out behind and below the fireback. It is amazing how much ash gets left in there. There needs to be a good path for the air from the inlet. Wood will not care - it just sucks the air in but coal needs a good draft.
One last thing - when reloading make sure you bank the coal and do not cover the entire surface with new coal. If doing that with a hot fire the existing bed of coals will not be able to draft up the chimney and you may get some back puffing. You will know it when it happens. It's like the stove just passed a bunch of gas.
