What is wrong with lots of coal?

[mywaynow]

As I have breezed through posts on the forum, I read posts that complain about levels of coal being excessive. I don't understand the problem with coal. My overnight burns are leaving me with a couple inches of hot coals that have the stove around 300 degrees. There is no smoke at all and I have a hot stove, so what is the problem?? Just trying to learn as this method of heating is new for me, but I will be sticking with it......

 

[webby3650]

This can become problem this time of year when the stove never shuts down. The problem is that you simply can't get enough wood into the stove as you normally can, also coals will tend to fall out when the door is opened.

 

[joshlaugh]

I don't think it is a problem but it makes it harder for me to fully load my stoves. I am burning a lot of hickory right now and that produces a lot of coals. I don't have a huge firebox on the heritage so all those coals do take up room limiting the amount of splits I can put in. Overall it is a good thing since it keeps the stove warmer longer. I burn 24/7 so every couple of days I rake the good coals back and scoop out the ash always leaving a few inches of coals/ash as insulation.

 

[BrotherBart]

At the end of each burn I drag the coal bed to the front and give it a little more air. This is where having a blower on the stove really shines. The air blowing over that three hundred degree stove top for an hour or so is a darn site warmer than the 90 or so degree air that used to come out of the heat pump registers back when it was working.

Of course we have only been down to nine degrees this year. But I time it where the house is warm before the dance with the coal bed begins and it holds the place nicely until reload.

 

[LLigetfa]

Coals don't put out the same amount of BTUs per hour as the prior stages. Stoves that struggle to keep up with demand are not afforded the time to burn down the coals so they build up to the point of taking up available space in the firebox.

There are three comon causes for excess coal build-up, wet wood, not enough air, and too small a stove to meet demand. Too often, people burn wood before its time and/or they choke back the stove too far in an effort to extend burn time or to limit how much heat goes up the flue.

 

[webby3650]

Coals don't put out the same amount of BTUs per hour as the prior stages. Stoves that struggle to keep up with demand are not afforded the time to burn down the coals so they build up to the point of taking up available space in the firebox.

There are three comon causes for excess coal build-up, wet wood, not enough air, and too small a stove to meet demand. Too often, people burn wood before its time and/or they choke back the stove too far in an effort to extend burn time or to limit how much heat goes up the flue.

I never had this problem until I moved to a bigger house, (brought our Oslo with us) now I battle coal build up. I'm complaining too much, it still does a nice job, just a little under sized.

 

[mywaynow]

This Reliant is a big stove so it is not struggling at all. I load it 50% full and it lasts 3.5 hours where it stays over 325 at the top exhaust pipe thermometer located 6 inches over the stove. The coals are more than able to maintain the burn when I use the "zipper method" discussed on this forum. I always use the convection exhaust option and have no stove pipe damper. Once the stove comes to 400 or so, the smoke is almost non existent, and remains that way until the next loading. The temperatures outside have been between 12 and 39 for the entire time I have started burning the stove. The only thing I noticed is that there was some dark drippings on the top section of my double wall pipe. There is an amber cap there and I had substantial rain on the second day of use with this new install. I am certain I have no creosote overflow, just a result of burning during that hard rain.

 

[jerseykat1]

i have discovered after i made that post yesterday that if i burn hotter around 650 or better than i get less coals. I made the mistake of following the burn instructions that was in the manual that came with the stove, which told me to close the draft completely after a nice sized fire is established so that i will get a long burn. But i find that my fires actually last longer, and burn hotter with my draft set to 1/3 open. The end result is less coals, and as long as i don't ask too much of my stove (77 degrees at the far end of the house all day long, is asking for too much) i should be able to keep my coal levels at a reasonable amount.

Yesterday and today has not been as cold as previous days so we will see how the coal situation pans out when temps dip into the teens again.

 

[Rockey]

Coals don't put out the same amount of BTUs per hour as the prior stages. Stoves that struggle to keep up with demand are not afforded the time to burn down the coals so they build up to the point of taking up available space in the firebox.

There are three comon causes for excess coal build-up, wet wood, not enough air, and too small a stove to meet demand. Too often, people burn wood before its time and/or they choke back the stove too far in an effort to extend burn time or to limit how much heat goes up the flue.

I never had this problem until I moved to a bigger house, (brought our Oslo with us) now I battle coal build up. I'm complaining too much, it still does a nice job, just a little under sized.

Most of the time this situation occurs it is because of people trying to heat too large of an area in cold weather with an undersized stove. I have fought it in the past and had to add a second stove in the basement to compensate. I have also burned everything from kiln dried lumber and eco bricks to 1 day seasoned red oak and found very little difference in the amount of coal build up. If you find it a situation its almost always because the stove is undersized for the level of comfort you want .

 

[laynes69]

Last year was the first year with the EPA furnace. We fought with excessive coaling and not enough heat. This year its not so much a problem. We did alot of airsealing, burning seasoned wood and put in a liner. By sealing up the house, we can open our damper and heat the house for hours with a good coal bed. If more heat is needed, we rake the coals forward open the draft and place a couple short splits on top. It can be a real pita.