Coalpail.com Forum

A barometric regulates the draft on a chimney. If the chimney has too much draft, the barmetric damper will open and mix air with the furnace to lower the draft on the wood furnace. They work slick. They also help on very windy days and keep the furnace from puffing.

Thanks again for your help. I'll check into having one installed, I have 78 acres and am 800' off the road, gets pretty windy sometimes.

I have a US Stove 1557 in apears to be the same as Vogelzang Norseman 2500 wood/coal. The manufacture has told be that I can burn anthracite, but I'm having a heck of a time. I'm new to the coal burning but have been in the HVAC field for 25 years. I have a good understanding of drafts, primary air, secondary air, ect. I am burning nut coal and just can't seem to get any temp out of it. I have a draft of about .4 to .5 inches of WC. I have a manuals and barametic damper.
I know burning coal takes time to get used, but a staring point of be great. Help.

You probably need to pull .6 for the draft with coal. The air must feed from the bottom, no air above the fire, it will kill it. One of the most important things is having a deep enough bed of coal. You cannot build a "small" coal fire, it must be full, you can throttle it to the heat you need.
Check to make sure you have a good air supply, open a window near the unit slightly to see if the draft picks up.
I have a hand fired boiler and learned very quikley to rev the fire up for a few minutes before shaking it down (draft through the ash door). Shaking a cold fire is a sure way to kill it. Get it good and hot, shake it down good and bank it well. Let it rip a little bit with the fresh load, then damp it back down. I think the colder it gets the easier it is to tend as the draft picks up.
Coal has a sharp learning curve, a few cuts later you'll be a pro.