The Stove 'Backfires'...Is This OK???
Posted: Wed. Nov. 08, 2006 8:29 am
I betcha THAT subject line got your attention! But it’s true.
And it happened again this morning….And I can almost predict when it’ll occur.
Lemme tell you the circumstances and you tell me if I’m prolly right or wrong….and if that’s ok.
So…..It’s been pretty warm the past couple of days. I’ve been using less than normal amounts of coal. I was off work yesterday and didn’t need to put a big bucket on to carry me through the day……so I added through the day – just enough to maintain.
Last night just prior to settling to bed, I tossed a half bucket in, set the draft, and went to bed.
This morning the house was warm ( Man….it’s gotta be in the upper seventies! ). I went down to check the fire and it had burned itself low. After giving a good shake, I had only two inches base left…..and that base wasn’t humming….It was a little on the weak side. So I went outside to get a full bucket ( I’ve still yet to post pics of my coal bin ) because I was going to work today ( I’m there now ). This bucket had to last until nearly 5:00pm ( and it was 6:00am at the time ), and the only thing my wife knows about the stove is where it is and don’t turn the fan off ( she’s NO help with it! ). I wanted to make sure that the bucket I add catches well so it can sustain the day – especially since the warm predicted temps mean that I will draft the stove low today.
Soooooo……I open the coal door, toss in the bucket of coal, CLOSE the coal door, OPEN the ash door and begin to shovel out the ash.
Now I have a fresh bucket of coal (on a not-so-strong bed ) with the coal door closed with the ash door open is key to my backfire. What is happening is a mound of cool coal is on top of a bed gulping fresh oxygen through the ash door. I have the door open for maybe two-three minutes. That’s long enough for the bed to get red hot…the bottom of the mound to get safely lit……BUT THE TOP of the mound isn’t screaming hot yet, but IS warm/hot enough to be giving of its flammable gas (or whatever ) but not catching. With the strong flow of air up through the bed/mound, those flammable gasses escape quickly out o the stove and up the chimney ( I have a coal stove fireplace insert ). But when I’m done scooping the ashes and close the door, the evacuation of gasses ceases immediately. They collect quickly in the void above the bed and, in a short matter of time, ignite in the increasing temp inside the stove. I get a muffled whhhhhooomp! And dust is forced outside from the seal of both the coal door and ash door and my wife complains that the stove makes the downstairs smell like warm fart. After this ignition…..my mound has the characteristic dancing blue flame above it ( But NOT before the ignition ).
Now…….If I do the SAME STEPS as above but have a rip-roaring hot bed instead of a wek one….I get no backfire…..I think that’s because the really cookin’ bed bring my mound to up to temp fast enough and I get my dancing blue flame immediately.
Is my assumption correct? Should I worry? What do I do to prevent this?
Thanks for any input!!!
And it happened again this morning….And I can almost predict when it’ll occur.
Lemme tell you the circumstances and you tell me if I’m prolly right or wrong….and if that’s ok.
So…..It’s been pretty warm the past couple of days. I’ve been using less than normal amounts of coal. I was off work yesterday and didn’t need to put a big bucket on to carry me through the day……so I added through the day – just enough to maintain.
Last night just prior to settling to bed, I tossed a half bucket in, set the draft, and went to bed.
This morning the house was warm ( Man….it’s gotta be in the upper seventies! ). I went down to check the fire and it had burned itself low. After giving a good shake, I had only two inches base left…..and that base wasn’t humming….It was a little on the weak side. So I went outside to get a full bucket ( I’ve still yet to post pics of my coal bin ) because I was going to work today ( I’m there now ). This bucket had to last until nearly 5:00pm ( and it was 6:00am at the time ), and the only thing my wife knows about the stove is where it is and don’t turn the fan off ( she’s NO help with it! ). I wanted to make sure that the bucket I add catches well so it can sustain the day – especially since the warm predicted temps mean that I will draft the stove low today.
Soooooo……I open the coal door, toss in the bucket of coal, CLOSE the coal door, OPEN the ash door and begin to shovel out the ash.
Now I have a fresh bucket of coal (on a not-so-strong bed ) with the coal door closed with the ash door open is key to my backfire. What is happening is a mound of cool coal is on top of a bed gulping fresh oxygen through the ash door. I have the door open for maybe two-three minutes. That’s long enough for the bed to get red hot…the bottom of the mound to get safely lit……BUT THE TOP of the mound isn’t screaming hot yet, but IS warm/hot enough to be giving of its flammable gas (or whatever ) but not catching. With the strong flow of air up through the bed/mound, those flammable gasses escape quickly out o the stove and up the chimney ( I have a coal stove fireplace insert ). But when I’m done scooping the ashes and close the door, the evacuation of gasses ceases immediately. They collect quickly in the void above the bed and, in a short matter of time, ignite in the increasing temp inside the stove. I get a muffled whhhhhooomp! And dust is forced outside from the seal of both the coal door and ash door and my wife complains that the stove makes the downstairs smell like warm fart. After this ignition…..my mound has the characteristic dancing blue flame above it ( But NOT before the ignition ).
Now…….If I do the SAME STEPS as above but have a rip-roaring hot bed instead of a wek one….I get no backfire…..I think that’s because the really cookin’ bed bring my mound to up to temp fast enough and I get my dancing blue flame immediately.
Is my assumption correct? Should I worry? What do I do to prevent this?
Thanks for any input!!!