Im Always Getting Jams

Is it normal? My Gibraltar keeps getting jammed every time I shake it? to the point where the grates pop out of the connecting rod.
This is really beginning to suck. I have to shutdown emty everything out and replace the connecting rod and grates ERR

What brand and size coal are you using? How often are you shaking the stove down?

Sounds like you might be shaking to hard. Don't think of it as shaking, think of it more like you are vibrating the ash out of the hot coals. It doesn't take a lot of movement to make the ash fall, and really your not trying to get every little bit of ash as some has to stay to insulate the grates from becoming to hot and warping. Just with a snappy/quick back and forth motion, vibrate/rattle the grates until you see some red hot coal fall to the ash bin. I know of some people on here that have even made stops for there grate shaker so that they wouldn't go to far and dump the coal off the coal bed.

Your shaking to to hard and to often shake once a day and when you do use short quick movements up and down you do not need to move the handel to far to shake the ash down make sure your grates are in the correct way they are
Numbered on the bottom 605 606 607 .605 is the center grate 606 are the next two that goes in 607 are the two outer grates that will stop the grate connecting bar from falling out . Make sure your front and back grate yokes are also in correct the high lip end goes towards the grates then the bricks will not hit the grates when you shake . Every Part on these stoves are marked with Numbers Grates Grate yokes coal banking bar outer grate frames shaker handel baffel plate firebrick retainers and so on make sure you have everything in right . You will not have any problems Running the stove Once all the parts are in the right way . Also make a grate ASH poker so you can go up threw the bottom of grates the ash will build up on the outer edges of the grate yokes and under the front yoke and the side grate frame take 1/8 steel rod make a L at one end make it long enough so you can reach the back of grates also go in between the grates to get the ash out that sticks up in there use the rod about once or twice a week or more depending on the coal your burning .

check the connecting rod it has to go in one way or it will pop out.. I too had that problem ...i had it in from the back side.

markviii wrote:What brand and size coal are you using? How often are you shaking the stove down?

Burning Nut and shaking 2 times a day once before I load her in the morning and once before I load her at night.

coal berner you kick ass.

All great advice. I have to check but im sure I have the lip towards the walls and not the greats! that would explain part of the bricks jumping up in down when I man handle it. lol

The other issue I think I may be having is way to long of a stroke hence the coal slipping in and jamming! Ill try quick short bursts, I just figured I wouldn't get all the ash down.

Ill also need to get a good L shaped poker like you suggested. The ash build up on the sides how should I address that? Mix it up from the inside (top) with a poker as well?

Im feeling a little better now I was getting so disappointed.

I did shut it down it is getting to warm outside again

This will give me time to check the yokes.

Thanks again

Brian

Coal_Trickle wrote:coal berner you kick ass.

All great advice. I have to check but im sure I have the lip towards the walls and not the greats! that would explain part of the bricks jumping up in down when I man handle it. lol

The other issue I think I may be having is way to long of a stroke hence the coal slipping in and jamming! Ill try quick short bursts, I just figured I wouldn't get all the ash down.

Ill also need to get a good L shaped poker like you suggested. The ash build up on the sides how should I address that? Mix it up from the inside (top) with a poker as well?

Im feeling a little better now I was getting so disappointed.

I did shut it down it is getting to warm outside again

This will give me time to check the yokes.

Thanks again

Brian

No do not poke from the top Just stick the rod up threw the bottom of grates and the sides back and front
The best time to do ths is after you already shook the ash down now look for dark spots or area's that are not glowing under there that is where the ash is stuck or build up it does not take much to knock it down into the pan and you really will not have to do this that often only when your burning hard when it is really cold out normal burns you will not have to worry about it because you not burning that much coal so your not making alot of ash . Try only once a day to shake it down Trust me these stoves work and burn for along time on a full load of coal and will put the BTU's out .Take your time you will learn the stove . One more thing I forgot to tell you when you poke the grates from underneath you will want to
take the straight end on the poker and go threw the front grate yoke where the grate end sits on after awhile the ash will build up on them go next to the center of the grate end there will be a space clean both sides out on each grate on the yoke you will not have to do this that often Depending on the amount of coal your burning

I shake it gently like mentioned but I always poke from the top as well..at least once a week as dead spots built up. Ya can't get all the dead spots from the bottom. If the fire is healty you won't loose it. Pokeing from the top will knock down the ash from the corners,along the front sides,etc. were ever you have dead spots..I try not to mix it up real bad but enough to get the dead spots. After I poke it I let air feed it good for just a couple of minutes to bring it back some. Then I fill up the box.
I made a nice poker from 3/8" round stock from HDepot..got a 4 ft. piece so the fire won't burn the hair on my hands. ...
I ran the fire from Nov. 1st of 08 to April 30th 09 without looseing it..

captcaper wrote:I shake it gently like mentioned but I always poke from the top as well..at least once a week as dead spots built up. Ya can't get all the dead spots from the bottom. If the fire is healty you won't loose it. Pokeing from the top will knock down the ash from the corners,along the front sides,etc. were ever you have dead spots..I try not to mix it up real bad but enough to get the dead spots. After I poke it I let air feed it good for just a couple of minutes to bring it back some. Then I fill up the box.
I made a nice poker from 3/8" round stock from HDepot..got a 4 ft. piece so the fire won't burn the hair on my hands. ...
I ran the fire from Nov. 1st of 08 to April 30th 09 without looseing it..

I would agree with you about poking threw the top if he had another brand stove but being he is burning Gibraltar stove
and the grates have a very tight tolerance between them you will not get much or if any ash down threw the top of the grates need to come up threw the bottom These grates are very heavy built very thick and tight spaces between them
when they are closed laying flat . Not like any of the other hand fed stoves out there unique to these stoves.
Any other brand stove I would agree with you But not on this one

You didn't say where the coal is from. Are the grates jamming because they are not installed correctly or is there a clinker or piece of unburnt coal stuck in them? Really bad coal will form hard clinkers that will jam grates, it happened on my Harman until I learned what real coal is (thanks, JC).

Wood'nCoal wrote:You didn't say where the coal is from. Are the grates jamming because they are not installed correctly or is there a clinker or piece of unburnt coal stuck in them? Really bad coal will form hard clinkers that will jam grates, it happened on my Harman until I learned what real coal is (thanks, JC).

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Them little clinker pieces will not jam the grates on these stoves Wood ncoal you know what they look like they will crush them into powder What I think happend is he did not have the grates and grate yokes and grate connecting bar in the right way he should be ok now .

Not if he has a clinker like the one I posted the photo of. That was as hard as a rock and would not break. I hit it with a hammer and it didn't break. I should have saved them, that was before I knew you. It was the load of coal from Fairclough that I keep talking about. My Harman can grind up hard clinkers too, but you are right, the Gibraltar grates are heavy as hell.

I'm not a fan of Combo Wood/Coal burners but he should try pokeing bottom and top and see if the ash falls down anyway...Ash is like powder and will fall thru tight spaces as we know.
But this isn't addressing the jams.
I've been burning Pea and love the fact I can shake and shake and don't worry about jams in my Harmon. I am going to try burning it all winter as long as it gives me my heat and burn time.. Easy to Poke,Shake,Shovel,Pack..
Will the stove take Pea ? or mix nut and pea together. Got to have good draft for Pea though.
Good idea to let the fire go out and check for clinkers like mentioned above..lf so let the fire go out and clean it out and start fresh every week or so until you try different coal.

Wood'nCoal wrote:Not if he has a clinker like the one I posted the photo of. That was as hard as a rock and would not break. I hit it with a hammer and it didn't break. I should have saved them, that was before I knew you. It was the load of coal from Fairclough that I keep talking about. My Harman can grind up hard clinkers too, but you are right, the Gibraltar grates are heavy as hell.

you should see the size of the clinkers I pulled out of the choo choo this past weekend!3ft x 3ft! I had to break them in half to get them through the fire door.