What Went Wrong? What Did I Do Wrong???

Thanks Sparks. I had fun messing with it this past week. Hopefully I have Better luck with it this winter.

Burning coal is an art form isn't it? When I bought my 1st coal stove ( Chubby) back in the early 1980's I got a books from the libary and one of them was a Firemans handbook from the early 1900's. One thing I got from it is Anthracite needs at least 3 to 4 inches of red coals going all the time for a proper fire control and burn. Soft coal needs 6 to 8 inches..this has helped me with my long burns.
As time goes on you'll build lot's of ash/clinkers in the pot and will break down the ability to have the long hours and heat you are used to when starting fresh so it's good to break it down once in a while and empty out the pot totally.
When temps got down low I always could run the Cubby with OEM MPD shut closed. and the bottom as well. Mostly left the bottom open about 1/8 to 1/4 inch and MPD shut. I never had back draft or fume problems. The chubby when done right is very air tight and efficent.

Wow... very informative.... I'm still finishing up with some install of my first stove and learned alot from this post. There were alot of questions I was gong to ask and won't need to now. Thank you!

Glad I could help. A few more weeks an I'll have my stove back up an running so I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions.

Hi All,
This is my first post. I bought a Chubby off Craigslist and then traded it in to Larry Trainer for a reconditioned model with the center supported grate for easier shaking. I have never lit a coal fire (LOL). Right now I am playing with it by burning wood on cool evenings. I learned a lot from Larry and I love his video which everyone with a Chubby should watch. I am going to try to resist the temptation of lighting my first coal fire too early and I am only going to burn nut as per Larry's recommendation. He also recommends against "layering " the coal as it can cause too fast of a burn. My plan is to light the thing up adjust the air intake for a 350-400 degree burn with manual damper closed and walk away from it. Two shakes a day and top off after each shake. The stove is on the main floor of a 1800 square foot cape. I have heated this house completely with wood using an antique Glenwood parlor stove in the same location. The key in that case was to blow cool air along the floor from the opposite end of the house toward the stove to re-enforce the natural convection. I will be happy if I can cut my gas bill in half by using coal and delighted if I can manage to heat the whole house with coal for the cold months of Dec, Jan, Feb. I am sure I will have some problems and surprises!
Thanks to all who contribute to this great forum!
lobsterman

Hi lobersterman and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your Chubby purchase and trade-in with Larry! You couldn't of met a better guy to deal with, let alone his wonderful little coal stove! Keep us posted on your progress. DOUG

Hi lobsterman and welcome to you. Very good idea you have to work with the natural air draft in your house and boast it can help a lot. A good way to see the air draft is the use of an incense stick, the fume is a good guide and you have the odor as a bonus. Yes anthracite burning is a pleasure when learned, Mr Trainer is the best one for it. Chubby stoves are very popular on this forum...I came very close to buy one. Good luck and come back with your experiences with it.
Salutations from Qc

I never thought of the incense. I taped little fingers of paper on the doorways to watch the air flow at the top and bottom of each doorway. This taught me to blow cold air to the stove as opposed to hot air away from it. A small fan 3 rooms away from the stove could then reduce the temperature in the stove room by several degrees while warming the rest of the house. The stove, of course, consumes oxygen and it is best for circulation if this can come from the opposite side of the house as the stove. Larry even says crack a window there if your house is very tight (which mine is not).

My house is incredibly drafty, maybe I should use an incense stick to see where I can use some help.

I'm On Fire wrote:My house is incredibly drafty, maybe I should use an incense stick to see where I can use some help.

I know this is an old thread but just read it and was going to suggest if you haven't done so yet. I've found that a balloon (metal type) in the process of deflating floats around the room very nicely and you can easily follow where your drafts not only come from but where the air stream flows in your house.

That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of it. I did however find another air leak yesterday. To which it was filled with insulation.