Lighting Nut Coal

coldcoal · Post by **coldcoal** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:17 am

Never mind. I called a dealer and he knew right away. Warped grates. Seemingly if they get too hot they warp and this happens. 180 bucks a grate to fix it. So not only is coal 125 a month more than wood to heat the place, which due to ease I was begrudgingly ok with, but it ruins the stove if it gets too hot leaving you without a heating unit!! Fabulous!

Poconoeagle · Post by **Poconoeagle** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:24 am

Keeping the ashes up close to the grate could be a reason for overheating also. ??

titleist1 · Post by **titleist1** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:28 am

Yes, if you burn too hot a wood fire in it or too hot a coal fire, the grates may warp. Since you have over fired your stove you should also check the baffle that is above the firebox to see if it is warped as well. If the baffle plate warps badly enough it can damage the sides of the stove.

Do you have any idea of the temps you were running your stove, I routinely run close to 600* and in 20 years have never warped a grate? What draft were you pulling through it, do you have a manometer?

coldcoal · Post by **coldcoal** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:29 am

Yeah he said that Pocono, but I keep it cleaned out. He said more likely if a fire is revived and let go to long. Sounds like these are pretty sensitive little stoves if they are made for coal... but a mere 1200 degrees warps the grates the coals sit on. Red coals come pretty close to that all by themselves.

Titles, I run it a 500-550, never even 600.

So now what? Run it with the warped grates anyway and shake really carefully? Stay 1/2 frozen with radiators that are a joke in this cold? I think I go for option A.

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:31 am

Well it can happen but I'd have to say it was overfired and ashes allowed to accumulate. Leaving the ash door open could do it. Those grates are really stout and last many years if the stove is properly burned.

coldcoal · Post by **coldcoal** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:34 am

coalkirk wrote:Well it can happen but I'd have to say it was overfired and ashes allowed to accumulate. Leaving the ash door open could do it. Those grates are really stout and last many years if the stove is properly burned.

Over fired, well possible as I leave ash door open to catch coals, so I'm probably doing that wrong. Ashes are cleaned out 2x a day though, always clear.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:34 am

The linkage that connects the grates is subject to wear and corrosion...
The grates should be flat, not sagging...
Pop them out and check on a straightedge...
If they are sagging, the stove has been run with an over-full ashpan, this blocked the air from underneath that cools the grates as it feeds oxygen to the fire...
Check the online vendors parts are less...
Others will chime in on parts prices...

coldcoal · Post by **coldcoal** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:36 am

CapeCoaler wrote:The linkage that connects the grates is subject to wear and corrosion...
The grates should be flat, not sagging...
Pop them out and check on a straightedge...
If they are sagging, the stove has been run with an over-full ashpan, this blocked the air from underneath that cools the grates as it feeds oxygen to the fire...
Check the online vendors parts are less...
Others will chime in on parts prices...

You can see in the pic they sag, yes? All 3 have same sag, but the back one is hitting back of stove.

Poconoeagle · Post by **Poconoeagle** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:36 am

burn it and warm up 1/2 way

aquire new grates and carry on. lessons learned.... we all have them

coldcoal · Post by **coldcoal** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:39 am

Poconoeagle wrote:burn it and warm up 1/2 way

aquire new grates and carry on. lessons learned.... we all have them

Yeah whats happening though, as I saw last 2 days, is the back won't redden up. Surely due to hot fire dropping through the space. So all in all the stove is useless until I get the cash to fix it. That'll be spring time, so then I won't care anymore anyways.

coldcoal · Post by **coldcoal** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 9:46 am

CapeCoaler wrote: The grates should be flat, not sagging...
Pop them out and check on a straightedge...

Correction, The front grate is straight, the mid and back sag, no straight edge needed to see this. How would one pop them out? Remove all bricks? I dunno, I'm too cold to deal with it, lol. This is the first time I heard about the grates warping or keeping the coal cool enough at grate level. I read here the firebox can warp if not for the bricks, but the grates is news.

Chuck_Steak · Post by **Chuck_Steak** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 10:20 am

There was obviously some ort of "issue" that warped it, like ash build up
or something.... Just a really hot stove wouldn't warp a grate.
I've seen a Mark III at 900, and the grates stayed true....

Dan

mason coal burner · Post by **mason coal burner** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 11:52 am

put up a post for used grates . look on craigslist . burn wood til you can fix it . see what it would cost to have some cast .

coldcoal · Post by **coldcoal** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 12:41 pm

Yeah my chimney sweep said he noticed some warp in em a couple months ago. He said when they get old the metal just gives up, and the hotter coal did em in. So the issue is seemingly that the stove is 30 years old, not that anyone knows that for sure as there's no plate on it.

Yeah I'd burn wood but that's not an option now, ain't got any, nor is starting my coal as all wood I'd use to start it is snow covered. (Downed trees by a creek that can't be reached down snowy hill in a foot of snow drifts) I just went out to look, no way I can get to it and it's all frozen and wet anyway. So Friday I'll get some fire starters and a pack of hardwood at the grocer and burn... something!

Gonna be a hellova-week!

I'm On Fire · Post by **I'm On Fire** » Mon. Jan. 24, 2011 1:19 pm

Surely there has to be someone near you who sells fire wood by the cord? I'm really sorry sorry your grates are warped and seized. That stinks.