Coal Grates

Nothing wrong with questions my friend,keeps us all thinking

I know and I appreciate your patience I just want to make sure I have everything operating safely and effectively before I start it up. Being in the boiler industry I like to know as much as I can about something. The more you know the safer and more confidant in operation. Plus I can't wait to get her going. Just stinks its towards the end of the season.

The way this winter is going--I don't know if we're close to the end of the season or not Did that crazy ass wood-chuck see his shadow or not yet?? We got about 6" of snow so far & I think the fat lady singing is well in the future somewhere

Howudoin2427 wrote:I'm just trying to get as much information as I can before I start it up.

I would still like to see how this thing shakes. Could you post a pic of the mechanism that shakes it?

Howudoin2427 wrote:Thanks grizzly I am definitely going to give it my best I think if I give it a good cleaning and mabey try and going some of the spots that may be jammed I may be able to get them moving. If not I may have to resort to the raking. The only thing is I thought you weren't really suppose to poke at the coals because it would form clinkers. But I suppose alittle raking is ok right seeing as you must have to do so when mounding. I'm sorry for all the questions I'm just trying to get as much information as I can before I start it up. I know you will get the feel for it as you go along.

Your questions are good and your confusion is understandable. I am not an advocate of disturbing a coal fire any more than necessary to keep it going. Yet I did suggest poking around the edges of your fire. Two issues here; 1. I don't think the style of your grate will ever be adequate to shake ash down properly, I doubt that it worked well new. Therefore If the grate does not shake the ash down you have to do in manualy. Raking each slot in the grate (from the bottom) until hot coals start to drop into the ash pan is what you want to happen. Continuing to rake until a lot of hot coal drops down from the grate is disturbing the fire too much and wasting coal. I have to rake my grates occationaly due to more ash buildup on one side of the stove than the other. I don't do it more often than necessary and I stop when a very few hot coals drop down. Issue 2. You and I both have stoves with square fireboxes and grates. Our stoves will tend to build up ash at least in the corners and perhaps other places, regardless of whether it is you raking or me shaking our stoves.
I use a 1/4" diameter metal rod to gently poke up and down right tight to the fire bricks in the corners, not into the hot part of the fire. After all it is the ash you want to force down not the burning area of the fire. I tried just this year to do a poke down with my regular fat wood stove poker which has a hook on the side of it. Just that much extra disturbance almost killed the fire in all the areas I had messed up.

The raking part is easy to judge how much to do by my description I think (hope). The poking from inside part is harder to visualize. But if you do get the ash buildup in the corners or elsware that raking doesn't take care of, try gentle poking with a thin straight rod. Better too little poking than too much. You can always go back and poke some more if need be. You can do this and be successful at it. Just keep asking.

coaledsweat wrote:

Howudoin2427 wrote:I'm just trying to get as much information as I can before I start it up.

I would still like to see how this thing shakes. Could you post a pic of the mechanism that shakes it?

Yes I will post pictures of it however I just took the grates out to clean. I will see what I can do.