Keeping the Stove Burning All Night

Jtz622 · Post by **Jtz622** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 3:36 pm

What would be the best way to keep a potbelly stove burning all night?
I have all the drafts shut off and I get about a 90% burn rate, the stove is always cold about 9am.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 5:00 pm

Jtz622 wrote:What would be the best way to keep a potbelly stove burning all night?
I have all the drafts shut off and I get about a 90% burn rate, the stove is always cold about 9am.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

You gotta fix that air leak, fast burn issue first. What size coal are you using again? Nut works really well for long burns.

Jtz622 · Post by **Jtz622** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 5:25 pm

Yeah I am using nut

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 5:27 pm

Jtz622 wrote:Yeah I am using nut

Are you filling the fire pot as high as you can go?

SteveZee · Post by **SteveZee** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 6:25 pm

Jtz622 wrote:What would be the best way to keep a potbelly stove burning all night?
I have all the drafts shut off and I get about a 90% burn rate, the stove is always cold about 9am.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

Sorry but pot belly stoves were never meant to be 24/7 burners. They were made to heat up fast and hot but not long and slow.

Jtz622 · Post by **Jtz622** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 8:08 pm

SteveZee wrote:
Jtz622 wrote:What would be the best way to keep a potbelly stove burning all night?
I have all the drafts shut off and I get about a 90% burn rate, the stove is always cold about 9am.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Sorry but pot belly stoves were never meant to be 24/7 burners. They were made to heat up fast and hot but not long and slow.

What about them makes them cool down faster than other stoves? Is it the design or airflow or something?

grizzly2 · Post by **grizzly2** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 8:22 pm

Pot belly stoves are not air tight. You can close all the doors and sliding air intakes and air leaks around everything. For home heating you need an airtight coal stove. The doors will have gaskets and the air intake ports will seal tight enough to put the fire out if closed all the way. Your potbelly can probably not be sealed tight enough to get long slow controlled burns. I think someone here tried to seal a potbelly once. Hopefully he will chime in and tell us the results.

A good used modern air tight coal stove would be a much better avenue to pursue. They sometimes go very cheap if they are rusty and need a minor repair.

grizzly2 · Post by **grizzly2** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 8:28 pm

I better add lest Will and a few others get me excommunicated, There are excellent old stoves. They are very efficient and very high qualtiy and many of them are beautiful works of art. However they are very expensive to buy.

Jtz622 · Post by **Jtz622** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 9:10 pm

So have all the major seams sealed up, but to much air is still getting in for the fire to burn overnight. Anyone have any way to seal the mating places of the doors and the cooktop so I can control the fire better? Mainly looking for longer burn times at lower temp.
Thanks

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 9:15 pm

Better yet...
The stove you have is unable to properly regulate the combustion air...
The fuel burns too quickly...
Resulting in a cold stove due to lack of unburned fuel...
'Potbelly Stove' is not in the same league as the 'baseburners'...

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 9:18 pm

Post a few pics of your stove...
Put a bright, battery powered lantern inside the stove...
Darken the room...
Close it up and look for the light...
That is where you are leaking air...

Jtz622 · Post by **Jtz622** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 9:56 pm

That's actually a good idea! Thanks
But what should I use to seal the leaks with? Furnace cement, silicon glue or Fiberglas rope?

Jtz622 · Post by **Jtz622** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 9:59 pm

CapeCoaler wrote:Better yet...
The stove you have is unable to properly regulate the combustion air...
The fuel burns too quickly...
Resulting in a cold stove due to lack of unburned fuel...
'Potbelly Stove' is not in the same league as the 'baseburners'...

The thing is, I have a potbelly, not a baseburner, there has to be a way to make it more efficient. I know I am not going to get nearly as good results as a baseburner, but I can defenatly improve my potbelly.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 10:12 pm

Sometimes it is better to cut your losses and move on...
Silk purse out of a pigs ear comes to mind...
You are trying to make your stove something it was never meant to be...
Plent of 'airtight' stoves out there looking for a good home...

Post by **franco b** » Tue. Dec. 27, 2011 10:20 pm

Jtz622 wrote:The thing is, I have a potbelly, not a baseburner, there has to be a way to make it more efficient. I know I am not going to get nearly as good results as a baseburner, but I can defenatly improve my potbelly.

Seal the ash pit door as I gave you directions to do.