Coalpail.com Forum

titleist1 wrote:an incense stick held around various parts of the stove should help locate the air leak.

if not corrected it will run hotter than planned and you may not be able to keep it from overfiring the stove and causing warping.

How does this incense stick method work?

If your air is the same, and you don't have any new leaks, possibly increase in draft somehow, or did you change your coal supplier or size of coal? Not all coal burns the same or needs the same amount of air, size makes alot of difference as does ash buildup in the stove.

Whirlwind23 wrote:

titleist1 wrote:an incense stick held around various parts of the stove should help locate the air leak.

if not corrected it will run hotter than planned and you may not be able to keep it from overfiring the stove and causing warping.

How does this incense stick method work?

Light the stick of incense or a cig if you smoke and when the stove is running slowly move it around next to the stove, begin at the loading door for example and move it all the way around the seal. If you see the smoke going into the stove there is your air leak .

It sounds like you've got a leak somewhere below the grates. That would explain why you can't control the low temp. Check the ash door seal and make sure the damper is tight too.