Shake Shake Shake

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mudnut
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Post by mudnut » Mon. Nov. 26, 2012 10:16 pm

Finally started burning Anth and I freaking LOVE it!!! Getting through the learning curve by burning way more coal than I need to but I think I'm about to the point of knowing next to nothing 8-)

Just revived my nearly dead fire, the back half of the firebox was cold, black coals only burned about an inch up from the grate. Left hand side the same. This is after burning about 6 40 pound bags (since last Friday, behind the power curve but catching up :D )

I've not been shaking really hard, rather gently now that I think about it. I'll shake until I start seeing hot coals fall through the grate but after raking all of the dead areas up to the hot spots and finding a lot of cinders and creating a butt ton of dust I'm thinking that I've not been shaking the coals hard enough. I shook the hell out of it tonight and got a lot more ash than I had any time before.

Should I expect cold spots from time to time? And if so can I maybe stay ahead of them by shaking more, not necessary more often but more vigorously? My firebox is pretty good size, at least 100 pounds from the grate to just under the top of the firebrick. Now that I've got the draft blower set up on a good thermostat I'm burning less coal but don't want to spend every evening in the basement with the rake trying to get the old girl hot again. :D

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Mon. Nov. 26, 2012 10:21 pm

I'd try some quick jerky shakes 6 or 8 for a start. A lot of this is trial & error, sounds like you're on the right track.

 
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captcaper
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Post by captcaper » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 6:20 am

Everyone's stove is different. I have a friend who has a combo furnace from Tractor Supply and can't keep a fire going steady it seems. I've given up on him he just has so many issues. I think it's the combo. Anyway you'll have to read read and read some good posts here on burning. And time will teach you how to keep a good fire going.
I have a great stove for coal and get good burns. Generally I shake until I see a fair amount of red coals glowing from below the grate. Then load it up like a ice cream cone in the fire box. Over the fire brick level. During the night it drops down as it burns. After shakeing and loading I set the air intake to were I want it or think I might need it according to outside temps. If you have a manual damper you have to set that as well. On mine I close it all the way 99 % of the time and only adjust the bottom air intake. I did this on my Chubby for 14 years and now my Harman MKIII for 5 years. Twice a day in cold weather once a day or so in warmer weather.

Good luck

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 6:35 am

Wasn't that a 70's disco song? :)

 
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Poconoeagle
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Post by Poconoeagle » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 6:46 am

80"s maybe 8-)


 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 6:57 am

Poconoeagle wrote:80"s maybe 8-)
Shakin' by Eddie Money. :)

Back to the stove, a poker will help with those dead spots. As for the clinkers, that is usually from too much air. Trying to revive a dead fire with the ash door open is a common contributor to clinkers if you let it really get cookin'.

 
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Dennis
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Post by Dennis » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 7:48 am

Stove's are designed different,some take no effort to tend,then others it's a nightmare.You can shake the hell out of it and still not get all the ash out.You will need shake then use the l-shaped poker and slice from underneath to clear the ash from around the edges.It's that learning curve thing

 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 8:04 am

Some stoves burn the coal to a fine powder, some leave a lot of crusty chunks of ash, This depends on the coal, how hot the fire, how much air feeding the fire
and sometimes the design of the stove's firebox and grates.

Make yuorself an 'L' shaped poker, from 1/4" or 5/16" steel rod,, an old political sign often has this heavy 'wire' for a frame. bend a ~3" 'L' on one end and
some kind of loop or handle on the other end, or if you want to get fancy, add a wood handle. :D . Use this poker to get in through the ashpan door, under the grate and poke up through the grate into the dark, cold spots,, I'm sure you will find a build up of ash blocking the airways. A few pokes usually results in a cascade of ash falling out,

Once you figure out your stove's personality, you well really enjoy burning coal..

Can you post a photo of your stove, grates and doors ??

Greg L

 
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mudnut
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Post by mudnut » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 8:21 am

Here's a drawing of the beast Greg. The round hole between the doors if for the draft blower, it's channeled to blow under the grate and does a pretty good job of keeping the fire going.

Several members on the forum have the same furnace and from what I can read most have good luck with it.

I don't have a damper installed yet, will have to let the fire die before I can take the pipe down and drill it, maybe this weekend if it's warmer outside. Going to replace the horizontal to vertical elbow with a clean out when I do so that I don't have dust building up from the damper. I'll use a MPD as I will burn wood from time to time and don't want a baro feeding a chimney fire if one were to start.

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DennisH
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Post by DennisH » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 6:37 pm

One lesson I've learned is to always shake a hot fire! Before I get ready to shake down, I open the ash pan on my furnace (while I'm sitting there, of course!) and let the fire get good and hot (or as hot as I can get it if the coals are more or less spent). Once I get the coal bed as hot as I can, then I shake it down and put fresh coal on a layer at a time. When first layer goes on I wait for my dancing blue ladies to proliferate, then add another layer, wait for blue ladies, repeat until I've got a good hot bed going again.


 
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mudnut
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Post by mudnut » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 9:02 pm

Ok, fashioned a makeshift poker out of an old political sign frame, actually ended up with two of them one for the top (straight with a bend for the handle) and one for under the grate. Haven't changed from my work clothes yet so I didn't get down on the floor to poke much from under the grate (the ash door is pretty low and not much clearance) but I did poke around some where I could reach and was amazed at the amount of ash and dust that came out even after I had gotten the fire good and hot and shook the Hell out of it.

Piled on some fresh coal a little at a time, up to just under the tops of the fire bricks and it's burning like a champ. I'll change into some grungy jeans in a little bit and poke around under the grate towards the back.

One more lesson under my belt. Thanks everybody! :dancing: :clap:

 
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mudnut
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Post by mudnut » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 9:05 pm

Lightning wrote:Wasn't that a 70's disco song? :)
Shake shake shake, shake your booty...

Just realized you were in Olean, we get up there a couple of times a month, usually to the fish store or Home Depot... so HOWDY neighbor!

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Tue. Nov. 27, 2012 9:11 pm

1976, KC & The Sunshine Band, "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty"

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Nov. 28, 2012 1:50 am

lsayre wrote:1976, KC & The Sunshine Band, "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty"
mudnut wrote:
Lightning wrote:Wasn't that a 70's disco song? :)
Shake shake shake, shake your booty...

Just realized you were in Olean, we get up there a couple of times a month, usually to the fish store or Home Depot... so HOWDY neighbor!
Yep, 70's disco :lol: And a big HOWDY, How the hell are ya back at ya partner! 8-)

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