Coalpail.com Forum

Hello All,

I am new to this forum and new to burning coal. This is my first season with the stove and I just lit my first coal fire Monday evening. The house seems to be pretty toasty ( 80f to 84f) but my magnetic gauge on the pipe reads less than 200f is this normal or am I in danger of letting the fire go out?

Thanks in advance.

Coal isn't like wood with crazy stack temps. I'm running my stove between 320°-390° and my stack temps are between 123°-148°.

What is your stove temp?

I'm On Fire wrote:Coal isn't like wood with crazy stack temps. I'm running my stove between 320°-390° and my stack temps are between 123°-148°.

What is your stove temp?

Thank you for your reply. So, guess it is running pretty good Beginners luck. I do not know what the stove temp is. I will stop by Lowes tonight on the way home and get another gauge to put on the stove.

Thanks for your help.

Mine hasn't been touched since this morning. It's 175 on the stack and 350 on the stove just above the door a little right of center.

My pipe cruises around 180 degrees.. Probe is located 1 foot from furnace outlet on the top side of a nearly horizontal flue pipe.. It does make a huge difference where the thermometer is located. Another foot up the pipe on top could be 30 degrees cooler. The bottom side of the pipe I can hold my hand on in the same place. Past the baro, about 3 feet from the furnace outlet is just warm to the touch, unless I'm really pushing the furnace hard. Of course the baro is mixing cooler room air with the flue gases at that point. I find this somewhat comforting, since my pipe isn't hot where it gets closer to the floor joists.

hi,

It seems to me that it is pretty typical on a coal stove that the stove runs about twice as hot as the stack.

Just my observations,

dave

davfel wrote:hi,

It seems to me that it is pretty typical on a coal stove that the stove runs about twice as hot as the stack.

Just my observations,

dave

Alot of variables come into play here.. Right now my temp over the load door is 75 degrees warmer than the flue pipe. But if I give it more combustion air and the coal bed starts burning more efficiently, the difference is between 125 and 135 degrees or more. I'll get a flue pipe reading of 200 degrees with 360 over the load door. But keep in mind I'm running a furnace, a stove should have a better temp difference since it doesn't have blowers scrubbing off heat keeping its temp down..

thanks guys....daughter came home sick today so I did not get a chance to get another gauge for the stove. I have been running the stove since Monday with good results. I was reading through the manual again today and it recommends keeping the wood air controls at the top closed. After reading this I gave the stove a shake and shoveled on a fresh even layer of coal and closed the wood vents. To my surprise the stack temp dropped to about 100f . I now have the bottom air control set to full and 2 hours later I am up about 50 degrees(on the stack). Anyone have opinions on where to have the wood air controls set when burning coal in a TLC2000?

Body Hammer wrote:Mine hasn't been touched since this morning. It's 175 on the stack and 350 on the stove just above the door a little right of center.

are you able to open and close the door without interfering with that gauge?

DosDemiGod wrote:

Body Hammer wrote:Mine hasn't been touched since this morning. It's 175 on the stack and 350 on the stove just above the door a little right of center.

are you able to open and close the door without interfering with that gauge?

Yes. Top or front. But only because that particular thermometer has the flat bottom.

Body Hammer wrote:

DosDemiGod wrote: are you able to open and close the door without interfering with that gauge?

Yes. Top or front. But only because that particular thermometer has the flat bottom.

Hello Body Hammer... as you have the same stove as me (TLC2000) I would like to ask you a question. How much coal do you load into your firebox?
Right now I loaded mine from the back to the front in a slope. In other words the back is loaded up to the level of the fire brick but I am only up the the level just below the first bar in the front. Should I be loading the coal as high as the 3 bars in the front of the stove? Your experiences with this stove would also be much appreciated.

Thanks

Welcome DDG..
Try this. Open the ash door or bottom air all the way to rev the stove up to about 175º stack temp. Then add a layer of coal on top and wait until you get the blue ladies.Then shake until you have a nice glow reflecting off the ashes in the pan. You will also see a few hot coals drop down. Then gradually fill it to the top bar in the front to the top of the brick in the rear. Keeping the blue ladies going will prevent any puff backs. Never walk away from the stove with the ash door open so you don't forget to close it. Set your bottom air intake.
Just so you know the secondary air on both sides are never really closed all the way even though they look closed. Thats what gives you the air wash for the glass.
I don't burn wood at all so I added extra bricks on both sides to make the sides more vertical. I also added more bricks horizontally around the sides and back on top of whats there so it will hold more coal. I added a picture to show you.

I put an extra horizontal row in the back like Ray. ( Hi Ray!) But I didn't put any extra on the sides. My own thinking is, The more iron exposed on the inside allows more transfer of heat to the outside of the stove. As long as you are not burning any coal next to the iron. Like Ray, I fill it to the top bar and as high as I can get it in the rear without getting any against the exposed sides. I reload as described by Ray. I run my baro at negative 5 inches. I always have the side drafts closed.
I am sure you'll like this stove. It puts out a pile of heat. I run my blower at 1/2 to 3/4 when it's cold enough.

EasyRay wrote:Welcome DDG..
.... I added a picture to show you.

Thank you EasyRay. I was concerned about piling the coal in the front that it might come in contact with the glass. I guess that's what the bars are for
I will give it a shot when I get home and post a pic.

Body Hammer wrote:I put an extra horizontal row in the back like Ray. ( Hi Ray!) But I didn't put any extra on the sides. My own thinking is, The more iron exposed on the inside allows more transfer of heat to the outside of the stove. As long as you are not burning any coal next to the iron. Like Ray, I fill it to the top bar and as high as I can get it in the rear without getting any against the exposed sides. I reload as described by Ray. I run my baro at negative 5 inches. I always have the side drafts closed.
I am sure you'll like this stove. It puts out a pile of heat. I run my blower at 1/2 to 3/4 when it's cold enough.

Thank you for the information BodyHammer. Right now my living room is averaging about 80f with and average outside temp hovering around 40f. Right now it is quite comfortable but my concern is all things being equal what would my indoor temp be with an outside temp of 15f? I am not expecting an answer. My question is really one of heat output and I think it will be addressed once I load the coal bed/firebox correctly as we have previously discussed. I do not have a blower attached to mine but I do have a very large ceiling fan located above it which seems to move the heat around pretty good.