Coalpail.com Forum

Dudleymass wrote:here is it after the mound

That firebox is only half full partner ....
It should have twice that much coal in it..

Fill it till the coal is level with the top of the firebrick THEN mound it 3 inches higher in the middle.
Could take another 50 pounds or more..

I've been burning pea forever, I'm experimenting with nut lately at a suggestion to produce more BTU's on these single digit nights.

What a learning experience this has been. I almost lost my fire 3 times so far. Nut volume is much less than pea due to larger and irregular size, a hopper full does not last as long for me.

MY 2 cents is that wherever there's ash, there's non-productive coal, and often for me the underfire air is going to take the path of least resistance through the ash and/or voids in the black coal instead of traveling through the red productive coal. Nut provides more voids for the air to take which does not fire the red coal. I also find that I can't let the ash be in the upper coal bed, only on the grate.

I hope this makes sense?

Dudleymass wrote:Have Asheley 1602R,... Not sure if I filled it up too much? I left the bottom drawer spinn vent open and 10% on the top. Should I shake the grate harder?
Any help is appriciated.

As was mentioned, you need twice or more coal loaded in there. More coal loaded doesn't mean your using more coal...you must be thinking about burning wood.

Anthracite needs little if any upper air. Close the top spinner for anthracite...that spinner is for wood and soft coal.

63roundbadge wrote:MY 2 cents is that wherever there's ash, there's non-productive coal, and often for me the underfire air is going to take the path of least resistance through the ash and/or voids in the black coal instead of traveling through the red productive coal. Nut provides more voids for the air to take which does not fire the red coal. I also find that I can't let the ash be in the upper coal bed, only on the grate.

Doesn't the whole bed of nut size eventually get burning so air has no voids to get thru the fresh coal?

Heres a better representation of what we mean by fill it up
This is after a fill up and mounding
The bright spot in the first pic was a flashlight, I was trying to light it up better..