How to Light a Hand Fired Coal Stove

Well, It's been almost 3 hours since I first started the stove up and I have 32lbs total coal going. The temp has risen to 300 degrees so I closed the ash door. Devil, I am almost at the top of the front firebrick and I have the coal banked. I have plenty of room in the rear. Do I continue to load her up until the top of th firebrick? Also , When should I plan to do a 1st time shake and reload ? Thanks so much to all you guys. I am clueless to this coal thing. I think it's taking hold real well right now though and I owe it to the forum. Thanks
jack

Jack Magnum wrote:Well, It's been almost 3 hours since I first started the stove up and I have 32lbs total coal going. The temp has risen to 300 degrees so I closed the ash door. Devil, I am almost at the top of the front firebrick and I have the coal banked. I have plenty of room in the rear. Do I continue to load her up until the top of th firebrick?

Good for you Jack!...Yes....Load as much coal as will fit & stay just below the tops of the firebrick. (no coal resting up against the steel inner walls of the stove, just against the firebrick. I recommend adding another layer of firebrick on top of the factory ones....Makes loading easier & allows you to bank towards the back easier)
You should plan on loading more coal in about 12 hrs. With a new fire, the coal bed will settle itself & just a few light shakes will be enough. (you'll see embers falling) Don't over shake!!...Stop at the first red embers to fall.
Also, no poking from the top! (in about a week, I would recommend some light poking for air pockets, but not the first few days)
I've also found if someone is around to throw a few hand shovels of coal on the fire (every 4-6 hrs) you'll always have a fresh coal bed. (No shaking when you do this....Just open the load door & sprinkle a few shovels across the top & close the door).

Jack Magnum wrote:Devil, I didn't see your post before my post. I have wood draft levers closed. I have ash door open .Should I have blower on ? Also My stove pipe located a ft above stove collar stays around 200 degrees.Boy ,That matchlight has the house stinking. the wife will love that with her sinus problem

Missed this question b4:

I turn the blower off whenever I'm reloading/shaking down. Keeps the ash/dust from blowing around.

I've got 40lbs in her now at 250 degrees. The co alarm went off but I had the door open for a longer time to fill and take pics of my first fire. After I shut the door the alarm shut back off.If I put another 10lbs in the stove what can I expect running time before I need to shake and refill?

Devil505 wrote:

Jack Magnum wrote:Devil, I didn't see your post before my post. I have wood draft levers closed. I have ash door open .Should I have blower on ? Also My stove pipe located a ft above stove collar stays around 200 degrees.Boy ,That matchlight has the house stinking. the wife will love that with her sinus problem

Missed this question b4:

I turn the blower off whenever I'm reloading/shaking down. Keeps the ash/dust from blowing around.

Thanks for all that info Devil. I had the blower on when I refilled.Guess I better shut it down next time Thanks again for all the help
Jack

Jack Magnum wrote:I've got 40lbs in her now at 250 degrees. The co alarm went off but I had the door open for a longer time to fill and take pics of my first fire. After I shut the door the alarm shut back off.If I put another 10lbs in the stove what can I expect running time before I need to shake and refill?

Your stove would probably burn 24 hrs with that load Jack but I'd start by shaking it down every 12 hrs for now, while you're learning. I would just check it b4 you goto bed tonight & add some fresh coal if it has settled enough to leave room for fresh coal. (don't smother the fire....just a few light shovels salted around the top. You'll get to the point that it'll only take you 15-20 minutes a day to shake down & reload, each day. (if someone is around to "salt" the top during the day, you'll never have to save an almost dead fire!

Been burning for two hours. Now only coal. Almost full to the top of the firebrick. Had to go out and buy hardwood dry quarter logs. Started with two pieces of newspaper, cedar shingles broken up to one inch by 8 inch and then quarter logs. Almost lost it a couple of times but carefully shook the grates until I could see glow in the ash pan. I think I still have a draft issue. 'We need to raise the slate chimney cap higher to get better draft. Hopefully I can keep the fire burning until Saturday when we can go on the roof.

JLF53 wrote:I think I still have a draft issue.

If you run the stove a little hotter (say around 250* on a magnetic stack thermo) your draft should improve. How do you know you draft is weak? (do you have a manometer?) I have a very poor draft but that only hinders things on warmer days with low temp fires.

JLF53 wrote:Almost full to the top of the firebrick

Good for you!! Keep going until the coal is at the tops of the brick. Don't close the ash door until you're sure the stove temp is increasing, so you don't chance staving the fire of air. (I would set the slider control about 1/2 way open & see what temp that maintains in about an hour after closing the ash door)

Devil505 wrote:

JLF53 wrote:I think I still have a draft issue.

If you run the stove a little hotter (say around 250* on a magnetic stack thermo) your draft should improve. How do you know you draft is weak? (do you have a manometer?) I have a very poor draft but that only hinders things on warmer days with low temp fires.

JLF53 wrote:Almost full to the top of the firebrick

Good for you!! Keep going until the coal is at the tops of the brick. Don't close the ash door until you're sure the stove temp is increasing, so you don't chance staving the fire of air. (I would set the slider control about 1/2 way open & see what temp that maintains in about an hour after closing the ash door)

My draft is weak because when I open the door or the ash door I get more flame. Just now the temperature on the chimney was down to 150 and it appeared that the fire was going down. So I opened the front door of the stove and the flame revived. On top of my chimney 25-30 feet above the thimble to the flue, there is a piece of slate raised up on four bricks, one on each corner. Due to the size of the large rectangular opening, the chimney guy thought I would be okay and not have to raise the slate to 6 or 8" but not enough draft would seem to dictate raising it. It is pretty simple just one corner at a time, but require two persons. My husband works away Monday to Friday.

Temperature is now 375 chimney and 400 stove. I closed the ash door.

How do you regulate the temparture? My slide on the ash door is 1/2 open.

Devil505 you have been incredibly kind and helpful. It really restores ones faith in strangers to participate in this forum and have quality answers and caring people like you and others!!

JLF53 wrote:How do you regulate the temparture? My slide on the ash door is 1/2 open.

Two Things:

1. Is your house so tight that there may not be enough combustion air to burn? (This happened at my daughter's house. Just opening a window a bit will solve that problem)

2. With a new fire you may need to open the sliding air control more. Try 3/4 open & see what the temp is in 30-60 minutes.
(A new fire takes more air than a mature one, often times)

You'll have to "play with" your slider to find what setting is best for your installation & stove temp preference.

JLF53 wrote:Devil505 you have been incredibly kind and helpful. It really restores ones faith in strangers to participate in this forum and have quality answers and caring people like you and others!!

Hey......That's why Richard pays me "The Big Bucks!!" (just kidding of course)

You're quite welcome! I just want to especially see people with my stove (TLC) enjoy it!!

House is draughty, 1870 6.5' windows and original.

Stove pipe temp is now 200 and sotve is 300. flames have died down quite a bit. bottom draft bar set at 3/4. I would really like to run this stove at 250 degrees F.

Any advice is welcome.

Jane

House is draf ty, 1870 6.5' windows and original.

Stove pipe temp is now 200 and stove is 300. flames have died down quite a bit. bottom draft bar set at 3/4. I would really like to run this stove at 250 degrees F.

Any advice is welcome.

Jane

JLF53 wrote:House is draughty, 1870 6.5' windows and original.

Stove pipe temp is now 200 and sotve is 300. flames have died down quite a bit. bottom draft bar set at 3/4. I would really like to run this stove at 250 degrees F.

Any advice is welcome.

Jane

Doing fine Jane!

If the stove temp is keeping your house warm enough, I would leave it alone until tomorrow morning. (other that topping off with a salting of coal b4 bedtime)
If you want the stove temp higher, I would leave the slider control alone but open the ash door & stay with it for enough time for the temp to increase to about 50* above the temp you want to maintain. Then close the ash door & leave the slider at 3/4 open. That may open up enough air passages into the coal bed to keep the temp higher at 3/4 open slider.
Let us know how you make out tomorrow morning.

I think I will like this coal deal. I've got about 60lbs in her and the house is 82 degrees with 3 windows open The wife says she's really hot and will have to shed the clothes[now I am really liking the coal ] Anyway, I've gone from the stove pipe being 300 dgrees to 250 degrees at 1/2 open. Still really warm in here and the coals look good so I cut the air one more notch to the #3 spot and will see where that brings me. Devil, Thanks so much for answering all my dumb questions and being patient.
Jack

Doing fine Jane!

If the stove temp is keeping your house warm enough, I would leave it alone until tomorrow morning. (other that topping off with a salting of coal b4 bedtime)
If you want the stove temp higher, I would leave the slider control alone but open the ash door & stay with it for enough time for the temp to increase to about 50* above the temp you want to maintain. Then close the ash door & leave the slider at 3/4 open. That may open up enough air passages into the coal bed to keep the temp higher at 3/4 open slider.
Let us know how you make out tomorrow morning.[/quote]

Devil 505,

One hour with your suggestion. Room is 80 rest of house is heating up. Slider full open. The stove pipe is 250 and stove 300 so should fill the rest of the open rooms with heat by morning. I have 10' ceilings on the first floor and 9' ceilings on the second floor. I have 3 room and hall open on the first floor and three bedrooms and bath open on the second floor. So I figure that I have to build up a heat cushion from the top down. I have a fan behind the stove. It is an old Metal 24" heavy duty fan that is circulating the heat out of this room into the rest of the house. I hope to not use any more natural gas until April except for hot water and cooking.

Jane