Clayton / Hot Blast Mods and Tending for Anthracite

freetown fred wrote:Very nicely done Lee --you kids though---the music calls for me goin & getting a couple aspirin

Haha.. that's what I like to call "git er done" music!!

this is the pea coal that I picked up this morning for a test run, got about 150 lbs to try before next winter, 275 a ton delievered to my door, seems to be burning good in the hot blast, is just a little slower to reaction with the primary air than nut was, pea is the biggest this guy has, have to be easier with shaking due to it falling through the grates easier if im violent, seems I don't have to shake as much, less ash possibly?

Pea won't respond as fast, but should burn well in your unit. With pea you need to be diligent about leaving an area of burning coal exposed to help burn off the volatile gasses.

like this? lol

Have you ever thought about extending the heat deflector plate or possibly redesigning it like a baffle to try to keep the heat in longer?

hotblast1357 wrote:Have you ever thought about extending the heat deflector plate or possibly redesigning it like a baffle to try to keep the heat in longer?

Yes actually, I've considered ideas such as adding another plate above the one that's there so the flue gases would need to go up thru an "S" type arrangement. The plate that is there now would need to be shifted forward so the flue gases would go up in the back, then hit another plate and come forward, then hit the top of the firebox and head towards the flue outlet. Other than that, I think it was member King Coal that led me onto the idea of putting a vertical plate (attached to the ceiling of the firebox) a few inches in front of the flue outlet so the flue gases would be forced to give up more heat to the furnace top in order to sink down and then finally flow out the flue outlet. I definitely think there is room for improvement on the baffle arrangement.. I've also considered running pipes across the bottom of the baffle to act as more heat transfer area like the Leisure Line furnaces have..

As in running pipes do u mean drilling holes in the sides so the duct air can flow through? I like the idea of hanging a piece in front of the flue, would prob have to make it hinge though so cleaning behind it could be easier, I think because yours is a 1537 you have either a longer baffle plate or 2, mine being the 1357 I only have one short plate, along with only one grate and only one plenum blower, I just now read about the grate upside down.... I feel so stupid lol ran it like that all last winter

Yes exactly, duct air would flow thru the pipes. The pipes would add a significant amount of heat transfer area. Right, my furnace has two grates and two baffle plates.

Yeah, try flipping that grate lol....

Lol I did tonight, now just waiting for some cold weather..... As crazy as that sounds, if you could put them in as a X it would be even better, but boy idk about all that hacking, I'm still debating on the window install, I would love it but am nervous still about the strength of the door, I would have to install mine up higher due to the fact that I want to leave my secondary air inlets alone so I can still use them, I am a skilled welder and fabricator but also a nervous guy when it comes to the stove and burning the house down lol I am ordering the BBQ thermometers soon as that will work perfect for me! If only I could view them on my phone while at work lol

hotblast1357 wrote: If only I could view them on my phone while at work lol

Did you see this thread?

Remote Monitoring Made Simple With Old Cell Phone

I think good baffle design will result if you keep in mind the purpose of a baffle is to bring hot flue gas into closer contact with heat exchange area, rather than take a central path far from heat exchange surface.

A baffle above the fire will be even more effective in enhancing combustion as well if its surface facing the fire is faced with a material to reflect heat back into the fire, such as ceramic felt. Even without a facing the relatively thin metal will heat and reflect pretty well.

Stainless steel will be as effective in resisting heat as cast iron many times its thickness. Combustion chambers for oil burners have been built of stainless. They work great but in that use the heat is just too great to last.

Another way to baffle is to change the velocity a of flue gas. A good pot belly like the Station Agent funnels flue gas into an ever tightening area where it exits into a much larger area at top where its velocity slows and spreads across the large diameter top. Many vertical fire tube boilers also have a means to set up turbulence within the tube.

I think most oak type stoves and even the Chubby would benefit from a well designed baffle. The Crane 404 has a removable baffle. It would be a good experiment to chart the flue gas temperature both with and without the baffle. Doug Crane might even remember factory results.

I don't think its possible to change the velocity due to our square box design with it exiting out the rear, but I could be wrong, I think hanging something in front of the flue would result in keeping the gasses in the box longer, and making it stay at the top of the box, rather than just flow out the flue

hotblast1357 wrote:I don't think its possible to change the velocity due to our square box design with it exiting out the rear, but I could be wrong, I think hanging something in front of the flue would result in keeping the gasses in the box longer, and making it stay at the top of the box, rather than just flow out the flue

Yes, I agree, but not because the gasses would stay longer, but because the flow pattern would be disturbed creating turbulence which spreads the gasses. Measuring the stack temperature for awhile and then with the baffle would prove how effective it was and if a more complex baffle was worth while to attempt.

Correct, I will have to do this this winter and let you guys know

you might find this thread of interest. DSM 1400 Operating on 2 MPD's , Baro. AND Internal Diverter

my stove has a factory baffle moving hot gasses toward radiant surfaces to start with. what I did was add a diverter plate to further force exiting gas to move to the rear of the sides of the stove before leaving the combustion chamber.

worked great.

steve