Morning all. Just wanted to pass along my first boo boo of the season. I have been burning small wood fires in the mornings to knock the chill off the house but starting on last Saturday, I lit off on coal for the season. When I was burning the wood fires I took the front fence out of my 2310 so I could load logs easily through the front loading door. I discovered that on wood if you open the top loading door no matter how fast you are I will get puffs of smoke out the top. So......load the wood through the front.
Then on Saturday when I added coal instead of wood I went on a full regimen of coal on only 1/2 the stove. It's still not cool enough to burn the entire firebox so I let the right side ash up and only load the left side of the stove. All is well until about 30 minutes ago.
I was gone today until early evening and I was super tired. I ate a sandwich and layed down and fell asleep. I woke up at 11:45 PM and decided I needed to check the stove. It was almost completely out but for sure beyond the point of bringing it back on coal. So I put two split logs and two small round logs on the weak coals. They caught with the help of some wood pellets soaked in charcoal lighter fluid and I had a nice fire. I was very pleased with myself and my home heating skills.
I opened the loading door to reposition the logs so I could add coal and one of the round logs that I had put on top rolled right out of the stove, hit the ash lip and continued to roll onto the hearth, off the hearth and 1 foot out on the hardwood floor, blazing away with the new freshly found oxygen!!!! I tried to get it with the tools I had at the stove but I don't have pincer log grabbers as I don't normally burn wood. I ran into the kitchen and got two long knives, stabbed the ends of the log and lifted it back into the stove.
There are now five freckles on our hardwood floor. The only saving grace from this story is I learned the purpose of that front fence like grate. It will keep chit from coming out of your firebox and flying at you........Leave the parts on your stove. They are there for a reason. Now I know the reason for that front fence.
Parts Are There for a Reason
- joeq
- Member
- Posts: 5739
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 11, 2012 11:53 am
- Location: Northern CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: G111, Southard Robertson
I know how you feel Larry. Something similar happened to me with my Surdiac a few years ago. Even with the recommended clearances, those little boogars seem to get away sometimes. I don't know how some people get away without those proper clearances. Just call those freckles, "character".
- carlherrnstein
- Member
- Posts: 1536
- Joined: Tue. Feb. 07, 2012 8:49 am
- Location: Clarksburg, ohio
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: combustioneer model 77B
- Coal Size/Type: pea stoker/Ohio bituminous
And pantsRob R. wrote:Better to have a freckle on the floor than on your foot. Always wear shoes while tending the stove.