newbie questions, Gibraltar reviews????

Post Reply
 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:53 pm

New to coal after finding out my Gibraltar stove that came with the house is actually a coal stove; wondering why my wood was burning so fast. LOVE coal, seriously this *censored* is amazing. First question is how do i slowly and successfully burn wood during the fall and spring months? Or how low can i burn the coal without it going out? I have a Gibraltar stove and im not sure if anyone has any experience with these stoves. the only adjustment i see in just the slide on the ash door. the seals seem new. im burning nut coal should i get stove coal? should i get a damper? what do you guys do with the ashes??? or if i loose a fire what can i do with the unburnt stuff???


 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 5:11 pm

Wood always burns fast if you want a clean burn. Restrict air for a long dirty burn.

Experiment by slowly closing down air to see how low you can go with coal.Some use a few firebrick to make the fire [pot smaller.

A damper is used to control draft. A manual damper can also have a baffle effect to some degree. Use one form or another if draft seems too high.

I use ashes as driveway fill.

If you lose a fire, shake down well and then make a hollow spot in the center of what is left and start a new fire there. Some newspaper and charcoal lumps work very easily and well. Add coal when charcoal is well lit. It will spread to the full bed.

 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 10:14 am

thanks for your speedy reply franco,
my driveway is paved so i still am wondering what to do with the ashes kinda just dumping on a section of yard and spreading with the hose, when its too cold for the hose i really dont know what to do hahaha. that seems like a great idea if i loose a fire, i was under the assumption the old half burnt stuff wont burn. someone told me to try the fire brick if i want to burn wood but im guessing i shouldnt burn wood very often. can i mix coal and wood? or as my coal fire is dying can i put wood on top and let it transition from coal to wood? and then back again? sometimes i seem to "loose a draft" if i try burning the coal too slowly, its still lit i can just open the ash door and save the fire but the CO alarm is going off...??? very odd, it i burn hotter it doesnt seem to do it unless i take too long to shake down, but it doesnt go out on me...

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 11:12 am

You must take very seriously the CO detector going off. You must correct that loss of draft that lets CO escape.

Putting wood on a dying coal fire helps because the quick wood fire heats the exhaust gas and increases draft, which in turn helps the coal to burn. Until you can increase draft at low temperatures you will have to maintain higher temperatures in the stove. If the stove is in the basement you can try opening a window a bit.

If you install a manometer it will let you keep track of the draft. the cheapest would be the Dwyer Mark ll model 25 (about $30). Member Lightning has written a lot about the subject of draft. Use the search function to find his posts on the subject.

Type and size of chimney along with height and where located all have their effect.

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 11:26 am

I would start by letting the fire go out and removing the stove pipe and inspect and clean the chimney. Make sure any clean out door on the base of the chimney is closed well.

Inspect the flue path inside the stove thoroughly for ash buildup on baffle. Is there an internal manual damper in the stove at the exhaust collar?

 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 11:38 am

i dont see any baffle at all the only adjustment i see is on the ash door... how do i remove the stove pipe? i can clean the chimney from the outside there is a slide door at the base of the chimney... i seem to loose draft around 4 hours running at 110 on the pipe and 180 at stove top. maybe this is normal temps to lose draft around? like i said if its hotter it doesnt seem to throw the alarms. that being said what is too hot? i only have the ash door slide open around 25-30%max, i always keep a full bed of coals no matter what but when it gets colder and i want to crank it what temp should i stay under? is it safe to run at full boar? with the ash door closed obviously. i know if i leave the bottom door open it can get too hott but can i hurt anything with just the slide? i have magnetic thermometers for wood burning on the pipe and on the stove so they tell me when the wood would start to build creosote and then over burn is wasting wood i guess around 600 degrees but how hot can i run the coal?

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 1:43 pm

Open that door at the base of the chimney and with a mirror held at 45 degrees you should see the sky. Make sure the door closes fully and stays that way. Should give you a good idea if the chimney needs cleaning.

You can run that stove at 600 degrees if need be.


 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 2:19 pm

i will definitely try the mirror trick, i have a cap on the top of the chimney i guess i should remove first.. how do i remove the stove pipe? is it just pressed together? just pull? it doesnt go straight up it bends to the side and then back through the wall.

 
Den034071
Member
Posts: 907
Joined: Sat. Jun. 25, 2011 4:30 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer, 3095

Post by Den034071 » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 2:47 pm

R do a search on this forum .There are Manypages regarding running a Gibraltar coal stove .By far the Gibraltar is a Lexus Quality stove .Jack .Type in Gibraltar in upper right corner .

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Thu. Oct. 25, 2018 3:36 pm

Stove pipe has one smooth end and one crimped end that fits into an adjoining smooth end.

Remove any securing screws and then select an area where the pipe connection to its neighbor can move a bit sideways on separation. Usually at an elbow. Slap the connection apart. If badly rusted this may be difficult, in which case the pipe should probably be replaced. You will need shears to cut new pipe and it is easier to cut before snapping it together on the seam. If need be you can hacksaw the seam.

If the old pip[e fits well you can use those measurements. Most elbows are adjustable to a different angle by rotating the segments if need be.Secure with three screws in each connection.

 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Fri. Oct. 26, 2018 8:43 am

den im guessing by lexus quality you mean its one of the best? i didnt know if i should eventually want a better one or not, that was going to be my next question. and franco is it weird i dont see any screws?? is there a way to up load pictures on this thing?

 
franco b
Site Moderator
Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Fri. Oct. 26, 2018 10:14 am

ratherbeflying wrote:
Fri. Oct. 26, 2018 8:43 am
den im guessing by lexus quality you mean its one of the best? i didnt know if i should eventually want a better one or not, that was going to be my next question. and franco is it weird i dont see any screws?? is there a way to up load pictures on this thing?
No screws probably means somebody neglected it. Screws are a good safeguard against the pipe coming off in the event of a puff back.

Directions for uploading pictures can be found here:

How to Upload Files

 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Fri. Oct. 26, 2018 11:04 am


 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Fri. Oct. 26, 2018 11:07 am

i think that link should work? should there be screws in every seam??

 
ratherbeflying
Member
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed. Oct. 24, 2018 3:41 pm
Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Fri. Oct. 26, 2018 11:58 am

Screenshot_20181026-110114.jpg

no screws? anyone know anything about this stove? i dont even know the model

.JPG | 271.8KB | Screenshot_20181026-110114.jpg
Screenshot_20181026-110114.jpg

no screws? anyone know anything about this stove? i dont even know the model

.JPG | 271.8KB | Screenshot_20181026-110114.jpg


Post Reply

Return to “Hand Fired Coal Stoves & Furnaces Using Anthracite”