Check your CO monitor

 
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Sunny Boy
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Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Tue. Feb. 12, 2019 7:19 pm

ddahlgren wrote:
Tue. Feb. 12, 2019 6:29 pm
I did have secondary air open. The Crane 404 is not made with it but I added it ages ago and posted pics here.
Dave, (DLJ) and I did a test when this topic of adding overfire air to keep a fire going, was last brought up. With all due respect to Lee, what works for his large firebed furnace can be dangerous with other types of stoves. This is not a one-size solution fits all type of situation.

Dave tested this with his #6 base heater and I with my range. We both found that while our stoves initially did increase surface and pipe temps, after a few minutes the exhaust temps dropped and our stoves started to slow down. And, without changing the damper settings, they continued to slow down. Especially with stoves not designed to be as airtight as some more modern.

With stoves that have a smaller firebox volume for their stove pipe size than big furnaces, any extra secondary over-fire air can cool the smaller volume of firebed exhaust too easily and too much.

As the exhaust cools, the draft strength drops (as proved by mano readings during the test). As the draft strength drops primary feed air is less likely to be pushed through the resistance of the firebed when there's less resistance for air to go through the secondary's to reach the lower pressure in the stove and chimney system. As a result, the draft that is feeding air to the fire slowly diminishes and thus the fire slowly diminishes causing both to spiral down. Eventually the fire will stall. Or under the right circumstances, possibly even reverse.

Paul

 
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Post by archangel_cpj » Tue. Feb. 12, 2019 9:57 pm

The new ones will chirp incessantly and a couple letter show up on the screen after 7 years

 
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Sunny Boy
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Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Feb. 13, 2019 2:20 pm

archangel_cpj wrote:
Tue. Feb. 12, 2019 9:57 pm
The new ones will chirp incessantly and a couple letter show up on the screen after 7 years
And that annoying chirping will lead some to enjoy a new sport - CO monitor skeet. :D

Paul

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Feb. 13, 2019 6:09 pm

Sunny Boy wrote:
Tue. Feb. 12, 2019 7:19 pm
Dave, (DLJ) and I did a test when this topic of adding overfire air to keep a fire going, was last brought up. With all due respect to Lee, what works for his large firebed furnace can be dangerous with other types of stoves. This is not a one-size solution fits all type of situation
With due respect reciprocated, I don't remember seeing that thread. Could you point me towards it? I'd like to review.


 
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Sunny Boy
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Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Wed. Feb. 13, 2019 6:25 pm

Lightning wrote:
Wed. Feb. 13, 2019 6:09 pm
With due respect reciprocated, I don't remember seeing that thread. Could you point me towards it? I'd like to review.

Lee,
It was at least a year ago and like here, it was part of another thread, not a stand-alone post. So finding it is going to be a problem.

However, it's very easy for anyone to repeat the test. They just need to get their stove to a stable, normal operating temp, then open the secondary damper and keep checking the mano readings and surface temps about every five to ten minutes for an hour or two.

And it shouldn't take too long. Dave and I both saw the numbers rise and then within minutes start to drop and continue to drop within the first hour.

Paul

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Feb. 13, 2019 6:33 pm

Oh, I was wondering if there was a manual pipe damper involved and how it was set.

Was it left wide open?

 
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Sunny Boy
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Location: Central NY
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace

Post by Sunny Boy » Thu. Feb. 14, 2019 9:28 am

Lee,
As I remember,.... we set all the dampers for what you said worked to slow your furnace with the secondary open, but that didn't give the same results. Our stoves would not maintain a steady, slow burn rate with adding secondary air. Our stoves already have some secondary air by design of not being "modern air-tight". So adding secondary air to some stoves can cause the draft strength to slowly drop to a dangerous level.

Same as neither of my stoves will continue to burn with a thick blanket of fines like your furnace can. And both my chimneys have very good draft.

Your beast is an entire-Lee different animal. :D


Paul

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