Coalpail.com Forum

I need some guidance. I’m new this year to burning. Tonight I have my third issue of the coal going out. I have an in-line damper and the heat gauge on the back was set at 7. I consistently shake in the morning and at night along with ash removal at night. I checked on it early today and found the fire was out. All the molten pieces of coal remained.

i have notice a similar problem with my vigiliant stove for about the last week. i need to give the stove much more air than i have during the normal burn season. i do this by actually opening the ash door to get the fire burning back up to about 700. if i don't do this then it kinda idles along at about 300 with a stack temp of 100. i have noticed this in past years and i attribute it to an inversion layer in the atmosphere (which is pretty common here in the lehigh valley and i am sure down in upper bucks also). it really does mess with my draft. this is not to say that maybe somethings up with the stove but it sounds very similar.

Since your a new burner, it is often not shaking it enough to get all the ash out that causes rookie problems. BUT, you can also check the gaskets for the front door and hopper lid. Put a dollar bill in the front door, all the way around. It may still pull out but there should be a firm resistance. Over fire leaks, if bad, could cause it to go out. And then its also possible that you dont have enough draft. That can be checked with a manometer, around $30.

If your chimney has a clean out door, make sure that is 100% closed as that will do it too.

I'll let folks with your stove help you with descriptions of running it. Calling Fred!

How warm should my gauge be reading on the top of the stove? 700 degrees said above seems like it would be rippin at that temp.

I run my Hitzer 30-95 between 300-500 degrees box temp.On average it idles along at @ 300-325 on @9 setting. Right now its set to 10 and putting out 400 degrees box temp. I also have the grates on the ash door just about closed. My baro is pulling 3 to 5 vacuum . The thing is - the numbers on the bi-metal thermostat are more a reference point than a bible. once you get a steady temp slight adjustments on the dial are all that's needed. Note = my chain may be adjusted to a slightly different length than yours.

Take a poker & clear both sides of fire box edges

I agree with a few written above. What I do is at least once a week I do my normal shake down in the morning but I DO NOT reload the hopper with fresh coal. In the evening when I do my shake down again and empty the ash pan. I can then take a poker and push all the burning coal from side to side to get all the ash out of the ash bed. I really shake and stir everything up and shake down again. I know some people are going to say not to stir it but it works like a champ for me on both the 50-93 and the 30-95.
I then leave the ash pan door open for a few minutes to build the fire back up and then reload. Good to go for another week.
Also top of my stove runs temp wise between 325* to 500* . I only run it up that hot when it was well below Zero.

DENNIS BAUER wrote: ↑

Tue. Mar. 05, 2019 1:35 pm

I agree with a few written above. What I do is at least once a week I do my normal shake down in the morning but I DO NOT reload the hopper with fresh coal. In the evening when I do my shake down again and empty the ash pan. I can then take a poker and push all the burning coal from side to side to get all the ash out of the ash bed. I really shake and stir everything up and shake down again. I know some people are going to say not to stir it but it works like a champ for me on both the 50-93 and the 30-95.
I then leave the ash pan door open for a few minutes to build the fire back up and then reload. Good to go for another week.
Also top of my stove runs temp wise between 325* to 500* . I only run it up that hot when it was well below Zero.

That's a good tip Dennis.

What size are you running? I had the same issue with nut. I burned nut my first couple of years burning coal. Stove seemed to randomly flame out. It'd go good for the longest time, then I'd have to restart it for seemingly no reason. PIA.

I finally determined (after ordering and running pea) that the nut clinkers were too big for the shakedown grates. It took two years or so, but I finally discovered that the clinkers were basically clogging up the system. Hitzer recommends nut or pea (if what I remember is correct), but I would just go with pea if you can get it. The bags of nut I was getting also seemed to be huge pieces.

Anyway, switched to pea the past couple of years and had absolutely no problem. The small clinkers fall right through the grates, and pea lasts 14+ hours between refills. My stove's been running non-stop since November so far this winter. With nut it would have definitely flamed out a few times by now.

Not sure if Blaschak nut size is bigger than regular nut size as I have no comparison, but the difference between that and their pea size is substantial. I'm pretty sure Hitzer's recommended size is pea to nut, but maybe I'm mistaken.

edit: I meant to say is that the clinkers wouldn't fit through the grates, and basically clogged up the grates and blocked any air flow. I ended up scooping out the clinkers above the grates and then the fire would be good for a while.

Kujones79 wrote: ↑

Mon. Mar. 04, 2019 5:58 pm

I need some guidance. I’m new this year to burning. Tonight I have my third issue of the coal going out. I have an in-line damper and the heat gauge on the back was set at 7. I consistently shake in the morning and at night along with ash removal at night. I checked on it early today and found the fire was out. All the molten pieces of coal remained.

I don't have a damper. You sound like the exact problem I was having though. Shake in the morning and at night, with ash removal at night and fire would go out. Does it seem random? Going seemingly well and then going seemingly not so well fairly quickly?

Never had a clinker in 10 yrs. burnin BLASCHAK NUT--can't imagine what's goin on with ya. Ya keepin the hopper full--cleanin sides on occasion--ash door vents cracked--bi-metallic flap set properly???????????????????

Same here, Fred. No clinkers like that at all. Running Leigh Bulk. Been running since the 3 week of October this year. Did the same last year.

K, I've drilled a 3/8 hole in the back flap for cold weather burning--tape over it in warmer weather--just something weird but it works for me--don't have to mess with back flap that often, plus keepin ash door vents open 1/8"

bad coal, bad draft, ash bound incorrect draft settings or fly ash building up , hmmmm .