Has/Does any company make a hand-fed with adjustable firebox size?

Question in title. Stoker's of course don't need that and I know there are stoker's with 1+ burn chutes (or whatever they are called).

Just thinking out loud, can't see a practical way to pull this off... But if it could been done well, I figure someone here would know.

In other news, I am more jealous than heathy with the people in the "cooking with coal" thread... You see some of those pictures? YUMMY!

C, none made, but people have added/rearranged fire brick to minimize box size. I'm sure Lee/lightening could come up with something!!! PS--stay out of that "Cookin with Coal" thread!!!

freetown fred wrote: ↑

Tue. Oct. 29, 2019 8:35 pm

C, none made, but people have added/rearranged fire brick to minimize box size. I'm sure Lee/lightening could come up with something!!! PS--stay out of that "Cookin with Coal" thread!!!

Paul

Ive only used stoves that needed slicing/riddling, except my Chubby JR. It was somewhat easy (but is always a pain to slice) done with them by just not slicing part of the stoves grate, letting it get built up with ash and unburned coal. My last stove I could get it down to a quarter of the grate size and keep it burning with low heat output and low coal usage. Then when you needed more heat you sliced a larger grate area. Im not going to miss slicing for a single second but there really are some advantages to it. I could switch from fuel to fuel too, wood, soft coal, ant, easy as the unburnt fuels stayed on the grate so it wasnt wasted, it didnt fall thru the grate. Once it burned it would be ash and fall thru when that area of the grate was sliced. Thats hard to do with a Hitzer type grate.... but Im so sick of slicing i could puke

Do any companies make one? Mostly no. There are a couple variants that kinda have ways to adjust BTU, but you have to work with what you have and make it work. Learn how to use what you have. Letting ash buildup is likely the simplest way.

You can "adjust" the heat output of any hand fed coal stove by using different size coal. Smaller sizes will make for a denser firebed that does not breath as fast. It will burn slower and longer producing less heat output. The same stove filled with larger sized coal will burn hotter and faster.

I change coal sizes in my range. Daytime I use a concentration of the larger pieces of nut coal when I want higher temps for cooking/baking. At night I load it up with a concentration of smaller pieces to slow it down and last longer through the night. That drops the heat output noticeably.

Some have luck by putting a "blanket" of coal fines over the top of the firebed to slow it down. It's a good way to use up those coal fines you paid for, too.

Paul

C, with all new gaskets--no MPD or Baro-- I can get my 50-93 idled down to be able to put my hand on stove top-- shaking & tending once daily in AM in this kind of weather, yet opening bottom slots a bit for night time. I do know the 82's are heating beasts & not sure what kind of control ya can do--tinkerin is what ya gotta do!

Yes, the 82FA is a beast... I've had it burn 10 bags on the coldest days. That's the thing, it is Max rated for about 5.5 bags a day (about 120,000 btu/h--- you do math, going with memory). I'd much prefer not running it so hard, hence my question. I'd like to someday get an oversized hand-fed furnace... and run it low and slow (with an adjustable firebox?).

I can run the 82fa down to 1/2 a bag... any lower and it'll likely go out, in the mild weeks about 3/4 a bag is lowest.

Also, the bimetallic is great for this. Nice and simple, proof of this is even I can do it.

The idea was triggered from seeing the stoker's with 2 burn chutes.

Yep C, I think that bi-metallic makes it simple enough for a BUNCH of us.

CorrosionMan wrote: ↑

Wed. Oct. 30, 2019 10:57 am

Yes, the 82FA is a beast... I've had it burn 10 bags on the coldest days. That's the thing, it is Max rated for about 5.5 bags a day (about 120,000 btu/h--- you do math, going with memory). I'd much prefer not running it so hard, hence my question. I'd like to someday get an oversized hand-fed furnace... and run it low and slow (with an adjustable firebox?).

I can run the 82fa down to 1/2 a bag... any lower and it'll likely go out, in the mild weeks about 3/4 a bag is lowest.

Also, the bimetallic is great for this. Nice and simple, proof of this is even I can do it.

The idea was triggered from seeing the stoker's with 2 burn chutes.

Nice to know it idles down. Im using a Riteway this year, basically the same stove but havent used it with coal yet. Gonna be a while before i do. Had to do some work on it to get it back how it was originally but its done. Im still thinking of getting some lignite to try in it too. We'll see how much wood I get cut first. Im just glad I dont have to slice a stove anymore. Its likely only going to get used a year or two, before I go a different direction but we will see. I got the best coal Ive ever bought this year and my Chubby is still keeping up with the temps dropping on 20 pounds a day or less.

Warminmn .... How much slicing about are you doing on the Jr chubby ? I get mine cranking up to about 400 & leave the primary vents open then slice each side ( 4 grooves each side about 5 times each ) . Only takes about one minute , just making sure I'm not missing something . Hot red chips fall from each groove in the grate . Thanks for the tip on letting some of the grate ash up for a slower burn ,great or should I say GRATE idea LOL . Like Freetown Fred says you gotta. Tinker around with it & I'm having a blast doing just that ....wish I switched to the dark side years ago

Freedom wrote: ↑

Mon. Nov. 04, 2019 8:48 am

Warminmn .... How much slicing about are you doing on the Jr chubby ? I get mine cranking up to about 400 & leave the primary vents open then slice each side ( 4 grooves each side about 5 times each ) . Only takes about one minute , just making sure I'm not missing something . Hot red chips fall from each groove in the grate . Thanks for the tip on letting some of the grate ash up for a slower burn ,great or should I say GRATE idea LOL . Like Freetown Fred says you gotta. Tinker around with it & I'm having a blast doing just that ....wish I switched to the dark side years ago

In the month Ive been running it this year, I think I poked from the bottom twice, and poked on the inside twice. If it builds up with ash its in front of the stove pipe hole and thats where I poke on the inside some, but hasnt been bad this year. Its never went out or even been close. Other than that just shaking it 3 times a day.... Other years I poked from the bottom a lot when I had crappier coal but especially TSC coal. The only thing Im really doing different with the stove was taping one of the bottom door vents shut which helped me control it a little more and run it cooler in mild weather. And like I said, this is the best coal Ive had too. 300-400 degrees 24/7 right now and 20 +/- pounds a day. If I run it 500 all day it takes a lot more coal so I dont even do that except for real short spells. My evening shake is the most aggressive.

warminmn wrote: ↑

Mon. Nov. 04, 2019 11:49 am

My evening shake is the most aggressive.

Yes, mine is too. Well... until the wifey smacks me.

Ive wondered how loud that shaking sound is if I were outside as the sound would come out the chimney. I know last year I closed my stove too soon as I wanted to go outside and when I got 50 feet from my house it sounded like the neighbors had fired a shotgun when it ignited into a boom, a loud whoof. I got a shower of wood creosote walking back to my house, lol edit, not my chubby, my larger stove.

I would just get a few bags of smaller coal and make a mix to cut air down through the bed.