Changed Stoves

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Mar. 01, 2020 10:09 am

I've got no problem with mano, baro or any other kind of gadget--what I disagree with is people putting them in (not mano) it does nothing to control burn--but putting in a baro before they know if they even need it--just another moving/electronic that will eventually give ya problems. Yep, some last for years, some don't! Some people are just gadget people mainly cause they're cool to look at. :) WHOOPS--not meaning you Lee!!! LOL
Last edited by freetown fred on Sun. Mar. 01, 2020 10:21 am, edited 1 time in total.


 
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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 » Sun. Mar. 01, 2020 10:17 am

Coal is so long and steady burning, and so much less work than wood, that some of us need the gadgets to keep from being bored. :lol:

Paul

 
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freetown fred
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Mar. 01, 2020 10:25 am

Paul, get a puppy--I know my 9 mos. old Redbone keeps me from any kinda boredom--I almost got him (@ around 90 lbs) to keep away from my damn feet!!!! LOL

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Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25567
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 » Sun. Mar. 01, 2020 11:03 am

No thanks, Fred,.... my manos don't poop where I need to walk. :lol:

Paul

 
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JMHudsonValley
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Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey 92
Coal Size/Type: Pea Coal
Other Heating: Hand Fed Chubby Coal - Nut Coal

Post by JMHudsonValley » Sun. Mar. 01, 2020 7:55 pm

Well I decided to turn the damper to 45* this morning and began slowly turning down the thermostat to see how it fairs and it did well! It’s all about finding that balance to keep enough air flow underneath to keep the bed hot.

How low can the stove temp “typically” get before it’s dangerous for the fire to die? If I kept it at 175* it seemed okay but once I got it down to 150* the sides went cold and only the center of it was still a bed of hot coals. I turned the thermostat up to a higher setting and within an hour I had an entire hot bed again!

I don’t disagree that the use of the gadgets can sometimes over complicate things I think. It’s another variable for something to go wrong. I’ll continue with I currently have because it seems to be working. Just a bit of a learning curve!!

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Mar. 01, 2020 7:57 pm

We all been there J, and you seem to be doin really well!! :)

 
Holdencoal
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Post by Holdencoal » Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 5:27 pm

So, help me get this straight.
I never used a coal stove or started coal, I’m a noob at it.

Cover the baro with tinfoil.
Layer coal 1” +/- thick of coal and use matchlite on top? Can I use any brand grilling charcoal?
Light the charcoal and the coal will catch?

I ask because I tried the chubby hardwood newspaper light startup today and it didn’t catch the coal The fire was about 350 when I added coal.


 
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Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25567
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 » Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 6:10 pm

Holdencoal wrote:
Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 5:27 pm
So, help me get this straight.
I never used a coal stove or started coal, I’m a noob at it.

Cover the baro with tinfoil.
Layer coal 1” +/- thick of coal and use matchlite on top? Can I use any brand grilling charcoal?
Light the charcoal and the coal will catch?

I ask because I tried the chubby hardwood newspaper light startup today and it didn’t catch the coal The fire was about 350 when I added coal.
I never understood the reasoning of putting a layer of coal under the fire starting materials because the high heat of the materials used to start the fire is heating what's placed above it and that's the whole point of using such easy lighting, hot burning materials to light a coal fire. :roll:

I buy several of the 18 to 20 pound bag twin packs of Kingsford BBQ charcoal when it's on sale at Lowes. Then a gallon of kerosene - one of the hottest burning fuels you can buy. That's all far cheaper than match light per stove startup and it lasts me though a few winters of many times restarting two stoves whenever I go away.

Starting from a cleaned out firebox. Using two layers of Kingsford on the grates, sprinkled with kerosene, then once the charcoal is burning well, building coal layers on top of that, until it's full of burning coal and ready to set the dampers and walk away,.... only takes me 35 minutes with the range. Much faster than when I was using kindling and wood.

Paul

 
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JMHudsonValley
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Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey 92
Coal Size/Type: Pea Coal
Other Heating: Hand Fed Chubby Coal - Nut Coal

Post by JMHudsonValley » Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 7:05 pm

Holdencoal wrote:
Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 5:27 pm
So, help me get this straight.
I never used a coal stove or started coal, I’m a noob at it.

Cover the baro with tinfoil.
Layer coal 1” +/- thick of coal and use matchlite on top? Can I use any brand grilling charcoal?
Light the charcoal and the coal will catch?

I ask because I tried the chubby hardwood newspaper light startup today and it didn’t catch the coal The fire was about 350 when I added coal.
I can’t speak to the baro part but as Paul said - nice layer of match light charcoal will get it going. I found with my current stove it took a long time to try to get a bed of wood coals going. The only reason I had 1” of anthracite coal under the match lite is because I refused to clean it out after almost losing my mind. Lol.

I bought the match lite kingsford that are pre-soaked and I haven’t looked back. I speculate I’ll be able to start 4-5 fires with each bag and they come in a two pack.

 
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McGiever
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Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 11:09 pm

Careful squirting kerosene into any stove harboring a possible buried hot ember...even one in the ash pan..
My preferance would be presoak in bucket well ahead of placing them into stove or just use the matchlight if having any reservations towards a mishap.

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 11:21 pm

Good tip, Larry! I never even thought of that.
Of course, being lucky and smart are two entirely different things.

I’ve never tried the k-1 thing though. Haven’t needed anything yet but dry kindling and one good match. Lol! I know...I know...my first year burning coal, but I think I’ve done fairly well thus far. Thought maybe I made a mistake when it warmed up this week and I added pea coal, but she’s just doing her thing as always despite my lack of experience and knowledge....all thanks to you guys on this forum.

 
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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 » Tue. Mar. 03, 2020 9:41 am

McGiever wrote:
Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 11:09 pm
Careful squirting kerosene into any stove harboring a possible buried hot ember...even one in the ash pan..
My preferance would be presoak in bucket well ahead of placing them into stove or just use the matchlight if having any reservations towards a mishap.
Good point, Mac. Thanks for bringing it up.

While kerosene is not as flash-flammable as BBQ lighter fluid, it can flash back if given the right circumstances.

As a safety, the few times I've had to revive a near dead fire, I soak BBQ charcoal with kero in a small separate container. Then, using long BBQ tongs, I add the briquettes one by one to the firebox. You can safely do that even while the firebed gets flames going from other briquettes already added.

Paul

 
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Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25567
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 » Tue. Mar. 03, 2020 9:46 am

Hoytman wrote:
Mon. Mar. 02, 2020 11:21 pm
Good tip, Larry! I never even thought of that.
Of course, being lucky and smart are two entirely different things.

I’ve never tried the k-1 thing though. Haven’t needed anything yet but dry kindling and one good match. Lol! I know...I know...my first year burning coal, but I think I’ve done fairly well thus far. Thought maybe I made a mistake when it warmed up this week and I added pea coal, but she’s just doing her thing as always despite my lack of experience and knowledge....all thanks to you guys on this forum.
For stoves with windows, the Matchlight or kero/BBQ charcoal combo won't soot up the glass like wood will. And it's faster and less mess. I have lots of windfall branches here, but I gave up using wood a few years ago when I learned how easy, clean, and fast kerosene and BBQ charcoal works from Sir William and how he starts his Base Heaters.

Paul

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Tue. Mar. 03, 2020 12:53 pm

Yep...I remember seeing William use his shot glass full of kerosene.

I here ya’ on the wood. It did work well for me...but...even with super dry...kiln dried oak kindling the glass was bad. Worse on the test fire outside than on the start-up inside. The outside burn even newspaper and ash wouldn’t clean it, but Rutland glass cleaner made quick work of the residue and was easy to use.

Newspaper worked upon inside start up with wood for the coal fire and since I’ve just been wiping the glass once a day with dry newspaper just to get the fly ash off the glass. There is a slight film building but it’s tolerable. Fire is still going and loving anthracite for sure.

I am getting a little more fly ash in the house than I’d like, but for now we are living with it.
Last edited by Hoytman on Tue. Mar. 03, 2020 2:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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Sunny Boy
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Posts: 25567
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 » Tue. Mar. 03, 2020 1:33 pm

Try plain old cooking white vinegar for cleaning soot off glass and mica. That on a paper towel is all I've used and it works well.

White vinegar works well at many other cleaning chores, too. It is better and much less expensive at getting off hardwater mineral deposits than CLR or Limeaway. That's all I use to clean the deposits out of my stove top water kettles. Doesn't hurt the stainless steel kettles like CLR did.

Paul


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