I think it may be time

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Wed. May. 06, 2020 7:26 pm

Probably 15lbs/day...
You can put your hand on the 503 and leave it there...
LOL...
I'll goose it at night then choke it down in the morning...
Just enough radiant heat to notice...

KingCoal · Post by **KingCoal** » Sat. May. 09, 2020 11:26 am

local forecast looks like this coming Wednesday will be the last then it will probably take a day or 2 to be completely out.

after that , get the carpet cleaned on the first floor and start working out a schedule to go see mntbugy and pauliewog

seems like heating season went long this year.

need to start the furnace and central air project asap too.

Hambden Bob · Post by **Hambden Bob** » Sat. May. 09, 2020 11:31 am

Yay! It's Your Kite,Fly It!
Momma Nature's been fairly Bi-Polar as of late! However,when You're Large And In Charge of Your Affairs at Home with Heating,well,Da' Sky's Da' Limit!

mntbugy · Post by **mntbugy** » Sat. May. 09, 2020 11:49 am

KingCoal wrote: ↑
Sat. May. 09, 2020 11:26 am
local forecast looks like this coming Wednesday will be the last then it will probably take a day or 2 to be completely out.

after that , get the carpet cleaned on the first floor and start working out a schedule to go see mntbugy and pauliewog

seems like heating season went long this year.

need to start the furnace and central air project asap too.

I'd better clean the house and and a couple stoves!! I'm open for travelers.

Pauliewog is not open till about June 4.

Hoytman · Post by **Hoytman** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 11:37 am

CapeCoaler wrote: ↑
Wed. May. 06, 2020 7:26 pm
Probably 15lbs/day...
You can put your hand on the 503 and leave it there...
LOL...
I'll goose it at night then choke it down in the morning...
Just enough radiant heat to notice...

I could put my hand on mine too when I was burning pea. Of course, this 354 is a blower model having a double layer of steel for convective heat, so the actual top of the stove is much cooler than a radiant stove would be.

I think what you mentioned was my problem and why I killed the stove. I should have ramped the stove up when reloading, should have stayed with shaking twice a day regiment and probably should have bumped the dial up a little at night.

I also need to make a poker to clear ash around the fire bricks all around the fire bed. I think some are doing that once a week, but I somehow missed that when I was burning. When I cleaned the stove out there was a lot of ash build-up along the brick as if only part of the coal had been burning. All this when I switched to pea coal in the higher temps.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 12:20 pm

The ash will create a smaller fire pot...
Look at it...
Mine ends up in the center almost round...
Let the corners and sides get blocked, you just want a small fire in the middle...
If you clear all the ash it gets too warm...
I will shake it down a bit before dinner, open the air get a good fire going...
But because it is ashed up on the edges and corners it will not over heat the house...
Then turn down the air for a nice over night fire...
In the AM just close the air to a sliver to keep it alive...
House warms in the sun...
If it is cloudy and rainy I leave the air open and just bump it back slightly...

Hoytman · Post by **Hoytman** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 1:05 pm

Yeah...well...you make it sound easy.

I will keep that in mind next season. Does make sense and I think I was shaking too much with pea and not letting it get hot.

Being a rookie I found tending to be a challenge with pea and maintain the fire. Not so much in 50ish weather but more when it got into the 60’s. More experience and a taller chimney would help.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 2:00 pm

The small pea coal packs together tighter then the nut & slows the air flow through the bed. Exactly the opposite of what you want in warmer weather when the draft drops off some. No issues with the nut this time of year even when it hit 80* a week ago.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 2:12 pm

But if you have decent draft...
The nut gets too hot...
So...
It depends...
Play with the settings and find what works...
If the draft is poor and you have a short chimney...
Now is the time to make it taller...

Post by **Lightning** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 2:46 pm

Yup... smaller coal will burn lower and slower. Add secondary air to keep the draft moving..

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 3:12 pm

CapeCoaler wrote: ↑
Sun. May. 10, 2020 2:12 pm
But if you have decent draft...
The nut gets too hot...

I have no problem idling the 50-93 at 200* with nut. As for the draft I control it with a baro.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 7:23 pm

503 is an insert no baro can be installed...
But none needed...
Older model has no MPD like the 'newer' ones do...
I go lower than 200*...
So I 'gotta do it a bit different...
The fire is just about out during the day...
"splaining how i reduce the firebox size and control the amount of heat...
Without the benefit of a MPD or Baro...

lsayre · Post by **lsayre** » Sun. May. 10, 2020 8:02 pm

After this coming Wednesday morning it looks like the heating season may be over in my part of the world.

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. May. 12, 2020 8:35 pm

Still have the handfed burning, most of the time it's 1/2 turn open on the air and blower off. First time I'm still burning into May in 13 years!

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Tue. May. 12, 2020 9:40 pm

Got a bit of snow here tonight!!