Any Chubby Owners Out There in the One Match Club?

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keegs
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Post by keegs » Sun. Nov. 13, 2022 8:50 am

I started a thread last year to get an idea how many of you burning anthracite are/were in the one match club. The response as I recall it was pretty good and most of you were indeed members. Not being one to admit fault so easily :) I thought this season I'd rephrase the question and try to narrow things down some.

I've been burning anthracite for going on 5 or 6 years I guess. Not full time, (I'm heating a small vacation home that we use off and on in winter) and I use (and really love) the Coal Chubby stove. I've been through many of the threads on the forum and think my setup is jake and I think I've got using anthracite as a fuel down pretty well. But I've never been able to keep the Chubby going for more than a week at a stretch. After a few days of giving off steady heat, the Chubby performance tends to start to stall.

A lot of the issues seem to be related to the burn cycle and our activities. So for instance if we've been away for more than a few hours, when I return, I might find I'm at or near a recovery event which can and often does alter the overall timing of the burn cycle. Or during the night, if where I am in the burn cycle isn't optimum prior to turning in, that long period of unattended combustion will oftentimes be followed by an early morning recovery effort.

So let me hear from all you Chubby fans out there who are in the one match club and tell me how you're doing it.

 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Sun. Nov. 13, 2022 10:50 am

Ive went a month with my Jr on 1 match and the biggest issue is always ash removal. I tend it 3 times a day instead of 2 or I would lose the fire sometimes. Once a day I work the heck out of the shaker, the other 2 times normal. I dont do much poking from underneath as its difficult, but the area in front of the exit flue is where ash builds up and I poke at that some from the top when I have a healthy fire. Note, poking from the top is considered a no-no but it works for me to get that ashy spot cleared.

 
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keegs
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Post by keegs » Sun. Nov. 13, 2022 1:05 pm

Thanks warm.

I'm with you on ash buildup and I probably should have mentioned it in the original post. I've gotten in trouble on more than a few occasions trying to use ash buildup to dampen the heat output (if outdoor temps don't stay well below freezing this standard Chubby can be a bit much). I don't think the standard Chubby can have issues with coal ash building up near the exhaust port though.

I have the old style firepot without the center pin at the bottom. Getting a good shake is difficult. I've got to put my whole body into it. Could be part of my problem.


 
lobsterman
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Post by lobsterman » Fri. Nov. 25, 2022 5:24 pm

I often let mine go out. The key for me was to learn how to relight it without emptying the pot, that is ugly. I just use a dry fire starter and a scoop of charcoal briquets on top of the coal bed. A little shaking and the embers drop and relight the whole pot. Just got to make sure you don't get ash bound. The Chubby likes to be flossed from below to clear the ash.

 
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keegs
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Post by keegs » Fri. Nov. 25, 2022 7:59 pm

lobsterman wrote:
Fri. Nov. 25, 2022 5:24 pm
I often let mine go out. The key for me was to learn how to relight it without emptying the pot, that is ugly. I just use a dry fire starter and a scoop of charcoal briquets on top of the coal bed. A little shaking and the embers drop and relight the whole pot. Just got to make sure you don't get ash bound. The Chubby likes to be flossed from below to clear the ash.
Thanks for the tip LM. I had an idea to move the unspent fuel to the edges of the firepot and then filling the cleared center of the firepot with small bits of wood (and paper if necessary) to restart. Until now I just start a new wood fire on top of what I have there.

I'm heating a second home with the Chubby and we don't use it all that much in the winter months. So it's not the end of the world that I can't keep it lit for more than a week at a time. I'd probably be looking to replace the Chubby if that wasn't the case.

 
lobsterman
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Post by lobsterman » Sat. Nov. 26, 2022 7:31 am

Remember too that coal is self-regulating and the Chubby seems especially good at it. When it warms up outside the draft is significantly lower, lowering the burn temp without touching the stove settings, increasing the probability that the fire might get snuffed if you don't tend it. This is a good thing IMO. Similarly, when it is very cold outside, The Chub burns hotter and you got to keep it fed. Overall, twice a day shake purring along at 350 is just right. I give a 3rd shake if it is really cold out. I find it is not made to blow your ass out of the room like a hot blasting wood fire. It is a gentle steady heat. It was marketed as "supplemental" and that it does well.


 
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keegs
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Post by keegs » Sat. Nov. 26, 2022 10:09 am

lobsterman wrote:
Sat. Nov. 26, 2022 7:31 am
Remember too that coal is self-regulating and the Chubby seems especially good at it. When it warms up outside the draft is significantly lower, lowering the burn temp without touching the stove settings, increasing the probability that the fire might get snuffed if you don't tend it. This is a good thing IMO. Similarly, when it is very cold outside, The Chub burns hotter and you got to keep it fed. Overall, twice a day shake purring along at 350 is just right. I give a 3rd shake if it is really cold out. I find it is not made to blow your ass out of the room like a hot blasting wood fire. It is a gentle steady heat. It was marketed as "supplemental" and that it does well.
I haven't found that I can fuel the Chubby with coal and keep the house comfortable during the shoulder months.....oftentimes having to open windows and doors. The stove side temperature sweet spot using coal during shoulder months is probably around 200-250 degrees. It's hard for me to keep her going steady in that range and boy I've tried. Could be operator skill, a more primitive stove design or just generally that the space is too small (800sq ft) and well insulated for a 65k BTU stove. I seem to have a lot more control fueling with wood when the outside temps are hovering north and south of freezing. With wood, the stove temps fluctuate a lot more but I can keep the average heat loss/gain such that the inside temp is pretty comfortable.

The Chubby seems to shine for me when I'm running it at around 350-400 degrees on the stove side. Last winter I was sitting comfortably inside with 20+ mph winds outside and temps at -30 degrees.

 
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Bob500
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Post by Bob500 » Sun. Nov. 27, 2022 7:40 am

I have been running my Chubby steady since the Wed. before Thanksgiving. It's been in the 30's at night and near 50 in the day. I shake and poke 2 times a day. I cut the air down and let it idle during the day. When it's warmer out the draft from the flue is much lower. I always add a scoop of coal and increase the air for about 20 minutes prior to the shake and poke. It wakes up the fire.

 
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keegs
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Post by keegs » Sun. Nov. 27, 2022 12:30 pm

Bob500 wrote:
Sun. Nov. 27, 2022 7:40 am
I have been running my Chubby steady since the Wed. before Thanksgiving. It's been in the 30's at night and near 50 in the day. I shake and poke 2 times a day. I cut the air down and let it idle during the day. When it's warmer out the draft from the flue is much lower. I always add a scoop of coal and increase the air for about 20 minutes prior to the shake and poke. It wakes up the fire.
:yes: Thanks Bob.

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