Stove Lights and Stays Lit for 30 Hours Then Goes Out

M1KEMASS · Post by **M1KEMASS** » Tue. Oct. 21, 2008 12:51 pm

OK - so I see then that I can't shake until I see some red ahes falling - the hopper only went down 5 or 6 inches from last night - the ash keeps coming out when shaking, but no red ambers. How do I know when to stop? Someone said until you see red amers - I just see grey junk coming down.

Thanks for any advice.

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Tue. Oct. 21, 2008 1:01 pm

You need to keep shaking untill you see a few red coals falling through the grates.. This is the indication that the hot coal is now getting close to the grates, and the layer of ash is thinned down enough to allow air to the coal fire.

Greg L

rockwood · Post by **rockwood** » Tue. Oct. 21, 2008 1:05 pm

Devil505 wrote:
rockwood wrote:Don't forget to close the ash door.

Someone here, maybe it was Greg L?? said they set a timer so they don't forget to close it.
I had never heard of this before but it's a very good idea and I must admit I have forgotten to close mine myself.
That was me. I always set a timer whenever the ash door is open & I'm stepping away from it. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produ ... age=search

Way to easy to get distracted!

Sorry, I should have searched to see who it was.

M1KEMASS · Post by **M1KEMASS** » Tue. Oct. 21, 2008 1:24 pm

so - how long should I be doing the shake down, and if I have to stop after 3 or 4 shakes (because there's no red ash) then how long do I have to wait before I do the shake down again?

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Oct. 21, 2008 1:39 pm

Read this thread Mike How to Light a Hand Fired Coal Stove Lots of good tips there. I typically do a full shake down...start to finish in 15 minutes or less. (the colder it is outside & the hotter your fire, the faster the shake down......Early fall & Spring are the hardest times to operate your stove due to weaker drafts. You'll find the deeper we get into winter, the easier it is to run your stove)

Post by **Rob R.** » Tue. Oct. 21, 2008 9:25 pm

As others have suggested, the shake down process is much easier if you have a lively fire. I usually open the ash pan door for a few minutes before I shake the grates. I also have a long piece of heavy guage wire that I use to "floss" the grates if the ash isn't falling through properly.

With all this talk about shaking I couldn't help myself: