Having trouble maintaining a good sustained fire..
My coal that I have I believe my be the problem.
Its a local strip mine in Elizabeth TWP. Pa.
Size varies from Sandy ~ Street Brick.
If anyone has this style of furnace please let me know your routine..
I wood fire, lay a small bucket or two on a bed of coals..
leave ash door open for 30 minuets.
Wait till stove pipe hits 300 or so,
close ash door turn vent 1.5 turns and let go for a while..
Once she is cooking good put a couple more buckets on till 3/4 or so full making
sure to leave a hot spot, make 1 or 2 more hot spots leaving ash door open for a little bit.
Wait till good burn and temp on pipe is up.
close er up for the night..
In the morning some embers and a lot of ash and some chunks..
Shake her up some but it takes about two hours to get back to putting out good heat again..
Is it the coal, or user error??
Trouble Using a USSC Ashley 24A- What Is Your Routine
- LsFarm
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It sounds like you are doing everything right,, why not fill the firebox all the way up instead of 3/4 full?? Coal likes a deep firebed. The deeper the better..
It also sounds like from your description that you are burning Bituminous coal. Where are you located, and where do you get your coal from.. Hard coal, or Anthracite coal is washed and graded by size, it is washed to remove dust and the sand-sized 'fines'.. Bituminous can be bought as 'run of the mine' which is sand-sized fines all the way to large grapefruit sized pieces
If you add more coal to the fire, you will probably have more fire left in the morning to revilatize your new fire..
Greg L.
If you are burning Bituminous coal,, I'll move this to the Bituminous coal forum..
.
It also sounds like from your description that you are burning Bituminous coal. Where are you located, and where do you get your coal from.. Hard coal, or Anthracite coal is washed and graded by size, it is washed to remove dust and the sand-sized 'fines'.. Bituminous can be bought as 'run of the mine' which is sand-sized fines all the way to large grapefruit sized pieces
If you add more coal to the fire, you will probably have more fire left in the morning to revilatize your new fire..
Greg L.
If you are burning Bituminous coal,, I'll move this to the Bituminous coal forum..
.
- xaos
- Member
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Sat. Nov. 22, 2008 9:38 pm
- Location: Elizabeth TWP. Pa.
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Alaska 140 Auger
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Stoker 1
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
Greg,
First thanks for your response..
Yes it is ROM Bit coal from Goia strip here in Elizabeth TWP.
I am not having any good luck with this coal..
Should I dump the load or get good washed nugget bit and just use the ROM bit for a top layer??
I am heading up to Somerset County this weekend to my cabin in Laurel Falls which is outside of Myersdale Pa. 15552.
First thanks for your response..
Yes it is ROM Bit coal from Goia strip here in Elizabeth TWP.
I am not having any good luck with this coal..
Should I dump the load or get good washed nugget bit and just use the ROM bit for a top layer??
I am heading up to Somerset County this weekend to my cabin in Laurel Falls which is outside of Myersdale Pa. 15552.
- LsFarm
- Member
- Posts: 7383
- Joined: Sun. Nov. 20, 2005 8:02 pm
- Location: Michigan
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Self-built 'Big Bertha' SS Boiler
- Baseburners & Antiques: Keystone 11, Art Garland
I will move this to the Bitum. forum for better access by the butuminous burning folks..
My experience with fines in Bituminous coal was that they clogged and blocked the air passageways, and cause the fire to burn cooler.. You might try sifting the fines our of the coal,, I put the fines in paper bags, rolled them like logs and added to the center of the fire,, a few hours later break up the 'log' of fines into several pieces to allow air through the fire.
Take care,, have a great Thanksgiving
Greg L
My experience with fines in Bituminous coal was that they clogged and blocked the air passageways, and cause the fire to burn cooler.. You might try sifting the fines our of the coal,, I put the fines in paper bags, rolled them like logs and added to the center of the fire,, a few hours later break up the 'log' of fines into several pieces to allow air through the fire.
Take care,, have a great Thanksgiving
Greg L