Thanks for the Advice

Thank you for all the advice. This forum has been extremely helpful. First try at starting coal stove was a disaster. My husband tried starting it like he always did with wood. After he got a huge wood fire going, he filled it right full of coal. He ended up smothering the fire. Then blamed it on bad coal. I read a lot of posts from this forum. So I pulled all the unburned coal and wood ashes out of fire box, started a small wood fire. Then added small amounts of coal until it was burning well. Then started banking coal leaving corners open. I do open ash door a crack when I fill it. Has been burning for 24 hours now. Keeping fingers crossed. My husband thanks you also. Although he says that since I know how to start it and take care of it, it is "my baby now." I should have made him read this forum

They do say women are better at assebling things than men because women will read the directions. Sorta like you have done to learn to burn coal Good job

& you think he didn't know what he was doing?

Congrats on making fire!