Coalpail.com Forum

hey all,i am looking to switch to coal this year,i am stuck between the Harman mark2 or the tlc2000...i like the mark2 better,i am just wondering how long a fire will last...this will be my primary source of heat,i will be burning anthracite nut in it. to all you experienced coal people,will this last 15-18 hours between fillings?..i will be heating an area 1800 sq ft....including the basement(where the stove will be),the dealer says 18 hrs no problem but I feel better asking you guys,i live in central maine where temps can range from 30 above to 30 below...the tlc has a bigger firebox but it can also burn wood....which makes me wonder how efficent it is burning coal....thanks!

hello,

i'm awaiting a Harman magnum stoker this friday, but I have gone the manual feed route 10 years ago with a federal coal stove, and in my experience an 18 hour burn is probable, but what heat it will be delivering with the 2 stoves you mentioned, I couldn't say. I never let the federal go that long without a feeding (12 hours tops)...but that was a different stove 10 years ago.

what I can offer you with confidence is this advice. my stove was also in the basement 10 years ago (as will the new one), and I soon learned that depending on the heat coming up the cellar stairs was impractical. I soon installed 2 - 18"X18" floor registers above the stove (with variable speed blowers in them), and it delivered as much heat upstairs as you desired. it kept the lower & upper living space balanced, and sometimes we had to open the windows a crack because it was so warm. I've never seen it 20-30 degrees below zero here in northeast pa, so perhaps you may want to increase your BTU availability in a stove, if the weather is that harsh. I hope this helps a bit, and get yourself ready for some hot & constant heat from your coal stove!

regards,
tom

correction to my last post...make that 2 - 12"X14" floor registers.

thanks for the info,i am thinking on putting a register or 2(top and bottom) in the celler door to let the heat up,the stove will sit in the basement corner,kitty cornered towards the celler stairs,with the blower on the stove,or a standing fan from wal mart,it should blow the heat right up the stairs,i don't want to remove the door,nor leave it open as this will block my entry to the living room.we don't get that low in temps all that often but we do,last jan. we had rain and 50's...feb was below zero for 2 weeks every morning.if this setup doesnt work I will not hesitate to put in a register or two in the floor....thanks again!

No, I do not believe you will see 18 hrs between fillings. I used a Mark III for 2.5 seasons, Basically you will have to refill the unit every 10 hrs maybe 12 if the burn is just right. By the time you reach 18 hrs, you might have a small circle of a coal fire, too small in which to build a new fire.

You can burn wood in the Harman Mark series of stoves although Harman is not permitted to tell you this because of US law.

Another very well engineered batch fed stove is the "HITZER" brand. The equivalent size to the Harmand Mark-2 would be the model 30-95 in a HITZER. 12 hours should be normal tending time. Yes , they will stretch out to 14-16 hours at normal operating settings. 18 hours is really pushing it. At times , I tend my HITZER 30-95 EZ-FLOW once per day (24 hours) in the pole barn garage. Low setting , not much heat comming off the stove. After 24 hours, I give it some air , and the fire takes off. Sure beats starting a new fire. Within 15-20 minutes , I have a glowing bed of coals , and the garage is warming up nicely. Where as , if I were starting a new fire , it would take me 3 to 4 hours to get the same affect .

Ginski,
Was that a Dutchwest Federal?
If so how did you modify it to burn coal?
Install a grate?
turn the air inlet iron plate upside down to feed air to the bottom?
I would like to in mine but it is an older one without a bottom ash pan.
The Manufacturer has it listed for burning coal.
Thanks,
drujinin

yes it was a dutchwest federal cast iron coal/wood stove with a circular catalytic converter which could be installed on top when burning wood. the federal name was in big letters on the single top door, and the bottom door opened for access to the ash pan. it came with a grate you slid into the top section when burning coal, and had a single top window or a cast iron plate you could install in lieu of the glass. both doors had circular brass draft controls on them.

settings were: coal - 1/3 turn top draft open
2-1/2 bottom draft open
wood - 1-1/4 top draft open
1/3 bottom draft open

i did not do any modifications to it. it was made to burn both fuels, and was rated at 60,000 btu's.

what happened to the ash pan?

could you post a few pictures of it so we're not mixing apples & oranges. information on uploading pictures is located under board index/Feedback, Help Desk & FAQ on this site.

regards,
tom

Now the board is back up still give me a few more days to get some closeups. I have a few generic ones of it at a distance that don't show any detail.
drujinin

Your burn time is totaly dependant on how your stove is used:

How hot do you run it?
Outside air temp?
How warm do you need to keep your house?
Type of coal you are using

There are probably many other variables but only experience with your particular setup (stove/chimney combo) will give you accuracy. I am on my 3rd coalstove (Harman TLC 2000) & I am currently able to go 24 hrs between shake-downs because:
1. Here in the northeast we have had a fairly mild fall so I have been burning very low temp fires. (stack temp 100*-130*)
2. I will continually add a few shovels (between shake downs) of fresh coal when I see the top layer getting a bit white.
( I find the TLC2000 to be the most controlable stove I have ever owned & love the large ash pan & ease of cleanout)

When the real cold weather arrives I will go back to shaking down every 12 hrs. ( I have even shaken my stoves down sometimes 3X a day when I was really letting them crank)

Good luck!

Ginski,
Here is a couple of photo's of mine. I think mine must be earlier than alot of them out there as it is different on the air system. There is an "air" inlet thermostat that shuts down the air when it reaches a set temp. There is the air inlet on the door which is to add air when starting and I guess a little more while the catalyst is working. The is a picture of the front over on the Thread called "Help on the DutchWest" or something like that.