Was having trouble with only getting 2 ~ 3 day burns..
With all the great advice from everyone here + time and patience
I think I got it..
It came down to not shaking aggressively enough..
This stove likes to be shook until you see red glow from the grate..
Burning chestnut anthracite, this is day 8 and the temps in my house are 77* steady
with the front damper closed (it has small nubs so not closed completely)
and the combustion inducer cover set @ 3/8 open and on medium low
T-Stat set @ 75*..
I will keep my fingers crossed..
We are getting an Alberta Clipper coming in tonight and temps are going to be in the teens and single digits for a few days. (YEAH)
I will be toasty, and happy not to give Dominion Peoples gas their $250 -$300 a month..
I Think I Got It Now!! US Stove (Jenson) Ashley 24A
- gitrdonecoal
- Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 16, 2009 4:35 pm
- Location: Elba, NY
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90
something that has helped with my USSC hotblast is I made an "L" shaped poker made out of roughly 1/4 metal rod, or rebar material. the L is about 4 inches long. I poke from underneath in an up and down motion in the grates to make more ash fall down. trick is to make the whole, or most of the bed underneath a nice orange glow. then you know that you got good air flow. there are other topics on thes forum explaining this procedure. food for thought
- 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
Thanks Mudman,
Just wondering..
Do you only poke in a up & down motion??
Or do you sometimes poke up and pull & push along the inside of the grate or just up & down in several areas??
Haven't attempted this technique as of yet but I am willing to try.
Just wondering..
Do you only poke in a up & down motion??
Or do you sometimes poke up and pull & push along the inside of the grate or just up & down in several areas??
Haven't attempted this technique as of yet but I am willing to try.
- 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
No I am not getting 24hrs on a single fill Clueless.. I wish I did though..clueless wrote:24 hrs on a single fill?? I never got more than 12 hrs on a fill until the blower kicked off.
I am filling twice sometimes three times a day, about three shovelfuls at a time..
Nice to see someone else has my style of furnace, I would like to trade notes some time..
- gitrdonecoal
- Member
- Posts: 506
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 16, 2009 4:35 pm
- Location: Elba, NY
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90
1st a question about your coal consumption; how many pounds can it hold when full? now to answer your question about the poking from underneath, I actually have to do both ways, poke up and down and push and pull. my shaker grates are a 2 piece unit. over a month and a half ago, I broke the nub that connects the front and back grate. bummer. been like that since then. the only way I can get the ash out from the back is to, like you said, push and pull with the homemade poker between the grate and grate framework. ashes fall out beautifully. in the front I shake down 1st and then in an up and down motion get the remaining ash out so it can breathe.
depending on how hard I work the furnace, how well its drafting, and so on, I can get away with 18 hours on a single burn. done 24 hours before, but I found that I ran a 50/50 chance of having a nearly dead fire, then had to fill with wood, come back 4 hours later, stir it up, and re load. so I try not to go more than 18 hours the.
this could be partly due to my coal quality. I been burning 50% blaschak and 50% "mystery" coal that was FREE from a basement. who knows how long its been there, ten, twenty, thirty years or more!
keep us all posted with your results and stay warm.
john
depending on how hard I work the furnace, how well its drafting, and so on, I can get away with 18 hours on a single burn. done 24 hours before, but I found that I ran a 50/50 chance of having a nearly dead fire, then had to fill with wood, come back 4 hours later, stir it up, and re load. so I try not to go more than 18 hours the.
this could be partly due to my coal quality. I been burning 50% blaschak and 50% "mystery" coal that was FREE from a basement. who knows how long its been there, ten, twenty, thirty years or more!
keep us all posted with your results and stay warm.
john