As far as how much shaking and how much ash should you get:
I am a "first year" coal burner. I have heard time and time again that "every stove is different...." In that respect, I was shaking until I see red coals, but I have found that is NOT enough. Over time, performance would begin to suffer and it would get worse and worse. I found that the ash would start to accumulate and choke the fire. I now (at least in my set-up, yours may be different) have the following mantra:
COAL INTO STOVE = ASH REMOVED FROM STOVE
Basically, it means that I now have a general idea how much ash is produced by a certain amount of coal....I make sure I remove "x amount" of ash when I had added "y amount" of coal, depending on how much coal has been burned. On nights where I have really loaded up the stove more than usual....the next day I make sure I get extra ash removed during shakedown.
Bob
Coal Into Stove = Ash Out of Stove
- Millworker
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Many people experience the same issue with performance declining after many days of burning. You experience has taught you that removing as much ash as possible is critical to getting good burn times and heat output. Some have found that shaking alone is not enough and poking a hot coal bed is just as important. See thread below.
Poking
Poking
- grizzly2
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Good observation Bob. I have recently started paying attention to how much ash comes down with each shakedown. It certainly is a big clue to an ash buildup even when there are no dead spots. I have been burning coal for just under a year and am still learning a lot from this forum and from my own observations and trial and error. I think this is a big part of the joy of burning coal. My daughter says I am a coal nerd. I say I can live with that