Coalpail.com Forum

After running for 3 weeks pushing 1/2 - 3/4 dot(LOW), Carbon Monoxide Detector started going off today. 50 ppm. Not good. Also have a sulfur smell in the house. Took cover off the hopper and it was loaded with condensation. Coal was bone dry when it went in 2 days ago. Could the by-products of combustion be taking the path of least resistance? Past the pusher block and into the hopper? The fire was so low that it was burning almost to the back by the fire bricks. Turned her off tonight and will give her a good cleaning in the AM. Any one else experience this?
Stay warm Jimmy

Found it 1.25 x 1.25 inch piece of coal stuck down by the pusher block. No coal being fed. Coal started to burn deep into the bed of coal, sending fumes into hopper. Needed a good cleaning anyway. Carbon monoxide detector works good, glad I have one. If you don't have one, get one, you never know.
Stay warm Jimmy

something of that size may have worked its way through if you had a higher feed rate but at a setting that low it cannot. what you experienced will also happen ( burned all the way back and a slight smell) when it stops feeding if the coal is too wet. one thing that you can do most of the time is to crank it all the way up and see if it clears itself. what I do if it doesnt and there is no need to panic is to slide something thin down along the front of the hopper and work it in there between the block and the opening. (i use a big trough) I have already had to dig out the hoper and use my fingers to push it through and then add dry coal to get it moving again.

this happens mostly when I throw a bucket on in the morning and leave for work only to come home and have only a small strip of fire. it used to behoove me but then I figured out what was going on.

i once picked up a ton in the dead of winter and it lightly froze in the truck. not thinking when I put coal on it looked dry and shiny but it was wet and frozen. when it hit the hopper and thawed out thats when it blocked up, I didnt find out until eight hrs later

as for anything bigger than rice I hunt it out to make sure there are no jams. an occasional leave can bring on problems too

Hey all,

I have been sprinling baking soda right in the hopper when the hopper gets damp. It seems to make the sides slippery and coal soaks up some dampness too

The chunk (2") I found in mine, I caught when filling the hopper, it didn't make that far, but sometimes it happens. I just smashed it with a hammer and threw it back in.

CO detectors a MUST! We have 3. One near the coal stove, 1 upstairs and 1 down by the furnance/hot water tank.

curious Jimmy, Do yuo have a SS liner outside chimney or masonry\clay lined? How far is your stove pipe from the opeining thimble to your chimey?

Clay lined chimney. pipe is about 3-4 ft. Had a heck of a time getting the pusher block out. Lots of fines jamming it up. Gave it a good cleaning and she is back up and running.
Stay warm, Jimmy

Jimmy, I have to compliment you again on the neat and clean plumbing job for your hot water loop. How is it working for you??

With the stove just idling is the water loop keeping warm or hot enough??

Take care, Greg L

nic job on the water jacket indeed. what are the three black cords that are plugged into the orange strip cord used for. are they for the two fans and feed motor?

Greg, it's holding its own. Overnight the tank is hot. After the girls take a shower and the laundry gets done it takes a while to get back up to temp. Stove is running between 150 - 200 just ideling along pushing 1/2 - 3/4 dots. Once the stove is cranking it will pump out some serious hot water. The orange cord is the motor and fans all plugged in. No controller, once the weather gets cold I'll switch back to the controller and thermostat. The fire is so low it would just go out with the controller. This is Lime4x4's method. (can't take the credit for this one) Running it this way I get no unburnt coal and it just sips the coal. Have to fill the hopper every 5-6 days. Keeping the house 72-75 deg.
Stay warm Jimmy

I'm envious, only what, 50-100# in 4-5 days??

I fired up the boiler last night, I've burnt at least 50-80# of coal in the last 24 hours. But I'm heating this sieve diguised as a farmhouse.

Just getting the water in the boiler and system up to temp consumes about 20-30# of coal, once it is hot, then the house pulls a lot of BTU's out of the system, and of course today is laundry day, so all the cold water fed to the hot water tank is going through the second heat exchanger. The water entering the heat tank is at 150*, the tempering valve brings it down to 120* on the way out of the tank.

The house is at a toasty [for me] 68-70* .

Love this coal heat.

Greg L

i just unhook the thermsostat wires and use a small jumper which it will stay running the same way you are. it still works the same either way

That funny sitting right behind the stove is the jumper for the thermostat that I use. Orange multi plug is now gone. Now why didn't I think of that.
Stay warm Jimmy

I don't understand why you guys unhook the thermostat.

I spent a few days with the stove in Pilot Idle mode...studying her every move. Each day I trimmed it back farther and farther by either reducing Time On or increasing Time Off all the while pushin 2.5 dots. Finally I got it down to On 1 minute, Off 13 minutes. She just sits there sippin' coal!

Then, I put the thermostat on and when the stat calls for heat, she performs quickly, and on nice days...she never leaves pilot idle mode. For instance...today...sunny...and 42*. She burned 13 pounds in 24 hours! It got down to 33* last night. 2400 square foot house.

The Harman Magnum Stoker Rules!

Last year using the thermostat and controller, the stove would go out if the temp went above 55 deg. The weather as been warm here during the day. I was also getting what I thought was too much unburnt coal. The way I have it running now I am getting 0% unburnt. Check your ashes any black= unburnt. Once the weather gets cold I will go back to the Thermostat and controller but will probably keep the combustion blower going. Also thinking of using a multi plug to plug the combustion in with the distribution fan. This way the combustion blower will continue to burn what is left on the grate. But that remains to be seen.
Stay warm Jimmy