What to Do During a "Warm Spell"

pbmax · Post by **pbmax** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 5:30 pm

What do you do with your stoker when it's going to stay warm for a few days?

Almost 50 here today. 15 few days ago.
The stoker is idling along and its 75 in the house with barely a fire in the stove. I'm afraid if I let it keep idling I'll be wasting the coal that doesn't burn completely. But if I turn it off the electric heat will kick on if the house dips down below ... say 65.
It looks like the weather will be high 30s at night, near 50 day for a few days.
Oh, and I have small kids (the 'lectric keeps their rooms constant at night)

So...

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 5:41 pm

I don't own a stoker but I am able to idle my Harman (hand fed) by keeping the blower fan off & keeping the stove temp real low during the day. (I might even have to crack a window or 2) At night it will be in the 30's so I will turn it up, as needed. In "Idle" mode I find I burn about 20 lbs of coal a day.

smith10210 · Post by **smith10210** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 5:48 pm

It's supposed to be in the 60"s here Tues and in the 50's Mon. I might shut mine done and brush out the chimney and vacuum the inside of my stoker out not to sure. I can't believe how warm and mild this winter has been

...

lincolnmania · Post by **lincolnmania** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 6:56 pm

turn the stove down I guess......it's 78 degrees at my desk hehe

WNY · Post by **WNY** » Sun. Jan. 06, 2008 7:18 pm

Try and idle it down if you can, do go too low to keep your draft, since it will be quite warm

or a good time to give it a mid-season vacuum/cleaning/lube job....

Dutchman · Post by **Dutchman** » Mon. Jan. 07, 2008 9:03 pm

I've got the thermostat turned down low now, we'll turn it back up before bedtime. Have adjusted my cycle timers down some for when I'm just idling during the day (now at 4 on, 13 off).

I've decided to leave the combustion blower run, during my earlier tests I noticed the stack temps really swung up and down with the cycling of the blower, at idle I could keep my hand on the pipe and it was lukewarm at most. I wonder that if I keep that blower on, the pipe will stay at a more consistent temp and draft more evenly through the warm spell, although I should mention that my liner goes up through a 24x24 inch fieldstone chimney that would probably pull a good draft over July 4th if I wanted (it drafted nicely this summer when we were dropping the liner down; I was standing inside it and the breeze felt good)

I'd still rather burn a bucket of coal

than a drop of $3.00+ oil

, can't answer for electric heat.

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 12:57 pm

mine heats the hot water so it stays on, maybe it uses a bag a day if that. It would take more coal to shut it off and heat up 50 gallons of water than to just keep it warm. What sucks is that when it's warm like this I get a leaky pipe joint, it is right where the cold water in the heat exchanger meets the hot water of the bypass loop. When the joint heats up it doesn't leak a drop. To fix it isn't quick or easy so I just hope for cold weather

it only leaks about a shot-glass full a day so it's not super critical. I'll replumb the whole system in the summer.

pbmax · Post by **pbmax** » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 4:59 pm

Been shut down since Sunday night now. The baby's room is the only one to use heat at bedtime. Rest of the house is still 68.

G'damn global warming.

WNY · Post by **WNY** » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 6:33 pm

65 Today outside!!

Phew....74 in the house with the a couple windows open! the stoves are idling, but still kicking out some heat....

MrP57 · Post by **MrP57** » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 7:22 pm

I had to shut mine down Sun night.

50* out side but the CO alarm went off. It was a good time to clean it all out Mon morn. Last spring it was running fine at 60*. (out side temp) Not sure what the problem was Sunday night. The house is staying around 67/64*, will start it back up Wed morn before I go to work at noon. The temp should have droped by then.

Gary

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 8:17 pm

Back up and burning, old houses cool off fast.

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 8:34 pm

Even with temps at 64 yesterday and 58* today, I kept the boiler [big Bertha] running, the AA is down during the warm weather. My boiler heats my domestic hot water as well as the house, and with propane running $2.35/gallon, coal is far less expensive.

Back to freezing temps over the next two days.

Greg L.

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. Jan. 08, 2008 8:45 pm

LsFarm wrote:Even with temps at 64 yesterday and 58* today, I kept the boiler [big Bertha] running, the AA is down during the warm weather. My boiler heats my domestic hot water as well as the house, and with propane running $2.35/gallon, coal is far less expensive.

Back to freezing temps over the next two days.

Greg L.

I'm calling the propane company to stop over and remove the tank, I don't use the furnace to heat the kitchen anymore, and with my luck the tank will explode, right outside the kitchen wall.

**Broken Link(s) Removed**

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Mon. Jan. 14, 2008 12:31 am

I like it better when it's in the single digits. The colder it gets outside the warmer I get. When it's in the 30's the forced air fan only comes on once an hour or so, when it gets down below 20 the fan runs more often and because my desk is right next to the vent I get the "hot blast" more often. This is of course all just "feel", according to my various thermostats the house is always the same temperature.

lincolnmania · Post by **lincolnmania** » Mon. Jan. 14, 2008 7:11 am

i know the feeling of not getting blasted with hot air.....i have the efm cut back, and the breeze from the ducts isn't real warm, but I don't need the shop to be 70 degrees....it's 62 and comfortable with a flannel, and when I get a work spurt i'm not roasting lol