Alaska Stove - Cast Console III - Not Burning Hot

My Cast Console III from Alaska Stove doesn't seem to burn as hot as it used to when I first purchased it. I'd say it's 12 to 13 years old now already.

The problem began about the same time I changed the blower motor assembly - the unit that forces air into the stove so the coal can burn. The new unit I purchased from Alaska Stove looked exactly like the old one. The only difference seemed to be the new one wasn't LOUD like the old one was.

The fan blades that drive air into the unit are clean. Flu pipes are clear - I clean them every month or so. Grate that coal burns on is smooth as glass. Gaskets under grate are new. Gasket under hopper is new. Every year before it's time to start the stoves, I break them down completely and clean them. All holes in grate are clear.

Set to "3" the unit is only 150 degrees. I have to turn it up to about 4.5 to 5 for the stove to get up to 300. And when it's at 4.5, it goes thru about 100 pounds of coal in a 24 hour period.

I have two Alaska Stove units. The other is a Channing III. It burns hot as Hades. If I turn it up to 3, the unit is so hot, nobody can stand it.

Here's a picture of the fire burning in the Cast Console. Stove's been set to "3" all day. Amount of burning coal on grate doesn't seem like much...

Stove temp is only about 150.

Here's my stove. Sorry the picture is automatically rotated, I can't seem to control it. You can see a barometric damper is in place.

Any ideas why this unit doesn't burn hot? Is the replacement blower I purchased a dud - it's not blowing enough air? Too much air?

Have you adjusted the stoker arm travel length? That's an awfully small fire patch to produce much heat. Looks like you're not pushing anywhere near enough coal.

Compare the Combustion fan models numbers, etc... make sure they are the same CFM ratings. even tho they look the same and mount the same, they can be different ratings.

Or adjust your feed rate like the other thread suggests.

Sounds like something is not telling it to feed more. Sometimes the thermostat/rheostats get a bad spot in them, rotate them up and down and then put the at the setting needed.

Guessing that is a carpet feed stoker. One more thing to check is to empty hopper and remove the carpet and clean any coal fines from under area and check if the carpet lays flat and has not cupped or bowed...it must lay flat where it rides over the under surface.
Also, take and cut a 2x4 spacer block to fit from stove floor up to underside of the stoker and then take a rummer mallet and "whack" the cast grate down to make sure the grate is seated tight to the gasket you replaced.
Did you replace the "strong-back" gasket while you had grate apart and gaskets replaced?

Not my photos, but borrowed from someone here on site.
A "strongback" seen below.

Thanks for the great insights. Yes, grate is firmly in place, as are strong back gaskets.

I'm not sure what a carpet is. I have pulled the paddle out and cleaned everything out from under it.

I'll try adjusting the feed drive arm though I don't know how...

If you have a paddle feed, you don't have a carpet to worry about. A carpet feed uses a metal sliding plate. Called a carpet. Your paddle feed if I'm not mistaken should have a rheostat / box to adjust the feed rate. What are you using for a current setting on it?

My rheostat has settings 1 to 5. My stove is set to 3. First picture in my original post shows size of fire at 3. At that setting, the stove is 150 degrees.

If I set my second stove to 3, stove is so hot it drives us out of the room.

Sounds like it sure aint feeding enough coal to me.

I'm no stoker dude and I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn ...I would suggest cleaning the inside of the stove and remove all the fly ash that is insulating thermal conductivity. What are the water temps going in and coming out? ...just my 2 cents and I hope it helps.

How hot should the stove get if it's burning coal at the rate of about 100 pounds per 24 hours?

I have two stoves. When burning coal at the same rate, one just seems so much hotter than the other.

Water coils from Hilkoil were added to my first stove - the Cast Console III. When the stove's about 320 degrees, water is about 140 degrees. Water circulates thru a 100+ year old farm house in its baseboard heat. It's a nice way to spread the heat through the whole house. to give an indication of how much farm house it heats - the house is about 4.3K sq ft over 3 floors. It's a pretty large loop. Supply water is usually about 7 - 10 degrees cooler.

Here;s your links...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SKU2586-Alaska-Coal-Stove ... cXcvqO1LmQ

http://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com/Rheostat-wit ... p/4rwo.htm



Here;s your link...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SKU2587-Alaska-Coal-Stove ... 0604203847

http://www.amazon.com/KBWC-18K-H9011-Mount-Motor- ... B007YA2YW6

Set on 3 you should be pushing way more coal than that. Can you try the rheostat from the other stove on it? Might be bad rheo...

Also, some rheostats have speed adjustments on them.
A small recessed screw on the rheostat used to fine tune main knob.
You might need to adjust.

Patton531 wrote:I'd say it's 12 to 13 years old now already.

Replace rheostat.

Not my photos, but borrowed from someone here on site.

Those pictures look awfully familiar to me for some reason.