Newbie... start up procedures

I’m sure this has been asked/answered many times but I cannot find it in any threads...

First time coal user and I am attempting to start my stove. The unit(Kodiak stoker ii) came with the house. I’ve cleaned the entire inside of the unit and the flue piping.

I am using the cowboy lump charcoal method to start.

My question is, what is a good start up procudure. I’ve looked online but can’t really find anything.
TIA

Lighting a Stoker

This above link can be a bit overwhelming and might be something to look at at your leisure.

For your present start-up:
I liked cutting a 1-1/2" band of metal slightly longer than width of stoker grate, cutting a scrap of stove pipe to length works well,

Then bow it across between the side rails to hold back coal and lump starter.

Load up some broken lump charcoal, smashed in side a wrap of many layers of newspaper or the like.

Place broken lump above your band of metal you can light the lump w/ a propane torch w/ just a tiny bit of air blowing, don't want too much air, and leave the pusher off/disengaged till your fire is ready.

After a good bit of crackling the char will turn very red and this is when you can begin to place about a handful amount of rice coal over the burning lump.
Even more crackling from the now added rice coal and it will in a bit begin to turn red as well, then you can add a second same amount of rice again.

Now you might try boosting the air up a bit just to kick the catching fire up a notch. Oh, better get some pliers or channel-locks ready because the band will need to get pulled before long.

When it looks well establised and flames showing add another amount of rice, adjust air some more and in a few minutes you can engage the pusher.

When you see the pusher has jammed raw coal up against the held back fire and the fire has bridged across into the raw coal completely you can pull the metal band out w/ the pliers.

The rest is dialing in everything, adjusting air and feed rate, hope you did your home work and can get it all dialed in.
If not we can get you thru that too.

Awesome. Thank you very much.

I had a nice hot coal trail going and now the fire is all but out.

The feed rod is set to about 1 1/2” from the end.

I hardly have anything in the catch pan. I wonder if something is jammed in the feeder mechanism.

Can you poke a rod or something down thru hopper to see if you can disturb the coal and get it loose?

You reading the manual?

We got to get you a member who knows particulars about the Alaska Kodiak II stokers...

make sure the combustion blower under the grate is blowing air up thru the holes, that typically gets the fire/starter going and you can add coal on top of your starter.

Most stoves feed very slow to get a good burn. It might take a while for it to start pushing stuff off the grates into the ash pan.

@ McGiver-
I emptied the hopper out completely. So nothing is clogged.

@WNY-
Blower is definitely working. I guess I have to learn to be more patient!!

I will try again, but this time I’ll get a little bigger burn trail going on the coal in the beginning I guess.

Thanks gentlemen

Also, I know this knob Controls a sensor for CO2, but does it control anything else.

I turn it all the way counterclockwise until it clicks and leave it there. Is that correct?
The stove I have is a kodiak stoker ii

Thanks

Commish wrote: ↑

Sun. Dec. 31, 2017 5:43 pm

Awesome. Thank you very much.

I had a nice hot coal trail going and now the fire is all but out.

The feed rod is set to about 1 1/2” from the end.

I hardly have anything in the catch pan. I wonder if something is jammed in the feeder mechanism.

i've learned through my own mistakes, if you can, remove the stoker plate and make sure the tray beneath is clear. in my furnace the tray was full of fly ash. you might think you're getting adequate air flow but you wouldn't be

This is the knob

See pic

Looks like a speed control of some kind, nothing to do w/ Carbon Monoxide Sensor.

Does it work on any of the fan's speed...if not, might be your stoker motor speed for controlling fire position on grate.

Nothing about itin the manual?

@ McGiever

Thank you.

There is a separate fan speed controller.
No manual that I can find. Even online.

The coal feeder is the rod type that I adjust in the back(see pic)

I’ll keep playing with the knob in various positions to see if it helps with fire temperature or heat I’ll put

Commish wrote: ↑

Fri. Jan. 05, 2018 10:35 am

I turn it all the way counterclockwise until it clicks and leave it there. Is that correct?

If that is a speed control of some kind and you're turning it until it clicks then I would think that you're turning it off. That's how my blower works (on a different stove.)

Please remember that coal and stoves take a long time to react to any adjustments. If you change the feed rate, for instance, it may take several hours to see any kind of difference. Make small adjustments and wait to see the changes.

Can you carefully take the cover off the j-box and take a pic of the wiring? I'd be looking for where the wires from the dial controller go to. It looks like there are cords going to that box from the pic - is that true? Maybe the dial goes to one cord and that can be traced to which fan or motor it goes to and the other cords are taking pass through voltage?

That is an Alaska with a TriBurner type stoker in it. The knob is attached to a rheostat. The rheostat controls the speed of the single motor that runs the fan and feeder. here is a thread that describes how it works.
Alaska Kodiak Stoker...

-Don

Here's one about the stoker, with pictures.
Post by StokerDon - Info on Alaska Kastconsole, Older Models

-Don