Kast Console Won't Maintain Burn

Hello all I have upgraded from the previous model of the Kast Console II to a newer one. Unfortunately this one is about 10 times more complex than my old one as I have not been able to get a fire burning properly.

I am assuming that it has something to do with the draft, as one maind difference between this stove and our old stove is that we had to put on the draft control on the stove pipe leading out of the stove.

Another difference is that this model has a variable control for the combustion fan and a separate variable control for the blower. I had to unplug and disassemble the back portion of the stove in order to fit through my front door, so I may have switched the plugs and controls.

So that's the background on the stove now as to what's going on. Doesn't matter the temperature that I start I'm always able to get a good fire going on the burn rate initially. However once that fire hits the 2-hour mark it has noticeably decreased in heat output. By the time it hits the three or four hour mark it's noticeably decreased in size as well. Usually by five or six hours the fire line has crept all the way to the feeder.

I have adjusted the burn rate to increase and decrease, both result in the fire dying. I've changed the position of the weight on the draft control, no matter the position the fire dies. I do not have a way of measuring the draft either. The grate was cleaned and brand new back seal put on before the first fire so I don't foresee any issues with Ash building up and preventing airflow. In fact I know I'm getting good air from the combustion fan because my fires to start the coal stove are really strong thanks to the combustion fan.

I absolutely will not call Alaska coal stoves, as the previous time I tried to do business with them the owner all but called me an idiot for waiting until September to repair my coal stove door. My local coal stove dealer and repair shop unfortunately is only open when I'm at work so I only have these forums to help. Any assistance is appreciated. I have attached photos of everything I can think of being relavent.

I would start by getting a manometer to correctly set your draft. You cant do it accurately without one. I think i paid about 30 bucks for mine. It will pay for itself in one season by having your unit tuned in to get maximun efficiency.

CoalKracker wrote: ↑

Wed. Oct. 28, 2020 9:47 pm

I would start by getting a manometer to correctly set your draft. You cant do it accurately without one. I think i paid about 30 bucks for mine. It will pay for itself in one season by having your unit tuned in to get maximun efficiency.

Unfortunately the stores in my town do not carry them. The only store with one is about a 25 miles away sadly.

Then order one on line K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Make sure you have the fans in the right place, the lower cfm one is for the coal grate.
I would look up the stove maker and call them or a dealer.
Good luck, Stant

K, what's all that on the outside of your pipes??

I ordered mine from amazon. Even if the problem isnt your draft you should still always set it correctly. Its not worth the danger of not enough draft or the loss of money by having too much draft.

I have a Harman but had similar issues with the fire dying. After getting advice here and watching it, I realized that the feed motor was giving up and would stop pushing the coal into the firebox. If setting the draft doesn't help I'd look into the motor.

It looks like it's not feeding enough coal to the grate. There should be an area of fresh coal between the air holes in the grate and the feed (paddle or carpet).
And yes, you should get a manometer to check the draft, the instrument is connected to the smoke pipe between the stove and the baro damper. Never assume the draft is set correctly.
You have a working carbon monoxide detector in the vicinity of the stove?

I agree with others. Not enough coal on the grate!!! This may, or may not mean the feed rate is wrong. There's a flip side to this; In these warmer temps, if no call for heat, the stoker won't stoke (push) any coal on to the grate. So what happens is, the fresh coal on the grate gets less and less until the fire goes out. So what you need is a bigger idle fire. In other words, if no call for heat, your stoker will not push coal on to the grate. So you have to force the stoker to push coal on the grate. This creates a bigger idle fire. I do this by adding timer pins. Not sure how yours works.

Your idle fire is tiny. Too small... Apparently your stoker is working, or you wouldn't have all that ash on the grate. You may also have too much feed rate. It's a balancing act. Here's something for you to think about: Lets say you have a 100,000 BTU stove. Everyone says to adjust the feed rate for maximum burn so that you have, lets say 1-1/2" of ash at the end of the grate. They are correct "IF" you needed Max Burn (All 100,000 BTU's). But, Lets say you Do Not need all of the 100,000 BTU's your stove is capable of producing. You only need 60,000 BTU's to heat your house. You would back your feed rate off, giving you a little smaller fire, and more ash at the end of the grate.

So, in other words, you want no more burning coal on the grate than needed to heat your house. At the same time, you need to force the stoker to push enough coal on the grate to keep a fire during no call for heat. Hence; a bigger idle fire.