Coal-Trol Settings, Manual Fan is On and I'm Pushing Hot Coals Off the Grate

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skobydog
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Post by skobydog » Mon. Jan. 25, 2016 6:40 pm

I just started this small stoker stove.

I'm not sure what I did but it's saying manual fan is on and I'm starting to push hot coals off the end of the grate. It was working fine earlier when I just started it but I hit some wrong buttons and now I'm not sure what's going on. Help :oops:

update: I figured out to get to automatic for fan speed.

Is the firing rate a set number that can't be changed?

 
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Post by skobydog » Mon. Jan. 25, 2016 6:59 pm

I'm starting to figure this out. :(

 
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WNY
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Post by WNY » Tue. Jan. 26, 2016 7:17 pm

If you press the menu and see FSA (Fan Speed AUTO) and you accidently hit the Arrow key, it will go into FSM (Fan Speed Manual) and you can adjust the fan speec 0-99% manually.

The feed rate is based on the Temp. Differential between set temperature and room temp (can't change, it's built into the logic/algorryhtm)

DON'T change the temp settings too much if at all. you will get temperature swings and overshoots. Most of us that have the CoalTrol, just leave it on a set temperature. Or change it only 1-2 degrees at a time and let it catch up after and hour or so.

Make Small adjustments and let it settle out.

MIN for Idle Fire to keep it from going out when not calling for heat and MAX setting for about 1" of ash at full burn (FR=99). It varies with each stove.


 
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Post by skobydog » Wed. Jan. 27, 2016 11:19 am

I had a significant temp drop because I had to leave the outside door open. When it happened again I lowered my temp and slowly raised my temps over time to let the stove catch up. There will be times when I have to do this on occasion. I don't need the stove to catch up quickly as it's in an unused area of the home. I have it there to keep the chill out when I work in there.

Will lowering the max stoker feed value be better for this situation where occasional drops in temperature can occur? The heated area is really only being used now to keep the chill out.
MIN for Idle Fire to keep it from going out when not calling for heat and MAX setting for about 1" of ash at full burn (FR=99). It varies with each stove.
The FR value is determined by the stove, not the user correct?

 
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Post by 2001Sierra » Wed. Jan. 27, 2016 12:10 pm

FR is not user adjustable. There is a setting hidden that is called HLF heat loss factor which can change how fast a stove responds to a temp change (FR). I use this feature because I like when I change the heat load it ramps up and down quicker and I do not mind temp overshoots.

 
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Post by WNY » Wed. Jan. 27, 2016 5:28 pm

Like he said, the FR is NOT adjustable. it varies with the temp differential, heating, etc....how fast it responds, etc... it's all built into the software.

You could bump the MIN up a few points to keep more heat in the stove when it's idling.


 
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Post by skobydog » Wed. Jan. 27, 2016 6:21 pm

I guess I'm trying more to avoid overshoots on the high end. The fire seems good at idle and for this particular application I don't care if it takes longer to respond.

So I'm "assuming" if I lower my max speed rate this will allow the stove time to catch up to low room temp over time without running coal off the end? Does that make sense?

 
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Post by WNY » Wed. Jan. 27, 2016 8:56 pm

MAX setting is for FULL burn without pushing hot coals off the end of the grate. It varies by stove and setup. whatever the manual suggests for a starting point is usually pretty close.

When it's calling for heat and it gets up to FR99 and the setpoint is not achieved, and you still have 1" or more of ash at the end of the grate, you can increase the MAX a couple points until you achieve the 1" or less of ash at full burn. you don't want hot coals pushing off the end, it's just wasting coal.

Depending on where your thermostat is located in relation to the stove, will also have an effect on how quickly it responds. of course, coal takes time to respond. depending on how much temp change you have, you may always get a little overshoot until it settles down. sometimes it's unavoidable depending on the situation.

Theres also some fan settings (CFM) at a certain feed rate, etc.... you can play with to get the heat moving quicker.

If read the manual and look on here for explaination of the terms.
Coal-Trol V3 Firmware Features

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