Hotblast Year 4

 
corey
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Location: Southwest VA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Buck Stove Hybrid
Coal Size/Type: Eastern KY bituminous

Post by corey » Mon. Dec. 11, 2017 12:12 pm

larryfoster wrote:
Sun. Dec. 10, 2017 9:37 pm
Has anyone used a product similar to this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MX9HRQ/ref=sspa_dk_ ... il_2?psc=1

I'm wondering if this may help reduce my soot build up.
There are no reviews and little product info.

By the way, it's hit 12 degrees and I haven't frozen.
Something must be better.

I'm still unsure of damper adjustments for the best heat.

Usually, I leave the primary air open 4 turns and seldom change that.
Secondary from all the way open to, on occasion, 1/2 closed.
MPD, I can't close much more than 1/3 before I get smoke
I've had good luck with Rutland soot remover in the spray form.


 
larryfoster
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Joined: Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:02 am
Location: Armstrong County, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 617-B
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Hot Blast 1557M
Coal Size/Type: Bituminous nut (me and the coal)
Other Heating: Propane Kerosene

Post by larryfoster » Mon. Dec. 11, 2017 12:18 pm

Thanks, corey.
What kind of soot do you get?

Mine is real fluffy, powdery and pretty loose.
It's easy to get off

 
corey
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Posts: 1035
Joined: Fri. Nov. 14, 2014 11:14 am
Location: Southwest VA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Buck Stove Hybrid
Coal Size/Type: Eastern KY bituminous

Post by corey » Mon. Dec. 11, 2017 12:35 pm

larryfoster wrote:
Mon. Dec. 11, 2017 12:18 pm
Thanks, corey.
What kind of soot do you get?

Mine is real fluffy, powdery and pretty loose.
It's easy to get off
Mine is the same kind I didn't get much at from the pipe walls last clean out I've found out that an mpd is a soot catcher in a bit chimney. I give mine a vigorous shake daily.

 
larryfoster
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Posts: 1352
Joined: Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:02 am
Location: Armstrong County, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 617-B
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Hot Blast 1557M
Coal Size/Type: Bituminous nut (me and the coal)
Other Heating: Propane Kerosene

Post by larryfoster » Mon. Dec. 11, 2017 12:40 pm

My whole unit seems to be a soot catcher.

Since I learned that I needed to do better with my housekeeping, I shake several times a day.
And pick around a bucket of rocks (total) a day.

 
corey
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Posts: 1035
Joined: Fri. Nov. 14, 2014 11:14 am
Location: Southwest VA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Buck Stove Hybrid
Coal Size/Type: Eastern KY bituminous

Post by corey » Mon. Dec. 11, 2017 4:59 pm

Sorry i meant i shake the mpd.

 
larryfoster
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Posts: 1352
Joined: Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:02 am
Location: Armstrong County, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 617-B
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Hot Blast 1557M
Coal Size/Type: Bituminous nut (me and the coal)
Other Heating: Propane Kerosene

Post by larryfoster » Fri. Dec. 15, 2017 8:29 am

I may have learned something.
If so, that would be a major accomplishment because I'm not a smart man.

Yesterday morning, it was @ 15 outside and my house was cool .
Figured that I was in for another winter of my not quite warm enough house with my Hotblast.

Started thinking about my Warm Morning stove in the garage and the instructions.
Those say that, once the fire is going good, to close the secondary air.

I wondered if that would let the fire die down due to not enough air.

I tried that on the furnace and the house started to get warmer!
:o

I'm guessing it gets enough air through the holes in the front (and back?) liner.

Also, I closed the MPD until smoke started coming out the doors and opened it a little from there.
I seem to be able to get it to close more than I had been.

I ran it like that all day yesterday and overnight.

It was 8 this morning.
After clearing the ashes and loading, I left the ash door open for 20 minutes then closed it.
House got a lot warmer faster than usual.

Some other preliminary observations:

I didn't have hardly any rocks to pick out this morning.
They had been building up inside the front liner.

Reduced clinkers. Coal seems to coke up and then burn more completely to ash.

Slower burn; longer between load times.

Could be a wild goose chase or a eureka moment.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Dec. 15, 2017 8:33 am

I'm gonna run with EUREKA Larry!!!!!!!! :)


 
larryfoster
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 617-B
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Coal Size/Type: Bituminous nut (me and the coal)
Other Heating: Propane Kerosene

Post by larryfoster » Fri. Dec. 15, 2017 8:38 am

Got my fingers crossed, Fred.
And my toes and eyes.

 
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Lightning
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
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Post by Lightning » Fri. Dec. 15, 2017 8:51 am

There are two ways you can handle secondary air. Share it with the primary air, like the way you have it now, which works good for bit coal and wood. Or seal the bypasses and control it independently with the load door vent, which is recommended for anthracite.

Me being me lol, I would still seal the bypasses and control the secondary air independently no matter which fuel I was using. But you do what works for you.

It appears that it's possible you were using too much secondary air later in the burn. Once volatiles are burned off (after a fresh load is added) it's wise to reduce secondary air, because too much will lead to a waste of heat going up the chimney.

 
larryfoster
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Joined: Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:02 am
Location: Armstrong County, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 617-B
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Hot Blast 1557M
Coal Size/Type: Bituminous nut (me and the coal)
Other Heating: Propane Kerosene

Post by larryfoster » Fri. Dec. 15, 2017 9:09 am

You being you and me being me...

Being somewhat lazy, I'm trying for the design way rather than the interactive.
:oops:

Once I verify that I have found something that works, I'm wondering if I should fool with the primary air.
Right now, I have it open 4 turns which is slightly more than 1/2 open.

Just came up from checking.
Initially loaded 1-1/2 hour ago.
Over the door it's @350 and the supply duct is 113.

Seem to have a decent bed of coals.

 
corey
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Location: Southwest VA
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Buck Stove Hybrid
Coal Size/Type: Eastern KY bituminous

Post by corey » Fri. Dec. 15, 2017 12:19 pm

Hoping for the bast.

I think those liners provide the proper amount of air for bituminous my stove dont even have load door vents. But it does have a second air control right below the front liner. Wish i had a camera in that liner cause i can open the secondary vent my temp goes up early in my burn.
I just found this out this week.

 
larryfoster
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Joined: Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:02 am
Location: Armstrong County, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 617-B
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Hot Blast 1557M
Coal Size/Type: Bituminous nut (me and the coal)
Other Heating: Propane Kerosene

Post by larryfoster » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 7:58 pm

It's deja vu all over again or Groundhog Day or I've just gone nuts.

I just realized yesterday that I kept the slider on the load door closed for almost 3 years of my problems.

Now, it works.
Before, it didn't.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 8:40 pm

So, let's see if I understand this correctly. In the past when you thought you were giving the fire some secondary air, in actuality it was getting none?

 
larryfoster
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Posts: 1352
Joined: Fri. Nov. 21, 2014 1:02 am
Location: Armstrong County, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 617-B
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Hot Blast 1557M
Coal Size/Type: Bituminous nut (me and the coal)
Other Heating: Propane Kerosene

Post by larryfoster » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 9:18 pm

I may have been unclear, Lightning.
In the past, I thought the coal needed under fire air so I always kept the slider on the load door closed and the primary air open.

Sometime last season, I started using more secondary air with the slider on the load door open.
Continued that into the beginning of this season.

Then, a week or so ago, I decided to try reducing the secondary air through the load door.
Finally, a few days ago, I tried closing that completely.

My house was warm even though it was only 8-10 degrees outside.

It occurred to me yesterday that was how I had done from the beginning.
Then, I couldn't get warm and now I'm toasty.

There are other factors that are different now than then.
I'm only giving it 1/2 the primary air and the MPD is a little more closed.
Also, better tending and housekeeping may be factors, too.

I don't know if I was giving it too much air in the past (which doesn't make sense) with the primary always wide open

I definitely have slowed the burn down by keeping the primary only 1/2 open and the load door slider closed with the MPD more closed.

I only add coal 2-3 times/day now.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Mon. Dec. 18, 2017 9:45 pm

So basically you ran the same experiment twice and got two different results. Okay, In that case keep doing what yer doin, it seems to be working.


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