Need help, new coal now I'm having trouble keeping the fire

 
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oros35
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Post by oros35 » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 10:26 am

So I switched coal supplier and now I keep getting out fires with a full boiler of half burnt coal. Need help figuring out how to keep this new coal going!
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Background: it's a Cozeburn outdoor coal/wood boiler, half decent design with forced draft, shaker grates, fire brick on part of it. Heat exchanger on the forced air furnace in the house. I started using it last season so I have a few months burning with it.
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I've put about 3 ton of coal through it last year and have not had this problem. I used Coal from Grove City PA last year, ROM nice lump down to fines. That stuff burned real hot and pretty well but fused and clinkered a ton and smoked the whole neighborhood out. (couple times I had people call and ask if my house was on fire! Nope just the OCB chugging away) I never had a problem keeping it going, just problems with large clinkers and too much smoke.

So this year I tried something new, Went with some Vailer Coal, lump, and at first was very pleased with it. Hardly any clinkers, very bearable smoke (nearly none after the first couple hours after loading) But several times I've come out to a nearly out or completely cold pile of coal. I revived it or started it over by building a wood fire on top of the pile, the pile caught and I got at least 8 more hours of burn time out of it so the BTU's are their, the fire just went out.

Last night, I checked it about 4pm and had a nice fire, raked the coals to keep them piled up in the middle. Came back out at 11PM to load it for the night and bam, cold coals. They were out, not even a small spot still burning. So many coals that it would be hard to add more. My temp differential is set to 5 degrees on the water temp. It recovers in 5-10 minutes typically. Every 1 or 2 cycles of the house furnace the boiler will fire. It has a tall chimney, 15 feet about, it has some draft with the fan off but not a ton. When it's warm out I have problems with it boiling over from making heat without the draft fan kicking on.

Have some ideas for me to try and get this coal to burn without going out?


 
Odyknuck
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Post by Odyknuck » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 10:59 am

Sounds like an intermittent issue with the unit and not necessarily the coal. Hard to diagnose unless present for problem.

 
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oros35
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Post by oros35 » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 11:29 am

When it was out, the forced draft was working too. Blowing air through the bed of coals. The ash pan was full, that's about the only thing I can come up with. Even so it wasn't so full the air was cut off and at 4pm the fire was burning just fine with the same full ash pan.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 2:05 pm

Raking procedure might of left the pile too dense for air to pass esasily through as needed...got a 'riddler' to help clear grates with less raking?

 
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Post by franco b » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 2:39 pm

Is a puzzlement. I like McGiever's possible solution, but would like to make sure just where the blower is blowing. With the blower running it should be pressurizing the ash pan area. If you open that door with the blower running it should blow ash out, if indeed it is below the coal bed.

 
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gadabout3
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Post by gadabout3 » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 8:50 pm

Excuse Me Learning Newbie,

What is a riddler?

 
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Post by franco b » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 9:47 pm

gadabout3 wrote:
Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 8:50 pm
Excuse Me Learning Newbie,

What is a riddler?
I first heard the term from an English friend who riddled the open fire basket by banging and poking the fire with a poker before adding coal.

I prefer the term "slicing" which means sliding a flat poker just over the grate to force the ash to drop through it. A riddler or slicer is that poker.

The stove of course has to have an opening at grate level to insert the poker, and also a means to close that hole when done.

If you slide a piece of flat steel under the front grate of your Godin, you could riddle the ash. Riddling or slicing is very effective.


 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 10:28 pm

Try throwing a piece or two of wood in the middle of the coal pile when loading the furnace. See if that helps.

 
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gadabout3
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Post by gadabout3 » Thu. Dec. 19, 2019 11:11 pm

I have been using a "riddler" and didn't know it. I have a skinny poker the lady sent with the stove when I bought it. I do that exact thing. I poke down from the top to try to break the clumps of ash before I use the skinny poker to lift and break up the clumps of ash laying on the grate then rattle it back and forth then I use the shaker grate and finally add more coal. I do this to try and save wear and tear on the shaker grate.
Thanks for helping me with my learning curve.....again. :D

 
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Post by kirtsy420 » Fri. Dec. 20, 2019 3:15 pm

im having the same problem in my clayton 1600. i can get an awesome fire going but in bout 2 to 3 hours the fire is out and looks like melted rusty steal

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Dec. 20, 2019 6:52 pm

kirtsy420 wrote:
Fri. Dec. 20, 2019 3:15 pm
im having the same problem in my clayton 1600. i can get an awesome fire going but in bout 2 to 3 hours the fire is out and looks like melted rusty steal
You could find and read many past posts here w/ great details to making thinks more workable for your Clayton...

 
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oros35
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Post by oros35 » Sat. Dec. 21, 2019 1:17 am

Riddle.... Interesting. My rake is a flat piece of steel welded to a steel bar at a bit of an angle. About 6 inches wide. On the opposite side there is a tab of steel about 4 inches long and an inch wide. I rake and smash clumps with the spike. It came with the boiler and does a pretty good job.

I'm beginning to think the ash pan is my problem. Causing the air to go around the hot ashes maybe? Even though it's passing air, might not be going in the right area.

I'll also pay attention to smashing it up too much.

I've tried tossing a log in the middle before with mixed results. Sometimes all it causes is a giant arch bridge of stuck together coal, sometimes it works OK.

Thanks for the replies!

 
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Post by franco b » Sat. Dec. 21, 2019 8:50 am

With a blower that you are certain is blowing under the grate, The only possible reasons for not burning is ash buildup or air bypassing the bed . Try a thin poker with a long L shaped end that will allow you to rake down to the grate as you drag it through the bed.

 
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oros35
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Post by oros35 » Thu. Dec. 26, 2019 9:47 am

So I ruled out a full ash pan as the problem. Did exactly the same with an empty bin.

The blower is getting the air where it needs to be, can tell by watching the dust go when I shake the grates some.

I'm really thinking it's this coal just doesn't want to cooperate with this boiler. I'm going to play around with the cycle temps when it gets cold again. That's about the only adjustment I have. That and how I load it. When it works, it works great. Only thing I changed was the coal supplier.

 
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Post by McGiever » Thu. Dec. 26, 2019 9:59 am

Different coal properties means different techniques.


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