Building NEW from Scratch
Maybe the old time bit burners had the right idea and didn't realize it..
fig:
I have posted designs of TRUE base burners many times but most do not
understand the process . These stoves have an airtite magazine and have
bottom combustion which enables them to burn off the volatiles with no
smoke because of the complete combustion of the gases driven off of the
coal . They continue to burn like an oil burner with a low roar after the initial
burn, you can open the magazine and the coal inside is not burning except
down slightly above the grate ,but care must be taken as the gases are
explosive and this is not needed since you can see the flames in the secondary
air.
fig:
I have posted designs of TRUE base burners many times but most do not
understand the process . These stoves have an airtite magazine and have
bottom combustion which enables them to burn off the volatiles with no
smoke because of the complete combustion of the gases driven off of the
coal . They continue to burn like an oil burner with a low roar after the initial
burn, you can open the magazine and the coal inside is not burning except
down slightly above the grate ,but care must be taken as the gases are
explosive and this is not needed since you can see the flames in the secondary
air.
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- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Harman SF360
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- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 7.1/DS Machine basement stove/ Harman SF1500
- Baseburners & Antiques: Renown Parlor stove 87B
- Coal Size/Type: Bituminous/anthracite
- Other Heating: Harman Accentra, enviro omega, Vermont Ironworks Elm stove, Quadrafire Mt Vernon, Logwood stove, Sotz barrel stove,
Wow interesting. I seem to recall in Williams video him mentioning the glenwood being able to burn bituminous.
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- Coal Size/Type: To Be Determined
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Interesting. I've never heard the term "base burner" before. I'm learning something new here for which I thank you.
I must say I was wondering if I could use such an approach just as you described. Airtight over the bed and feed air from the bottom only.
Would some over fire air would be needed at the height of the volatiles burning off?
I must say I was wondering if I could use such an approach just as you described. Airtight over the bed and feed air from the bottom only.
Would some over fire air would be needed at the height of the volatiles burning off?
The air feeds from the bottom through the hot bed of coals and proceeds
up through the coal in the magazine heating it up and slowly distills off the
volatiles and are drawn downward as heated and oxygenated ready to burn
fuel. Similar to to the way the flues in the warm morning stoves burn the hot
gases but this is done in the coal bed above the grate. Secondary air comes in
at grate level to accelerate the final combustion of the hot gases.
This is kinda like pyrolysis of wood or coal in the making of charcoal and coke,
where you burn in a low oxygen environment and create gases which are highly
flammable and burn at high temperatures. This is how the gasifiers work
by destructive distillation by breaking the material apart and creating complex
hydrocarbons many of which have very high BTU values. This is probably why bit
coal is higher in heat value than anthracite coal, if you burn all of the gases.
People confuse base heaters with base burners which are two distinct types of
coal appliances. See the Morning Glory 1868 and all the amendments for the distinction .
This is a TRUE base burner,
BigBarney
up through the coal in the magazine heating it up and slowly distills off the
volatiles and are drawn downward as heated and oxygenated ready to burn
fuel. Similar to to the way the flues in the warm morning stoves burn the hot
gases but this is done in the coal bed above the grate. Secondary air comes in
at grate level to accelerate the final combustion of the hot gases.
This is kinda like pyrolysis of wood or coal in the making of charcoal and coke,
where you burn in a low oxygen environment and create gases which are highly
flammable and burn at high temperatures. This is how the gasifiers work
by destructive distillation by breaking the material apart and creating complex
hydrocarbons many of which have very high BTU values. This is probably why bit
coal is higher in heat value than anthracite coal, if you burn all of the gases.
People confuse base heaters with base burners which are two distinct types of
coal appliances. See the Morning Glory 1868 and all the amendments for the distinction .
This is a TRUE base burner,
BigBarney
Franco:
Base Burners need bottom air for the secondary combustion, the primary
air is in the top magazine from the fire near the grate.
These burn like cigar from the end to butt so the hot end is at the tip (grate),
with lower temperature in magazine but highly burnable. If you admit too
much air to the magazine you get an explosion with the sudden unregulated
oxygenated entering the lower combustion chamber esp with bit coal.
These can burn either bit or anthracite efficiently just with a little different
process , bit with more volatiles has a longer burn to clear them , whereas
anthracite has a shorter vol burn and a longer carbon burn.
BigBarney
Base Burners need bottom air for the secondary combustion, the primary
air is in the top magazine from the fire near the grate.
These burn like cigar from the end to butt so the hot end is at the tip (grate),
with lower temperature in magazine but highly burnable. If you admit too
much air to the magazine you get an explosion with the sudden unregulated
oxygenated entering the lower combustion chamber esp with bit coal.
These can burn either bit or anthracite efficiently just with a little different
process , bit with more volatiles has a longer burn to clear them , whereas
anthracite has a shorter vol burn and a longer carbon burn.
BigBarney
- mntbugy
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- Coal Size/Type: stove and nut and some bit
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Some of the best "antique" bit burners are.
Moore's 3 way and cabinet model 402,403.
Cole's hot blast.
Radiant Home air blast.
Florence hot blast 151,153,55,75,77.
Better heaters are before 1900.
Most any heater with blast or forced draft in the name.
Moore's 3 way and cabinet model 402,403.
Cole's hot blast.
Radiant Home air blast.
Florence hot blast 151,153,55,75,77.
Better heaters are before 1900.
Most any heater with blast or forced draft in the name.
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- Joined: Fri. Feb. 12, 2016 2:36 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Harman SF360
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: T.O.M (Warm Morning converted to baseburner by Steve) Round Oak 1917 Door model O-3, Warm Morning 400, Warm Morning 524, Warm Morning 414,Florence No.77, Warm Morning 523-b
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 7.1/DS Machine basement stove/ Harman SF1500
- Baseburners & Antiques: Renown Parlor stove 87B
- Coal Size/Type: Bituminous/anthracite
- Other Heating: Harman Accentra, enviro omega, Vermont Ironworks Elm stove, Quadrafire Mt Vernon, Logwood stove, Sotz barrel stove,
The trick is finding them with all the essential parts intact.
Franco:
Air can flow in both directions at the same time , but not in the same space.
The front of the stove has air going up or down depending in the burn cycle,
the rear of the magazine can do the same. If the burn cycle is using the volatiles
as fuel the rear part of the chamber is usually down because the draft of the
chimney is greater there . When the volatiles are expended the the carbon
combustion is not as violent so there is a more controlled burn that is still
downward pulling the vapors from the magazine to the combustion area
above the grate.
BigBarney
Air can flow in both directions at the same time , but not in the same space.
The front of the stove has air going up or down depending in the burn cycle,
the rear of the magazine can do the same. If the burn cycle is using the volatiles
as fuel the rear part of the chamber is usually down because the draft of the
chimney is greater there . When the volatiles are expended the the carbon
combustion is not as violent so there is a more controlled burn that is still
downward pulling the vapors from the magazine to the combustion area
above the grate.
BigBarney
- Scottscoaled
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- Coal Size/Type: Lots of buck
- Other Heating: Slant Fin electric boiler backup
You can figure anyway you want to make it more efficient, burn hotter, whatever. When it comes right down to it, you need square inches of heat transfer area. That’s why the base burners were so efficient. They wrangled every last BTU out of the coal because they had more square inches of heat transfer area. I always thought that if I had to make a hot air furnace From scratch, I would make the top of the firebox long and thin and have the end of it have a set of double tubes coming back over the top of the fire to a box and then passing through out the back sort of like the old tube boilers. That is still the most efficient boiler model. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with hot air also. Double pass horizontal tubes.