Atlantic Kitchen Heater 121?

After learning about the benefits of burning coal by reading this forum for about a year, my wife brought home from a garage sale an Atlantic Kitchen Heater model 121 manufactured by the Portland Stove Foundry. The stove has a white rectangular cabinet and 2 round cooking plates on top. I completely disassembled, cleaned, reassembled, and applied stove cement to all firebox joints. The stove appears to be in very good condition. My questions concern the wisdom of installing this stove in the living room and having a try at burning coal this winter. I imagine a through the wall installation using Selkirk Superpro Pipe going up 17 feet. My local DS machine dealer priced out the pipe close to $2000. Does anyone have knowledge of this stove, its output and use? Is this plan wise or should I wait until I can afford a new stove?

David

That stove was designed when folks were changing from wood/coal to gas. It was used to supliment the heat in the kitchen only. Is yours set up for wood or for coal? Most up in New England are for wood. It will not produce enough heat to justify the expense of installing it in the living room.

The stove is designed for coal as it has shaker grates in the bottom. Based on your answer I will install the stove in the garage and purchase either a DS energy max 110 or a DS circulator for my living room.

Thanks for the help.
David

The Portland Stove Foundry from Portland, Maine, manufactured your stove. That company started back into the 1800's. In the mid 1970's, when the price of fuel first soared, there became a vast resurgence in the demand for the old cast iron wood and coal stoves. Portland Stove Foundry capitalized on the big demand by re-introducing some of their older models from the late 1800's and 1900's. The company also imported stoves for a Norwegian stove manufacturer that was called Trolla Brug. The stove that you have described may have very well have been one that the Portland Stove Co. manufactured in the 1970's. Portland Stove Foundry went out of business in the 1980's. A law firm in Maine bought the copy rights to the company. Trolla Brug also went out of business in the 1980's. Their old factory in Norway now houses the Norwegian chapter of the Hells Angels. Sounds hillarious, but it's true.

Good story! I think his might have been one of those actually. It was a cast iron inside of white enameled sheet metal cabinet. Had two round cooktops on it front to back.

If it has the white exterior it is an old oneand that's good. Most of the stoves in the 70's were cast in Trinidad and they are a bear to rebuild as the metal tends to warp. You often need one more hand than normal to put one back tegether. Thye do take the same grates as a Queen Atlantic and they are quite plentiful.

I have the original Atlantic 121 but am wondering about the grate. I can't tell if it is a coal grate or not. It's flat with some small slots running the width of the grate and it has a pull handle inside the cabinet on the front of the stove. Doesn't like like any coal grate I've seen in my limited experience. I'd appreciate some help. If it is a wood grate, can it be converted to coal? Thank you.

tmbrddl wrote:I have the original Atlantic 121 but am wondering about the grate. I can't tell if it is a coal grate or not. It's flat with some small slots running the width of the grate and it has a pull handle inside the cabinet on the front of the stove. Doesn't like like any coal grate I've seen in my limited experience. I'd appreciate some help. If it is a wood grate, can it be converted to coal? Thank you.

Nope that is a wood grate. You need the two piece bar grates that rotate with a crank handle. Not sure where you could get them for that unit but I'm sure they could be found.

Would it be an easy conversion if I could locate the bar grates? Pretty much a swap? Thanks for your help BTW!

What would a nice brick chimney cost? Even the best stainless dosen't last as long as a tile lined chimney. (Lifetime plus.)

DAVIDT wrote:After learning about the benefits of burning coal by reading this forum for about a year, my wife brought home from a garage sale an Atlantic Kitchen Heater model 121 manufactured by the Portland Stove Foundry. The stove has a white rectangular cabinet and 2 round cooking plates on top. I completely disassembled, cleaned, reassembled, and applied stove cement to all firebox joints. The stove appears to be in very good condition. My questions concern the wisdom of installing this stove in the living room and having a try at burning coal this winter. I imagine a through the wall installation using Selkirk Superpro Pipe going up 17 feet. My local DS machine dealer priced out the pipe close to $2000. Does anyone have knowledge of this stove, its output and use? Is this plan wise or should I wait until I can afford a new stove?

David

"What would a nice brick chimney cost?" Depending on the height and flu size, a couple grand on up. Bricklayer since 1986.

I use an Atlantic Kitchen Heater 121 to successfully heat an 1800sq. foot home. It is coal fired (Coal -Blaschak-- from Ct. Pellet Torrington Conn.). It is installed in the basement and vents thru one of several flues in a masonry chimney. There is a register in the floor over the stove that allows the heat to come into the main part of the house. I have used it for around 25 years and usually burn 3-4 ton of coal a year. It needs to be fired 2, possibly 3 times a day (only in the coldest weather) ( generally has an 11 hour burn) and keeps the house between 70-72 degrees. Those that say that the stove is relatively inefficient and suitable for a garage, are not familiar with burning coal . We in this area (Connecticut) have in recent years experienced several periods of extended electrical outage due to winter storms. My home is warm and comfortable. The two plate top is ideal for cooking during power outages. I would not want to be without it. In the winter it is a comforting old and reliable friend!