Give up on Potbelly?

 
amamdabstewart
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Post by amamdabstewart » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 2:42 pm

Well....before my hubby kills me over a somewhat recent stove change....can someone help?

Does anyone have real world experience burning coal in a potbelly with a dump grate? We burn coal in our basement furnace...and hubby wanted to remove my much loved adorable boxwood so he could burn more coal and less wood. I HATE the dump grate and can't seem to find a shaker that would solve most of my issues I think.
Long story short....I've tried everything possible to get this thing to burn for 2 hours. Yes...its a modern cheapo :-(
I'm a certified pyromaniac with lots of bit and wood experience ....even played with anthracite in it.
I'm looking for advice...and if the advice is to move on....I get it.
If we need a different stove, I'm looking for input. I can periodically find used warm mornings and similar stoves in our area. Looking for suggestions that are viable and not $$$$ (a miracle perhaps?)


 
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Smokeyja
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Post by Smokeyja » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 3:31 pm

I didn't like burning in the one I had and it was a much nicer casting than the modern ones you can buy. I couldn't make it air tight enough. Are you just looking for supplement heat, just for fun, or main heating source ? Just for fun you could probably do ok with it otherwise I don't think they are well suited for houses .

When I first came on this forum I was calling cannon heaters "pot belly stoves" which I was informed is a slang term for many of them . I also was informed that they were used in open shops or in the middle of areas to rapidly heat for a day then burn out and do it all over again the next . They burn fast and hot .

I personally think base heaters are amazing and from all the info on the forum I bought one . A Glenwood 6 to be exact . But before I had a Warm morning 414a which was a very good stove and served me well for 2 years . I plan on putting it in my garage when I get it insulated . The WM hand fired stoves were meant to burn bituminous coal the best but they burn anthracite fairly well . The circular style shaker grates like in my cannon heater and the WM work well for wood and bit coal but not so great for anthracite when it came to clinkers which meant I needed to attend to it more .

The WMs can be had cheap so I personally might start with one of them if you want to more consistently burn coal unless you can find a good deal on another stove you like or you could skip all that and buy a better hand fired stove that will also fit a good deal of wood. I liked the Glenwood base heaters as well as other base heaters of its style because I could burn wood in it practically as well . Most other coal stoves don't burn wood as practical . Meaning I could fit logs in the Glenwood and the WM had to take smaller feedings .

 
amamdabstewart
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Coal Size/Type: nut bit and anthracite
Other Heating: misc small cast iron stoves

Post by amamdabstewart » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 4:02 pm

Fast + hot.....check. Makes total sense to me. I can easily heat up quickly and if home keep her running well. I was hoping for something that was antique looking but would use coal to help alleviate the wood cutting duties some.
Does the MW have a true shaker? Or dump that shakes a little?
We need something to combine with the output of our basement coal furnace....it's too small for heating the whole house, which is a bit spread out. Need more than fun to play with....already have about 6 various " fun stoves" much to hubby's dismay :-)

It's too bad there iant a Wondercoal type stove that is well made...they get bad reviews. A other $ stove mistake and I'm going to be in the doghouse. :-( and freezing!
I'm going to read up on the ones you posted about. I have eeasy access to bit and anthracite ...in WV.

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 4:14 pm

Welcome to the forum. I guess that means you are living in W,V. ? If you could put your town & state in your profile it would help others to help you better. When researching go to the Crane stove section,check out the 44,its bigger brother,the 88 (a rare find) or the 404,none of these are likely to heat your entire house but might be the low cost solution you are seeking.

 
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Smokeyja
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Post by Smokeyja » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 4:29 pm

If you have access to bit coal then a WM would be great ! If you want the longest burns possible than burning anthracite is the best . Bit will be more like burning wood as you might already know . But it's so cheap!
This is what the grate is going to look like in a WM 414 and most other WMs
This is what the grates look like in my Glenwood #6 and they are called triangular grates .
This was the shaker grate in my cannon heater
Image

All of these grates "shake" . The WM comes with a handle that you remove and place into a little door at the bottom to shake . The pot belly had an attached handle that you shake . The Glenwood grates turn by a handle but also can be shook back and forth .

I've only ever used antique stoves but a baseheater is by far superior to all other antique hand fired stoves . They may just be the best you can still buy but like I said I've only ever used antique stoves .
Last edited by Smokeyja on Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 4:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
amamdabstewart
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Coal Size/Type: nut bit and anthracite
Other Heating: misc small cast iron stoves

Post by amamdabstewart » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 4:31 pm

What are thoughts on a small Hitzer brand?

 
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Post by franco b » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:02 pm

amamdabstewart wrote:What are thoughts on a small Hitzer brand?
The Hitzer stoves are well regarded. Before deciding on a stove decide on the fuel. Bit coal needs a design with lots of over fire air, preferably heated and in the right place. Some of the antiques did it best.


 
amamdabstewart
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Post by amamdabstewart » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:15 pm

If the WM has the dump grate...I'm very hesitant because I'm horrid at dealing with the dump grate on the potbelly. I want a true shaker if at all possible.
I do live in WV...morgantown area.
To avoid freezing and fighting the potbelly....we brought in my mom n laws old mini cookstove/trash burner. It's working...for now. It's got wood and coal burning currently. Anthracite falls thru too easily. But only a temp solution and I have no clue if I'll freeze tonight.
My dream would be a rectangular frame and shaker grate to burn coal in my boxwood. Can't find anything that seems worth the $ risk....unless someone has ideas to that effect.
I prefer bit coal....since we already use it in the other stove

 
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Smokeyja
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Post by Smokeyja » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:25 pm

amamdabstewart wrote:If the WM has the dump grate...I'm very hesitant because I'm horrid at dealing with the dump grate on the potbelly. I want a true shaker if at all possible.
I do live in WV...morgantown area.
To avoid freezing and fighting the potbelly....we brought in my mom n laws old mini cookstove/trash burner. It's working...for now. It's got wood and coal burning currently. Anthracite falls thru too easily. But only a temp solution and I have no clue if I'll freeze tonight.
My dream would be a rectangular frame and shaker grate to burn coal in my boxwood. Can't find anything that seems worth the $ risk....unless someone has ideas to that effect.
I prefer bit coal....since we already use it in the other stove
I don't understand , they are "shaker" grates . You shake them to remove ash through the grate they don't dump the ash unless you want to . Maybe you are referring to something more similar to the Glenwood triangular grates I posted. And if you want a Bit burning stove then WM is one of the best routes for burning it with its firebrick flues specifically made to burn bit.

I found this site
http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/4869/Stove-Grate ... haker.html

It looks like what they are calling dump grates is the ability to pull the middle area out vs one solid grate . Why would you not want that compared to just , what they are calling a shaker. My cannon heater had a "shaker" I guess you can say the WM had a dump / shaker . The only difference I see , and is totally an advantage to coal, is the ability to dump clinkers and ash when needed . If you get clinkers in a shaker grate without a dump feature you are going to be fishing out clinkers or letting a fire die out . Read the post about different type of ash shaking preferences
Ash Shaking Preferences.
Last edited by Smokeyja on Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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blrman07
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Post by blrman07 » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:30 pm

ditto on the WM recommendation. They are great for bit coal. The key is the corner bricks having a hole down the center. That allows air up and burn the secondary gasses with wood or bit coal. They work with anthracite coal also. If you have one available, sell off the others and get the WM.

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:38 pm

You don't use a draw grate to dump and clear ash.

The draw grate is to dump clinkers, if they should start to build up and start to prevent ash dropping through the grate during shaking. Sometimes just shaking isn't enough mechanical action to break up the clinkers.

The triangular grates do similar by rotating and grinding the clinkers with the triangular shaped teeth. But, you only rotate them maybe once, or twice a day - first thing in the morning and maybe again before bed time. The rest of the time you just shake them with short, choppy shakes of the handle.

Paul

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:41 pm

If you can get bit coal, another vote for a Warm Morning.

Or, a "hot blast" type parlor stove which has a pipe that feeds secondary air right over the top of the coal bed to give a more complete burn.

Paul

 
amamdabstewart
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Post by amamdabstewart » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 5:51 pm

I've tried shaking the potbelly....TONS of shaking but not enough to clear out ash in any decent quantity. I wish it had a shaker that really worked well.

I do not have a barometric damper on....should I add and try the potbelly again? If I could get a 3 hour burn....would be an improvement. We actually have no pipe damper...it smoked too much with the damper installed.
If I knew the WM would shake down enough I would give it a try. Hubby will require your (Forum) blessing. The purchase of the potbelly has started a continual argument :-(

 
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Smokeyja
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Post by Smokeyja » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 6:04 pm

amamdabstewart wrote:I've tried shaking the potbelly....TONS of shaking but not enough to clear out ash in any decent quantity. I wish it had a shaker that really worked well.

I do not have a barometric damper on....should I add and try the potbelly again? If I could get a 3 hour burn....would be an improvement. We actually have no pipe damper...it smoked too much with the damper installed.
If I knew the WM would shake down enough I would give it a try. Hubby will require your (Forum) blessing. The purchase of the potbelly has started a continual argument :-(
The WM will shake down just fine and much better than that pot belly, especially with bit . You will need to poke or prod once and a while but they all need that. The best grates are the ones that crush and there are a few stoves that run similar styles . Please continue to read more and take your time on choosing your next stove . I've run the WM 414a for 2 years and I thought it was grate , it's what made me buy the Glenwood ultimately in a way . With any hand fired stove you are going to have to do some work . Some are easier than others but as far as burning goes there will be some attendance to the ash shaking vs with wood but you should get much much longer burns . The WMs are cheap enough to purchase that's it's no big deal if you don't like it . I bought mine for $100 and spent a little time restoring it and used it . If you want a Ferrari go buy a Ferrari but don't expect a pinto do give you the same results

 
amamdabstewart
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Other Heating: misc small cast iron stoves

Post by amamdabstewart » Thu. Jan. 01, 2015 6:43 pm

There is a Brunco spitfire for sale locally. Wood/coal. Thoughts? I should add that hubby is a fire USER not super willing to tinker with something unusual at this point. Not sure I can convince him on. WM...they are $ 350 to 750 here.
I sooo regret this potbelly. :-( thought I could master it. I guess I DID, just not the stove for my application


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