Troubles With Kitchen Coal Stove Draft

 
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David...
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Post by David... » Wed. Mar. 28, 2018 11:35 am

Also make sure the hand valve right next to the radiator is all the way open (CCW). A partially closed vale can cause problems with a steam system. Your plumber the did the right thing replacing all of the vents.

David


 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Wed. Mar. 28, 2018 9:00 pm

Thank you for the excellent explanation. I understand it. I will get my 'bubble levels' out and check it all out. I just turned up my thermostat as I generally do this time of the day when the sun goes down. During the bright sunny days I get a lot of solar heat from the bays. It actually gets hot inside my home from the sun. The bays are on the south side and winter sun is at it's highest during this season on the south side. They knew what they were doing when they built my home. Yes, I heard the gurgling sound when I turned up the thermostat. I just never remember hearing it in the past so something has happened recently to cause this and it is why I asked the question. I haven't seen the plumber who installed my new furnace since 2015. The radiators have always been here. He only changed the vents on them. Wish he hadn't but that's done. Recently I had another plumbing company come here to run the flex pipe to my kitchen all of 10' for my new gas stove. I never saw a bill like that before and don't want to see another one. My fault as I didn't ask first for an estimate. It seems whenever a new contractor comes here and sees how well I live the prices rise. I'm not just saying that to be sarcastic. I will definitely do better screening in the future. ... Yes, I believe it would be referred to as a one-pipe system. On one end of the radiator is the steam vent and on the other side of my radiators are adjustable valves which I can turn to open or shut or in the middle depending upon how much heat I want out of each radiator. At the moment I have 'things' around that area of the radiator, house plants and such, that I must move to get at this. The house plants like the sunlight in that area and are there for the season. There was a time I could do all that moving things around in 5 minutes or less but not today. I appreciate the understanding of this from your description of things, will do all the trouble shooting and get to the bottom of this. Thank you so much. I did look carefully to be sure there are no leaks or anything like that and there are no leaks. It's definitely internal. Thank you so much. Sincerely.

 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Wed. Mar. 28, 2018 9:08 pm

David, As I was replying to Franco I thought of the same thing that you just wrote about to me with opening the valve wide open. I believe it is wide open because I want all the heat I can get from that radiator. I will check it out and understand your point. Thank you. I will do it right now.

 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Wed. Mar. 28, 2018 9:54 pm

David, I went around to my radiators and attempted to turn those valves. I've noticed my grip not being as great as it was in 2015. I suppose I am getting old and when you don't use a body part it seems to get weak. I've not twisted those valves since then. It frustrates me. I will start another exercise program immediately. One thing I do know is that my Kewanee hand fired furnace had kept me strong over the 36 years that I had it. .... Let me explain a couple of things for your understanding as well. After my furnace plumber installed the new Weil & McClain gas furnace he had an injury so I didn't see him after that. I remember not knowing what to do at the time as I was not getting steam on the 2nd floor. I had the manufacturer on the telephone and he walked me through things and had me go around and adjust those valves and the one in my living room where the thermostat is located for instance, he had me turn it only 3 turns open to experiment and then turn up the thermostat. I immediately started getting steam and heat on the 2nd floor. So we solved that issue by balancing (I think that's the term) balancing the system out. The thermostat was meeting the requirement for heat too quickly and not pushing the steam to the 2nd floor as it was shutting off. It's been fine ever since and so I never really changed anything with those valves. Now you have mentioned that the partially closed valves can cause a problem with the steam system. I can only speak to what I know. I'm living here since 1977 and my radiators are the same except as I said the plumber changed the valves when he installed the new furnace. They never made a gurgling noise before and it is only recently that I am hearing that sound in the one large radiator and this is 2018. I get plenty of heat on both the first and second floors. I've done some other "balancing" during the winter when I got my kitchen coal stove working again (thanks to Paulie xoxoxoxo). I had to get that heat from the coal stove upstairs and away from meeting the thermostat so I simply open the butler staircase door in the kitchen and let the heat rise to the 2nd floor from that area. (I have the coal stove off now due to warmer weather we are now experiencing.) That is another way of balancing the system. These are things I've learned just by experimenting. Balancing seems to be an ongoing process now. David, you might not have been along with this blog when I first came on but my kitchen coal stove was losing draft for a couple of years which brought me here. I was blaming it on the fact that I no longer had the coal furnace working in unison with the coal stove but in fact it wasn't that at all. It was an item Paulie discovered needed mending in my stove so he fixed it. He will have a new part made for me to replace the fixed one in the spring. I have excellent draft again on the stove as I always did as for all the years I'm here. I thought I would explain these things to you since I don't recall conversing with you before. Please know I appreciate all the information. I have learned many things living in my home by trial and error. It was sink or swim as they say. I bought a home that I love and had to learn things. Finding you all on this blog I still think was some sort of miracle. I hope I can pay back by helping others of what I have learned and my knowledge. Thank you all so much.

 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Wed. Apr. 04, 2018 9:38 pm

I haven't heard the gurgling sound in days!

 
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Post by coalstovelady » Wed. Apr. 04, 2018 10:05 pm

Hello again. I never got a bill like this in my life. (see attachment) I know prices have gone up but ..... This bill was to run a 10' flex pipe from my gas line located in the basement beneath my kitchen, up to my kitchen for my new dual fuel gas stove with electric oven. Previously I only had an electric stove in that location of my kitchen so the flex line needed to be brought upstairs next to the electric cord. Nobody was here 5 1/2 hours. I asked after I received the bill so I suppose it is my fault that I didn't get an estimate first. He charges $100 per hour. Apparently he charges to look over the job beforehand too. I had him come to look over the job before ordering the stove. It is a very expensive stove, something I saved for as I always wanted a gas cooking stove. He was here about 5 minutes, looked at the location for the stove and looked in the basement at the gas line black pipe that had extensions on it from my prior plumber when he installed my new furnace in 2015. I ordered the stove and it arrived. The plumber men came, two of them, then needed to run for parts and returned. When they were leaving, my stove was not against the wall which was a requirement of the job. It was about a foot from the wall. I have a depth space requirement. That is a corner with two doors leading to other areas of my home. Can't have a stove in the way. The plumber/owner knew that. We talked about that. The new stove has a large cutout on the lower back for the gas and electric connections so that was not an issue. The men had to leave for another job and said they would have to come back next week. The next week I phoned the owner to tell him the men didn't flush the stove with the wall and didn't meet the requirements. He came and fiddled around and got the stove about an inch from the wall. It could be better but it's ok. He squished the flex pipe, didn't change any elbows or fittings. Then I received this bill. He said they were here 3 times. I have learned a lesson. Ask beforehand on what will be charged and the hourly rate. I hope you all learn from my bad experience. I believe some of you are plumbers. I guess this is SOP? Have a nice day.

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coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Tue. May. 01, 2018 12:32 pm

Hello. I just stopped by to wish everyone a happy spring. Today finally the weather is in the 70's here in NEPA. I plan on doing some yard work, cut the grass and fertilize my trees. I talked with Paulie and he has my kitchen coal stove on his list to come and polish it and replace the part he fixed in the fall. I love my coal stove and had a happy winter using it again. Thank you Paulie. Enjoy the nice weather. xoxo


 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Fri. Jun. 29, 2018 5:38 pm

Hello to all my friends. Time goes by but I always think of how helpful you all were with my draft issue on my kitchen coal stove. Paulie was great. He knew my stove better than I - hard to believe but true. Last he and I talked by telephone, we were going to get together so he could polish the nickel trim when he found time from all the other projects he has undertaken. I hope he reads this note. I've been unable to reach him by phone but I know he has been busy. Perhaps all of you are at some convention for coal stoves. I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather. We are expecting a heat wave very shortly here in Northeastern PA. I'm glad we had a lot of spring showers. That was good for my flower gardens and trees. Very hot weather I will not enjoy. I love being outdoors but not when the temperature is in the 90's and it is predicted as such. I hope you are all well. Stay cool!

 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Mon. Sep. 10, 2018 12:43 pm

Well hello to all my dear coal stove friends. I can't believe fall is quickly approaching. It was a great summer. Today in NEPA the rain and dampness has brought the temperatures down and I just lit my kitchen coal stove for the first time. I'm sure the weather will recover and we will still get warm, even hot temperatures, but I couldn't take the damp chill and in the 60's so I did what every other owner of a kitchen coal stove would do and got it going. Soon I will feel the warmth and be happy again. I won't get into a real long discussion so that I keep an eye on the burn until I'm sure the coal catches from the wood and paper of which I start my fire. So far so good. Sometimes I have to try more than once - not the fault of the stove - just my lack of proper attention. I purchased a kitchen timer, a loud one, so it will get my attention. I hope you all had an enjoyable summer. I talked with Paulie a few times by phone and was hoping to see him over summer but he has been very busy. I heard some of you attended a coal stove conference up in the New England area. I don't travel interstates anymore since I retired. That's how it is when you get older. I hope some of you remember me and that you reply. Have a nice day!

 
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Post by franco b » Mon. Sep. 10, 2018 2:27 pm

Nice to hear from you again, and the pleasure your stove gives you.

 
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Post by Den034071 » Mon. Sep. 10, 2018 5:00 pm

Maam old guy here 74 .I can not do all the heavy things I did say 5 years ago .I have a grandson 24 thank God he is available .We We have coal in center of house an heat pump lousy in rest of house .No lie we were born in Coaldale Penna . so me and wife are coal Crackers .Both are pops worked as miners . We I start the coal stove around Nov . one as we both have arthritis .I met Paulie was at his house great guy .Be well I enjoyed your post .jack

 
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Post by coalstovelady » Mon. Sep. 10, 2018 5:56 pm

Hi Jack, nice to hear from you. You are correct about Paulie. He's great. I burned coal in my home for the 42 years that I live here. I had a Kewanee Hand Fired Furnace that finally needed to be put down a few years ago. I still have my kitchen coal stove. It's wonderful. If they still manufactured Kewanee Hand Fired Furnaces, I would buy another one. It was in my home 100 years just like the kitchen coal stove. There is nothing like the warmth of coal in a home.

 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Sat. Nov. 10, 2018 9:19 am

Well about a year has passed and we are entering another winter. I had an interesting summer and was able to get some yard work done then contacted poison ivy. My doctor provided medication so I stayed indoors for the balance of the season doing inside house work. My home is large and I did get 11 of my 13 rooms thoroughly cleaned the old fashioned way not just basic dusting and vacuuming. Up and down ladders to change curtains, moved some things outside and washed them down like the wicker furniture that I am still able to slide outside. I enjoyed every minute of it actually so this is not a complaint. A friend from High School visited from Texas for a reunion. He loved my home and coal stove. I'll try and attach a photo of the stove if I remember how to attach a photo. I lit my kithen coal stove several times recently when the weather got colder, then we had warmer days. The stove doesn't burn for me for days as it did before and seems to go out after the fire bed starts to get higher. I do rake the ashes down but then it goes out. It never did that before. Raking would allow more draft and all I had to do was add coal but that isn't doing it now. Paulie had found a broken part and fixed it temporarily last year while he was here. He is supposed to get the part replaced for me. I know he is very busy. I just read some of his posts. He even cut down one of his trees on the property and removed all of it by himself. He's amazing with his 'know-how' of just about everything. He mentioned several months ago that you all attended some kind of coal stove convention in the north. I'm sure that was a nice event. I hope you will all be enjoying your coal stoves since winter and very cold weather will soon be here. I'm planning on getting my snow blower out of the shed today and running to test it out. I have about 300 feet of sidewalks I need to clear after every storm. I have a John Deere blower that my mother bought for me 42 years ago when I purchased my historic home. It's still running and does a good job. I hope you will all keep in touch with me. I'm glad I found my post - I'm not good at navigating this blog site for some reason. I'm glad I got a chance to say "hello".

 
coalstovelady
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Post by coalstovelady » Sat. Nov. 10, 2018 9:24 am

I can't find the location to add a photograph of my stove? Oh wait, I think I found the attachment link. My friend was in from Texas and loved all my antiques, especially my kitchen coal stove. Well, of course!!! Hope the photo attaches.

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Post by Sunny Boy » Sat. Nov. 10, 2018 1:10 pm

Two things will stall a range fire,

1. The broken part that Paulie found, and patched, that was letting air bypass the firebed. Air takes the path of least resistance and it will race around a firebed rather than go through it, if given the chance.

2. Fly ash restricted stove flues and stove pipe - it's like trying to breath through a pillow. After awhile the fire is starting to choke on is own exhaust - especially when you fill the firebox and it's producing more heat and exhaust volume in relation to the restricted flues/pipes.

Have you checked and cleaned the pipe and oven flues since Paulie did that last year ? It has to be done at least once a year. And if you burn through 3 tons of coal like I do with my range, then at least twice a year. Plus, if you are using wood to start fires, it'll need cleaning out sooner than if you were using BBQ charcoal to start the fires. Been there with my kitchen range and found out the hard way.

Paul


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