Modern Glenwood Oak 116 - clinkers and still over firing!

 
Paned
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Post by Paned » Thu. Dec. 28, 2017 4:53 pm

I have a similar setup. On my Florence I have 45’ of chimney above the firepot. I run with pipe damper completely closed, secondary closed and primary just barely cracked. I only shake 2 times a day. If you are shaking and poking every few hours then this will definitely lead to clinkers. I’d suggest closing off the primary air and see if fire dies down to about 250 at barrel. If not then your ash door may be leaking too much. Hope this helps.

 
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Post by wilsons woodstoves » Thu. Dec. 28, 2017 5:12 pm

Did you say the stove has a back pipe? If it does try tipping the cover a bit to let in air, makes for a good check.I agree open the secondary damper in the door. Wilson

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Thu. Dec. 28, 2017 5:28 pm

specialtg wrote:
Thu. Dec. 28, 2017 4:15 pm
Thank you! We do clear out the ash pan and I am cautious of keeping it clear of the pyramid of ash that Wilson told me about to keep grates from warping!

Could we be shaking too much? We have a lot of embers in the pan when we shake?

We do are emptying ash pan twice a day! So much clinkers!

We have the secondary on the loading door closed right...will try opening that a bit!

Thanks again
Most antique stove ash pans are sized to hold ash for about 24 hours of average use.

In bitter cold weather, the stronger draft created by the greater temp difference between indoors verses outdoors, plus increased heat demand, can burn up a lot more coal, so you'll need to empty the pan more often. But even at that, it's usually just a shorter interval by a few hours each day - say like every 18-20 hours instead of every 24. However, twice a day seems like too much ash shaking, especially if your getting a lot of embers and unburned coal in the ash pan. And yes, shaking too much ash can make a stove run hotter than it should. Ash quantity left on the grates is one of the things that helps limit air flow through the firebed.

What about rotating the grate bars ? Are you doing that once a day - like first thing each morning before shaking ashes, when the ash bed is it's deepest from an overnight fire ?

Paul

 
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Post by specialtg » Thu. Dec. 28, 2017 10:01 pm

Paul, I am not rotating the grates once a day?We just shake them when we open the ash door we don't see red embers glowing from the firebed above! So we should rotate the grates first thing in the morning?

Wilson, we don't have the back pipe yet but we do have the piece to hold it... that is next on the list of things to get from you!

I have the burn pot full, primary dampers open just a slit, a tiny bit open on secondary and the pipe dampers completely shut. Let's see what happens tonight with this -27 wind chill!

Thanks again everyone!


 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Thu. Dec. 28, 2017 10:25 pm

Yes, those triangular grates are designed to be rotated daily so that they don't get all the heat stress on just one face and become warped. Rotating them daily also brakes up and dumps clinkers as they try to form, but while are still at that crumbly stage.

If you haven't been rotating them then most likely there's a build up of clinkers on the grates that would explain why you need to run it so hot, or the fire starts to die. And it also explains having to tend it so often. The firepot is filling up with clinkers and can't hold as much usable fuel to burn longer.

Best time to rotate them is when the ash bed is at it's deepest - such as after long runs overnight, then you don't risk dumping live coal.

To rotate GW modern oak grates.
Put the shaker handle on with the handle up at 12 o'clock.
For the right hand set of grates you rotate the handle clockwise 120 degrees (down to 4 o'clock).

With the left hand grates you rotate the handle down, counter clockwise to 7 o'clock.

Those rotational directions are so that the outer grate bars move the ash away from the side of the firepot and toward the other grate bar to grind and break up the clinkers. Otherwise, rotating the other way will make the outer bars pack ash and clinkers up against the firepot wall.

Don't rotate them 360 degrees. That just puts the same grate bar faces up against the heat. The idea is to give each set of faces a break and let the other faces get their turn at the heat to even out heat stress and prevent warping the bars.

Make sure that when your done one of the three flat spots on the end of the grate bars is facing up. Then you'll know that the grate bars also have a flat surface facing up to support the firebed.

Then you can shake ash until you see a even orange glow throughout the ash pan. You shouldn't need to shake ash again for 10-12 hours.

Sometimes the grates need a bit of picking to help. Many stoves came with a fire poker that had a right angled tip flattened and pointed to reach up through the grate gaps to help loosen any stubborn ash spots. It's a toothpick for stoves. :D You can make one, or they are quite common on eBay if you search for "stove tools".

Paul

 
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Post by specialtg » Fri. Dec. 29, 2017 10:06 am

Thanks Paul! Didn't know about the grate rotation! The left hand set isn't rotating easy because of clinkers but I will work in that! We will not shake as much and assess!
Yes we have the stove tooth pick!
Paul your explainations are clear and concise me and the hubby are "grate"ful!

Last night I didn't check the stove until 5am and it was about half full but still going strong! It was -8 so I am calling that progress!

Think we need the back pipe for sure

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Dec. 29, 2017 10:44 am

Good. Hopefully you can break up that left side blockage with your "stove toothpick" and then rotating the grates will further break it up and dump it into the ash pan. Otherwise that blockage will be there until you let the stove go out and dig it out through the top.

For many years I put up with warped grates in my range because a previous owner never rotated them. The bars were warped enough that they couldn't be turned because they hit the firebox sides. So over the course of a few years with all the heat on one side only, they warped even more. Over the course of a week or two the bottom of the firebed would slowly fill up with clinkers. The heat output would drop off and I'd run it hotter to make up for that loss of volume, which made more clinkers. The clinkers made it tough to clear ash properly. Plus, the stove needed tending more often. Sound familiar ?

I had new grate bars made a few years ago and it's amazing the difference. The stove puts out much more heat without having to run the firebed too hot. And, clinkers don't get a chance to accumulate and mess up tending the firebed.

Paul

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