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Since I started up the Glenwood #6 yesterday morning I've only been using stove sized coal to see how it does with the magazine. Up until now I've only used nut coal. My local dealer gave me a good deal on a pallet of Lehigh bagged stove, which I'll be mostly using in the range to get higher cooking/baking temps, so I'm trying it out in the GW base heater until my bulk delivery gets here.

Some of you might remember that my tests early on showed that the firepot and mag would hold about 10% less coal by weight than when filled with nut coal to the same levels - the edge of the firepot liner and the top lid of the mag. When I started the stove, to fill the firepot and mag up to those levels, it took almost two full 40 lb. bags of the Lehigh stove. That was filled by shovel as I built up the firebed, then filled the mag pouring coal through the lid, so the firepot was at first filled right up to the top edge of the firebricks.

Two things I've noticed are,.....
1. The level in the magazine has hardly dropped in the 8-1/2 hours since I topped it off late last night, right before bed time. Over night the edge of the firebed has burned down and is staying almost two inches lower at the firebricks. I opened the top lid and checked the level there. It's only down the same amount as the firebed. I pushed on the coal just to see if it was bridging in the mag. Nope, it's solid right down into the firebed. This being a recast mag it's 10% shorter than a original. The nut coal level in the mag would have been down at least half way in that time.

2. The much larger chunks of stove don't roll out of the mag bottom and down the pile as easily to maintain as deep a firebed as the nut coal did. When I filled it last night, I had to use the poker to move chunks from the mag out to refill the firebed to the top of the firebricks as much as the nut size would have by force of gravity

The good news is that the stove size is putting out good heat. It was windy and stayed in the 30's yesterday. The wind died and got down to 29 F shortly after sunset and all that time the house has stayed very comfortable.

Thought ya'd like to know.

Paul

Part two.

Well, it's now been over three hours since I first checked the stove this morning. The firebed level has burned down in the center, but coal has not fallen out of the mag, thus leaving a gap.

The stove size didn't bridge during my cold mag measuring tests, but as we know, a hot fire can make things different. The mag only bridged a couple of times last winter just using nut coal. I was afraid this might happen with the large size of the stove coal.

I shook the grates, got ashes dropping, but neither the mag, nor the firebed dropped. Had to push on both with the poker. Filled the mag, poked around the base of it to move more coal out to fill the firepot to the top, then topped it off.

Paul

Looks like nut is the way to go.

Yes, nut seems to work better with the magazine. Both tend to bridge in the firepot so that's somewhat of a given.

One other option is,... lift out the mag whenever wanting to use the stove size. The down side of that is, it will take longer to reload and burn off excess volatiles before being able to reset the dampers for cruising. As it is now, it's refill the mag and reset the dampers, no waiting. A person could get spoiled with that.

Or leave the mag in, use stove size, but plan on having to do some poking down into the mag to break up any bridging before reloading.

Time will tell.

Paul

i am sooooo going to need a mag for my 6. hope i can find one when the time comes.

nice right up, always cool to get "the rest of the story"

thanks,
steve

Interesting to read about a magazine on these stoves, as most were lost. Thanks for the post!

I suggest that anyone who wants a magazine for a Glenwood, #6 & #8 base heater, or 116, 118 Modern Oak, and possibly some of the GW Oaks that could also have the optional magazine, they should contact member Pauliewog and get their name on his list. He is working on making another run of GW mag castings.

And the GW mags may also fit some of the other makes of base heaters and oaks that are very similar to Glenwoods ????

Paul

When I used to use my Efel stove, I used to put some stove on the bottom part of the hopper with nut the rest of the way and never had a problem but filled with just stove I did. Whether any advantage for you to do that I do not know.

warminmn wrote: ↑

Fri. Oct. 19, 2018 3:02 pm

When I used to use my Efel stove, I used to put some stove on the bottom part of the hopper with nut the rest of the way and never had a problem but filled with just stove I did. Whether any advantage for you to do that I do not know.

What shape and ID was the mag in the Efel ?

If the Glenwood mag was as big around as some of the mica base burner mags, I doubt the stove size would bridge as easily.

paul

Sunny Boy wrote: ↑

Fri. Oct. 19, 2018 3:33 pm

What shape and ID was the mag in the Efel ?

If the Glenwood mag was as big around as some of the mica base burner mags, I doubt the stove size would bridge as easily.

paul

Its buried but I tried to measure and looks like 13" by 4" or 5", rectangular. I would have to guess about 10 pounds of stove with 10 of nut on top. I had a lot of stove size here one year so was using it.

Well this is a first.

After shaking down the ashes in the #6, I tried to reload the mag with more stove sized coal. It took a few pieces, but would not drop to fill the gap under it on top of the firebed.

Tried pushing down inside the top of the mag with the right-angled tip of the poker - nothing - solid as can be.

Couldn't reach up inside from the bottom of the mag to whatever was jamming it.

Finally had to get a thin, straight steel rod and keep working it down from the top around the edge of the mag through the jam. It finally hit the one piece jamming it and the mag dumped it's contents onto the firebed.

I've never had that happen before !!!

I guess tomorrow I go back to using nut coal.

Paul

Yeah my new to me baseburner was very clear Chesnut Coal Only guess you just illustrated why...

Refilled it last night with more stove coal and this morning the mag was jammed up again and hadn't dropped to keep the firebed topped off. Once again, I had to work the steel rod down through the top to break the jam loose.

That's 2 for 2 now. Nuts to this !!!!

Paul

As long as the weather is not so cold that I really need the heat, I decided to test a mix of 50-50 stove and nut.

Just did the morning ash shake-down and reloaded the mag completely with that mix. I'll check during the day to see if it drops on it's own to keep the firebed topped off.

Paul

Ok, the 50/50 mix of nut and stove seems to be working at not jamming in the magazine.

I've been mixing the two sizes in coal buckets then pouring into the mag and this morning, noon, and tonight's checking/refilling that mix is dropping and feeding the firebed. It's not quite as full a firebed as just using all nut, but the heat output is very good. Breathes a bit better and hotter than just using all nut coal.

Since I still have most of that pallet of Lehigh stove, I'm gonna stick with that mix for a few days more just to make sure.

And just using the stove size in the range during the day is working out well for getting higher cooktop and oven temps. Then I switch it over to just nut coal for filling up for the night to slow and extend the burn times.

Paul