New to coal - with a shining gem of a base burner: McClary 114 with Piggyback Oven!

Don, where are you at with the adaptations you expected to pursue ?

inquiring minds you know,
steve

Thanks for the inquiry, Steve!

So, over the warmer months I decided that the best, most consistent option was to install a draft-inducing chimney fan. This was against the advice of folks here, but I had the budget for it and I wanted more control over things and not to be at the mercy of the wind.

It was an excellent move. The draft this thing can kick out is outstanding - in fact, too much. I have only ever put it up to half power, and that was when I was trying to get the oven hot enough to cook in - and we baked a pizza in it.

Previously, I would get a lot of smoke in the house on start-up - something difficult to avoid. When starting the stove now, I just load in a layer of coal, cover that with a layer of charcoal, nestle in a bunch of toilet paper soaked with lighter fluid and spread a bit on the charcoal as well, and let 'er go. Big flames initially, but not a whiff of the lighter fluid in the house with the draft taking it all outside. Stove is up and running in to time, and no mess or problems. The fan has a 10-year warranty against corrosion, and the installer is a friend of mine that can make good on that in a heartbeat if necessary.

I've replaced the mica windows, which had some cracks and damage.

One of the door handles has come off - the locking piece on the back always made a poor fit and snapped when I tried to bend it slightly. The door still fits snugly with a friction fit so this is something I will repair in the spring. Any advice for how to do that would be appreciated!

The firepot can get pretty hot, and I'm not sure how hot is TOO hot. My thermometer has read as high as 1210F with a noticeable glow. I figured that was too much and backed her down... but at least I know just how hot it can get. Curious, what should my maximum allowable temps on the firepot be to avoid potential damage? I plan on sending the firepot and grates out to be recast so I always have a good set. The highest measurement on the cast iron body of the stove, at the back, was around 700F and the stovepipe usually reads around 200F - lower in baseburner mode of course.

I do worry that the ash pan might not be original to the stove, as when it is installed it blocks access to the vent on the bottom for baseburner functionality. It also slightly blocks the main damper in the front when in place. Maybe these stoves just didn't originally have an ash pan and the ash was shoveled out by hand?

Some recent photos, some of which I have posted elsewhere on this forum.

Thoughts and comments welcome!

Oh maaaaaaannnn....I was hoping you had tried Pauliewog’s suggestion...both because it was easier and to save you money.

Oh well! Glad you got it worked out...least until the power is out longer than an hour or the fan corrodes from the fly ash. Also glad you had a friend to assist you with a replacement if needed. I certainly wouldn’t trust an installer I didn’t know personally and tax him with trusting him for warranty work. My luck isn’t that good...especially with sweeps/installers. Lol!

So glad you stove is functioning better. It’s a work of art.

I guess I will give Pauliewog’s suggestion here a try. Actually, I had inquired of this subject in another thread.
Restricting a chimney outlet..chimney reducing caps

I think when I get my manometer I will try this and document the results.

Since finding this thread I borrowed a couple relevant posts and copied and pasted them into my thread as they seemed to relate...just for those reading into the future who may have the same question I did.

We are on a double-loop portion of the power grid because we are a few blocks away from a hospital, so when the power goes out, it's only for a few minutes most of the time. Even still, the stove would run without the fan - it's how I ran it last year!

Glad that certain elements of this thread have been helpful for you!

Sometimes peace-of-mind comes with “just doing it”...even spending more money. I get that. Sometimes we just don’t want to mess with it in a certain way. Finances can affect the decision, for sure...and of course, I was being selfish, naturally, thinking about my own “possible” situation. I say possible because with coal and burning low, I won’t know for sure until I see some manometer numbers on a cold inside chimney and until my stove is in place and running.

Was supposed to had my stove in last week, but it’s looking like Thursday-Saturday now.

Sure has been an interesting ride...this thread. Major stove envy, for sure.

you my friend have a lot of nerve, in the very best of sense of course.

I measured 700F on my converted box stove / base burner and my wife was blowing a gasket about spreading sand on the carpet beyond the hearth for fear it would catch fire.

I was pretty concerned myself but more about sections of wood trim on the walls much closer than the carpet. when you have 700F on the barrel is that enough to heat the whole house ?

another example of each install being different. great to hear you are up and running with dependability.

shoot us some mano. numbers during average settled fire conditions sometime so we have a bit more picture of how the unit likes to run.

thanks,
steve

DonKom, 1200 on the side of the pot is a little much.

My little stove fire pot is anywhere between 500-900 degrees. The rest of the stove is a lot less. Clinker doors anywhere between 200-600.

I've seen my grates in the low 1000's after a fresh shake many of times.

650 degrees around clinker doors is about max temp.

Oh...that was funny, Steve. I’ve never met your wife but I can just imagine the expressions on her face. Still chuckling....