Potbelly Meteor style top ?

Looking for information on what this type of stove was used for. I have see three different manufacturers with the same style top, last being the Meteor 12. I see this style in the past with Meteor name. Any info from you guys would be great.

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You see the same type of top with two round covers and a loading door on laundry and canning stoves. The loading door is so you can add more coal without having to remove a heavy pot or canning/laundry " water boiler" full of water.

Paul

Fasle statement.
Laundry/canning stoves have 4 legs.

A nice little room heater. This style stove has 3 legs. Also has 2 different exhaust paths. Stands 26 inches tall. Every stove maker made these in 4 different sizes.
Some names are Wyoming, Daisy,Florin and Meteor, on and on and on.

mntbugy wrote: ↑

Fri. Jan. 27, 2023 8:28 pm

Fasle statement.
Laundry/canning stoves have 4 legs.

A nice little room heater. This style stove has 3 legs. Also has 2 different exhaust paths. Stands 26 inches tall. Every stove maker made these in 4 different sizes.
Some names are Wyoming, Daisy,Florin and Meteor, on and on and on.

False statement,.... pictures below of a neighbor's F.H. Stowe #8 canning/laundry stove with only three legs.

BTW, I didn't say that pot belly was a laundry/canning stove,.... said the top was like one with that type loading door so it can be loaded without removing whatever is covering the round cover on top.

Paul

This stove I have purchased is built by March Brownback out of PA. I finally found a pic with this small loading door open, do you just pour coal down through here and hope it levels out in your fire box. The stove has three legs, the large flat top with front loading door, and looks like some air passage tubes inside the flat top. I am hoping it kicks out as much heat as my Vail Oak cylinder stove.

swattley01 wrote: ↑

Sat. Jan. 28, 2023 4:53 pm

This stove I have purchased is built by March Brownback out of PA. I finally found a pic with this small loading door open, do you just pour coal down through here and hope it levels out in your fire box. The stove has three legs, the large flat top with front loading door, and looks like some air passage tubes inside the flat top. I am hoping it kicks out as much heat as my Vail Oak cylinder stove.

Can you post more pix of the stove ?

It's easier to load evenly through the top round cover.

However, the top loading door is like the "broiler" door on many kitchen ranges. It can be used for loading if there is a pot or kettle on the stove top. If you just pour it in the coal will mound up a bit just below the door, which is ok. Or you can reach in with a poker if you like and spread the coal more evenly.

I have used my range's broiler door to load coal in when we are canning.

Paul

Meteor was patented around 1865ish. Still made about 20 years later too. Should say around bottom lip of heater where legs attach.

The lever on the top right directs the exhaust flow. Lever vertical send exhaust from firepot to chimney. Lever horizontal sends exhaust into bottom of top baseball cap, to the front, across the top, back to chimney pipe.

Shaker grate shakes left and right. A quarter turn counterclockwise on the grate nub dumps the fire.

Load coal in the horizontal door like a range. All the dust will be pulled into stove. Dumping coal down the circle plate, half the dust goes in the stove, the other half floats into the room.

Meteor most likely has alot smaller firepot than the Vale. Plus it is half as tall as the Vale. Meteor about 26 inches tall. The Vale is about 60 inches tall.

They can be bought in PA for $50 dollar range as is. Restored $250-300.

What do you think this type stove upper section was designed for. I see a few manufacturer whith the same look of the top of the stove. The manufacturer of this stove is March Brownback back #12
I hope to pick it up tomorrow.

swattley01 wrote: ↑

Mon. Jan. 30, 2023 7:54 am

What do you think this type stove upper section was designed for. I see a few manufacturer whith the same look of the top of the stove. The manufacturer of this stove is March Brownback back #12
I hope to pick it up tomorrow.

Likely so large to increase heat radiating area and also a space for exhaust gases to slow down and cause turbulence, both of which can help transfer more heat. Acts like a plenum.

Paul

Today I picked up this stove. MNTBUGY you are right on about how this stove works in post above. This thing is in amazing shape, the grate, the heat deflection lever and plates and pot have no rusted work perfectly. The stove is small I wonder if this is average size for a one room heater back then. I have seen huge pot belly in my travels out in the Midwest, but not many. They are usually museum shape or rusted scrap. I can't wait to fire this thing up. I will say the bottom vent does not seal very well and seems not even made with a tite fit?

One of the common complaints of some small potbelly stoves is that the lower (primary) dampers don't seal well.

One I had leaked so bad that, in really cold weather when the draft was strongest, even with that damper fully closed, the firepot would get cherry red. No way to gasket it so I sealed around it with refractory cement so I could gain some control of the burn rate.

Paul

Same happened to my vail oak one night. Woke after night drinking during hunting season open day with 8 friends. 2 am the pot is glowing. Scared me to death.

Now this small stove is like you said not seal on bottom portion slide door. I wonder was this a decoration piece more than actrue room heater? But the shaker and exhaust passage is real. And inside is like new. Like never burned. I going to send pictures

Looks to be in very nice shape.

I didn't know this trick when I was running my potbelly stove. You can help slow it down and get better burn rate control by using smaller sized coal. Some owners use a mix of nut and pea size, or if your setup has a really strong draft then just use pea coal.

And if going to a smaller size works for you, it will also add a bit more fuel density in the firepot for a longer burn time.

I'll be doing that with my kitchen range tonight. It's already down in the single digits so I'll load it up with the smaller bits that come in bags of nut coal to help slow the stronger draft, plus have a bit more fuel to run it a bit hotter overnight.

Paul

I don't know why the system copy the first three pictures so many times. I could not figure out how to remove a couple