Hand Crank Tip for Power Outage

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Tue. Dec. 16, 2008 3:54 pm

When the power goes out, you can keep your EFM 520 lit by cranking the coal in manually. I learned the hard way, take it easy with the crank. All you need is about 10 revolutions per hour and it will keep the fire nice for when the power is restored. If you crank 25 pounds of coal into the pot once the power is restored you'll have some massive heat!

cArNaGe · Post by **cArNaGe** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 10:43 am

And a 9/16 Chevy Distributor wrench works nice for cranking it.

rocketjeremy · Post by **rocketjeremy** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 11:42 am

Thanks for the tip!! The snow/sleet/freezing rain is currently flying here in New Ringgold and until I get an inverter backup system I am very interested in keeping the unit running without power. I have a generator but I usually don't go through the trouble of hooking that up unless the power is going to be out for a significant time. For just and hour or two I like the idea of just giving it a hand crank and keeping it running. Do you do all 10 revolutions at the same time (say the top of the hour) or do you spread them out at all?

billw · Post by **billw** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 12:15 pm

Where is the air coming from?

cArNaGe · Post by **cArNaGe** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 4:23 pm

The chimney

coal berner · Post by **coal berner** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 6:30 pm

Only If You Have a Good strong drafting Chimney

Mark (PA) · Post by **Mark (PA)** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 8:24 pm

open to anyone here.

Provided you have a good drafting Chimney.

With your barrow damper set .02 / .04

Would that be enough to keep it going by cranking it? I haven't had to do this YET but it would be good to know!

cArNaGe · Post by **cArNaGe** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 8:36 pm

Mine will.

Course if I put tinfoil over my baro. My draft will go over .1 easy with an idle fire.

coal berner · Post by **coal berner** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 8:52 pm

cArNaGe wrote:Mine will.

Course if I put tinfoil over my baro. My draft will go over .1 easy with an idle fire.

I was thinking of you when I posted

I did that the other week and the draftrite gauge whent to .14

Post by **stoker-man** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 9:40 pm

The draft on my hand-fired is always .14

billw · Post by **billw** » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 10:20 pm

Another thing I'm going to have to experiment with this spring.

coal berner · Post by **coal berner** » Sat. Dec. 20, 2008 2:13 am

stoker-man wrote:The draft on my hand-fired is always .14

It should be .04 or 05 not .14 On The scale you would use the lines between the numbers 0 ||||.05|||| .10 Anything past .06 your wasting heat up the chimney / Heating the Neighborhood

http://www.dwyer-inst.com/PDF_files/mark2_iom.pdf

Post by **stoker-man** » Sat. Dec. 20, 2008 8:42 am

I have no draft regulator. Remember? I don't burn coal.

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Sat. Dec. 20, 2008 10:20 pm

I thought you were burning coal now.

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Sun. Dec. 21, 2008 12:02 am

The chimney draft keeps the fire going. It isn't enough to heat your house but it keeps the fresh coal you auger in going. Mine is at .04 most of the time but sometimes on a real crisp windy day the baro is wide open and I heat the neighborhood a little. I could adapt to a 12" stack pipe and install a larger baro but it doesn't bother me that $$$ much.