Franco Belge Pea Vs Nut Help

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winstonsmith
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Post by winstonsmith » Mon. Sep. 06, 2010 12:23 pm

I have been using my trusty frano belge hand fired for ever it seams. I have used Pea coal for the past 14 years. On those real cold mornings the stove can not keep up. I was thinking about trying some larger size coal, like chestnut. Maybe mixing it. Has anyone tryed this and what are the results? Do have to adjust the hooper ? Last question I have found that coal quality from brand to brand differs. What brands burn well in your franco belge?

Thanks
Joe

 
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lowfog01
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Mark II & Mark I
Coal Size/Type: nut/pea

Post by lowfog01 » Mon. Sep. 06, 2010 12:54 pm

I don't have a Franco Belge but I sometimes mix pea and nut in my Harman Mark II. I normally burn pea because living in Northern VA like I do I don't get below freezing very often. The pea gives me a long, drawn out burn. On those days when I do need the heat and want it fast, I mix 50/50 pea and nut and things get toasty real fast. I started out actually mixing the coal but discovered I get the same results just by doing a scoop of pea and a scoop of nut - it's cleaner. I've been doing that for a couple of years now. I buy 2/3s of my coal pea and 1/3s nut. I'm happy with the results. Lisa


 
franco b
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Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Mon. Sep. 06, 2010 2:38 pm

I have burned nut in my Franco Belge but only because I got some free. The hopper should be all the way up even for pea. You can even put the hopper above the highest notch, on top of the supports. This would help the nut size coal to flow easier and the bed of burning coal would be deeper. My experience is that about 50 pounds a day is the maximum you can burn conveniently with shaking 3 times a day.

The Franco Belge is a very efficient stove and it achieves this through the use of a hopper to preheat the coal, a relatively thin bed of burning coal which keeps CO down, and large heat exchange area. The price you pay for this is a stove that is larger than its grate area would indicate. The grate area is less than 100 square inches; if it were round it would be about 11 inches, so it is not a large stove. Claimed heat output, like other stoves is done under laboratory conditions and fired harder than would be practical in everyday use. To achieve rated output you would have to burn about 10 pounds per hour which is not going to happen. Practical output is probably about 20,00 BTU per hour.

I think you could get a faster burn and more output with nut,but you will tend it oftener and stack temperature will go up. Beware of getting it too hot and keep the glass clean. I saw one stove where the glass started to melt and was bowed out. The stove will work best in the living area which is what it was designed for. If your is in a lower level you might consider a second small stove upstairs.

The best coal I have used was Bethlehem many years ago, just like black glass which is no longer available. I now use Blashak and find it very good.

 
pafishman
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Post by pafishman » Sun. Sep. 12, 2010 10:53 am

This is my 2nd Franco Belge stove, I've used 100% pea in both till last year where I tried a 50/50 mix of pea & nut...there is a big differance :D I burned less and got more heat. I too had good results from LC&N and South Tamaqua coal.

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