Godin Stove Coal Not "Settling"

Hello Jackson: look and post a request on this thread: Need Coal? Location and Dealer Inquiries Go Here.

Greg L

Hi mcosey, I am also a new member and live in the Northeast Kingdom of Vt. To answer your question about multi-fueling the answer is yes. We have had our Godin for over 25 years and we use wood in the milder weather that we are having now. This stove has been taken to every place we have lived so far and will no doubt go to the next home. We usually don't start burning coal until the temps get down close to 30F. We find the stove seems to draw better below these temps. We do have the bridging problem that everyone else seems to have but we live with it and just poke it down from the top and shake it often. I am not trying to discourage you but, coal is very dirty and we have found you will have much more ash to remove. Assuming you are living in a rural place you probably will have a place to dispose of your ashes. All in all it is well worth the effort for the steady and comfortable heat you will get out of your stove. Good luck

I just hooked up my Godin Petit Ovale and am having a time getting it to fire up. I would appreciate any tips you can give me. Also, do I need a damper in the stove pipe as with a wood stove?
Thanks

I have been using a Petit Godin Oval for over 25 years. I use anthracite pea coal, about 2 tons per season, and, except when out of town, it burns continuously from November to April. In SE Pennsylvania you can still get it delivered and our old house still has a coal bin. Its now about $200 / ton delivered. (November 2008)

I have always had to poke the coals from the top with a stiff wire to get them to settle. Have found the best way to fire it up it is to start with charcoal bricketts and then add the coal once the bricketts are going strong. Once the coal is lit, I fill it to the top and then top it off in the morning and evening. The flue temperate runs between 200 – 300 degrees f.

I also have a damper on the flue to help regulate the draught. Without it the draught increases with the flue temperature, which in turn increases the fire and it can get very hot.

The only problem I consistently have is with fused ash/clinkers and I have to let it go out about once a month since the grate won't grind these and let them pass to the ash pan. I have noticed this varies with the quality of the coal. The other issue is ITS DUSTY! Hard to avoid when you load the coal from the top or pull out the ash drawer.

I also patch up the fire box with furnace cement each year as the fire bricks have deteriorated over the years.

Hope this information helps. And if anyone has advice on how to avoid the fused ash/clinker problem, please pass it on.

Thanks for the tips! I had wondered if charcoal would work. I will buy some as I don't have much wood around in the right size for kindling. The Oval Petit is so small that I can't fit much wood in it. I do use newspaper and firestarter (wax and compressed sawdust) bricks to get the wood going and will do the same with charcoal. You are right about it being dusty. The coal ash is much finer than wood ash and it covers everything in the house.

I just found this forum and am delighted that people are discussing coal stoves. I own a log cabin in Pennsylvania which came with a large round Godin stove. In the 18 years I've used the stove I have replaced a few parts and the mica window, and had to make a new hinge for the main inside lid.

I wanted to comment on the issue of coal ash not settling in a Godin stove. One of the responders suggested poking the ash upward through the lower door. I want to strongly discourage anyone from doing that. Not only could hot ash fall out onto the floor, but the door itself could come off, with all the burning coal pouring out. The inside door is not firmly attached, it is designed for easy removal, so every time you poke through it, you risk knocking it off. If that happens, you have a China Syndrome scenario.
To break up the dome of unsettled ash, simply stab into the burning coal from the top with a fireplace poker. The dome will collapse, and you can then shake the ash down. You should never have to poke the ash from the bottom, it's just not safe.

That said, I am delighted with the service we have received from our Godin. It is the main heat source for our large cabin, and the winters here in the Poconos can be fierce. We use about a ton of nut coal a year, delivered by People's Coal in Stroudsburg. As you Pennsylvania users know, the anthracite in this region is exceptional, a blue coal that burns without smoke. I only hope I will be able to find parts for my Godin when I need them, I hope to be using it for many years to come.

Please help me find a Petite Godin coal stove in blue or black and in great condition. We are in the Poconos and will be happy to travel to pick it up. Looking forward to hearing from you. UpBeat @ptd.net

I am not sure if this is the correct address but I know that some have posted information and questions regarding Godin coal/woodburning stoves. I have a petite Godin that I purchased in the early eighties. I moved from that home and it has been in my basement for about 10 years (unused) and has developed rust color on the body of the stove. The enamel is in very good condition. The stove was only used about 10 or 15 times. I am now trying to find out a approximate resale value for this as I am moving again and do not want to bring it to my next home. I live north of Boston, MA. Sorry if this is not the right forum for this question but thought maybe someone could lead me in the right direction. I have not had any luck find information on the Godin stove. Any information or comments would be appreciated. Thanks

The Petit Godin's that are on craigslist go between $300 to $800...

lindalou wrote:Sorry if this is not the right forum for this question but thought maybe someone could lead me in the right direction.

If you care to sell it, do so here.

For Sale Coal Boilers, Furnaces, Stoves & Heating Related Items

UpBeat wrote:Please help me find a Petite Godin coal stove in blue or black and in great condition. We are in the Poconos and will be happy to travel to pick it up. Looking forward to hearing from you. UpBeat @ptd.net

I got a nice blue one advertised on this forum with the picture in "for sale section" I would be pleased to give you more information.

If anyone is interested, we are remodeling our home and have this same stove that we are getting rid of. Ours looks the same as the one in the post but has blue enamel accents instead of black and is in very good condition. Make us an offer...

Hello, I have found that if the lower flue gets plugged up with coal, clinkers or ash, the stove will not burn well. The fire burns OK at the top and exhausts through the upper flue opening, but the bottom of the fire gets cool. You get heat, but the incomplete burning of the coal at the bottom builds up clinkers that can't be shaken down too well. If you get a lot of clinkers and ash built up and it won't shake down well, dump the fire and start over. Make sure the bottom flue opening is clear.
When you have a good fire going, add fresh coal to the fire a while before you shake it down. Let the new coal get going before you shake the grate. The weight of the fresh coal helps settle the coal and ash below it. Don't add too much coal, either. Adding too much coal cools off the fire and causes poor combustion.
Sometimes the coal bridges and won't shake down to well - you get a hollow spot between the burning coal and the grate. I stick the poker down from the top a few times to break the bridge. The coal/ashes will settle to the grate so you can finish getting the ashes out. Don't over do the shaking. You don't want to loose burning coal.
I use two Godin stoves. A petit and an oval. Although both are very similar except for the shape and capacity, they both behave quite a bit differently. Both work very well, but the petit is fussier, and requires more attention.
Nut coal works the best in my opinion for the Godins. I have used stove which also works OK, and pea coal in a pinch (or when it's free). The pea coal works, but the fire doesn't breathe well.
Also, stick to one coal source and get familiar with the coal's characteristics. Cheap coal isn't always a bargain. Ask your supplier where the coal is from. Not all anthrecite is the same (I presume you're burning anthrecite). Your supplier should be able to fill you in on what is the best coal for you to use based on your installation.
Use Coal - Keep An American Working!

I picked up a nice Godin Round, larger size, this summer. I've been waiting until it was cold enough to fire it up, and this week has been fine coal fire weather. I have been burning leftover wood up til now, and really, this stove really is a great little wood burner. But on to coal. I had a Harman Mark II insert in my old house and loved it, and loved the coal heat and convenience. Looking forward to more of the same now. The heat output from this stove is incredible, it will easily heat my 980 Sq. Ft. home, one story, ranch style.
But, the issue of bridging....I took some advice from a couple different folks on this thread and have found that at first, I was not loading my stove deep enough, if would burn great for twelve hours, but when I shook and loaded it, there simply was no fuel left hot enough for the stove to get rolling again, just inexperienced and needed to figure the stove out. Now I load it as suggested in this thread, to about 3/4 to the flue, giving enough space for a secondary burn also. So when I am ready to shake now, I open the door, let the fire heat up some, and shovel on a layer of fresh coal. I let that get going. When I start this process, there is now a nice bright red core of coals I can rely on to get the new coal going well. I add that first layer as insurance, to be sure I will have some going if I find what remains is insufficient. Then I take my tool that I fashioned from 1/2 inch copper. Just a 15 inch length with a 90 elbow and another 2 inch piece. I flattened that with a hammer so I have an L shpaed flat tool to prod with. I slide it in along the grates to reach the back/rear of the stove and just drag out the spent coal and ash. Most of the light ash falls into the pan, and the course stuff falls into a steel can I have ready to accept it. Not much mess. I keep raking it out until I am just at the crust between the air pocket I created and the hot coals above and then I stop. I work from the bottom up.
Then, I close the door, load the stove to 3/4 level and let it get to working temperature, soon, I hear the bridge fall and I shake it. At that point, I have a nice red glow and hot coals at the grate. Then I refill and get the door closed, vent adjusted and damper set for the day, or night. I do this twice a day, and I think it is going to get a little more refined as I learn more and as it gets colder. (I live in Cortland, NY, and it gets pretty chilly here sometimes.)
I want to thank everyone that has posted here, the advice is great and the humor is appreciated. Thanks for letting me join all you coal burners on the forum too.