Keeping Franco Belge Going

 
jasius
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Franco Belge model 144.08.02

Post by jasius » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:48 pm

I am having a particularly difficult time in keeping my Franco Belge going. I load half of it with Kingsford Match Light and then when it's hot keep adding thin layers of coal, no problems, very nice and hot coal. Then I load up the bunker full and this is where it all stops. After several hours it becomes dimmer and then after several more hours it's gone. I can't understand what is it I am doing wrong. I have air open at 6-7 all the time. Naturally, the stove and chimney have been cleaned and this is only few times I used it this year

One guess is that my bunker supply is set to the highest so fresh coal just floods the burning and kills the fire.
Second guess is that I have lots of fine coal (I am taking everything from the bottom of my pile so lots of fine coal), perhaps that burns somehow differently?

any advice would be appreciated

thanks

Jonas


 
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blrman07
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Post by blrman07 » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 5:58 pm

Cant Keep Franco Belge 144.08.08 Stove Lit or Get Real Good?

Try this link as I believe it describes a problem your having. These stoves need that rear air inlet area open. Try the link and let us know.

Oh and Welcome to the forum. If you fill out the rest of your avatar infomation someone on here might be close to you and able to lend a hand.

 
jasius
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Post by jasius » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 6:10 pm

Will do. Edited my location and thanks for warm welcome

 
jasius
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Post by jasius » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 6:18 pm

blrman07 wrote:Cant Keep Franco Belge 144.08.08 Stove Lit or Get Real Good?

Try this link as I believe it describes a problem your having. These stoves need that rear air inlet area open. Try the link and let us know.

Oh and Welcome to the forum. If you fill out the rest of your avatar infomation someone on here might be close to you and able to lend a hand.
Not immediately clear what needs to be done. I actually called one company and they came in, fully took it apart and cleaned it completely. I think it should simply work.

Now, I have nothing after it, e.g. it goes into the chimney that is in a wall (barometric damper aside)

Jonas

 
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SWPaDon
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Post by SWPaDon » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 6:23 pm

jasius wrote:I am having a particularly difficult time in keeping my Franco Belge going. I load half of it with Kingsford Match Light and then when it's hot keep adding thin layers of coal, no problems, very nice and hot coal. Then I load up the bunker full and this is where it all stops. After several hours it becomes dimmer and then after several more hours it's gone. I can't understand what is it I am doing wrong. I have air open at 6-7 all the time. Naturally, the stove and chimney have been cleaned and this is only few times I used it this year

One guess is that my bunker supply is set to the highest so fresh coal just floods the burning and kills the fire.
Second guess is that I have lots of fine coal (I am taking everything from the bottom of my pile so lots of fine coal), perhaps that burns somehow differently?

any advice would be appreciated

thanks

Jonas
Too much fine coal at one time, can and will smother your fire.

 
jasius
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Post by jasius » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 6:31 pm

OK, I will clean up and restart tomorrow trying to avoid that fine stuff. Not sure how to avoid but I will try

 
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tsb
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Post by tsb » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 7:23 pm

Under the sheet metal there are elbow caps on each side. Make sure they are
in place an not leaking. They are on the exhaust chambers.


 
jasius
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Post by jasius » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 7:34 pm

tsb wrote:Under the sheet metal there are elbow caps on each side. Make sure they are
in place an not leaking. They are on the exhaust chambers.
the ones that have some sort of gaskets on them? cleaning company checked and replaced them

 
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Post by franco b » Sat. Jan. 23, 2016 7:44 pm

Obviously air is not going up through the coal. It could be as tsb says, or too much fines, or bad draft. Did you see the heat exchange passages being cleaned with a brush?

Cover the baro with foil. With cold stove hold a match to each exhaust outlet to see if the flame draws into the outlet . Add coal slowly through hopper once fire is established, until fire is up to hopper and then fill hopper.

 
jasius
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Post by jasius » Sun. Jan. 24, 2016 6:11 pm

franco b wrote:Obviously air is not going up through the coal. It could be as tsb says, or too much fines, or bad draft. Did you see the heat exchange passages being cleaned with a brush?

Cover the baro with foil. With cold stove hold a match to each exhaust outlet to see if the flame draws into the outlet . Add coal slowly through hopper once fire is established, until fire is up to hopper and then fill hopper.
so, part deux of this saga today. I covered baro with foil, there is a nice draft on both sides. so I went fresh and now it's working seemingly, I was careful not to have the fine stuff in since I was getting coal from the bottom of the pile that previous owner left.

one question: the side air port seems to be fully open when dial is on 7 and fully closed when it's on 4. Now I am thinking whether it's some sort of lack of adjustment or it should be this way so it will burn even when it's on 2 or 1 on dial, e.g. that side port for air being fully closed. there is other way for air to get in?

 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Sun. Jan. 24, 2016 7:20 pm

That air port is controlled by a bi-metal strip behind the adjusting knob. It opens and closes the air intake automatically according to the stove heat and where it is set.

There is a smaller door within the larger flap that responds to smaller changes in heat. Set the adjusting knob to a mid position and then gradually lower or raise the setting for more or less heat. With a high setting the coal will obviously burn faster and hotter and need tending sooner. Once set there is no need to to touch the thermostat setting except to change heat output. This includes when shaking down and slicing the coal bed and refilling the hopper.

 
jasius
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Post by jasius » Sun. Jan. 24, 2016 7:33 pm

franco b wrote:That air port is controlled by a bi-metal strip behind the adjusting knob. It opens and closes the air intake automatically according to the stove heat and where it is set.

There is a smaller door within the larger flap that responds to smaller changes in heat. Set the adjusting knob to a mid position and then gradually lower or raise the setting for more or less heat. With a high setting the coal will obviously burn faster and hotter and need tending sooner. Once set there is no need to to touch the thermostat setting except to change heat output. This includes when shaking down and slicing the coal bed and refilling the hopper.
that second part is unclear. there is one know on the right side that adjusts a door I can also see on the right side behind the wall. so I adjust the know and can visually see that the door opens at 4 and closes at 7. so I am not sure what automatic means in this case.

Could you please elaborate on "Set the adjusting knob to a mid position and then gradually lower or raise the setting for more or less heat. "

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Sun. Jan. 24, 2016 7:40 pm

jasius wrote:.........one question: the side air port seems to be fully open when dial is on 7 and fully closed when it's on 4. Now I am thinking whether it's some sort of lack of adjustment or it should be this way so it will burn even when it's on 2 or 1 on dial, e.g. that side port for air being fully closed. there is other way for air to get in?
The first yr I ran a stove with a bi-metal air inlet I was in a panic thinking the bi-metal thermostat adjustment was broken.
Try to remember these instruments can only be set proper with a cold stove. As you said..."...fully open when dial is on 7 and fully closed when it's on 4." if the stove was NOT hot it would not close on 4, so now the stove needs to cool some for the air inlet to open when it is set on 4 and keep the stove on that temp.
Hope it helped ;)

 
jasius
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Post by jasius » Sun. Jan. 24, 2016 8:00 pm

michaelanthony wrote:
jasius wrote:.........one question: the side air port seems to be fully open when dial is on 7 and fully closed when it's on 4. Now I am thinking whether it's some sort of lack of adjustment or it should be this way so it will burn even when it's on 2 or 1 on dial, e.g. that side port for air being fully closed. there is other way for air to get in?
The first yr I ran a stove with a bi-metal air inlet I was in a panic thinking the bi-metal thermostat adjustment was broken.
Try to remember these instruments can only be set proper with a cold stove. As you said..."...fully open when dial is on 7 and fully closed when it's on 4." if the stove was NOT hot it would not close on 4, so now the stove needs to cool some for the air inlet to open when it is set on 4 and keep the stove on that temp.
Hope it helped ;)
very interesting... so I should not pay attention when this air port is open or closed at which dial position. I want to run hot, I run it on 6, for the night, I just dial it down to 2 and everything else will work out "automatically"?

 
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Post by franco b » Sun. Jan. 24, 2016 8:02 pm

jasius wrote:
franco b wrote:That air port is controlled by a bi-metal strip behind the adjusting knob. It opens and closes the air intake automatically according to the stove heat and where it is set.

There is a smaller door within the larger flap that responds to smaller changes in heat. Set the adjusting knob to a mid position and then gradually lower or raise the setting for more or less heat. With a high setting the coal will obviously burn faster and hotter and need tending sooner. Once set there is no need to to touch the thermostat setting except to change heat output. This includes when shaking down and slicing the coal bed and refilling the hopper.
that second part is unclear. there is one know on the right side that adjusts a door I can also see on the right side behind the wall. so I adjust the know and can visually see that the door opens at 4 and closes at 7. so I am not sure what automatic means in this case.

Could you please elaborate on "Set the adjusting knob to a mid position and then gradually lower or raise the setting for more or less heat. "


You mixed it up. it closes at 4 and opens at 7. the setting is relative to the heat of the stove. The numbers do not refer to a particular opening of the flap. Once set at, for instance 4, it will open and close by itself to maintain the stove heat at that setting. Most of the opening and closing will nor be by wide swings of the flap you see, but by a smaller door centered in the large flap. If you want more heat raise the setting to 5 and for less heat to 3, but actually by much finer gradations than that, moving only maybe 1/8 inch at a time and allowing hours for the setting to equalize the heat output.

With warmer weather gradually lower the setting for less output until you reach a minimum fire that still stays lit. The same for maximum heat. Raise the setting to a higher number being aware of over heating the stove. Stay with 8 hour tending times at high heat, and if the fire is too low , then turn down the heat until those tending times are OK. About 40 pounds per day is about max.

The stove is unlike tending the usual hand fired stove. Leave the setting alone once the heat output is what you want and just shake down , fill the hopper and walk away. One minute. Empty ash pan once per day.

Run your slicing poker along the front edge of the fire pot and the two front corners to clear what the poker does not reach. Be certain to close the poker openings when done.


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