New House with Franco Belge coal stove

 
fnf8guy
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Post by fnf8guy » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 2:42 pm

I recently purchased a home with a Franco Belge stove in place. I'm not sure what model it is. My best guess is a 10.1475. I've never had a stove before. How does this thing work?
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franco b
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:09 pm

Welcome to the forum.

Your stove is one of the most efficient and easiest tending ever made.

The con part is that the fire pot is small which means burning hotter on those cold days and tending every 8 hours instead of twelve. About 40 pounds of coal a day max without overheating the stove. Should do well heating about 1200 square feet of decently insulated house.

Open the door and hold a match to one of the flue openings on either side. The match flame should be drawn in at least a little. I ask this because the FRanco Belge is not an easy drafting stove and with that long smoke pipe run lets find out now if draft is adequate with a cold stove.

The stove and smoke pipe Must be cleaned and inspected. A shop vac with bag or filter for fine dust is needed as well as a long handled cleaning brush you can buy at a plumbing or oil burner supply house.

Take down the smoke pipe and disconnect from the stove. Clean it and the base of the chimney.

Lift off the hinged top lid of the stove and set it aside. Remove several screws and lift off the back of the stove cabinet. This will give you access to two clean out plates held in place with knurled thumb screws. Vacuum and brush out the flue passages on both sides along with reaching in behind the side plates. Put together again and vacuum and brush inside of stove including ash pan compartment.

Do that and come back for more information now that you have more understanding of how the stove is built. You should have two tools. A long flat angled poker and a combination tool with a hook on one end to lift the hopper door and a right angle flat on the other to lift the ash pan.

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:13 pm

Unless you have a wildly strong drafting chimney,i personally would shorten the vertical pipe to get the horizontal pipe closer to a 45* angle.BUT, that would be how i would do it,some might not like the looks of a 45* pipe.

 
franco b
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:25 pm

More information on your chimney and and also your general location would be helpful. The needs of Nome differ from Tampa.

 
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Post by fnf8guy » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:31 pm

Thanks for the advice. The exterior portion of the chimney rusted off. I'm currently working on finding someone to come out and look over the stove and replace the exterior portion of the chimney, since I have no idea what I'm doing with this thing. I don't want to burn the house down I just bought. Is there any common damage to those stoves I should look for?

 
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Post by fnf8guy » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:35 pm

I'm outside of Easton, PA. The chimney looks a bit sketchy to me. It punches straight out of the side of the house through what used to be a window. Someone removed the glass and made some kind of cement replacement. There's a ceramic tube that the chimney goes through. Unfortunately, the exterior portion has rusted off.

 
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Lightning
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Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:42 pm

Can we get some pictures of all that please?


 
fnf8guy
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Post by fnf8guy » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:42 pm

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Here's a picture I had of the back. You can see where the chimney punches through on the left window.

 
franco b
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Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:43 pm

If the chimney is Selkirk (Metalbestos) they might replace it free.

Damage to look for is cracks in the castings. The glass in the door should be flat and not bowed out which indicates over heating. All inner parts should not be eaten away or warped from excess heat.

 
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Lightning
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:47 pm

Ah, I see. Looks like you need a new chimney. A block and mortar chimney with tile liner is recommended for burning coal. One can be built rather inexpensively if you and perhaps a friend that has some experience can do the work. There might even be a better location closer to the stove for one to be built.

 
franco b
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Posts: 11416
Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
Location: Kent CT
Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:52 pm

You have no chimney at all. A new masonry chimney is best, but the least expensive would be a stainless double wall insulated chimney pipe going straight up through the roof. Least material needed and good draft.

What other heat do you have?

 
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Post by fnf8guy » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 5:10 pm

There's forced air oil burner, but it also hasn't been run in over 4 years. I would need to get that inspected as well and fill the oil tanks. They're currently sitting at 1/4. I was hoping the stove would be a cheaper option for this first winter.

 
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Post by fnf8guy » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 5:13 pm

I'm told by the guy I bought that house from, that the guy he bought the house from ran the stove with the chimney poking through the former window for years (prior to the exterior portion rusting off). I guess I need to have someone out to take a look.

 
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Post by fnf8guy » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 5:18 pm

Anyone know of a good service company to come inspect things in the Easton/Stroudsburg PA area?

 
rberq
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1300 with hopper
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Other Heating: Oil hot water radiators (fuel oil); propane

Post by rberq » Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 5:57 pm

franco b wrote:
Sun. Nov. 05, 2017 4:52 pm
You have no chimney at all. A new masonry chimney is best, but the least expensive would be a stainless double wall insulated chimney pipe going straight up through the roof.
Ditto that advice. I have a similar stove location, and have a stainless insulated chimney pipe straight up from the stove through the one-story roof. It will look better on your house than on my 160-year-old antique. Unfortunately it won't really keep your expenses down this year, as it will likely cost a thousand or two dollars depending on who does the work. And no offense, but going out a window is much uglier and Beverly-Hillbillies-style.



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