Coalpail.com Forum

This is a new thread started after reading "setting up a OWB to burn coal"

Hello Members

I just read this old thread and wanted to touch on my experience with converting an OWB To coal. Hopefully the info is of use. I too have an OWB that as the manufacturer stated was "coal capable". Every time I tried using coal I ran into an overfire situation followed by ash fusing Into klinker and putting the fire out.

I modified my stove to mimic a hand fired stove set up mods included
Adding a manual pipe damper
Adding flu pipe to create better draft
Modifing the ash pan door to provide primary air to achieve an adjustable slow fire
Disabling the air blower to stop overfireing. The auto damper system still lets additional primary air in when the aquastat calls for heat

My stove had a nice shaker grate system and v style fire brick in the fire box so it was able to support a coal fire. I am able to get up to 36 hour burn times on 80lb of coal in warmer weather and 12-24 hour burn times when it is cold. It is a little extra work to keep the ash clear but I burn with no klinker. I shake it down every 12 hours and pick the grates from below. It's not a perfect set up but it works and is serviceable. Food for thought to a frustrated OWB owner.

Here are some pictures of my set up. Stove is holding 145deg and has not had coal added in three days. Pick tool was made to reach back in the long firebox to clear ash from underneath. Ash door modification to allow slow burn primary air in. Short flu extension with MPD allows for draft and draft control. Fire box is being allowed to burn out normally full to top of brick when running. Not fancy but it does the job. Sorry about sideways pics!

CC3....Thanks for the pics and info on the mods to make it work. Its always good to see how others are doing things and I'm sure it will help someone down the line that is in a similar situation.

titleist1 wrote:CC3....Thanks for the pics and info on the mods to make it work. Its always good to see how others are doing things and I'm sure it will help someone down the line that is in a similar situation.

^^^ditto, this is a rare install or I should say conversion.

CC#,thanks for posting this thread,hopefully it will help/encourage/inspire at least a few OWB users to consider burning coal if they have a similar unit with shaker grates. We tried burning coal in ours,no shaker grates,we burned 1 ton,i think was all & then went back to wood. We had numerous oufires with the coal fire migrating around the big bed of coal @ 26" x 60".If the unit hadn't sprung some leaks,i might have considered doing a conversion stoker project with it,But the EFM520 is a far better result anyway. But for those who fell for the "dirt & smoke all outdoors" & have an OWB & are sick & TIRED of all the WORK with wood ,this thread should offer some hope if the unit is still in good shape.