Penn Coal Stove (Chubby Knock Off)

 
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jjs777_fzr
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Post by jjs777_fzr » Sun. Mar. 28, 2010 11:03 am

Okay so we had flurries the other a.m. and I'm out of seasoned split wood (already cut and split 2 cords worth from recent blow downs for next year) so I got the energy to go drag the penn coal stove out from the basement and swap my century wood burner with the chubby look-a-like.

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As this is my first attempt at really burning a coal stove (some may recall I played with a bucket a day stove just for self amusement) this coal idea rocks!

All I can say is wow. and WOW

I've been a wood burner for about..I think this is my 4th season.

I setup the penn coal stove - threw some kimmels pea with a mix of keystone nut and its providing way more heat then what I am accustomed to. Granted my wood burner is rated at 35k with good seasoned hard wood - and this penn stove is rated at about 50-60k - I just cant believe how well this thing throws off heat.

I have two magnetic thermometers attached - one to the top of the unit itself and the other 6ft up on the single wall stove pipe. I also have another magnetic sitting 15 feet up on the class-A double wall pipe. At this time I have no baro.

With a half load of coal in the basket (pea and nut mixed) I have temps on the unit itself reading 650 and the 6ft mark is reading a 310. The temp reading 15ft up on the class A reads a tad over 100.

Comparing this to my wood burner (using same magnet temps) the wood burner would get up to about 550 on the best of days using the best seasoned wood - the stack temp would show about 250-300 buts thats on DOUBLE-WALL black pipe (not class A) and then up 15ft on the class-A it would show about 150-200. Not sure how to interpret the wood burner throwing off more heat up the chimney based on these readings so at this point the coal burner appears to be more efifcient in extracting the heat out of the unit and single wall than the wood burner setup w/double wall black pipe then class A.
Not sure if anyone is following this...I'm in between diaper changes/feedings/kids etc.

Folks may recall I picked up the Penn stove off ebay for 50 in good condition.
But then of course I fell in love with the chubby and bought one off ebay.
Only reason I dragged the penn stove out is because I have to drill/tap the bolt holes on the chubby where the replacement mica will be fitted. Otherwise as my older posts state the Penn is basically identical to the chubby...literally. But aside from using a product that infringed on Larry's chubby design...that Penn puts out some serious heat!

I am so far very impressed with what coal can do - and tending the fire does not appear to be as much trouble as I have read over the last few years.

Now I have to sit and consider while in deep thought about the ben's of using a baro/mano or whatever those posts are all about LOL.

As always thx for a grt forum!

-John


 
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DOUG
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Post by DOUG » Sun. Mar. 28, 2010 12:15 pm

Thanks for sharing, it looks like it is cranking. If you like the Penn Coal Stove, you're going to Love :love: your Chubby.

What is the difference between the grate system? Could you post some pictures?

All I know is that I am spoiled now after using the New Style Chubby grate system, that I have found it a much easier to use than the rocking style dock ash, duplex, or round dump grates, many of the other brand stoves are using. The triplex grates are easy to use also. I guess that is why the best hand fired boilers use them, like EFM and AHS.

I use the recommended manual damper in the stovepipe and a barometric draft regulator, set at .05, like Larry says in his manual. I've been able to keep my Chubby at 500 degrees on the stove, 200 degrees 5 ft. up on the stovepipe before the barometric, using 15 lbs of Reading Anthracite nut coal every 12 hours. My Chubby has only used 1/2 ton of anthracite a month and has given me the same results as my Clayton furnace from U.S.Stove that consumes 40-50 lbs every 12 hours. Well my Clayton stovepipe temperature was averaging 450 degrees before the barometric at .05, so that maybe why it is not as efficient.

I like the large lift top of your Penn Coal Stove. Thanks for the post. :)

 
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jjs777_fzr
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Post by jjs777_fzr » Thu. Apr. 15, 2010 11:40 pm

a little chilly outside tonight - 64 in the house
so I fired up the penn stove and threw in a bit more coal than I have previously to 7/8 the way up the pot

After the temps on the stove got to 400 I closed the flu damper 3/4th and the bottom air intake to about 1/2

I came back downstairs about 45 min later and the temps on the stove are 700 (highest I've ever seen on a stove personally) and the flu temps show 400 (swp)

I adjusted the flu damper down a bit more (its the type with a few holes in it) to just about all the way closed and closed the bottom air intake all the way shut

about 15min later the flu pipe has come down from 400 to 350 and the stove is reading just under 700 now - say 675

My eventual plan is to have the coal stove in the basement which will become a family room - I'll post pics...but I spent a day and half drilling through high strenght concrete and mounted the supervent/superpro class A brackets etc - looks to be coming along (havent gone all the way up the side of the house yet...I have to make some cuts here and there)
I cant wait to see the coal stove fired up in the basement / family room - especially on a subzero winter night next heating season :)

oh and the 25x25 foot room w/9 ft ceilings is now about 75 and toasty...with the heat making its way upstairs to the bedrooms
my wife likes it warm...the coal is winning over the wood idea on the home front let me tell you -

 
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ceccil
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Post by ceccil » Fri. Apr. 16, 2010 12:12 am

:clap: :up:

 
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jjs777_fzr
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Post by jjs777_fzr » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 1:23 pm

Here is my install of my second chimney for the basement/family room - right now the PENN stove is connected as it burns wood well with the internal baffle.
When I run out of wood I'll switch over to the Chubby and burn coal.
Do I get a 'get out of jail free card' since I am guilty of posting this on the hearth forum ? After all I am using a wood/coal burner - at least that's my plea ;)

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and from the skylight

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DOUG
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Post by DOUG » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 1:34 pm

Nice looking chimney installation. What brand did you go with? I'm thinking of doing something similar for my Chubby on the otherside of my basement too.

 
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Post by SteveZee » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 3:11 pm

700 degrees is pushing it on that Penn or Chubby. Maybe since then you've figured out that half open on the the primary air is too much for continuous running. I watched Larry's video and he cuts that primary air back to just an 1/8th inch open after filling the pot. Once the coal has caught and is burning well cut that primary way back and you'll see more normal temps and be able to throttle it down for longer burns on less chilly days.


 
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jjs777_fzr
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Post by jjs777_fzr » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 3:16 pm

DOUG wrote:Nice looking chimney installation. What brand did you go with? I'm thinking of doing something similar for my Chubby on the otherside of my basement too.
This install was done with Selkirk's SuperVent JSC.
My first install on the other side (not pictured) I went with Simpson Duravent.
I prefer the Selkirk as it is more widely available. The pieces appear to be made in Canada and are competitively priced.
Mine is the considered the 6" inside diameter with 8" outside.

 
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jjs777_fzr
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Post by jjs777_fzr » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 3:18 pm

SteveZee wrote:700 degrees is pushing it on that Penn or Chubby. Maybe since then you've figured out that half open on the the primary air is too much for continuous running. I watched Larry's video and he cuts that primary air back to just an 1/8th inch open after filling the pot. Once the coal has caught and is burning well cut that primary way back and you'll see more normal temps and be able to throttle it down for longer burns on less chilly days.
I agree and I've watched Larry's video as well (thx Larry!)....I'd be interested in trying the baro when burning coal.
I think it can be purchased for less than $75

 
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Post by SteveZee » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 3:28 pm

jjs777_fzr wrote:
SteveZee wrote:700 degrees is pushing it on that Penn or Chubby. Maybe since then you've figured out that half open on the the primary air is too much for continuous running. I watched Larry's video and he cuts that primary air back to just an 1/8th inch open after filling the pot. Once the coal has caught and is burning well cut that primary way back and you'll see more normal temps and be able to throttle it down for longer burns on less chilly days.
I agree and I've watched Larry's video as well (thx Larry!)....I'd be interested in trying the baro when burning coal.
I think it can be purchased for less than $75
Yep I've thought about a baro myself but since I burn some wood too in spring/fall I find it's better with the manual. We'll see this winter though.

 
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Post by DOUG » Thu. Sep. 22, 2011 7:11 pm

Last week it got down in the low 40's and I fired it up with a few pieces of wood to take the chill out of the house. I do have a borometric damper and the manual stovepipe damper installed, but I ripped of a piece of aluminum foil to cover the barometric damper. I do this to make sure that I have good draft and to prevent creosote from forming when I burn wood. Just a thought for you. I have found though, when burning anthracite, a barometric damper really make it so much easier to control the draft and temperature of the stove.

 
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Post by jpete » Fri. Sep. 23, 2011 12:29 pm

jjs777_fzr wrote:Not sure how to interpret the wood burner throwing off more heat up the chimney based on these readings so at this point the coal burner appears to be more efifcient in extracting the heat out of the unit and single wall than the wood burner setup w/double wall black pipe then class A.

-John
A friend (wood burner) and I have tried to figure this out and the best we could come up with the the moisture content of the wood. The water vapor will carry the heat up the chimney where there isn't any steam in coal.

I wonder if people that wet their coal first ever noticed a spike in stack temp after loading?

 
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Post by franco b » Fri. Sep. 23, 2011 1:24 pm

jpete wrote:
jjs777_fzr wrote:Not sure how to interpret the wood burner throwing off more heat up the chimney based on these readings so at this point the coal burner appears to be more efifcient in extracting the heat out of the unit and single wall than the wood burner setup w/double wall black pipe then class A.

-John
A friend (wood burner) and I have tried to figure this out and the best we could come up with the the moisture content of the wood. The water vapor will carry the heat up the chimney where there isn't any steam in coal.

I wonder if people that wet their coal first ever noticed a spike in stack temp after loading?
Wood is composed of half gas which is released very quickly once heated. This results in high stack temperature. Once the wood reaches the charcoal stage it behaves very much like coal.

 
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jjs777_fzr
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Post by jjs777_fzr » Thu. Sep. 29, 2011 9:39 pm

Temps in the mid 60's and the basement damp - couldn't resist just a small fire in the Penn stove.
Threw a few small wood splits, no coal - temps reached 550 on the top of the stove and 450 at the 6ft mark on single wall stove pipe.
Then threw in just a few small shovels of pea coal and 30 minutes later after the wood was gone - temps now steady 500 on the stove and 300 on the pipe.
I do find comfort in knowing the stack temps are so much lower with coal than with wood - and even heating as opposed to quick spike then tapering off fairly quickly with wood. Ahh and both readings were with the MPD 95% closed and bottom air closed off. The MPD in use does have a few quarter size holes in it so I'm thinking its safe even in full damped position.

 
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Post by SteveZee » Fri. Sep. 30, 2011 9:12 am

Yep, I installed the MPD's with the oblong hole in the middle. This way I can close it fully and still know I've got some venting.


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