1929 Orbon Tileona Circulator...Keeping It Nice!

Using a blend of stove and nut. Haven't used more than 30lbs. per day, yet. Couldn't be happier with the outcome of this rebuild.

awesome, can you give us some info about your sq. footage and envelope features / conditions ?

I have a 1860's farmhouse, that's been gutted and remodeled; so insulation is as good as the year it was done. I cover the windows and renew the door seals every year. We cover the root cellar doors, too. The house is 1750sqft. We live on a ridge, so the wind is pretty constant. The basement is all field stone and only a half-basement, so it's surrounded by crawl space, insulated underneath.
I use a very small fan to pull air from the adjacent warm air duct(through the furnace plenum) and have a pedestal fan to help circulate the air above the stove to the stairway(seven feet away). On mild winter days, I keep the check draft damper fully open and the ash door dampers closed. On winter days when the temp is between 0-30*F, I have the check draft damper open 1/2. On days when the temps are below zero, I have the check draft damper closed and use a blend of stove and nut size. I never leave the ash door dampers open, unless I'm livening the fire. Whe I'm starting the fire and the coals are glowing and the nice blue flames are showing I close the ash door dampers and the MPD and then adjust the check draft damper accordingly.
The LP gas delivery guy must have been pretty upset when he discovered I only used 195gl. since Sept. The coal stove wasn't fired up until the third week of November and by that time we had used 30%(120gl.) of LP gas. Two winters ago we went through 1200 gallons of LP gas. No auxiliary heat. The I tried a pellet stove(still cringing over that) the following year. Then, I did what my grandparents did and put in the coal stove, and I am glad I did.
I have no cold spots. I can't get this level of comfort from LP gas, at this cost. I might have to switch to a smaller tank. That'll really make him smile.

Your typed words seem to be American,but your profile gives no hint as to which country you are heating with coal. Jamaica, Manitoba, Siberia..................Wisconsin ??

[quote="windyhill4.2"]Your typed words seem to be American,but your profile gives no hint as to which country you are heating with coal. Jamaica, Manitoba, Siberia..................Wisconsin ?? [/quote

This next few days might determine if there has been a more defined polar shift and truly sent Wisconsin 40 miles closer to the North Pole. I live in the non-glaciated area of Wisconsin, know as the 'driftless area'. I don't know who the other local coal users are here, but my supplier in Mineral Point seems to carry enough for 25 homes. I just picked up the other half of my order of nut, along with some of stove size.
How are things in the Keystone State?

Badger Freezer wrote:

windyhill4.2 wrote:Your typed words seem to be American,but your profile gives no hint as to which country you are heating with coal. Jamaica, Manitoba, Siberia..................Wisconsin ?? [/quote

This next few days might determine if there has been a more defined polar shift and truly sent Wisconsin 40 miles closer to the North Pole. I live in the non-glaciated area of Wisconsin, know as the 'driftless area'. I don't know who the other local coal users are here, but my supplier in Mineral Point seems to carry enough for 25 homes. I just picked up the other half of my order of nut, along with some of stove size.
How are things in the Keystone State?

The Keystone weather has been up & down this winter,no long term brutal cold spells yet ! How did you know I am in the Keystone state ?? Ahh >>>>> you peeked at my profile info,it does say the town & state on mine.So it wasn't just a good guess on your part . Now if only I can remember that your screen name ... Badger is the town & state where you live,i will be doing good. Nice ,unique stove you have & it seems to be doing a very good job of heating.

That is a pretty stove. I am glad it is working well for you.

wsherrick wrote:That is a pretty stove. I am glad it is working well for you.

I agree.
I'm curious about your "reduced clearance" installation tho. No wall or floor protection required? Or is it not functioning in the picture above?

joeq wrote:

wsherrick wrote:That is a pretty stove. I am glad it is working well for you.

I agree.
I'm curious about your "reduced clearance" installation tho. No wall or floor protection required? Or is it not functioning in the picture above?

Not to worry. After using an IR thermometer, checking the closest points to the sheetrock and the floor; I have an exceptionally safe operating stove. It might be the NASCAR grade heat shield I put inside the jacket and the pedestal fan(not in the picture). The shield is good to 1000*F. I put up some pretty expensive wildlife prints around the back of the stove and am going to put up some old newspaper ads from the 1920's, in frames, showing circulating heaters, in the description of the ad it states how the outside never gets hot...child safe. I simply made certain of that by adding the heat shield. But hey, thanks for the concern.
After doing the math I'm only using 22.5lbs. of coal per day, averaged over the last two months. I always keep the fire pot full and shakedown once in the morning. I adjust the check draft damper when I want to increase/decrease the output.

Badger Freezer wrote:

joeq wrote: I agree.
I'm curious about your "reduced clearance" installation tho. No wall or floor protection required? Or is it not functioning in the picture above?

Not to worry. After using an IR thermometer, checking the closest points to the sheetrock and the floor; I have an exceptionally safe operating stove. It might be the NASCAR grade heat shield I put inside the jacket and the pedestal fan(not in the picture). The shield is good to 1000*F. I put up some pretty expensive wildlife prints around the back of the stove and am going to put up some old newspaper ads from the 1920's, in frames, showing circulating heaters, in the description of the ad it states how the outside never gets hot...child safe. I simply made certain of that by adding the heat shield. But hey, thanks for the concern.
After doing the math I'm only using 22.5lbs. of coal per day, averaged over the last two months. I always keep the fire pot full and shakedown once in the morning. I adjust the check draft damper when I want to increase/decrease the output.

Sounds like a no fuss,no worry stove

Are they called "circulator stoves" as a class of heater?

PJT wrote:Are they called "circulator stoves" as a class of heater?

Each manufacturer had their own terminology, but they were mostly classified as 'cabinet heaters' or 'warm air circulators' or 'first floor furnaces' , I guess you take your pick. When I look up coal heaters by the decade specific, I have to use the most common name of the times to get the best results. Out of all the newspaper ads for all the coal heaters, for all the decades; I can only find 14 that say 'Tileona' and only four(4) have my particular cabinet heater pictured(1929). Versus all the other ads, for all the other heating appliances advertised over the decades; this tells me that my stove is very rare. But, after having rebuilt my stove from the last bolt to the first and sealing every joint; this stove produces enough heat to keep up, even in the sub-zero temps we are currently experiencing. Maybe they discontinued my stove because it was so worry free?

Badger Freezer wrote:

PJT wrote:Are they called "circulator stoves" as a class of heater?

Each manufacturer had their own terminology, but they were mostly classified as 'cabinet heaters' or 'warm air circulators' or 'first floor furnaces' , I guess you take your pick. When I look up coal heaters by the decade specific, I have to use the most common name of the times to get the best results. Out of all the newspaper ads for all the coal heaters, for all the decades; I can only find 14 that say 'Tileona' and only four(4) have my particular cabinet heater pictured(1929). Versus all the other ads, for all the other heating appliances advertised over the decades; this tells me that my stove is very rare. But, after having rebuilt my stove from the last bolt to the first and sealing every joint; this stove produces enough heat to keep up, even in the sub-zero temps we are currently experiencing. Maybe they discontinued my stove because it was so worry free?

Ha ha the Ford effect. If it don't break, don't build it. Very nice stove. Gotta love the low coal consumption.

I really think that the cabinet type stove like this one and the warm mornings are really underestimated. They are cheap to buy and keep working. My Warm Morning 400 has 100 lb coal capacity and it really heats great. When I use stove coal deep and pea coal on top. it settles down and will burn for over a day shut up tight. Oh, I paid $200 for it 3 years ago.

coalturkey wrote:I really think that the cabinet type stove like this one and the warm mornings are really underestimated. They are cheap to buy and keep working. My Warm Morning 400 has 100 lb coal capacity and it really heats great. When I use stove coal deep and pea coal on top. it settles down and will burn for over a day shut up tight. Oh, I paid $200 for it 3 years ago.

Hey Coalturkey:
What a contrast...back in the day the Round Oak and similar style baseburners were the cheapest to buy and today the cabinet; which was the most expensive, is now the cheapest.
It's still a matter of rarity and restoration and a matter of taste. For me, it's the safety. I've been around radiant heaters and althought they are pleasing to the eye and I commend those who have them for their history, beauty and warmth, I favor the functionality of a cabinet style over the the radiant. Especially because of children(grandchildren).
Absolutely no offense given towards those with a non-jacket stove, it simply have my preference.
If, what anyone has, is airtight and efficient and their happy, so be it. I will keep looking for spare parts for mine, so I can use it longer.