Coal Burning Tips
TIPS ON STARTING A HAND-FIRED ANTHRACITE STOVE
Take about eight sheets of newspaper, crumble into balls and place on top of grates. Next, lay fine kindling on top of the paper. This kindling must be dry and no larger than 3/4” in diameter. Layer the kindling in a criss-cross fashion to allow good air flow. Open the draft control fully and light the paper just inside the door. Now, close the loading door and allow the kindling to catch fire. After a few minutes, open the loading door an inch or two for a few seconds before opening completely. This method will allow smoke to clear away from the door opening before the loading door is completely opened. Add small, compact pieces of hardwood when the kindling is burning hot. Keep the draft controls fully open to establish a hot fire quickly. The ash door also may be opened during start-up to accelerate the initial burn. When a substantial bed of red wood coals is built up, start adding coal (pea or nut is preferred over stove when starting) small amounts at a time. Keep the draft control open. Continue adding small amounts of coal until there is a solid bed of burning coal. Do not add too much at one time. Allow sufficient time between each small loading (at least 5-10 minutes), so that each loading has time to ignite thoroughly before the next load is put in. When a substantial bed of burning coals has been established, till the stove to the top of the tirebrick. A deep bed of coal always will burn more satisfactorily then a shallow bed. When most of the wood is burned and the coal is completely ignited the draft control should be turned down to the proper operating level. If the ash door has been opened, it must be closed to prevent overtiring, which can cause dangerously high temperatures.
OPERATION OF HAND-FIRED ANTHRACITE STOVES
Loading
Coal should never be added unless there is a hot, established fire.
The coal bed should be bright and energetic. If the fire is burning
hot and there is a deep bed of coals, partial loads of coal can be
added at any time. However, if there is not a deep bed of coals, it
is best to add small amounts of coal at first.
Increasing Heat From a Low Fire
Every effort should be made not to let a coal fire burn too long so
that the fire has started to die. This will cause the reloading
process to be much longer, and there is a good possibility of losing
the fire. Do not shake or stir with a low fire.
Open the draft control wide or open the ash cleanout door to get the
maximum draft. Run the stove with the draft control or ash door
fully open until the fire is reasonably hot. Start adding small
amounts of coal. When the new coal is thoroughly ignited or there is
a substantial bed of hot coals, the stove may be shaken thoroughly.
Be sure to shake down all ashes (but do not overshake). Avoid
shaking to the point where embers (burning coal) falls to the as
pan.
After shaking, keep the bottom draft control open until you are sure
the fire is continuing to bum hot, then turn the draft control down
to the proper operating level. IF THE ASH DOOR HAS BEEN OPENED, BE
SURE TO SHUT IT (SERIOUS DAMAGE CAN RESULT IF THE STOVE IS RUN FOR
EXTENDED PERIODS WITH ASH DOOR OPEN). For stoves with the screw type
draft control, count the exact number of turns from full shut to the
normal operating positions so that you can adjust the stove to the
exact level of heat output and length of burn you desire.
Shaking
Shaking should be done only when there is a hot fire. The frequency
of shaking will depend on the type of stove and the degree of
burning. Shaking should be done at least once a day, and preferably
twice a day. Best results from shaking with most grates will occur
if short, “choppy” strokes are used rather than long, even strokes.
The amount of shaking is critical. Too little or too much, either
can result in the extinguishing of a fire due to air flow. The
proper amount normally occurs when red coals first start to drop
through onto the bed of ashes.
Draft Controls
The heat output of the coal is controlled by the primary draft
control, usually found on the bottom door. Experience will dictate
the proper settings for heat requirements. Coal responds very slowly
to changes in the draft settings. Because of this slow response
time, over-correcting is a common problem. When changes in heat
output are needed, make only small changes in the draft setting and
wait for the temperature to stabilize.
Ashes
Ashes should never be allowed to accumulate in the ash pit, so that
they in any way impede the flow of combustion air to the fire.
Excess ash accumulation can cause the fire to go out and also can
cause severe damage to the grates because of the absence of a
cooling flow of air beneath them. Ashes should be placed in a metal
container with a tight fitting lid. The closed
container of ashes should be placed on a noncombustible floor or on
the ground, well away from all combustible materials, pending final
disposal. If the ashes are disposed of by burial in soil or
otherwise locally dispersed, they should be retained in the closed
container until all cinders have thoroughly cooled outside the
dwelling.
CAUTION! ASHES SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO ACCUMULATE ABOVE THE TOP
OF THE ASH PAN. ASHES IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE GRATES ACT
AS AN INSULATOR, INTENSIFYING THE HEAT ON THE GRATES, AND COULD
CAUSE THEIR WARPAGE. WITH AN EXCESSIVE ASH BUILDUP, PRIMARY
COMBUSTION AIR IS RESTRICTED, THUS, THE UNIT’S OUTPUT COULD BE
REDUCED. GRATES WARPED IN THIS WAY ARE EASILY RECOGNIZED BY THE
EXTREME DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE GRATES.
Safety
Whenever a loading door is opened, it always should be cracked
slightly to allow oxygen to enter and burn any combustion gases that
are present before fully opening. Failure to do this could result in
sudden ignition of the unburned gases when the door is opened. A
stove should never be tilled with excess coal, so that the flue gas
exit is blocked or impeded in any way. Burning coal generates carbon
monoxide. If the flue gas exit is blocked, the carbon monoxide can
be forced out of the stove into the room, with possible fatal
consequences.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE START-UP PERIOD, THE ASH PIT DOOR SHOULD
NEVER BE LEFT OPEN. ALSO NOTE THAT A STOVE SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT
UNATTENDED WITH THE ASH PIT DOOR OPEN. Serious damage to the stove
can be occur from overheating. Coal stoves should not be installed
in any chimney that has had a history of back-drafting or flow
reversal. These conditions can cause improper draft, resulting in
carbon monoxide entering the house rather than being drawn up the
chimney. REMEMBER! COAL, LIKE ALL FOSSIL FUELS, CONTAIN GASES THAT
ARE TOXIC!
AUTOMATIC ANTHRACITE STOKER OPERATION
To start a fire you first pour rice coal into a hopper. With the
thermostat turned up and the stoker running, the coal will begin to
feed onto the grate inside the stove. This process can be speeded up
by adjusting the feed rate to the maximum position. When the coal
starts to come up out of the grate and is almost up to the area
where the holes start, turn the feed rate back and/or turn off the
feed motor with the switch on the side of the stoker. Place some
crumbled newspaper and fine kindling (6” to 8” long) on the grate
and ignite. When kindling is burning good, add some rice coal on top
of it. After the coal is burning, the feed motor can be turned on
and the coal fire will continue to get larger. Fresh coal will
continue to be pushed onto the grate and ashes will be pushed off
the grate. The feed rate must be adjusted so the coal is burned up
and turned to ashes before the coal gets one inch from the end of
the grate. Too high a feed rate will push unburned coal off the coal
grate. As an alternative to using kindling, self-lighting charcoal
briquettes can be substituted. For best results, they should be
broken into small pieces for faster ignition. After the fire is
burning and the feed rate is adjusted, you can now set the
thermostat to the desired temperature. It should be noted that all
automatic stokers will discard some unburned coal with the ashes
during normal combustion. This is due to anthracite being slow
burning combined with the timing of the feed mechanism or lack of
demand for heat by the thermostat as well as a very small percentage
of grate inefficiency.