MASONRY CHIMNEY continued...
Bulletine RC454
Ensure that a masonry chimney meets the
Have the chimney cleaned before the
A guide to burning coal in your heater.
minimum standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) by having it inspected by a professional. Make sure there are no cracks, loose mortar or oth- er signs of deterioration and blockage.
stove is installed and operated. When connecting the stove through a combus- tible wall to a masonry chimney, special methods are needed.
Heaters that are capable of burning coal usu- ally will burn both Bituminous and Anthracite coal. Anthracite is perhaps the best coal fuel because of its long even burn time, high heat output, and cleanliness which make it a good choice for the home. However, keep in mind it is a much more difficult fuel to use, requires more care and patience, is not so widely avail- able, and is usually much more expensive than Bituminous
SIZE OF COAL:
to the center of the firebox forming the cone. Burning in this fashion allows heat to drive off the volatile gases, and turbulence created increases the burn efficiency. There will have to be some experimenting with the individual setup as no two chimney’s or installations are going to be the same. Just remember to allow enough air to enter the firebox and keep the stove pipe damper open so that volatiles are properly burned. Before refueling, take the time to break up the cone a little with a poker, espe- cially if it has caked over or formed a crust. But,
Most sizes of Bituminous Coal will work in a coal heater; for best results we recommend large “nut” coal to small “egg” coal
STOVE OPERATION:
All coal fires should be started with wood which will allow the fire to get hot enough to ignite the coal. The best ignition fires utilize dry pine or other resinous soft woods as kindling, with hard wood (oak, hickory, ash) added to increase the heat prior to addition of the coal.
Before starting the fire, open the stove pipe damper (if equipped), turn the thermostat to high, open the ash pit door and feed door, place newspaper and finely split kindling on the grate, light the paper, add larger hard wood after the kindling is burning brightly. Caution: Never use gasoline, lantern fuel, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, or other flammable liq- uids to start or freshen up a fire in any heater. Place the larger pieces of wood on the fire so that they are slightly separated and form a level for the addition of coal. It will take 10 to 20 minutes before this wood is thoroughly ignited. Adding coal too soon will cut the air supply and smother the fire.
BURNING BITUMINOUS:
Once your kindling and wood fire has produced a bed of well established coals, start adding coal in layers allowing each to ignite before adding more. Bituminous has a high volatile content and, as a result, should be fired with the “conical method” - with the highest portion of your fire bed in the center of the firebox. The first flames will be long and generally orange or yellow and produce quite a bit of smoke. As the gases burn off the flames become shorter, change color and produce less smoke.
Once the fire is WELL ESTABLISHED add coal
be careful not to mix the coal as this increases the chances of forming clinkers. When shaking the grate(s) be gentle. Just a few short move- ments - a couple of “cranks” - is better than a lot of agitation. The objective is to remove a small amount of the ashes without disturbing the fire. Stop when you see a glow in the ashes or the first red coals fall into the ash pan. Exces- sive shaking wastes fuel and can expose the grate(s) to very high temperatures which can cause warpage or burnout.
For overnight operation (long duration burn time) shake the fire and add coal, retaining the center cone. Once the volatiles are burned off, close the feed door and adjust the stove pipe damper, if equipped. Then adjust the thermo- stat to the desired heat level.
More MAINTENANCE will be needed with bitu- minous coal than with anthracite coal as more soot will collect on heating surfaces and in pipes, requiring more frequent cleaning.
ANTHRACITE:
Add a thin layer of coal (preferably smaller chunks) to the wood fire, being careful not to disturb it too much or cut off the draft. Then, add a second heavier layer after the coal is ig- nited and burning well. If necessary, add a third layer to bring the coal up to the top of the front liner (not above!). Be sure to close the ash door.
Before adding further fuel, be sure to leave a red spot of glowing coals in the center of the firebox to insure that the fire has not been smothered and to help ignite the gases given off by the new charge. A deep charge will give a more even heat and a longer fire, but it may take one to two hours before the whole bed is fully ignited.
When the fire is well established and the room is becoming warm, partially close the dampers. Some experimenting will have to take place with each particular setting of all dampers and controls as the chimney provides the draft nec- essary to not only exhaust the smoke, but to pull combustion air into the heater as well - and no two chimney’s perform the same. Under ideal draft conditions, one should be able to turn the secondary air supply on the feed door
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