Well I own an exception to the rule because I have an EPA furnace That has a grate on the bottom ( the floor is mostly firebrick lined) that leads to the ash compartment below . ( it should be noted the regular caddy have this also ) This area has a drawer with a gasket and it's handled . Its a excellent design .if you click on my profile picture you can see what I'm talking about ..I rake the coals forward so they are positioned above my grate area then I grab my ash handle and open that drawer out about a 1/4 inch . This allows under air in and it turbocharges those coals like crazy . Works wonders on cooking down a coal bed or a fresh morning recharge of kindling . All EPA stoves should have this design instead of a recessed plug and cumbersome ash drawer .the coal bed holds a lot of heat if it gets air to it , shame on the man who removes them and throws them outside
Too many coals building up! Burning full blast
- Thread starter Billy_Bob
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If my house was 78° the wife would move out and tell me to call her when I figured out how shut off the sauna.
I don't think we've been over 72° all winter except once... and then it was only 73°.
When I got home from work tonight it was 70° in the house, just a few coals left from the 5:00 AM loading this morning... I tossed in a half dozen splits... now it's 71°. Likely won't add anymore until morning... holy crap, it's like spring time out side tonight... 37°.
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Well I have to admit i made a mistake, I went and looked at the thermostat and its only 76* Trying to let the fire die out, but those durn coals just wont let it cool down.
The problem is the entire firebox will fill will coals that if you don't stir them and crack the door they will turn into charcoal. They don't produce heat until there is extra air. I don't like having to dick around with it non stop in the evenings to burn them down, also that causes a drastic temperature swing. With the grate it's load and go, every couple of days I lift the grate ( with coals, I don't have to let the firebox go cold.) scrap the ashes into the ash pan, takes 2 mins tops, and I'm on my way.
I couldn't agree more...
Those were (are, I still use the EPA box in the shop) the two biggest of my complaints... temperature swings and the amount of time screwing around with it. My current box in the house has a large ash drawer, I don't even need to open the loading door to dump them... and I can do it when the fire is burning full tilt. Twice a day (sometimes three if it's cold) I open the loading door, toss in the wood, slam the door... done‼ Couple times a week (sometimes three if it's cold) I pull the ash drawer, dump it in the metal trash can (with tight lid), and slide the drawer back in... done‼ Once a month or so I take the trash can out and dump it. If I spend 15 minutes a week total to run and maintain the box I'd be surprised...
It's where your priorities are I guess...
But I've always said, makin' firewood should be the hard part, burnin' it should be the easy part.
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I dont even know what the manufacture of my stove is. I actually suspect its home made by someone with really good fabrication skills. I dont have a grate, and the problem with installing one is the durn door is just to small. If I put a grate inside, then I wouldnt be able to put any wood in it. The draft bells, I call them bells because thats what they look like, are made of pipe end caps. drilled and treaded to screw on a bolt. Behind the bells are a series of small holes. All this is setting a little high above the stove floor. Anyways, when I fill my stove, I always stuff it as full as possible. There are always a bunch of ashes next to the door. I take the shovel and will remove a few scoops of the ashes which leaves a depression between the top of the coals and the stove bottom. I'll take the shovel and spread the coals out flat and pile in the wood. If I feel I have excess coals, I just push them to the back of the stove with the wood as I add it. My stove pulls air pretty well. If I am down to just one or two glowing coals, I can pull them to the front of the stove and just start piling wood on them, screw the bells out a couple of turns and go back in about an hour and screw the bells back in and the fire will be roaring. A very easy stove to build a fire in, or maybe I am just good at building a fire. Nah, cant be it, my wife builds most of the fires around here. She likes her heat. Typing this while I sit in my chair in a pair of shorts, and no shirt. Heck I aint even put my shoes on yet.
sledge&wedge
ArboristSite Operative
Just my 2 cents here... If you are trying to get rid of the excess coals, your best bet would be to move them to whatever end of the stove your air feeds in from. For example the inlet on my stove is front and center, at the bottom of the firebox. I line my extra coals right down the middle of the stove from front to back with a shovel and then use a few splits to make a tunnel of sorts over top of the coals. That forces the super-heated air down the middle of my fresh stack of fuel and makes combustion start a lot faster. That seems to work best for me. Might be worth a try if you are looking for a way to get rid of some extra coals easily without adjusting intake air or cracking the door.
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