How to Operate a Coal Stove
Starting a coal stove is not as easy as starting a wood or pellet stove. It requires some patience and practice to get the process worked out. Knowing how to operate a coal stove is half the battle. Become familiar with the stove, its features and how it works before trying to light it. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Coal stove
- Plain, uncolored, non-glossy newspaper
- Kindling
- Matches
- Coal
- Metal coal bucket
Instructions
-
-
1
Find the flue damper on the stove, which is normally at the back. Open it all the way. Locate the draft control, usually on the bottom of the stove, and open it fully.
-
2
Place several sheets of crumpled up, plain newspaper in the stove on the grates where the fire will be started. Do not use glossy or colored paper. Stack kindling sticks across each other on top of the paper. Use plenty of kindling to ensure the coal will light. Light the newspaper with a match and close the door on the stove. Give the kindling a few minutes to burn and warm the chimney to get a good draft going.
Open the door on the coal stove one to two inches and wait a few seconds while the smoke clears. Add several slightly larger pieces of hardwood kindling.
-
-
3
Add one or two small shovelfuls of coal after the kindling is burning well and has formed a good, red-hot bed of burning wood. Close the door on the stove. Leave the draft fully open. Give the coal five to ten minutes to thoroughly ignite.
Continue adding coal in this fashion until the coal bed reaches three inches. Fill the stove with coal up to the top of the firebrick inside the stove after there is a good three-inch hot burning coal bed well established.
-
4
Turn down the draft control to operating level after the coal is ignited and burning hot with a blue flame. Experiment with the draft control to find out what setting will maintain a comfortable heat output. Adjust it gradually while the stove is operating to find the correct setting. Burning coal responds slowly to draft changes. Adjust the draft and monitor the coals for a while until response to the change is detected. Make sure the ash door is tightly closed to avoid over-firing and damaging the stove.
-
5
Shake the shaker grate two to six times a day while the stove is hot and being used continuously. Shake it thoroughly using a short choppy motion. Stop shaking when small, hot, red coals first drop through the grate.
-
6
De-ash the grates when the fire is reduced to a low level. Open the damper and draft control all the way. Shake the grate or rake the coals to allow better air flow and add more coal as needed.
-
7
Monitor the level of ash in the ash pan. Empty the ash pan into a metal bucket before the ashes reach the bottom of the grate.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Hot Coals image by ACD from Fotolia.com
