It takes skill to burn anthracite coal. Though very different from burning wood, it will ultimately save time if it is learnt. The information in the handbook that came with your coal-burning product is supplemented by the information in these suggestions. Continue reading to learn about 3 key coal burning tips you should know about!
Starting your Coal Fire
- Start the fire with paper and kindling.
- After the kindling has reached a high flame, add tiny pieces of wood. Make sure your thermostat and draft oven are both open.
- Continue to include wood. Build a coal base after you have a solid foundation of red, hot wood coals (3″ to 4″). On top of the wood coals, spread a thin layer of coal. Add a second thin coating after five to ten minutes. Continue doing this until you have around 2″ of burning coal.
- Reach the top of our Legacy Stoves anthracite stove. Here is where a lot of folks go wrong. Coal burns top to bottom. To keep your fire going, you should have coal above the base.
- Adjust your damper, thermostat, and draft control after the coal burns and you see blue flames.
Coal shouldn’t be burned until the temperature stays below 55 degrees outdoors all day. In the event that temperatures increase beyond this, your chimney won’t be able to generate adequate draft.
Shaking Down your Stove
- The majority of individuals can establish a routine of shaking your stove down twice daily. This figure might rise in colder climates.
- Shake a hot stove only. Follow these instructions if the fire is low:
- You should fully open your thermostat and draft control.
- To assist the coal obtain some air, shake it just a little.
- If necessary, add extra coal.
- Shake the stove vigorously until the fire is blazing hot once again.
- When shaking, use quick, forceful movements. On many stoves, going too far might result in the disposal of your coal bed.
- Shaking is not complete if you shake your coal and all you see is ash in the ash pan. Shake the ash pan until you see red coal flecks. Do not forget that coal is denser than wood and it will produce more ash.
Maintenance
- The ash pan shouldn’t become so full of ash that it touches the grates. Grates will bend as a consequence of the forge effect this generates.
- Using wood to ignite your coal fire will cause the glass to get filthy. Oven cleanser or cleaners manufactured specifically for removing creosote from glass may be used to clean this.
- Coal ash and exhaust both contain sulfur. Compared to wood fire exhaust, this may damage pipes far more quickly. By creating a mixture from baking soda and water, you may help neutralize this and increase the lifespan of your pipe. Use the fluid to soak a cloth, then scrub the pipe’s inside. To do this, just wrap a chimney brush around the cloth.
- Do maintenance in the summer. If feasible, order any necessary components during the summer. Your coal burning season won’t be stopped thanks to this.