# Hotblast 1557M



## davejerry (Nov 20, 2008)

Hi, I'm a newbie at this and I'm having trouble keeping my fire at an even temp. for a long period of time.  I have a good draft for the chimney but still have to fool around with the spin draft.
Also, what temp. would be considered in the _dangerous_ zone?  I have the thermo. on the front just above the loading door.
I just received a Honeywell limit control and need to know the wiring specs. 
*Help.*


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## southbound (Nov 20, 2008)

Hi I have one of these also. I have a lot of trouble keeping the house under 90..

I found that once I get a good bed of hot coals going I just put in what I want and close the spin draft. I also close off the drat in the feed door. it seems to leak just enough around the door to let it burn real slow..

My house stays around 81 if it is under 40 outside. Over 40 like today 90+ is easy. I just open the windows lol.. 

I too have the Honeywell limit control that came with the draft kit and if I can find the book I will let you know..


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## davejerry (Nov 20, 2008)

okay thanks


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## matt701 (Nov 22, 2008)

I took my loading door damper right out and sealed it shut and only use the ash pan screw damper.  When I load, I put 2 logs side by side front to back with about a 1/2 inch gap in the middle and the flame burns slowly up the middle.  For longer burns, I will also put a large round on the right or left on top of 1 of the bottom logs, but against the wall instead of the middle.  This way, once the middle pieces crumble, the one against the wall will fall to the bottom and burn.  These things are drafty, if I have a hot bed of coals, I load it and shut the screw damper all the way, and it still keeps burning, but very slow.  I had to install a damper in the chimney as well so I can shut that if I ever needed to put the fire out in a hurry.  If you install the forced draft kit, I think it would let even more air in, even when the blower isn't running, so this may add to your problem.  I took some pics because I just loaded it and I have some time on my hands ;-)  The fire looks raging, but it's because the door is open.  Hope this helps.
Matt


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## laynes69 (Nov 22, 2008)

I have the forced draft. It never runs, but I keep the flap open on the blower on the back. This allows for secondary air. I have a thermometer above the door and I can burn mine at 500, had it to 600 when real cold. 400 would be about normal. I load mine up, open the ash pan damper all the way for about 20 minutes, then I close it to 1 turn open. It will burn with no smoke at all from the chimney all night, and run around 400 to 500 through the night. Right now its 23 and windy, the house is 78 degrees. It takes alot of getting used to. If you don't have the rear plug open, I wouldn't recommend to damper it way down. It wastes fuel, and creates a dirty chimney. I get a nice clean 8 hour burn at night. Rather do that than a slow 10 hour burn, with not enough heat to keep the demand, and a dirty chimney. You'll learn how to regulate the temps. When its real cold out is when they operate the best.


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## matt701 (Nov 22, 2008)

There is a huge learning curve with these.  I have to damper mine down because my chimney is packed double wall with no bends, so my draft is probably more than a masonary chimney would have.  If I did anything more than 1/4 turn or so, it would be almost 80 in here too and we wouldn't be able to sleep or be comfortable.  I'm burning at 73-75 most all of the time...see pic with low and high for the past 24 hours.  Just keep messing with your damper until you're comfortable.  Check your chimney if you are worried about it, but I haven't needed to sweep/clean mine in 3 years of heavy use.


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## southbound (Nov 22, 2008)

Ok here is where I'm at with mine, Last year was a total waste of wood. The drunk guy that did the install knew less then I did. Over the summer I did try to fix his mistakes as best as I could.

Fist this is not a outside stove Well it is now.. I did need a cold air return I don't now but I did. He also removed the thermodisc and ran it off the thermostat. It blew in a lot off cold air inside last winter.. I installed the draft blower kit this past spring..

Right now it is 27 outside and 78 inside.. Burning maple with the ash door screw damper one full turn out..


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## matt701 (Nov 22, 2008)

Southbound,
Are you saying a drunk guy came out and installed your wood furnace outside, removed the thermodisc and has the blowers come on and off based on the house temperature, even if there's no fire going?  Did you reinstall the thermodisc?


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## southbound (Nov 22, 2008)

matt701 said:
			
		

> Southbound,
> Are you saying a drunk guy came out and installed your wood furnace outside, removed the thermodisc and has the blowers come on and off based on the house temperature, even if there's no fire going?  Did you reinstall the thermodisc?



Yes that is what I am saying..

When I installed the draft kit it came with the Honeywell set up..


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## davejerry (Nov 22, 2008)

thanks everyone.  I'll be working on this system in the next several days (have lots of other time sensitive projects going on).  I just received a honeywell to replace my thermodisc. I'll let you know how things turn out. I do appreciate the help. thanks.


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## jeff_t (Nov 24, 2008)

I also eliminated the loading door damper. I took the plug out for the draft blower and bought several reducer bushings and a small plug. I also took the spin draft off the ash door and ground it flat so I can close it all the way. Gives me lots of control, and I don't get the house to 90 any more. Works for me, but my fuel supply is 100% white ash, and it all burns very consistently and predictably.


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## matt701 (Nov 24, 2008)

Mr T,
  I've been thinking about grinding my ash damper door down also.  I shut it completely down and can just hear the air rushing in still because of those little bumps on the back not letting it close tighter.  COuld you post a picture of the plug you modified in the back?  Mine burns very well by closing everything down, but I'd like better air control if I ever had to put the fire out in a hurry.


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## southbound (Nov 25, 2008)

matt701 said:
			
		

> When I load, I put 2 logs side by side front to back with about a 1/2 inch gap in the middle and the flame burns slowly up the middle.  For longer burns, I will also put a large round on the right or left on top of 1 of the bottom logs, but against the wall instead of the middle.  This way, once the middle pieces crumble, the one against the wall will fall to the bottom and burn.  These things are drafty, if I have a hot bed of coals, I load it and shut the screw damper all the way, and it still keeps burning, but very slow.    I took some pics because I just loaded it and I have some time on my hands ;-)  The fire looks raging, but it's because the door is open.  Hope this helps.
> Matt



I have been doing this for the past two days. 
It really has helped with the consumption of my wood and also with the temps in the house..

Thanks!


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## matt701 (Nov 25, 2008)

Glad to hear it!  How far down did you damper it down to get a nice controlled burn?


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## southbound (Nov 25, 2008)

I have the draft kit which was a waste of $$$ and still have the damper in the feed door. Now if I run the ash pan screw damper all the way in it won't make enough heat. So I am trying it at a half turn out right now..

Good luck...


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## Pyromaniac (Nov 28, 2008)

I also have the 1557m and it does heat nicely. However, I almost always have my feed door damper opened at least some to keep a nice flue temp. I usually have it set just above "low" and the ash door screw opened one turn. This gives me good heat but does last only 4-5 hours max with oak in the firebox. Do any of you check the temps at your flue pipe or do you just trust it by looking at the chimney? I try to keep it at around 300(at least) to keep the creosote in the chimney down. But I know this limits the length of my burn times.


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## smokinj (Nov 28, 2008)

I am getting 8 hrs burn time out of soft maple.And any body not using there draft inducer a good way to use it is a programable thermostat have it run about hr. before its time to get up works great!


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## laynes69 (Nov 28, 2008)

300 is low with a 4 to 5 hour burntime. I load at 9:00pm and reload at 5:00 am. Plenty of coals for the morning. I have a thermometer above the loading door, and when I damper down for the night, I usually am at 450. It will burn between 400 and 500 most of the night, with coals to spare in the morning. I found for us, the draft inducer cools the firebox too much. I have a digital thermometer on mine also that programable. I only use the forced draft when its below zero for an extended time at nighttime.


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## smokinj (Nov 28, 2008)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> 300 is low with a 4 to 5 hour burntime. I load at 9:00pm and reload at 5:00 am. Plenty of coals for the morning. I have a thermometer above the loading door, and when I damper down for the night, I usually am at 450. It will burn between 400 and 500 most of the night, with coals to spare in the morning. I found for us, the draft inducer cools the firebox too much. I have a digital thermometer on mine also that programable. I only use the forced draft when its below zero for an extended time at nighttime.


i set it to run 45 min starting at 4 am and shuting down at 445 other than that i would say were running almost the same! i load at 10 pm and the wife refuels at 6 am


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## Pyromaniac (Nov 29, 2008)

The 300 temp is the lowest I like to run but I'm usually around 350 or so. And keep in mind that is also with a thermometer on the flue pipe 18 inches off the back of the firebox. I'll try another magnetic thermometer just above the feed door on the firebox to see what I'm running temp-wise. 

 I don't have the draft inducer yet and I doubt I'll get it because I don't have any problems getting heat. My problem is that I can't get a long enough burn but that may be because I'm not loading enough wood! How much and with what size and type wood are you guys loading up with at night?


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## smokinj (Nov 29, 2008)

Right now Iam using soft maple in big squares 8 hrs and I will still have enough coals to get running again pretty eazy


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## laynes69 (Nov 29, 2008)

I'm burning wild cherry and maple. They are larger splits, around 6 inches. When it gets super cold, I burn the locusts at night, and I choose only rounds. Try something, remove the rear pipe plug and keep that open. Then keep the door damper closed, and regulate with the ash pan. On my unit there are 2 or 3 little holes on the damper in the door. I peek through those to make sure I have a solid flame at the baffle. Instead of burning the whole pile at once, It will slowly burn at the bottom, and I get flames above the wood. It will burn for 2 to 3 hours before the wood on top will start to catch fire. Meanwhile it will have a temp of 400 to 450. Once you have a good coal bed, I would load, then run the spin damper open for about 15 minutes. From there, you can shut the ashpan damper down to around 1 turn open. By almost closing the ashpan damper, and having the door damper closed. It will force air from the back of the firebox right below the baffle. This is where you will have your primary combustion. It works well for me. Took a few years to figure it out. I was going to put in secondary burn tubes, But I might not because I get the same effect by closing the ashpan down. One thing to keep in mind is I need around 350 on the front of the furnace to keep a good secondary combustion.


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## smokinj (Nov 29, 2008)

secondary burn tubes where have you found this at?


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## laynes69 (Nov 29, 2008)

I was going to fabricate some. I have it all thought out, but haven't got the materials yet.  I rebuilt the whole inside of my furnace 2 years ago. It would be nothing to run some rectangular tubing on the back and sides, and put a few tubes across the tubing. I have some 1/4 wall 1" tubing I was going to use for the tubes. Just drill the tubing for the tubes to slide into place. Air could stay open in the back, or a flap could be put across the pipe in back to regulate. Nothing would be changed, except for you would reroute the air coming in across the baffle.


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## jeff_t (Nov 29, 2008)

matt701 said:
			
		

> Mr T,
> I've been thinking about grinding my ash damper door down also.  I shut it completely down and can just hear the air rushing in still because of those little bumps on the back not letting it close tighter.  COuld you post a picture of the plug you modified in the back?  Mine burns very well by closing everything down, but I'd like better air control if I ever had to put the fire out in a hurry.


The plug in the back is a 1.5" pipe thread. I just went to the hardware and bought some reducer bushings. I usually run a 3/4. I suppose if you want to get fancy, you could get a short piece of pipe and a gate valve.


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## smokinj (Nov 29, 2008)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> I was going to fabricate some. I have it all thought out, but haven't got the materials yet. I rebuilt the whole inside of my furnace 2 years ago. It would be nothing to run some rectangular tubing on the back and sides, and put a few tubes across the tubing. I have some 1/4 wall 1" tubing I was going to use for the tubes. Just drill the tubing for the tubes to slide into place. Air could stay open in the back, or a flap could be put across the pipe in back to regulate. Nothing would be changed, except for you would reroute the air coming in across the baffle.


Sounds interesting!


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## Pyromaniac (Nov 30, 2008)

I put the other magnetic thermometer on the front of my firebox and its reading about 80-100 degrees higher than my flue thermo. That puts me in the 400-450 degree range that laynes has been talking about so that makes me feel a little better. Just to clarify for anyone reading this for extra input my flue pipe is running at a 45 degree angle to the chimney which might make that temp a little lower(which is acceptable my manufacturers install instructions; At least one inch rise per foot to the chimney connection). 

I'm just wondering if closing off the feed door adjustable damper all the way and then leaving the screw hole in the back open some isn't over-complicating things.

 It seems to me they both serve the same function. Except that the feed door damper is a lot easier to adjust than the screw plug in the back. I mean they both let combustible air over the top of fire. Let me know if I'm missing something. I'm still learning on this unit(but it has been fun tweaking it and the house is as toasty as its ever been!)


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## Pyromaniac (Nov 30, 2008)

Just a quick update on my last post... I went down to check on the fire before turning in again... the thermo over the feed door is reading 550 F and my flue pipe temp is 330 F.  This is with the front door damper choked down almost to the lowest setting. I think I just wasn't putting enough wood in to keep a good fire going(to keep the flue temp up) and also being able to choke the damper down to get a 6-8 hour burn. Just want to thank you guys for all your input. It has really accelerated the learning curve for me!


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## ffcmckinney (Dec 3, 2008)

To get that kind of temp are you guys using a damper in the stove pipe? I cant get my firebox above 300 and the stove pipe above 225. Not using a damper wondering if this would help


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## smokinj (Dec 3, 2008)

ffcmckinney said:
			
		

> To get that kind of temp are you guys using a damper in the stove pipe? I cant get my firebox above 300 and the stove pipe above 225. Not using a damper wondering if this would help


damper would help cool it. what kind of wood you using?


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## NitroDave (Dec 3, 2008)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> I'm burning wild cherry and maple. They are larger splits, around 6 inches. When it gets super cold, I burn the locusts at night, and I choose only rounds. Try something, remove the rear pipe plug and keep that open. Then keep the door damper closed, and regulate with the ash pan. On my unit there are 2 or 3 little holes on the damper in the door. I peek through those to make sure I have a solid flame at the baffle. Instead of burning the whole pile at once, It will slowly burn at the bottom, and I get flames above the wood. It will burn for 2 to 3 hours before the wood on top will start to catch fire. Meanwhile it will have a temp of 400 to 450. Once you have a good coal bed, I would load, then run the spin damper open for about 15 minutes. From there, you can shut the ashpan damper down to around 1 turn open. By almost closing the ashpan damper, and having the door damper closed. It will force air from the back of the firebox right below the baffle. This is where you will have your primary combustion. It works well for me. Took a few years to figure it out. I was going to put in secondary burn tubes, But I might not because I get the same effect by closing the ashpan down. One thing to keep in mind is I need around 350 on the front of the furnace to keep a good secondary combustion.




I tried this method last night on my Hot blast......Put 4 larger splits of cherry in at 10 pm over a nice bed of coals. ash pan spinner closed....house temp 72*...1600 sq. ft. ranch.... at 3 am dog was making a big fuss and woke me up.... apperently he does not appreciate the house at 83*...he wanted out to lay on the cool deck. At 5:45 am the blower fan finally shut off.... house started to cool off...it's still 75 in here.

Maybe i'll try 3 splits tonight.. %-P 

I'm impressed with this routine as I was only getting heat untill about 3:00 am by using the ash pan spinner.


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## ffcmckinney (Dec 3, 2008)

I'm burnig a mix of seasoned oak, maple, and ash.  The damper in the stove pipe would actually raise the fire box tempeture, or am I  looking at it backwards.


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## smokinj (Dec 3, 2008)

ffcmckinney said:
			
		

> I'm burnig a mix of seasoned oak, maple, and ash. The damper in the stove pipe would actually raise the fire box tempeture, or am I looking at it backwards.


if the damper is vertical its wide open if its horizonal its slow burn!


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## ffcmckinney (Dec 3, 2008)

I do not currently have a damper installed. I guess the question I'm getting at should I put a damper in?  I understand how the damper works but I believe you said that a damper would cool it down.


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## smokinj (Dec 3, 2008)

ffcmckinney said:
			
		

> I do not currently have a damper installed. I guess the question I'm getting at should I put a damper in?  I understand how the damper works but I believe you said that a damper would cool it down.


Not in the vertal it will burn wide open.I have one but never use it in less iam burning hedge apple.If your house is getting to much heat then i would get one.


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## laynes69 (Dec 3, 2008)

FFC, whats the size of your chimney? If you don't get enough draft, you won't get heat. Too much draft will also allow too much air through the firebox, resulting from a lot of heat loss through the flue. If you are getting an overdraft, then a damper will help you. That way you get a more efficient burn in the firebox. Some details needed to figure our your problem. Also when I use the door damper, it doesn't get too hot in the unit. Its more of a natural burn.


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## Pyromaniac (Dec 4, 2008)

ffc, I have a damper in my flue pipe and I haven't had to close it yet when I burn. It is nice to know it's there if the flue is getting too hot or in the event that there would be a chimney fire(so I could turn it closed to cut off the air). I've had some white oak burn pretty hot to the point where I've thought about it but closing the door damper all the way has regulated pretty well so far. Laynes, I'm home tomorrow so I think I'll try taking out the air inlet in the back and see how that goes. I'll let you know how it works!


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## ffcmckinney (Dec 4, 2008)

I have an 8X12 masonry chimney clay tile 24' tall. I honestly beleive I have to much draft. I opened the cleanout door and iit felt like it would suck a paper bag up threw.


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## smokinj (Dec 4, 2008)

ffcmckinney said:
			
		

> I have an 8X12 masonry chimney clay tile 24' tall. I honestly beleive I have to much draft. I opened the cleanout door and iit felt like it would suck a paper bag up threw.


You need a damper thats alot of draft. You will have alot more control over the heat output as well


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## ffcmckinney (Dec 4, 2008)

I will put a damper in and try it. Worst case scenario I 'll have to leave it open. I will let you know how it works out. Thank you everyone


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## davejerry (Dec 10, 2008)

davejerry said:
			
		

> thanks everyone.  I'll be working on this system in the next several days (have lots of other time sensitive projects going on).  I just received a honeywell to replace my thermodisc. I'll let you know how things turn out. I do appreciate the help. thanks.



..... A quick update on my last post....
I installed the honeywell which made a world of difference and rerouted my cold air return; boy that made a huge difference.  I invested in a moisture meter which helps a great deal as to know whether I'm putting on a damp log or not.  I don't have the forced air kit as I seem to have a sufficient draft. I counted 9 turns/spins on the spin draft knob to close it completely. At night, and with a good fire going, I've closed it up to 7 spins in however I'm still not getting a long burn; usually about 3-4 hours. I have a mix of hardwoods and I try to select logs that are below 15% moisture. Any tips on getting longer burns?  Also, sometimes my box temps are up to 600 and sometimes a little more.  What is the highest rated temp on the Hotblast 1557M?  And what could happen if that is exceeded?  Can it explode? Don't forget I'm still a newbie and this is my 1st time with a wood furnace.


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## smokinj (Dec 10, 2008)

davejerry said:
			
		

> davejerry said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If you over fire it l the paint pill off not sure how hot that is just dont leave your ash pan door open! And Longer burn times are you getting a good bank of coals?


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## matt701 (Dec 10, 2008)

I'm a little confused, are you opening your ashpan damper all the way and then counting back 7 turns?  Couldn't you just start from all the way closed and count 2 turns?  Either way, thats a lot of air coming in which could be why it's burning so hot and your burn times are so short.  Have you tried just one turn or less?


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## laynes69 (Dec 10, 2008)

I wouldn't run it at 600 all the time. Especially with the stock blowers. You are getting a hot temp, but its burning your wood from the bottom up too quickly. Thats why I have the back open with the forced draft. That way I damper to almost closed on the bottom, when I do that, it draws in above the fire and I get a nice steady fire. I'm usually in the 400 range at night. Loading it tightly will help and before the whole load gets engulfed in flames, damper back. I would get it to 450 then damper it back and watch your temps. With mine having the back open, when I damper mine in the ashpan, my firebox temps rise because of the secondary air over the fire. If you don't have the forced draft, is the plug open, if so 2 turns is way too much air. I close mine to no more than 1 turn open at night. This way I have coals in the morning, and a clean chimney.


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## smokinj (Dec 10, 2008)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> I wouldn't run it at 600 all the time. Especially with the stock blowers. You are getting a hot temp, but its burning your wood from the bottom up too quickly. Thats why I have the back open with the forced draft. That way I damper to almost closed on the bottom, when I do that, it draws in above the fire and I get a nice steady fire. I'm usually in the 400 range at night. Loading it tightly will help and before the whole load gets engulfed in flames, damper back. I would get it to 450 then damper it back and watch your temps. With mine having the back open, when I damper mine in the ashpan, my firebox temps rise because of the secondary air over the fire. If you don't have the forced draft, is the plug open, if so 2 turns is way too much air. I close mine to no more than 1 turn open at night. This way I have coals in the morning, and a clean chimney.


I am running just like you but ash pan door damper closed all the way.


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## matt701 (Dec 10, 2008)

The back plug wide open and one turn with the ash pan door might work with a barometric damper installed.  If you don't have one and have a pretty big draft as I do, this is still too much air coming in.  I would just keep playing with the dampers until you reach the temperatures Laynes mentioned.  On mine, just the back plug all the way open is too much.


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## smokinj (Dec 10, 2008)

matt701 said:
			
		

> The back plug wide open and one turn with the ash pan door might work with a barometric damper installed.  If you don't have one and have a pretty big draft as I do, this is still too much air coming in.  I would just keep playing with the dampers until you reach the temperatures Laynes mentioned.  On mine, just the back plug all the way open is too much.


Thats why i turn mine all the way down(ash draw damper) and also use 6" Barometric Draft Regulator


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## davejerry (Dec 12, 2008)

I also have the 6" barometric reg. which is installed immediately where the flue comes out of the furnace.  My flue damper is located approx. 8" before the wall collar; however the flue (6") continues approx. another 18" directly to the chimney (masonry).  I get a good chimney draft. How far should I damper down the flue damper?  I set the ash pan damper all the way closed then 2 spins out/open. I do this after I get a good fire going otherwise, if the fire is too low and with only 2 spins open, the fire dies down. Currently I don't have the back plug off but I'll take it out to see what happens. Is behind the plug (on the inside of the furnace) a sealed chamber or can flames/fumes get out?   Also, I have the stock blowers which really doesn't put out a whole lot of air.  If I keep on adding a log or 2 every 2-3 hours (that's annoying) to keep the fire going how long can these blowers last?  I've had them going steady for 6-8 hours. Is that normal?  My house temps usually run 65-68 in a 1200 sq. ft house.  The factory told me that this furnace should handle up to 2500 sq. ft.  What else am I doing wrong?


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## NitroDave (Dec 12, 2008)

Pull the plug out of the rear of the unit...it's the 1 1/2" pipe plug directly under the outlet pipe. You can regulate the size of the opening with a piece of tape if you need too. I have a ball valve on mine, and run it about 1/2 open...

For a good overnight burn, I start with a good bed of coals, top with 4-6 large splits..(red oak)(some will just fit through door) ash door cracked open for about 4 min ( make sure wood is starting to char over) and box temp. is hot....close door, ash damper open 1/2 turn, for about 1/2 hour then close ash door spinner closed. Lasts about 6 hours until blowers shut off....but still have a bed of coals to get things rolling again.


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## laynes69 (Dec 12, 2008)

My blower runs 24/7. I wouldn't worry about the blowers running, which is a good thing. As long as they are on, you have heat! I'll open mine up 1 turn at night, and still have coals in the mornings. But I burn locust at night. I like around a 400 degree burn at night. When it hits below zero or close, I will hit 550 to 600 at night, and reload every 4 hours.


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## smokinj (Dec 12, 2008)

davejerry said:
			
		

> I also have the 6" barometric reg. which is installed immediately where the flue comes out of the furnace.  My flue damper is located approx. 8" before the wall collar; however the flue (6") continues approx. another 18" directly to the chimney (masonry).  I get a good chimney draft. How far should I damper down the flue damper?  I set the ash pan damper all the way closed then 2 spins out/open. I do this after I get a good fire going otherwise, if the fire is too low and with only 2 spins open, the fire dies down. Currently I don't have the back plug off but I'll take it out to see what happens. Is behind the plug (on the inside of the furnace) a sealed chamber or can flames/fumes get out?   Also, I have the stock blowers which really doesn't put out a whole lot of air.  If I keep on adding a log or 2 every 2-3 hours (that's annoying) to keep the fire going how long can these blowers last?  I've had them going steady for 6-8 hours. Is that normal?  My house temps usually run 65-68 in a 1200 sq. ft house.  The factory told me that this furnace should handle up to 2500 sq. ft.  What else am I doing wrong?


I close mine all the way at night unless its under 20 degrees I have 2600 sq ft. (how's your inslation?)somthing wrong thats enough heat out put to keep it in the 90's easy!(you seem to be running very well)


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## davejerry (Dec 14, 2008)

hi everyone,  thanks for all the input. i haven't been able to do to much as we're without power, as well as 200,000 other people.  we just  got back some heat; temp was only 45 in the house this morning. blower motors need electricity to operate.  even right now we're still on a generator and probably will be for a few more days. i'll be back at another time. thanks again for those tips. i'll work on those just after i get the water running again. it's a slow process but steady as she goes.  take care & keep warm.


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## LARRY IRVING (Dec 29, 2008)

I also just installed a new 1557 Hot Blast in my basement.  It is connected to my gas furnace plennum.  The problem I am having is getting it hot and stay hot.  I got a fire going last night and slowly added more coal till I got it almost up to the top of the fire brick. 
It burns but does not create a lot of heat.  It is only 65 in the house and it just maintains that temp.  The blowers only come on for a short time and then off.  
I have a damper on it and thought if I close it, it may keep the heat in.  
Any suggestions how to operate this unit and get a good blast.  It seems to heat better with wood than with coal.
Any suggestions would really be appreciated


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## smokinj (Dec 29, 2008)

larry irving said:
			
		

> I also just installed a new 1557 Hot Blast in my basement.  It is connected to my gas furnace plennum.  The problem I am having is getting it hot and stay hot.  I got a fire going last night and slowly added more coal till I got it almost up to the top of the fire brick.
> It burns but does not create a lot of heat.  It is only 65 in the house and it just maintains that temp.  The blowers only come on for a short time and then off.
> I have a damper on it and thought if I close it, it may keep the heat in.
> Any suggestions how to operate this unit and get a good blast.  It seems to heat better with wood than with coal.
> Any suggestions would really be appreciated


coal need lots of air underneth of it. best if you have a draft inducer on it, if you dont have one open the ash damper all the way and mabe put a small fan by it to get more air! you want your flue damper wide open!


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## laynes69 (Dec 30, 2008)

If your trying to burn anthracite, then I would just stop. The units are not meant to burn anthracite. And the draft inducer will give you a dead fire. The firebox shape, and design just won't work with hard coal. Soft coal on the other hand would burn fine in the unit. I have modified the ashpan with a small induced draft under the grates, and tried just about everything. If you have a nice steady suppy of hard coal, I would consider selling the furnace and upgrading with a furnace that will burn hard coal. Sucks, but thats the reality of those units.


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