# Old stove, new user



## manooti (Dec 21, 2015)

Hey guys. I'm definitely new here and to wood burning.

I bought a stove a while back and just finished putting it in. Just have to do some minor cosmetic stuff. 
On the inside it had no bricks and nothing on the ceiling. Not sure if that is what is called the "Baffle"? It doesnt have tubes except for rectangular tubes that have front vents. 

As you can tell I'm a definite noob. This thing is very old and my local supplier had no idea what it was either and had to call corporate. Its a Salvo Machinery. No one still knows which model. Two doors on the front and a grate for the coals. So its a wood/coal stove. 

It also has a spot for the blower attachment, but it doesnt have it. 

So far I changed the gaskets, both doors, both windows and the ash door, installed fire bricks and overlapped some so I didnt have to cut anything. Installed the pipe shield and will be doing the thermal barrier on the wall with the spacers. 

But, I'm not sure if anything is needed on the ceiling because it does get kinda hot and trying to play it safe here.  Does it need the ceramic blanket and the blower? Also, what can I do about the handles? I added pics. basically its just a hex with nothing there.


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## begreen (Dec 21, 2015)

Welcome. It's hard to tell from the close up shots. Is there a a UL tag on the back of the stove with some more info? Can you show a shot of the whole firebox and also one of the whole stove?


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## manooti (Dec 21, 2015)

Thank you.
I'll try to get some pictures when I can. Need to clean up the area a bit. But pretty much it looks like a Citation with 2 doors instead of 1. The back makes no sense. It lists 4 different models. 1,2 and W and W2 or something close. My inspector was lost too lol. I asked before pulling the permits and also asked local supplier. Thats why I added the stack shield and putting the wall barrier for safety.


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## begreen (Dec 21, 2015)

Looks like an older Citation. If so it's mostly a coal burner. The folks over at the coal forum may be able to help you out with a manual.
www.nepacrossroads.com


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## manooti (Dec 22, 2015)

Thank you for your help. Hopefully they might have something. If not, am i screwed?


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## begreen (Dec 22, 2015)

It was a popular enough stove, there should be someone running it. Tell us more about the ceiling question. How tall is it and how far is it from the stove top to the ceiling?


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## manooti (Dec 22, 2015)

I have a cathedral ceiling and its about 20 feet from the stove lol. The issue was the inside of the stove. Im not sure if it needs a catalyst, a blanket or some other type of material. I tried to shove some firebrick inside of it but it seems like its about half an inch to 3/4. Im not sure what to do. Ive been doing test runs and it seems fine. It overfired like crazy before I had the gaskets done. Now its controllable. Not sure if it needs the missing blower, a blanket on the firebox ceiling or something.


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## begreen (Dec 22, 2015)

I doubt it had either if it was a coal/wood stove.


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## manooti (Dec 22, 2015)

Thats weird. It has the 2 vent square tubes from back to front and under those are 2 L brackets. Maybe thermal mass or a reflective material at least?


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## begreen (Dec 22, 2015)

Looks like maybe baffle bricks slid in there?


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## coaly (Dec 27, 2015)

Book calls for ACI-38 Catalytic Combustor "All Citation Models"
Size given here;
http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/22...ic-Combustor----Various-Sizes.html?d_id=62879
Also for All Citation Models;
The grate for coal is listed as "small" #208 and for wood "trapazoid" 208C (you would think the C would be for coal...... but it's not)
Screens are not shown in your pictures, there is a small and large.
Also "spears" I believe to hang them.


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## manooti (Dec 30, 2015)

coaly said:


> Book calls for ACI-38 Catalytic Combustor "All Citation Models"
> Size given here;
> http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/22...ic-Combustor----Various-Sizes.html?d_id=62879
> Also for All Citation Models;
> ...



Wow.. now you lost me. What does the catalyst mount to? There is only an angle bracket on each venting pipe and on the link it appears nothing will fit. I put in a 1/4 inch steel baffle. It has about a (max) 1 inch space available. I dont think it would fit a catalyst. Maybe I dont have the Citation? Its weird because the rear plate says its one of the 4 listed.


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## coaly (Dec 30, 2015)

Every combustor supplier calls for the same one, uncanned. That means no metal wrap around the ceramic called "canning". They usually set into a recess with optional gasket.
If using coal like you should be, you do not use a CAT.
You "can" burn wood in any coal stove, but it's going to burn fast and the firebox can only be built correctly for either. Not both, and coal kits don't work as well as the design for coal only.
Here's a video from an eBay sale that shows there IS a manual ! Blower is shown, shaking grates, banking plate across front and no combustor shows it is set up for coal.


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## coaly (Dec 30, 2015)

When shaking, you don't always move it as much as shown in video. The smaller rod than hole in grate and ring allows a "knock" by a quick rattle back and forth. When burned down with lots of ash to dump, movement is farther and ash drops quickly. Stop as soon as you see glowing coals drop. If you shake too much, fresh coal will get stuck between grates. With a little ash, you don't want a smooth motion. You use a short stroke so the wasted motion is more like a tap back and forth. This goes for any coal grate and is the reason for handles to fit loosely on grate. Play in linkage is normal to create the shock needed like a vibration to knock ash loose with little movement.


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## manooti (Dec 30, 2015)

I see. How do I figure out the size I need?


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## coaly (Dec 30, 2015)

Anthracite Chestnut.

I'd imagine there is a holder for the CAT when used for wood. Yours is obviously in the coal mode.
Here is the size and picture of Combustor;
http://www.amazon.com/Firecat-Catalytic-Combustor-ACI-38-following/dp/B00KJ6ZJHO


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## manooti (Dec 30, 2015)

coaly said:


> Anthracite Chestnut.
> 
> I'd imagine there is a holder for the CAT when used for wood. Yours is obviously in the coal mode.
> Here is the size and picture of Combustor;
> http://www.amazon.com/Firecat-Catalytic-Combustor-ACI-38-following/dp/B00KJ6ZJHO




I'm not sure how to use that. Would a catalyst come with any brackets? That wouldn't fit inside my firebox with the brackets already there. Unless I fabricate something for it. 

Wouldn't a catalyst need a bypass though? There is nothing like that now. No valves or control or bypass except for the air intake on ash door.


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## coaly (Dec 30, 2015)

You have everything to use it as a coal stove as is.
You need a manual, parts and combustor for wood. Why bother when it's a better coal stove than wood stove?

Post #15 " How do I figure out the size I need? "

I wasn't sure if you were asking size of coal for coal burning or size of combustor for wood burning.
So I answered both.  Chestnut for coal , Amazon link for combustor.


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## manooti (Dec 31, 2015)

I gotcha. I tried to use some coal. Have both nut and pea. With hot wood coals on bed and ash door open I still couldnt get the coal to light. Im definitely new to coal, but always been around wood.


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## coaly (Dec 31, 2015)

You won't start it with coals. It takes a flame ripping up through the coal like a torch. Not much wood, just small kindling.

Coal takes lots of air moving up through it. If you have open spots on the grate, air will rush up through the opening doing nothing but rushing up the chimney cooling it. You need to place coal with a shovel over the holes to force the incoming air through the fire. Wood will burn getting air from any direction, coal has to have it come up through the pile.

Start with crumpled paper and cardboard strips. Place small kindling on top with plenty of room for air to get between it. Sprinkle some coal over top, larger pieces, not pea. You want air space between coal pieces for oxygen to get to the coal. Light it, and try to keep flames ripping up through a little coal. In a few minutes add more, like you're putting rocks on the fire to put it out. A good drafting chimney will have coal burning in 15 to 20 minutes. It will glow and burn with a blue flame. That is the coal gas igniting as fresh coal expels it. Keep adding slowly until the fire is covered. It takes time to spread across the grate. Usually a couple hours. You can tell where it's burning by looking under grate by the glow. With ash door open, so much air will go through you won't get secondary ignition of coal gas on top. Close door with shutter wide open as soon as possible and you should get blue flames on top. This adds to heating the chimney creating more draft to ignite more coal. As you add more coal, fill to top of banking plate across front. Then you will start getting heat from the stove.* Never poke a coal fire from the top !*

A "hole" in the fire bed allows air up through it and the burning coal doesn't get air. When established, keep the top even or high in the center. 

You will learn when you shake, it may have deeper ash in spots. Open ash door a while after shaking, a half hour or so, and dead spots will be dark. Poke them with bent poker from bottom up to clean. *Always stop shaking or poking when glowing coals drop.*  A clean fire will glow evenly across entire bottom lasting 8 to 10 hours before shaking again. Usually shaking morning and night is enough, adding a bucket a day. Adding coal is called stoking a hand fed fire.

 You will get the same BTU per pound from any size coal, it just burns faster with larger pieces getting more oxygen between them. So on warm days learn to use smaller pieces called the "fines" from bottom of bin. This will burn slower when you don't need the heat. Use larger pieces at night or when colder.
People who claim coal is dirty are usually doing something wrong. Shake a little in the morning (ash packs under it stopping air flow) and open air to get the fire kicked up and chimney hot. Then remove ash and dump into a metal container outside. Any fine fly ash will go into ash door since the chimney is a good vacuum cleaner when hot. It is very fine, you don't want to dump it cold getting it airborne in the house.


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## coaly (Dec 31, 2015)

Once established, with little air, you'll find you only have a glowing mass under coal. That's all I'm heating with so far this year. As you give it more air, you should get blue flame flicker here and there. The more air, the more flame until it is all the way to the top. You normally don't need that kind of heat. *Give it time to react !* It's different than wood, but not difficult when you get the hang of it. And sooo much easier.
All coal stoves have a way of getting secondary air above the fire. Oxygen is used up going through the burning bed, so yours has metered air leaks around grate to allow enough air above fire without a secondary air adjustment found on some stoves.
Make sure you wipe the glass every morning with a damp rag when at it's coolest. You don't want fly ash sticking to the glass, it will etch into it.


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## manooti (Dec 31, 2015)

coaly said:


> Once established, with little air, you'll find you only have a glowing mass under coal. That's all I'm heating with so far this year. As you give it more air, you should get blue flame flicker here and there. The more air, the more flame until it is all the way to the top. You normally don't need that kind of heat. *Give it time to react !* It's different than wood, but not difficult when you get the hang of it. And sooo much easier.
> All coal stoves have a way of getting secondary air above the fire. Oxygen is used up going through the burning bed, so yours has metered air leaks around grate to allow enough air above fire without a secondary air adjustment found on some stoves.
> Make sure you wipe the glass every morning with a damp rag when at it's coolest. You don't want fly ash sticking to the glass, it will etch into it.




Thank you for the advice. I tried today with what you said. It lit up and gave out massive heat. Almost reached 600 degrees half way full of coal. I lowered the air and left to do some errands. When I came back they were out. Have to relight it. Being new and preventing an overfire has a steep learning curve especially without a barometer. 

I tried looking up some other info regarding creosote. Would creosote built up and then fired with coal melt away or burn off? And should I use the stove top magnetic thermometer on the stove pipe above the damper for wood and on the stove for coal? Neighbor said he put his above the damper for his wood stove to help him better balance the pipe heat with damper, air intake and avoid creosote.


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## coaly (Jan 1, 2016)

When the coal is lit, look under the grate to be able to tell how much is actually burning on the grate. It probably wasn't much. It probably needed about half air at that point. It could have more to do with your chimney than what you're doing with the stove too.
Chimney temperature is what makes both the wood and coal burn. You will only get about 100* f. pipe temperature before chimney with coal. Burning hard can be closer to 150*. The flue should be the same size as stove outlet and insulated all the way up. I don't know what kind of damper you have, but for coal it should be barometric for precise air flow through coal bed. When you left, if you closed a manual damper like you would for wood, it would kill it. It takes 6 hours or more to stabilize a coal fire with a hot mass that won't go out. If it drops below the critical mass temp, you can't get it back. Once established, after neglecting for 12 hours or more you only have a little glowing spot that should glow and flame up with ash door open to save the fire. Again, the chimney plays a big part of how the stove reacts.
With wood, you need to keep temperature above 250* all the way up to prevent water vapor form condensing in the flue allowing smoke particles to stick, forming creosote. Pipe surface is the easiest measurement, but keep in mind the actual flue gas  temp can be 30 to 50% or more above surface temp. So depending on chimney flue size and insulation, the chimney is what determines the temperature to run.

A huge factor with coal is outside temperature. It should be below 40*f. for a 24 hour period. Draft is caused by the differential temperature between inside and outside of flue. The colder outside, the stronger the draft, so the more air rushes into stove filling the low pressure area created by the chimney. Some chimney and stove combinations won't work at all when warm out. I use a Hitzer hopper fed stove with insulated 6 inch chimney that burns at any temp, even during summer. Other stoves with a larger masonry chimney won't have enough differential pressure at the top of flue when warm outside for enough air through the fire. When a coal stove is set up, it's good to set the barometric damper to manufacturer specification for W.C. (Water Column) of pressure at the stove collar. That is the lowest pressure area, and barometric dampers have gradients on the adjustment weight to set pressure for the correct flow through coal bed. I know you don't have that, but a coal stove will operate at draft levels of -.015 to -.05 WC. If lower, increase chimney height. If higher, use barometric damper to lower it.* Ideal draft operating range is setting damper to -.03 to -.04 WC*. The damper automatically keeps it there for changing conditions of fire and atmospheric pressure. With a wood stove, it's not that critical and you learn when you can close damper more or less with fire and weather conditions.

We have been burning wood in a Kitchen Queen for 5 years in NE PA and this summer we were working on a rental home and didn't do much wood. (I had about a cord of standing dead only) So last weekend I started the coal stove. Normally it's cold enough here the first of November for a coal fire that burns until we let it go out in spring. 60* days would drive us out, so I waited. I loaned a Gibraltar coal stove to a tenant of ours that had only burned wood. They heated all last year with 2 tons and keep it toasty. I was there to show them the stove and they learned it overnight. Once you get the hang of it, you'll realize you have to do something wrong to lose a coal fire.


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## manooti (Jan 1, 2016)

I had the damper wide open and was even considering removing it completely. 

The chimney is a triple stack duraplus 6 inch. 18 ft tall on exterior. Nothing near it within ten feet except ridge and it passes it by at least 2 feet. 
Inside has 2 black elbows and total of 4 ft horizontal run through thimble. 

I noticed with steel baffle in place I had to heat it up to get draft. Without stove pipe connected I held a piece of tissue over thimble and it almost sucked it out of my hand at 60 degree outside temp. I can also see heat rising out of chimney cap when it's not running because we have oil heat as well. House is also air tight. Built in 2005 so needs window open to feed fire. 

I might need a manometer. If I can figure this out it'll be our main heat source and oil as secondary. 

Draft is unique to each install but maybe that helps.


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## coaly (Jan 1, 2016)

You need a barometric damper on that insulated chimney. The flapper will stay closed (open damper) most of the time, but when cold out and cranking it up, it should open partially. If you get one without setting marks, just set  the weight so it's starting to open when flaming. I have 6 feet of 6 inch Dura-plus above 8 feet of vertical single wall pipe. At 39* outside now I have to have air inlet on ash door wide open to get high steady flames. That is where you want the baro flapper to be partially open. Close the air a little to go down to just a glow and the flapper stays closed. Again, it takes time to respond unlike wood. My stove has a b-imetal thermostat door that opens on the back, so the ash door air adjustment becomes an idle setting. I set bottom intake to warm the entire house just right instead of allowing the thermostat to let tons of air in. Then it flames up to the top with blue and damper opens wide trying to slow draft, and using fuel. Sometimes you need that to kick it up. (like opening ash door, but stay with it, that is bad practice)
Store your coal out of sunlight and wind. That is the only thing that will rob it of BTU's.
I didn't mention coal suppliers either. Some like Blaschak, others not so much. Old Company Lehi was always the best. It can vary greatly from breaker to breaker, and as suppliers get it in, you can tell when the glassy looking really hard nice stuff is there. Some will smell like more sulfer when burned, create more ash (what I get with Blaschak) and even have what appears to be rocks or shale in it. Just like with wood, when you find what works best, stick with it. I was involved with firebox design for cook stoves converted from wood to coal and one of the manufactures in Canada was trying Blaschak during testing and was having problems, since testing was being done in warmer weather when production was down. Tried everything before suspecting the coal. That was it.
Don't try soft coal. It smokes and burns with a yellow flame and is completely different.

The other thing I didn't mention is ash dumping. *Dump ash everyday* keeping it well below grates. Air coming in is the only thing that cools grates. They will warp and not shake correctly and is the #1 stove killer since grates are not cheap.


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## manooti (Jan 1, 2016)

That's a lot of good info there. Thank you. 

Using coal right now it keeps going out. I'm afraid of giving it too much air because I don't want to over fire it. Sometimes it seems like I have to open the ash door completely for it to start up. Other times it's fine. But end result is always still unused coal and its out. How do I know if draft is good without manometer? Is there a way to test that? I noticed the stove top temp get close to 500 and stovepipe is barely hot, well just enough to touch it for a few seconds. With wood you can't touch it.  

When I fixed the gaskets the box is now completely air tight. 

I'm just paranoid I guess.


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## manooti (Jan 1, 2016)

Well.. after some research... I found out the size I need and it seems the stove is missing the holder. Thought the cat would fit in the brackets but now the brackets are supposed to hold the cat holder. 
http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/16...id=65649&infield=Filter6:Catalytic Combustors

No idea what to do next except make it look pretty. Was hoping on using both wood and coal. Im surrounded by dead trees on my property. Awesome start to the new year.


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## coaly (Jan 1, 2016)

When you have the coal burning a few hours, are you getting blue flames from the top of coal pile and how high are they?
Do the flames go out when you open ash pan door? That is normal when first starting since you don't have enough glowing mass, and not enough coal to slow the draft from lifting the flames off the pile. Once established and deep, you can open ash door without loosing flames. They will grow when you open door and not go out.
It should glow down on the grates when started, then as you put cold coal on top, it covers the fire. Do that until the glow comes up through to the top. Then keep covering until full. 
With the air adjustment wide open, the flame should get so high they reach the top. Then close it about half way and see if they die down to a couple inches high. Give it time to respond. Closing it more should have small blue flames. This is all after burning long enough that the coal is burning all the way across the grates. Looking under the grates through ash pan should be a glow everywhere. Dark spots are where it isn't burning yet. It takes hours in most stoves. Without a fan it's going to get that hot on top. 600 to 700 stove top with 100 degree pipe would be normal. As long as ash pan door is closed it shouldn't overfire. It's made to run wide open air shutter for full BTU output. Coal won't melt iron until air is induced with a blower. Ash built up under grates can melt them, but doesn't do harm to other parts of the stove.
Closing the air down to a crack should allow it to glow with no flame. But that is after it is established all the way across. I'm not sure if you have that yet.

When I first learned coal I had to start mine 2 or 3 times.
I was only familiar firing steam engines in locomotives and farm equipment. They all have blowers in the exhaust that is a steam line pointing upwards out of the stack through an orifice like a venturi to induce air flow through flues and firebox to bring air up through grates. When underway, the exhaust from cylinders is exhausted up the stack and that draws air through flues and firebox. I'm used to enough air to lift the fire the size of a pick up bed, so starting a tiny fire on a grate in the house took a while without a way to get lots of air up through it. Time was the answer. It responds very slowly.
You are no where near 800* stove top or glowing to be over fired. I don't think your fully ignited yet.


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## manooti (Jan 1, 2016)

Yeah. I was way off then. My flames are little blue babies. It's weird because with ash door open the flames don't get too crazy but when I added coal and left ash door open the flames blew up to the top of the firebox as soon as I closed the glass doors. Then died down again.


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## coaly (Jan 1, 2016)

The sign that you're getting secondary ignition of blue flame is good. You're getting the mass hot enough to expel gas from the coal and ignite it.
When you start it, little blue flames are all you get. Close ash door and open air fully. Wait until flames are a couple inches high. It takes time. 1/2 hour or more....... Then open ash door to see how much glow there is through grates. It may only be in one spot, or half the firebox. It slowly migrates until glow is across entire grate. Up to 4 to 6 hours, or overnight to establish fully across firebox. That is an established coal fire. I think you're rushing it. It can still be rough the next day, meaning not a solid glowing mass of the entire firebox. The first day or so you also have sticks and kindling mixed with the coal that can flare up as yellow and not allow even air up through the coal bed like holes in it.
When adding coal you probably didn't have a flame and put too much on top. As you close doors, the pocket of coal gas ignites. Doors open, air is rushing in to go up chimney diluting gas mix too lean to burn. Close doors and you get the right mixture and ignition. You may need to keep a shallow spot in the fire like a dish shape so it flames there easily. When filling, it's like a pilot light to ignite gas. Once raw gas mixes with enough air and starts up stack, it usually isn't flammable or as explosive as in the firebox where it's concentrated. It can woof at you opening doors when you give it a gulp of air, but not too common. Some firebox designs need that low spot to keep a flame more than others. My hopper keeps it deep in the center where it gravity feeds from a hopper in the center above grates and falls down hill to the edges where it's thinner, so that is where the flames are to ignite.
Below is a pic of my current coal fire keeping 1880 sf at 68* overnight, 70* day, using a bucket a day.
That is the bottom of hopper in center. It only glows under the hopper on grate and glows up through the pile all around it. It can't burn in the hopper with no air.




It took overnight to spread from the left half to the entire firebox. There are 2 buckets on the grate and one in the hopper. At the end of season when we stop filling it, and only shake it daily, it takes 3 days to burn out.


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## manooti (Jan 7, 2016)

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it all and it wont stay lit. I leave the air inlet open all the way and a few hours later, gone. 
Right now I'm using wood.


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## coaly (Jan 8, 2016)

Something is impeding the flow of air through fire bed.
Did you ever achieve blue flames 3 to 6 inches high or all the way to the top?? Once you get that, closing it down to a crack should not loose a fire.
In post #7 you mentioned trying to add baffle with bricks. You don't have any restriction in the stove for coal burning do you?
In coal mode it should be as shown in video.
Other than that, air leaks into stove above fire, or air leak into chimney reducing flue temperature and draft, or restriction. *Coal takes a LOT of air.* Seems it burns fine with some wood to get the stack hot and is at first drafting enough. The coal fire runs a much cooler stack and looses draft.


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## manooti (Jan 16, 2016)

Sorry for late reply. The flames dont get that high. I dont think the air is being blocked because when i attempt a controlled overfire you can hear the roar of the fire. With coal, its like waiting behind the school bus on a one lane road.
Also.. I can only get the stove to 600 degrees with the ash door wide open. Is something wrong?My glass keeps getting dirty, I'm thinking its because it doesnt have the catalyst in because its missing the holder



On a brighter note, I passed inspection :D


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## coaly (Jan 17, 2016)

Yes, something is wrong. If you leave the ash door open just a few minutes to empty ash pan, the flames should be to the top of the stove going out the stack.
Your post #24 mentions an added steel baffle plate. That's fine instead of a CAT for wood, but nothing can be there for coal.
Is the 4 foot horizontal pitched upward at all? It should be at least 1/4 inch per foot.
As far as the top temperature; You're comparing temperature of a radiant stove with single wall steel to yours which is a convection heater. The outer shell will not heat up like the top and sides of a firebox that radiates in all directions. Yours heats an air space very well with the hot air that comes out of the holes, not what radiates off the stove. In the morning at its lowest with blower on the top is only warm to the touch. I can always touch mine without getting burned. I can't keep my hand in front of air outlet for long. The moving air out vents should be hotter than the stove shell.
Your thermometer should be on the pipe as far from stove as possible where it enters chimney. Starting with wood it should jump up and as you start coal, temp will go back to almost room temperature. Once filled to top of coal banking plate, 100 to 150* is normal. Wide open air shutter should go above 200.

I assume you're referring to wood burning when you mention glass being dirty. Yours is primarily a coal stove with air bypass around grate to get secondary air above fire. (between banking plate and glass) This keeps fly ash from glass. A wood stove will have a much better air wash getting primary air around glass keeping smoke and soot from glass.


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## manooti (Jan 17, 2016)

I see now. That makes sense. I checked the grate and there is no air space between the grate and the bottom of the doors. The grate's frame sits well on the holder. Wish I had the manual for this thing. Next year wife wants to get a wood stove since I'm battling coal right now lol. 

I left in the fabricated steel baffle while using the coal too. Didnt think it needed to be removed. Ill try it again when I get another bag of coal. Can I still burn the unused coal? They werent burning so I just removed them. Theyre orange in color now. 
The pipe is at an angle too, more than the 1/4 pitch. My plumbers level broke so guessing about 1/2 inch slope, but 3 90's total including the clean out. Its a rear exhaust stove not top. Top would of been better.


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## coaly (Jan 17, 2016)

Reread my post #32 above.
Adding a baffle above fire changes the flow through fire bed. That is a restriction that probably won't allow enough air up through coal bed. Only use baffle in place of CAT in wood mode. See if flames get much higher without it. The coal fire needs to allow all the heat it can when starting to go up the flue to keep the draft strong enough for air flow through coal bed. Baffle keeps it in the stove, cooling flue and looses draft.

You can use all the old coal. Start it with fresh if you have it, then mix it in. Years ago people sifted their ash for any remaining coal pieces that fell through grates when shaking. Search "coal sifter" on eBay for various models, many are like a drum with holes to leave ash out.

She won't want a wood stove when you figure out the problem ! It won't go out until April when you let it go out.


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## coaly (Jan 17, 2016)

I would not suggest bags.
If you buy your coal at a coal company, they may sell it bulk by the pound. Cost of bagging is more. I haul my own by the ton, but they weigh what you have and don't care what you put it in. I use buckets if I'm short for the year, and right now 5 buckets that weigh 35 lbs. each = 175 lbs for $18. That burns 7 days or more. I've never burned more than 2 tons a year. Delivery is 3 ton minimum and a little more per ton.


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## SALVO (Sep 6, 2018)

Hi. I used to own Salvo Machinery and my late husband was the stove designer. I'll look for an owner's manual if you still need one. I know I don't have one for the model you have. That is quite old. I may have one for the new models that came out after 1988. Coal stoves did not have a catalytic converters. You can burn both coal and wood in the old coal stoves. The clearances are probably the same or at least more stringent in the newer models. Let me know if you want me to look for it.


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## MCCMotormouth (Oct 24, 2018)

SALVO said:


> Hi. I used to own Salvo Machinery and my late husband was the stove designer. I'll look for an owner's manual if you still need one. I know I don't have one for the model you have. That is quite old. I may have one for the new models that came out after 1988. Coal stoves did not have a catalytic converters. You can burn both coal and wood in the old coal stoves. The clearances are probably the same or at least more stringent in the newer models. Let me know if you want me to look for it.



Hi There,
I am also in need of a manual if at all possible.  I just acquired this old Salvo stove that I would like to put in my garage, but need the manual to show the inspector.

Thanks,
Mathew


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