United States Stove DR6 Owner's Manual download pdf (Page 10)

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Ensure that a masonry chimney meets the

minimum standards of the National Fire

Protection Association (NFPA) by having

it inspected by a professional. Make sure

there are no cracks, loose mortar or oth-

er signs of deterioration and blockage.

Have the chimney cleaned before the

stove is installed and operated. When

connecting the stove through a combus-

tible wall to a masonry chimney, special

methods are needed.

Heaters that are capable of burning coal usu-

ally will burn both Bituminous and Anthracite

coal. Anthracite is perhaps the best coal fuel

because of its long even burn time, high heat

output, and cleanliness which make it a good

choice for the home. However, keep in mind

it is a much more difcult fuel to use, requires

more care and patience, is not so widely avail-

able, and is usually much more expensive than

Bituminous

SIZE OF COAL:

Most sizes of Bituminous Coal will work in a coal

heater; for best results we recommend large

“nut” coal to small “egg” coal (1-3/4” diameter

to 4” diameter). When burning Anthracite, use

“egg” or “broken” with sizes between 2-5/16”

thru 4-3/8”. Note that it is important to the long

life of your stove to buy coal which has been

sized and cleaned. Cleaning insures removal of

rocks and other minerals. Never use coal small-

er than 1” or larger than 5” in diameter. Small

sized coal will smother the re. Too large a size

of coal will not burn well.

STOVE OPERATION:

All coal res should be started with wood which

will allow the re to get hot enough to ignite

the coal. The best ignition res utilize dry pine or

other resinous soft woods as kindling, with hard

wood (oak, hickory, ash) added to increase

the heat prior to addition of the coal.

Before starting the re, open the stove pipe

damper (if equipped), turn the thermostat to

high, open the ash pit door and feed door,

place newspaper and nely split kindling on the

grate, light the paper, add larger hard wood

after the kindling is burning brightly. CAUTION:

Never use gasoline, lantern fuel, kerosene,

charcoal lighter uid, or other ammable liq-

uids to start or freshen up a re in any heater.

Place the larger pieces of wood on the re so

that they are slightly separated and form a

level for the addition of coal. It will take 10 to 20

minutes before this wood is thoroughly ignited.

Adding coal too soon will cut the air supply and

smother the re.

BURNING BITUMINOUS:

Once your kindling and wood re has produced

a bed of well established coals, start adding

coal in layers allowing each to ignite before

adding more. Bituminous has a high volatile

content and, as a result, should be red with

the “conical method” - with the highest portion

of your re bed in the center of the rebox. The

rst ames will be long and generally orange

or yellow and produce quite a bit of smoke. As

the gases burn off the ames become shorter,

change color and produce less smoke.

Once the re is WELL ESTABLISHED add coal

to the center of the rebox forming the cone.

Burning in this fashion allows heat to drive off

the volatile gases, and turbulence created

increases the burn efciency. There will have

to be some experimenting with the individual

setup as no two chimney’s or installations are

going to be the same. Just remember to allow

enough air to enter the rebox and keep the

stove pipe damper open so that volatiles are

properly burned. Before refueling, take the time

to break up the cone a little with a poker, espe-

cially if it has caked over or formed a crust. But,

be careful not to mix the coal as this increases

the chances of forming clinkers. When shaking

the grate(s) be gentle. Just a few short move-

ments - a couple of “cranks” - is better than

a lot of agitation. The objective is to remove a

small amount of the ashes without disturbing

the re. Stop when you see a glow in the ashes

or the rst red coals fall into the ash pan. Exces-

sive shaking wastes fuel and can expose the

grate(s) to very high temperatures which can

cause warpage or burnout.

For overnight operation (long duration burn

time) shake the re and add coal, retaining the

center cone. Once the volatiles are burned off,

close the feed door and adjust the stove pipe

damper, if equipped. Then adjust the thermo-

stat to the desired heat level.

More MAINTENANCE will be needed with bitu-

minous coal than with anthracite coal as more

soot will collect on heating surfaces and in

pipes, requiring more frequent cleaning.

ANTHRACITE:

Add a thin layer of coal (preferably smaller

chunks) to the wood re, being careful not to

disturb it too much or cut off the draft. Then,

add a second heavier layer after the coal is ig-

nited and burning well. If necessary, add a third

layer to bring the coal up to the top of the front

liner (not above!). Be sure to close the ash door.

Before adding further fuel, be sure to leave a

red spot of glowing coals in the center of the

rebox to insure that the re has not been

smothered and to help ignite the gases given

off by the new charge. A deep charge will give

a more even heat and a longer re, but it may

take one to two hours before the whole bed is

fully ignited.

When the re is well established and the room

is becoming warm, partially close the dampers.

Some experimenting will have to take place

with each particular setting of all dampers and

controls as the chimney provides the draft nec-

essary to not only exhaust the smoke, but to

pull combustion air into the heater as well - and

no two chimney’s perform the same. Under

ideal draft conditions, one should be able to

turn the secondary air supply on the feed door

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A guide to burning coal in your heater.

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United States Stove DR6 Owner's Manual Page 10

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