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[andyjs]

ive been having trouble keeping a bed of coals!whats everyone running their fan draft setting at?mine is all the way open.just wandering if im getting too much air and blowing the coals to ashes?

[slimjim]

I'm not real sure what Scott will say but I'd be willing to bet 20 bucks that he will agree with me as well as your intuition, yes cut the air back, another thing may be the wood quality, softer woods will not give a nice coal bed where a denser wood sometimes can give you too much, Hope I helped and happy burning to you.

[CountryBoyJohn]

All of the 10,000E guys I've talked to are running 100% open on their draft.  Mr. Slim is right about the hardwoods.  To get my coal bed built back up, I load nearly half full or more with small  split pieces.  Smaller pieces will turn to coals more quickly.  Check on your stove more often and stir up the pieces and break them up.  Then add more small pieces.  Do this and you should have a decent coal bed in about a day. 

How often do you empty your ash pan?  Don't empty it for a while.  Let it go for 2 weeks or so.  In mild days, like we're going to have for the next few days, I turn my set temp down to 170 and my swing to 10. 

[andyjs]

Seems like I'm blowing through wood when I can't get a bed of coals

[slimjim]

  Try countryboys advice on smaller loads more often at least until you get that bed, Countryboy, you don't think that cutting the air back a bit on startup or when there is a lack of coal bed helps ? I know it does on ours, ask Willowbrook what he witnessed yesterday when I was there.

[Scott7m]

It's normally a wood related issue as some wood produces very little coals

Things to try, u can Def do like slim said and try to adjust air until you get a nice 6 inch thick bed of coals

I usually load more wood than I need until I get a good bed of coals established.  But you will burn more wood it seems if you don't have a coal bed

And don't bother the shaker grates very often

[slimjim]

Thanks Scott, Did you get to the Louisville show? big crowd?

[andyjs]

Thanks guys I'll play around with it.I had a really good bed of coals then it bridged over from the coal so it might be from burning the stoker coal.I want to try the bigger stuff

[CountryBoyJohn]

Waoh, you didn't say anything about coal.  You're in a different ball game if you're burning coal.  I have an entirely different procedure when I'm burning coal.  The stoker coal is definitely a different animal when it comes to the coal bed.  I was going to recommend you read through the "anyone burning coal in their Heatmaster" thread and noticed the YOU were the one who started that thread!!  So, I'm going to assume you've read through it. 

Before I unload on my new and improved coal burning procedure and settings, I'm going to ask if you're burning coal now, coal and wood, or just wood? 

[Scott7m]

Waoh, you didn't say anything about coal.  You're in a different ball game if you're burning coal.  I have an entirely different procedure when I'm burning coal.  The stoker coal is definitely a different animal when it comes to the coal bed.  I was going to recommend you read through the "anyone burning coal in their Heatmaster" thread and noticed the YOU were the one who started that thread!!  So, I'm going to assume you've read through it. 

Before I unload on my new and improved coal burning procedure and settings, I'm going to ask if you're burning coal now, coal and wood, or just wood?

Yea I'm lost now too.....   

coal is different, I never burn small size coal either so I likely ccan't help much on anthracite,  I love bituminous lump

[Scott7m]

Thanks Scott, Did you get to the Louisville show? big crowd?

Didn't have time for that,  lot going on

Heard the crowd was huge as always

[slimjim]

Same here obviously.

[andyjs]

I'm still burning coal and wood.I load amount of wood I need and throw in 3-4 shovel fulls of coal