Heatmor Drama....

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Hey all,
I'm having issues with my Heatmor...
Not heating issues....heats great!
My issue is my wood burns "uneven" and everytime I go to "throw more wood in" I have to poke and rake the wood and coals to get it all evened back out.
Seems the front of the Heatmor is burning while the wood at the back is just charring and sitting there.
Hence.......wood rolling back out on me when I throw more in.
IF THIS IS NORMAL THEN I'M NOT COMPLAINING (not much anyway) JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT DOING SOMETHING WRONG.
I do put my wood in from "front to back" not sideways.......is this a problem?
Am I supposed to be removing the coals out of the Heatmor or just letting them build up?
I clean out the ashes with the auger (lower back of the Heatmor) but I rarely get anything to come out.

Sorry if this was already posted somewhere, I used the "search" button but didn't fine anything that spoke of "my" situation.

Thanks in advance!

 

[fletcher0780]

rake the coals out level before adding more wood.

 

[ericjeeper]

Try getting some coals piled up to the front.. Basically see if you can get your wood to slope to the back.
otherwise I have no clues.

 

[RoyR(MI)]

Because most of the air from the draft blower comes out in the front, the wood and coals burn out there first. I rake the unburned wood and coals to the front and then add more wood. There is also air that comes up through the grates that can get blocked off by ashes and dead coals. Try raking right down to the grates. This will also allow the ashes to drop through the grates to be removed by the auger. That will allow the air to come up through the grates in the back and the wood will burn better in the back.

Hope this helps

 

[blakey]

I don't have a Heatmor but it almost sounds like you are adding wood too often or loading too much wood. I have a feel for how much wood I need to go 12 hrs and still have a decent bed of coals, I find that works best.

 

[S. Todd]

I also have a heatmor. I've had this problem before as well, like a previous posting said - rake down to the grates. You've built up a layer of caked ash that is blocking the air from blowing up thru the grates. It is also keeping your ash from falling thru the grates, which explains you not getting much out with the auger. Its an easy fix. You will have lots of ash to auger out when everything is raked and broken up. Good luck.

 

[forcedintoit]

When i first got my heatmor did the same thing. I did not let the wood burn down enough before i put more wood in leading to the ash not getting raked through the grates. You will not get much ash anyway, about 5 gallons maybe a month. What happens ids the ash gets caked on top of the grates and keeps getting deeper. Let the stove burn down enough this time to where the fire is not keeping up the rake the coals out good getting the ash to fall through the grates, then you should get a little better even burn. But it still does burn a little more in the front on the cs100 and cs200. but if you have the cs400 then that boiler has two blowers indicating your back blower is out. Mine is the 200 and it burns a little more in front of the door.

 

[Angel4JohnnyB]

When i first got my heatmor did the same thing. I did not let the wood burn down enough before i put more wood in leading to the ash not getting raked through the grates. You will not get much ash anyway, about 5 gallons maybe a month. What happens ids the ash gets caked on top of the grates and keeps getting deeper. Let the stove burn down enough this time to where the fire is not keeping up the rake the coals out good getting the ash to fall through the grates, then you should get a little better even burn. But it still does burn a little more in the front on the cs100 and cs200. but if you have the cs400 then that boiler has two blowers indicating your back blower is out. Mine is the 200 and it burns a little more in front of the door.

I have a 100 so only one blower.
Thanks so much, makes total sense!

 

[Angel4JohnnyB]

Thanks everyone!

Thanks so much to you all.

I have, more than likely, been adding wood 'too often'.
I can't start a fire to save my life so letting this sucker go out would be a very bad thing!
Sooooo, I've been adding and adding and adding and NEVER letting it get down to nothing before I add more.
I just added wood (5:30pm).....still 3/4 full......LOL......so I'll not add anymore tonight.......we are to be into the high teens tonight so by morning it should be burned down pretty good.
I'll rake it good, down to the grates, and then add wood and check my ash.

AND....from now on I'll be sure I rake the coals down to the grates and pull the hot coals forward before adding more wood.

I've only been at this since Christmas Eve so I'm still in that "learning phase".
I'M SOOOOO GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE!!!!!!:biggrinbounce2:

 

[forcedintoit]

enjoy your heatmor it is a nice stove!

 

[crowbuster]

Sounds like good advice from all on the raking and slowing down on wood. I would also add that I like to keep a cushion of ash banked up in the back of the stove on the firebrick to protect it from a blow from a piece thrown to hard. Enjoy


C.B

 

[blakey]

Hence.......wood rolling back out on me when I throw more in.

This was the first clue you may be a little overzealous with loading it! I imagine you had to do a little dance to avoid the burning pieces of wood falling at your feet. Enjoy your Heatmor, if you have even a few red coals left the fire should come back up no problem. Just throw a few small sticks on the coals then larger wood on top. Even with my Central Boiler if I am getting smoke after reloading it is usually fine.

 

[warlock1944]

Heatmore user for 4 years

I am on my 4th year using a heatmore and love it. I think the keys are:

keep about a 6 inch deep bed of coals and level them everytime you put in wood

Only put in enough wood to wind up with a bed of red coals the next morning

When you rake the coals take the end of the rake and dig a trench down through to the grates and then level the bed.

I line my wood up in 2 rows across the width (16 to 18 inch long splits) for 25 degree weather about 6 pieces along the back and 6 along the front. At 0 I use about 20 pieces.


Do not worry the stove will burn from front to back (blower is in front) but if it goes long enough it will burn it all.


If you get black coals when you auger space your augering out a bit more. I get about a pailfull of fine grey ash every 2 weeks or so.


Hope this helps

 

[jeeptj19992001]

I am on my 4th year using a heatmore and love it. I think the keys are:

keep about a 6 inch deep bed of coals and level them everytime you put in wood

Only put in enough wood to wind up with a bed of red coals the next morning

When you rake the coals take the end of the rake and dig a trench down through to the grates and then level the bed.

I line my wood up in 2 rows across the width (16 to 18 inch long splits) for 25 degree weather about 6 pieces along the back and 6 along the front. At 0 I use about 20 pieces.


Do not worry the stove will burn from front to back (blower is in front) but if it goes long enough it will burn it all.


If you get black coals when you auger space your augering out a bit more. I get about a pailfull of fine grey ash every 2 weeks or so.


Hope this helps

and do not forget to clean out the flue combustion box, with the flue scrapper

 

[Marklambert61]

Love my heatmor

Just back off on the amount of wood your adding...

Also use your ash auger by a once weekly schedule.

Mark

 

[cleanburn]

I agree with mostly what was written. I have a Heamor as well