Are you running Stirrer pot or Klinker pot ?

[megaber]

I built and switched to a klinker Pot last year and don't think I will go back to a stirrer pot . I have had great results .
Anyone else like or dislike one over the other ?
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megaber
US Stove
American Harvest 6039t

[chickendave]

I went clinker this season. I find that I get less heat from the stove, but what is gained is much less mess. I could go weeks with out shutting down and cleaning. But just out of respect for this bute I shut her down on Saturdays and give her a good one. I use the original burn pot and remove the clinker every 12 hours.

[megaber]

Very curious ?
How many have tried going to klinker or clinker style burning .
What are your results ? Mine are very pleasing . I get more heat once I adjusted for my conditions .
I cannot see my self going back to stirrer burning unless I need to be away from the house for more than three days to pull a klinker , clinker .
Lets hear from others .
The mess is SO much less . No matter how often you shut down to clean .
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megaber
US Stove
American Harvest 6039t

[cww]

I couldn't get anything like enough heat without the stirrer in the original pot. And since I burn on 8 or 9 all winter long, if the stirrer quits, I get a football of half burned corn. Still running with the homemade backer board and the replaceable pin stirrer and the stirrer motor I put the ball bearing in, so I've had fewer problems this year than any so far. No reason to change. It's a shame that by the time I got all the problems solved, the stove itself is getting towards needing repair.
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I can't grow propane!

[chickendave]

I never leave HR1. The same haet comes out on one vs 9. Or at least not that much diff.

[wales]

Today I noticed that the clinker pot I ordered from sign2024 was sitting outside. I did a complete shut down/cleaning and installed the new pot. Fit pretty good, had to sneak it by the auger, but then it dropped in. There is a bit of a space at the front where the pot doesn't sit right down on the front lip. For now I just used some foil to fold up and seal.

however, I am currently having problems getting it running right. I have been burning for about 1.5 hours now and I have to keep adding a handful of pellets into the pot every 15-20 minutes. I am not sure why, it is not like it is running out of fuel, the fuel just stops getting lit when it falls in and slowly dies down. Throwing the pellets in has kept it going.

I am running on hr3, rf9, opened the outside air ball valve all the way, and am playing with the damper inside every few minutes. Oh yeah and my aux is on 0 Any suggestions would be appreciated, I probably just need to walk away and let it burn or go out...

Thanks!
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6039 hf

[wales]

I decided to give the stove some alone time. After I last posted I turned the air on my ball valve down to about 1/3 open, that is a little less open than I run on the stir pot. I also turned the hr up to 5. Then I let for over 2 hours. It is still running now, nice and hot, and no stir pot noises... I have some white ash build up on the glass, I need to do a search and see what that means, I know I have seen that in posts before.
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6039 hf

[tallcorn]

The clinker pot has a learning curve. If you don't get the starting fire burning hot before the corn gets to burning hot the corn can form a gooey like layer that blocks the combustion air. Pellets will burn on top but corn doesn't like to. Sometimes you can stir the mass and get it to burn, sometimes not. You may have to reduce the corn feed to the lowest or stop it and let the fire catch up or even dig the mass out and start over.
I think the corn can make a big difference, too. Dry corn is much easier to start.
I seem to have the best starts with a thin layer of pellets and get them all lit with a good fire starter that has some endurance so that when the corn feeds it ignites really quick. Then the combustion air comes up through from the bottom.
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Countryside 3500P (pedestal version) used 8-9 yrs, 24/7 during days requiring heat. All original motors. Burns moldy corn, and pellets equally well. Burn it if you got it.

[megaber]

Hi Wales ,
I know this may not sit right with some on the site with what I found , burning with the clinker pot .
I do not use outside air anymore . Especially when the temps drop below 30 F . I use my lower slide damper to adjust combustion air flow . What I found is that the outside air will make a cold spot on the clinker pot and the corn will begin to pile and not burn .
When I start the stove cold or when I am pulling a clinker ( stove still running ) . I open my damper all the way to allow a good amount of air flow , to get the beginings of a new clinker good and red . Once I have a good red base , I slide the damper into my position and it burns beautiful .
As tallcorn did point out though , the clinker pot does have a learning curve , but once you find your stoves sweet spot it will burn great .
Good luck .
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megaber
US Stove
American Harvest 6039t

[wales]

16 hours straight now with the clinker pot. I turned the stove to hr3 at about 8 last night and didn't look at the stove until 5:30 am this morning. I have a white ash coating everywhere, but very thin, I wiped the glass clean with just a dry paper towel. NO FLY ASH, anywhere, so clean ! At this point in my test run I am very happy, we will see how the coming days go.

Now, I do like my outside air, my house is very tight and I have issues with the stove running when I don't use it. However, I think you are on to something. I have very little air coming in right now and I think I have the stove at a good setting.

Another question, I am not getting a long lazy flame. It looks like all the air holes up the pot are making the flame get spread apart and stay shorter. I do not think this is a big deal, just wondering if a clinker pot should have a tall lazy flame like a stir pot?

I think I like the clinker pot
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6039 hf

[megaber]

You will get more of a whirrling effect through the holes in the pot , If they are looking a little too violent , you can try and adjust draft fan a little lower which can give you a taller flame to some point .
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megaber
US Stove
American Harvest 6039t

[tallcorn]

megaber, I don't know how you get a "cold spot" using outside with a clinker pot. If you get a cold spot with a clinker pot then you should get a cold spot with a stirrer pot. Combustion air should spread around the burn pot fairly evenly. I've had outside air with temperatures down below -25 degrees and changes in outside air temperatures don't seem to make any difference that I can see. If anything the stove burns better with colder air.
Outside air, if it isn't necessary for the combustion, has other advantages. The stove isn't using inside air that takes heat out of the house and you are not losing humidified air that drys the house out. Outside air makes your stove burn more efficiently. The way high efficiency gas furnaces get their efficiency is they burn outside air and they condense the moisture out of the exhaust, giving up the heat in the moisture.

These are photos of the 48 hour clinker I removed from the clinker pot this morning. I just turned it over and dumped it out.




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Countryside 3500P (pedestal version) used 8-9 yrs, 24/7 during days requiring heat. All original motors. Burns moldy corn, and pellets equally well. Burn it if you got it.

[wd9eka]

[wd9eka]

Meant to ask. How dense are those clinker bricks anyway?

I think I am going to try going clinkerless short term with a stock pot in my 6039. I work from home so can keep an eye on it easily.

Typically what needs adjusted. REalize the draft and augers speeds may need adjusted. which direction though? More air and more fuel, what is a relative % of change in general?

bob

[wales]

wd9eka, I am by no means an expert with the clinker pots. However, I just pulled a 25 hours clinker out of my new pot. It is not very big and would likely have fit in the stock pot. So I think you could run with that pot, at least to see how it works.

I ended up making no changes up to this point. I screwed with the air and such, only to end up basically right back were I started, a little less air. I did have an issue getting the pot going initially though. Today I didn't have to relight, I just scraped the hot embers off the top of the clinker and put in the new hanger.
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6039 hf