I now use charcoal and lighter fluid to start mine. Coal stoves are good for long term heating. You get one going and bank the coals at night so they are hot in the morning and you put more on without relighting. Banking is as it says you make a heap to one side of the hot coals. The thing is I use mine for emergencies only now and if I need to get it going, I want to do it quickly and I find using charcoal and lighter fluid the quickest way. ALWAYS put ashes in a non combustible container, preferably galvanized metal. Never store the ashes near the home. Several years ago someone put theirs in a plastic trash bag and put them on porch and 5 people died in the ensuing fire. Ashes are always HOT!
Put 6 balls of newspaper scrunched up as a layer in the stove, not tightly. Then add kindling on top of the newspaper, which is dried small bits of wood, put quite a bit on. Then open the air hole fully, light the paper, close the door and wait for it to roar away, once it's away, should take approx 2 minutes to get it really going, add around 6 bits of coal to the top, watch ur hands tho. Then close the door, the fire will slightly simmer down, leave it untill the coal has went red hot, once it has, that is now ur layer, I would add more coal and slowly turn the air hole down, the more u close it the less flames there are, the longer the coal will last....... As for wood, it has to be very dry. If it wet it will just put the flames out straight away. So unless it's kiln dry I wouldn't put it on at the start at all... Wait untill u have the coal bed really red hot, put the wood on then, it won't put it out as it will hot.
Sorry I thought it was a wood burner! Forget what I wrote
heatraola type stove uses coal for fuel that is added by hand by opening or closeing the doors you get a different reaction
