Harman Mark I (first burn)

This is my Harman Mark I that I picked up used for $350. I replaced gaskets, cleaned and painted it charcoal colored.

I installed it on 12/01/06. Temp outside was in forties.

I used nut coal and here are some photos of the burn I am getting.

What's really interesting is the difference in firebox temperature and the temperature in my pipe stack, not three feet away from the box. Firebox now at 475 F and the pipe at 125 F.

I'm learning that you can really "idle down" the burn rate. My new friend Greg (LSFarm) has been a real help with my learning curve, as have many of those that answered my posts and others who have taken the time to post thier comments and nuances of stoves they own here on this site.

I went to bed last night and turned down my air adjuster for a low burn. I awoke with a nice small fire and then opened the ash box, fired it up, shook it down, added coal and when it got nice and hot I closed the ash pan door and opened the air adjuster a bit. Whereupon I'm toasty warm in my old house. Its a nice even heat as oposed to my steam which would get hot then cool down and repeat itself, to a large finacial expense.

I'm going to try some pea coal now and see that type of burn. My coal dealer was very generous and gave me two bags each of Pea and Nut to see which I liked without even charging me, whereupon he'll deduct it from my tonnage purchase.

To sum it up, everyone I've met since my adoption of coal has been very pleasant.

Thank you Anthracite Coal Forum!

Townsend

More stove shots:

I'm not the only one to enjoy it.

Oh, yea. The thermostat to my steam boiler is three rooms away reads 73 F. It is set to kick on at 68 F.

Ha Ha Ha Oil Man!!!!!!!!!

Towsend,

Welcome to the world of coal burning. I like the pic of your dog by the stove. I have a Harmon Mark II and my English Bulldog just loves to set right by it . She will sit there until she gets so hot she starts panting... The little Harmons are great little stoves. I usually just use mine when it isn't all that cold out. When it gets really cold I have to fire up my AHS multifuel boiler... When it is EXTREMELY cold -10 deg and lower with alot of wind, I fire both of them up so the boiler will burn through the night without a refill..
I think you will enjoy your Harmon, Especially when the gas bill comes... 8)

Hi I am also new to coal, I bought a new mark 1 for $1100 (ouch) about a month ago. I'm using nut coal, and keep the draft open one turn. Now thats it's getting colder I'll slowly open it up a little. I love the heat from my little harman, and thanks to this forum I've had pretty good luck starting and maintaining the fire. Let me know how the rice coal works for you

Hi Skeene,

They're great aren't they? I adjust my dial pretty much the same as you. Its been running flawlessly since Friday.

I never used rice coal but I've tried Pea, which in my location is a size under nut. The pea coal seems to lay up nicer and from what I'm told it is supposed to give you a longer burn due to less air gaps from the tighter fitting coal. I haven't used enough of the pea and I've been using nut size since I put a ton in my basement. It burns great. I get consistent results with it.

I can't say enough good things about the stove but I live in an large, old house that has some pretty bad windows upstairs and I think I need a larger size stove. Its getting colder and I'm really asking too much from the stove to heat 2,800 sqf. So, I'm in the market for another stove, maybe a Harman Mark III.

If anyone here has familiarity with the following brands of hand fed stoves let me know about them please: Baker, Alaska Kodiak (Hand Fed), Surdiac, Hearthmate or any other unit that they can recommend or describe problems with, I'd be appreciative.

Thanks

Guy's

Check out the big Hitzer 50-93, I saw one of these working at the dealers in WV, If I did not need a stoker, I would have purchased one of these, I was impressed.

BK

Guy's

Check out the big Hitzer 50-93, I saw one of these working at the dealers in WV, If I did not need a stoker, I would have purchased one of these, I was impressed.

BK

I switched from wood to coal on one stove this fall. I purchased a Harman Mark I new. I wish I had steam heat as a back-up! Imagine the temperature swings in a 170 year oil house with forced hot air heat (no radiators-when it shuts off-thats it!). My Plott Hound lays by the stove until he is just about to overheat as well!

Townsend,
I am burning with a Harman Mark III and this thing is great. I have it hooked up in my 200 year old farm house and it is heating about 2500 ft. to a constant 74. I tried pea, nut and stove size coal. I didn't like the pea because I had problems with too much of it falling down through the grates. I don't know if you have the same size grates in your Mark I or not. In any case these stoves are built right and they do put out a tremendous amount of heat efficiently.
Tom

Buy a Harman SF-250, it will heat the neighborhood and then some.

Buy a Harman SF-250, it will heat the neighborhood and then some.

I read your motto at the bottom of your post:

"Ain't many things that a man can't fix with seven hundred dollars and a 30-06."

Question: can you fix the photos you posted...they're too dark to see...LOL But seriously, either it's my computer or I can't see them because they're too dark.....

Cast Iron,

I was trying to show the nice blue flames in those photos so I had the lights and flash off. That is except for the temp and the dog photos.

So I guess it wouldn't be fixing then just taking new photos. But wait, I already have more photos posted elsewhere on the site that have more light and show the stove.

Guess I don't even need the gun or cash for that one!

Easy Fix.

Townsend wrote:Cast Iron,

I was trying to show the nice blue flames in those photos so I had the lights and flash off. That is except for the temp and the dog photos.

So I guess it wouldn't be fixing then just taking new photos. But wait, I already have more photos posted elsewhere on the site that have more light and show the stove.

Guess I don't even need the gun or cash for that one!

Easy Fix.

where are the other photos located...would like to see them!