convert vigilent to coal

i got a vc vigilent for free a couple of years ago. i have burned some wood in it . it throws some nice heat. but i'm going to burn coal from now on in my hitzer 82. was thinking about converting the vc to coal. how hard is the kit to install and is it worth the 380$ or should i leave it as a back-up wood burner for whatever scraps i get at work. dont want to buy anymore wood. if i'm switching it coal i want to go all in.

mason coal burner wrote:i got a vc vigilent for free a couple of years ago. i have burned some wood in it . it throws some nice heat. but i'm going to burn coal from now on in my hitzer 82. was thinking about converting the vc to coal. how hard is the kit to install and is it worth the 380$ or should i leave it as a back-up wood burner for whatever scraps i get at work. dont want to buy anymore wood. if i'm switching it coal i want to go all in.

I burned a older Vigilant with the coal kit last year but mine had a coal kit to start... If you have to spend $$$ to get the coal kit I'd say leave it and get another stove. The coal kit does works but is not great. For a little more than the coal kit you should be able to get a proper coal stove in good shape. In fact there are several in the New Hampshire Craigslist.

http://nh.craigslist.org/search/?areaID ... iation=sss

How much space will you be heating with the Hitzer 82? According to the 82's specs, 92,000 BTU/hr is nearly 2x more than the current coal model Vigilant II. I don't know what the older Vigilant models are rated at, probably fairly close to the new model. Do you need the extra 40 -50k BTU/hr of coal heat to warm your space (total = a steady~130,000 btu/hr)? With your wood fired Vigilant you have the option of wood heat in the case you need more and especially for spring/fall heating when the Hitzer 82 might be hard to hold down and not roast you out of the house. In temperate times, coal is harder to keep burning. A coal fire burns best with a deep bed of coal. It can be difficult to keep sufficient draft during moderate outdoor temperatures and low heat output.

I just saw your other post at http://nepacrossroads.com/about12459.html . I think Doug is suggesting the right direction. Now it depends on where your Vigilant is located but keeping it wood for moderately cool days is a good option. Just my 2 cents ... consider putting the Vigilant conversion $s toward the furnace set up and you'll be happy you did.

that was kind of my thinking.may also need it as a little additional heat on the real cold days not sure how the 82 will do on those days. but from what i have read here on the forum i am confident it will do the job. how hard is it to install the convertion kit .

Mason,if your Vig is one of the first generation Vig's, you can only burn coal with the coal kit, and as far as I know, only SOME parts are available as replacements, notthe whole conversion kit which had thehopper, grates, side pieces ect.

I've only had to replace rocker grates and the hopper throat pieces in mine, but i did find a used complete conversion kit for my resolute on craigs list for 50 bucks