hitzer 82 ul

well I went monday to a shop to look at the hitzer 82, just had to lay eyes on it.. I noticed it had a tag on it that said coal only. I just wanted to confirm with someone who owns it that it will indeed burn wood efficiently just in case i want to down the road. My use for this is in a pole building 24x32 with an upstairs.

Also after reading on here some guys where saying about a safety plate behind the thermostat controlled draft plate. I looked into it and will assume it was the plate behind it that blocks everthing off except for a bit at the bottom. it looks like it is held on by 1 nut that can be easily removed is this the case?

One last question, I read on here where some guys had to insert a nail or paperclip to keep the draft slightly opened after getting it real good and hot for a shake and refuel. anybody who uses the hitzer could help I would appreciate it on this..

The heater had a heck of a big firebox. there where 2 fire brick on the right side that where slanted in. i beleive this is for gases to be reburnt and then out the flue, but it seems like the nut coal would clog that up and slide into there..

as usual thanks very much

It will burn wood just fine...but not as cleanly as a modern stove that is a wood-burner by design.

The plate you spotted is indeed a "restrictor plate". It is easily removed, but I would leave it there if modifying the stove gives you heartburn.

The paperclip trick is to help prevent puff-backs, otherwise known as "minor explosions of volatile gas". Here is what can happen with this stove and its automatic draft control: If you shake down the stove and completely fill it with fresh coal, the draft control is going to sense the lower temperature and open the inlet damper. It will stay open until the fire starts to burn UP through the layer of fresh coal. By the time the automatic damper "senses" this increase in temperature and starts to close, the fire will be very hot... The damper will close completely, and you now have an airtight stove with 50-60 lbs of fresh coal being "cooked", and the gas collects in the stove. The fire will cool down, and eventually the damper will open...boom! An easy way to prevent this is to always leave an area of burning coal exposed when loading the stove. This acts as a "pilot light" and prevents the buildup of gas. Opening the spinner on the loading door and leaving the direct damper open for a while after the reload will help as well.

The coal will fill the passage by the two slanted bricks, but that doesn't matter. The fumes will get pulled through the bed regardless, check out this picture I took of my Model 82 last fall.

thanks for the info, did you remove your restrictor plate

Yes sir. I also flipped the air cleaner lid over...Just kidding

The "coal only" tag is for EPA certification...

any nos... lol.. Thanks.. I will most likley remove it also.. heck i dont want anything stopping the air..