Hitzer 608

Is the hitzer 608 avaliable in a rear vent or top vent only?

I believe top vent only....Mine comes out the top in front of the hopper....there is a fresh air vent hook up for use with DV blower or you cycle it back to the combustion blower (or something like that) I dont have mine fully hooked up yet it is new...still laying the slate on the hearth and stone on the wall...

For those interested in this stove, now or in the near future, the cost is about $ 3,375.00 depending on the dealer.

Are you sure on that price ? Mine was more than $1,000.00 less but this is my second year with it.

I have seen very different pricing like you have. A retailer in Vermont is currently selling the 608 at $ 2,099.00 dollars and another guy is selling them at $ 2,650.00.

Like anything else, geographic location and good old-fashioned shopping around could save you a lot of money. But the fact remains, I was quoted $ 3,375.00 here in Connecticut.

If you need a rear vent hopper fed stoker stove, Leisure Line offers rear vent models of several of their products.. I've had a pioneer with a rear vent, and a HiFIre I with a rear vent.
Depending on the internal hot gas/exhaust passageways inside the stove, usually a rear vent is slightly more effecient at extracting heat from the fire, giving cooler exhaust flue temperatures.

Greg L

The Hitzer 608 is Top Vent only at this time. And yes, Leisure Line does offer a few models either Back Vent OR Top Vent.

I'm currently at $2,900 for the Hitzer 608, less $150 if the customer chooses to pick the stove up and install themselves.

Does Hitzer use the Leisure Line 90k btu stoker from the Pioneer for the 608?

Essentially yes. Only difference that I'm aware of is Hitzer's convection van has two squirrel cages, on either side of the stove, where as Leisure Line's only has a single squirrel cage on one side of the stove.

My elderly neighbors are coming over today to look at my coal stove, they are just so tired of paying the oil man nearly seven hundred dollars for 150 gallons of oil. They are not looking to heat their entire house, just take the chill off, but they also want to install the stove in the basement like I have.

The two very similar stoves that I plan on recommending to them are the Hitzer 608 and the Keystoker 105. The most important reason being the fact that both of these stoves are double-walled and my neighbor has a stone basement foundation and heating that space with a single-walled stove like mine would be a waste and very inefficient.

For comparison purposes, the 608 is a newer design and the 105 has been around for over a decade. The biggest question I have is whether or not both of these stoves are fully-jacketed or just double-walled on two or three sides?

For example, if the Hitzer 608 is fully-jacketed it would effectively duct nearly all of it's 90,000 btu's upstairs. However, if the Keystoker 105 is just couble-walled on two sides, then it would duct less than it's gross output of 105,000 btu's into another space therby annulling it's 15,000 btu advantage.

I have had my Hitzer 608 for 2 heating seasons now. I use about 1/2 a 5 gallon bucket of rice coal a day.....it holds my entire house t 71 during the day and 73 at night. I woudl not know what to do without this stove...especially on days like today......wind chill is in the 20s and lst night was near 0.

Hi Robb,

I have no doubt about how good the Hitzer is, but I wanted to know if it fully-jacketed or just on the back and top like some other stoves. A basement needs either a dedicated furnace or a "semi" furnace like the Keystoker 105 which is double-walled. But, I'm not sure if either stove is fully-jacketed or just partially. The Keystoker can be had with a 500 cfm blower which is an advantage to the Hitzers 320 cfm blower.

EarthWindandFire wrote:My elderly neighbors are coming over today to look at my coal stove, they are just so tired of paying the oil man nearly seven hundred dollars for 150 gallons of oil. They are not looking to heat their entire house, just take the chill off, but they also want to install the stove in the basement like I have.

The two very similar stoves that I plan on recommending to them are the Hitzer 608 and the Keystoker 105. The most important reason being the fact that both of these stoves are double-walled and my neighbor has a stone basement foundation and heating that space with a single-walled stove like mine would be a waste and very inefficient.

For comparison purposes, the 608 is a newer design and the 105 has been around for over a decade. The biggest question I have is whether or not both of these stoves are fully-jacketed or just double-walled on two or three sides?

For example, if the Hitzer 608 is fully-jacketed it would effectively duct nearly all of it's 90,000 btu's upstairs. However, if the Keystoker 105 is just couble-walled on two sides, then it would duct less than it's gross output of 105,000 btu's into another space therby annulling it's 15,000 btu advantage.

Is this basement instalation in a family room? or just a basement??

Why not use a dedicated furnace like the LL baby 'Anthraking' ? ducting hookups, plenty of btus, fan etc..

Greg L

Greg,

The Anthraking would be great if my neighbors were looking to spend 4k or more. But, the 608 and the 105 can be had for much less and require little in the way of installation. A simple square foot of floor grate would virtually heat their entire home.

The question remains, which unit would duct more of it's net btu's into a given space?

EarthWindandFire wrote:
A simple square foot of floor grate would virtually heat their entire home.

Not necessarily, where will this duct come up? how old are they? As people age they like to be warmer, if this floor grate is in one room you may be left with using fans to try to move air. Then they may have only spent $3K instead of $4k, but not be happy with it, and it will feel like money wasted.

Just my 2cents, Eric