Pioneer top vent questions

I just bout a pioneer top vent from a friend, it is in good shape might need a blower from what he has told me but that's not a big deal. I have a few questions does this stove need fire brick in it ????? the other question i have is i bought this and he didn't have a manual with it seems to be a older model of the pioneer without coal trol, when i bought the stove i had every intention on heating my house with this all winter long without any other source of heat until i found the online manual stating that another heat source should be used also which defeats my purpose of buying it to heat the house all winter with just coal alone. Will i have any issues if i do use it as my primary heat source????

bridge1016 wrote: when i bought the stove i had every intention on heating my house with this all winter long without any other source of heat until i found the online manual stating that another heat source should be used also which defeats my purpose of buying it to heat the house all winter with just coal alone. Will i have any issues if i do use it as my primary heat source????

Hello and welcome to the forum. If the stove is capable of producing the number of BTUs you need to fully heat your house and you are able to circulate that heat I can't see where there would be any other issues with using this as your primary heat source. I have a Mark II and according to all the county codes and the insurance people it is not the primary heat source; it's a supplemental heat source. They say my gas furnace is the primary heat source. In actuality I burn my Mark II 24/7 between Thanksgiving and April and the furnace hasn't come on in 4 years. One time 2 years ago I thought the outside temperature was going to drop so low I'd have to turn on the gas because my stove was maxed out but the weather changed. We have the furnace set at 60* but our indoor temp never drops below 75* with the stove so of course it never comes on.

Without knowing any of the details of your stove, I'd be willing to bet that you will find the same thing true in your situation. Your supplemental heat source. aka the coal stove as defined by the "powers that be" will turn out to be your primary heat source. At least that's my opinion. Lisa

Stoker stoves do not normally have firebrick (some harmens and alaska might have a couple fire bricks along the back above the burner), usually the stoves just have the burn plate in the center of the stove. Make sure it is cleaned out good and vacuumed under the grate for good air flow.

I guess you could heat your whole house depending the size, location of your stove, etc...
I think they state that, since the fire could go out, you should have a back up source of heat.

I have heated our house with a LL Hyfire only for the past 3 winters. the furnace is there as backup at set at 55-60 in case the coal stove goes out (runs out of coal, power failure, mechanical failure, etc.).

Thank you both for your response they were very helpful..... now to get this coal stoker installed, i have electric as a back up so i think i should be good to go.... i just didnt want to install it and not be able to run it all winter.

bridge1016 wrote:I just bout a pioneer top vent from a friend, it is in good shape might need a blower from what he has told me but that's not a big deal. I have a few questions does this stove need fire brick in it ????? the other question i have is i bought this and he didn't have a manual with it seems to be a older model of the pioneer without coal trol, when i bought the stove i had every intention on heating my house with this all winter long without any other source of heat until i found the online manual stating that another heat source should be used also which defeats my purpose of buying it to heat the house all winter with just coal alone. Will i have any issues if i do use it as my primary heat source????

Hi, bridge1016
We sell them as supplemental heat just because it is a free standing unit and not meant or designed as a central heating system . Although they are not listed as a whole house heating system does not mean that they can't, just that that is not the design intention. That opens up an entire new process of testing and design .Having said that their are a lot of people who do heat there entire home successfully with just the stove but most have some type of central system already in place. Fire brick is not needed in most stoker applications because of the controlled fire . Coal -trol can be added at any time . Good luck with the stove .Thanks, Dave

Flyer5 wrote:

bridge1016 wrote:I just bout a pioneer top vent from a friend, it is in good shape might need a blower from what he has told me but that's not a big deal. I have a few questions does this stove need fire brick in it ????? the other question i have is i bought this and he didn't have a manual with it seems to be a older model of the pioneer without coal trol, when i bought the stove i had every intention on heating my house with this all winter long without any other source of heat until i found the online manual stating that another heat source should be used also which defeats my purpose of buying it to heat the house all winter with just coal alone. Will i have any issues if i do use it as my primary heat source????

Hi, bridge1016
We sell them as supplemental heat just because it is a free standing unit and not meant or designed as a central heating system . Although they are not listed as a whole house heating system does not mean that they can't, just that that is not the design intention. That opens up an entire new process of testing and design .Having said that their are a lot of people who do heat there entire home successfully with just the stove but most have some type of central system already in place. Fire brick is not needed in most stoker applications because of the controlled fire . Coal -trol can be added at any time . Good luck with the stove .Thanks, Dave

Hay Dave why not be a Nice Guy and send him a Manual for his Pioneer

Hay Dave why not be a Nice Guy and send him a Manual for his Pioneer

If he still needs it I would . But he stated he found the manual online . It is on our website in PDF format . Dave[