Hitzer 30-95 vs Harmon MK 2

I am in the market for a new coal stove the old unit we have been using is antiquated. We were able to heat with it last year, however, needed to constantly fuss with it. That was okay last year since one of us was always home. This year, we will both be gone all day. We need a stove that we can fix in the morning and return 10 or 11 hours later and still have fire. 10 hours with the old unit (I emphasis OLD!) would mean that we had to empty the stove and start over.
Our home is 1400 - 1500 sq ft. We have shut off one room in the past and chose not to heat it, because we had to beg our coal stove for heat.
The old stove was similar to a Franco Belge stove, although that was not the name of it. (Not sure what the name of it is...) It had exhaust holes in near the bottom that didnt allow for a deep bed of coals or you would block the ash exhaust...
Anyhow, any thoughts that you all have to share regarding either of these units, as we have narrowed it down to these two....would be appreciated.
We are not interested in a stoker stove, as electricity has skyrocketed in our area, not to mention the fact that we do experience several outages a year....(another story, all together!)
We appreciate your input.

forum members are probably going to talk you out of a stove as they did me, why I don't know.

Tammy,

A friend of mine has a Hitzer 30-95, he heats about 1500 Sq Ft. He shakes and loads the stove twice a day and it go's non stop from Nov-april.

The hitzer has a removeable gravity fed hopper in case you might like to burn wood.

From what I have learned here you would not be dissapointed with either one.

If I were to choose I would go with the hitzer, you dont have to open the front door to load it, it loads from the top.

BK

Hi tammysue, welcome to the forum.

Both of the stoves you mention will work well for you. Like bksaun said above, the Hitzer has the hopper feed on the top and therefore is a bit easier to load and use.

Since you are an experienced coal burner with an existing chimney you won't have any problem hooking up and making either stove opperate well for you.

Your length of burn times are quite reasonable [10-12 hours]. Either stove should live up to these expectations. The Hitzer with the top load and hopper feed will make reloading a breeze..

Hope this helps, Greg L

Please check your PM's

Hi Ron,

I don't think the other members of the forum are set to talk anyone out of burning coal. They (as well as I) responded to your questions as best they could.

The point is: Heating with coal is A LOT of work. Also, it can be costly, especially if you have to pay others to do the installation and related work for you.

I have heated with wood and now coal for almost 18 years, using oil heat only as a back-up. I have cut and split wood both by hand and using a splitter, moved cords and cords of delivered firewood, shoveled tons of coal, even once used a Flexable Flyer sled to bring wood from the shed to the house after a really bad blizzard.

We would love to add another coal burning friend to the list. We just want to make sure you know what you are getting in to.

I'm sure it was easier when (back in the day) everyone heated with coal, there were lots of coal companies willing to deliver, etc. I'm too young to remember that, but I would guess some of the particulars of coal burning were common knowledge. I remember oil companies advertising "Quiet Automatic Oil Heat" and seeing old scary looking boilers with oil or gas burners fitted to them.

So I hope this clears things up a bit. If you do go with coal, welcome.

John

Hi Tammy,

I read your post, I'm not familiar with the Hitzler, however I heat with a Harman Mark I. I can tell you that I'm 100% satisfied with the performance of the stove and with the workmanship/construction of the unit.

Hi tammysue Like the other three members said both coal units will do what you what the Hitzer 30-95 will hold 30lbs of coal and can Heat 1800 sq.ft. Hitzer says on there web site that 30lbs of coal will burn up to 30hrs IT does have a Automatic dralf control on it and you may order the Optional 134c.f.m. blower as well The Blower helps with two things keeping the stove running cooler and helps moving the heat around the room The EZ-Flo is a nice Option for loading
The Harman Mark II Is a well made stove as well it can heat up to 1900sq. ft. 72000 B.T.U. Comes with a 76 C.F.M. blower The Harman can burn 3 sizes of coal Pea Nut or Stove The Hitzer can burn 2 sizes Pea & Nut Do to the EZ- Flo Hopper But i do not think that is any big Deal Most handfed stoves like Pea or Nut Anyway And Both sizes are much Easier to find I beleave both stoves will do the job I think it will come down to Price & Availability on either stove Good luck on your Decision

I've had the best results with pea coal in the Harman.

hey berner...i sent you a pm...LOL. hey tammysue...i have a mark3 that i really like alot...i go 14-15 hrs when i work my day shift and it throws a decent amount of heat,11-12 would be perfect.i am not familier with the other brand as far as having used one....but my harman is awsome!

Thanks, everyone. It sounds like either way we go, we will be satisfied.
I think the top load feature of the Hitzer is appealing. But....we'll have to see which one I can get a hold of quicker.
I think the nice spell of weather is about to break....and I don't want to have those Propane bills!!!!

bugize wrote::shock: hey berner...i sent you a pm...LOL. hey tammysue...i have a mark3 that i really like alot...i go 14-15 hrs when i work my day shift and it throws a decent amount of heat,11-12 would be perfect.i am not familier with the other brand as far as having used one....but my harman is awsome!

Hey bugize I never got it send another see ya

Here is my new dilemma.....
When I went to the show room and looked at the Hitzer the sales person had a 30-95 on display which I went there to see and had decided on prior.
While there during our discussions, he basically talked me into the 50-93...said I would need the bigger unit.
He had one left in storage...I told him I would arrange for a truck and be back the following Saturday.
He called me last night and told me when he went to his storage unit, he did not have the 50-93 afterall, only the 30-95. He had two of those.
It will take 4 weeks for a 50-93 to be in if ordered.
So, I now have a dilemma. I can't wait four weeks, the cold weather is surely coming, although to date it has been very mild.
There are no other dealers in the area....should I go with the 30-95? Will it be enough Stove for my purpose?
1500 sq ft....I would not describe as tightly insulated...but wouldnt describe as no insulation either....maybe somewhere in the middle....
Any advise.....

Here is my input Tammy Sue. I have both , the 30-95 , and the 50-93. Both great stoves. If your going to put the stove in the basement , and heat the basement in order to heat the 1500 square foot house , the 30-95 would be too small. Your dealer would be right about needing the 50-93. Should you put the stove up in the 1500 square foot living quarters , the 30-95 would be the way to go.