Reflections on Hitzer 503 Insert

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Gian4
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Post by Gian4 » Wed. Jan. 18, 2012 12:23 pm

Hi all
I have been using a 503 insert to heat my home for the past 4 years and thought I would pass on some info. I'm certainly no expert but through experience I've learned a few tricks and for what its worth thought I would pass them on. Ash build up in the front and rear areas(esp behind the hopper) cut down on the fire box burn area. What works for me is to use a 90 degree bent end poker to work these ash drifts down to the grate level. Depending on the degree of coal use I may need to do this one to three times a week. I shake it down and don't fill the hopper. I let the fire recover then take my poker and work along the front and rear of the fire box to rake the ash onto the grate area. I'll also go through the hopper feed opening to get better access to the rear of the firebox behind the hopper. Once the fire recovers I go to the next step. To brake up clinkers deep in the coal bed I find this trick to be helpful. I use a straight poker to get deep into the fire. I access this through the grate frame where the nipples that the shaker handles emerge. I run the poker through these openings the length of the fire box from front to back along the top of the grates. I angle this to the left and right to get completely under the fire. I can feel the ash cake and clinkers brake up when I do this. I then shake down the fire again. When the fire recovers I then use my 90 degree bend poker to poke through the grate from the bottom and then fill the hopper. By following this routine my fire bed burns uniformly hot and I don't seem to have clinker issues. Well just thought I throw this out there for what its worth. The straight poker technique I describe has really made a huge improvement in burn quality. If any 503 owners have any other tips or thoughts on what I've posted please add it to the thread.
From blowing and snowing central NY
Gian4

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Wed. Jan. 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Good post my friend. Thank you ;) snowin & blowin to beat the band here also.

 
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Mike C.
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Post by Mike C. » Wed. Jan. 18, 2012 7:51 pm

This is my first year burning my Hitzer 503 EZ flow, and I've had the same fire going since about the middle of November. I've read quite a bit about clinkers here in the hand fired forum, but have either had none or was too dumb to know them when I encounter them.

I've been watching for cold spots, especially near the front and corners, but other than a time or two when I didn't shake my insert down sufficiently, I haven't seen any. When I'm filling the hopper, I take the opportunity to look at the rear of the firebox, and see a fairly uniformly glowing bed of coals before I add coal.

My insert temperature (taken from a woodstove magnetic thermometer to the right of the hopper lid) is easily controlled by the air inlets on the ash door, and even on the coldest nights we've had with temperatures in the low single digits, hasn't exceeded 300 degrees with the air inlets a little more than half open. The Hitzer is keeping my entire 2200 sqare foot living space warm, and my oil furnace doesn't run except to heat domestic hot water. I haven't needed to really crank it up, and have only been burning about 45 pounds of coal on the cold days.

Since my stove seems to be burning evenly, shakes easily (with the occasional hard shake), and puts out all the heat I need, do I need to be poking and raking the fire? I haven't had any problems that I'm aware of, but I wonder if that's just because I'm new at this and don't know what to be looking for.


 
Gian4
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Post by Gian4 » Wed. Jan. 18, 2012 9:02 pm

Hi Mike
If your stove is burning well then I guess not. Maybe its a difference in coal quality. I'm heating a 2500sq ft. 1860s vintage farm house with insulation upgrades and new windows. But, an old farm house is still an old farm house so I may be running my stove harder than yours.
Its all good, keep doing what works but if you notice issues you may want to try what I suggest.
Gian4

 
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Mike C.
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Post by Mike C. » Thu. Jan. 19, 2012 5:09 am

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. I'm new to burning coal, and although it's definitely a great way to heat, there's a lot for a newbie to learn. I'm always wondering if I'm doing things right, or even just good enough.

I'm completely satisfied with burning coal, and love my Hitzer. The house is warmer than it ever was with oil, and I'm saving a considerable amount of money. The icing on the cake is that I get to buy fuel for heating my house from people who produce it right here at home.

By the way, I'm burning Jeddo chestnut in my stove.

Mike

 
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Beeman
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Post by Beeman » Wed. Jan. 25, 2012 6:05 am

Hi guys,
Glad you are enjoying the Hitzer 503. I have been heating my home for a few years with this stove and am also very pleased. Two tips from my experience:

I find I do not have to poke through the ashes throughout the firebox, but do poke with a small shovel in the front left and right corners every 3rd refill or so. I find this allows ashes to drop more effectively into the ash pan. Getting a good shake and refilling revitalizes the fire very nicely. If you are getting clinkers, you might be running your stove too hot.

Second tip is to add only a half bucket or so of coal into the hopper after shaking and then, using a small shovel, push the coal beyond the lower edges of the hopper toward the back and side firebricks. Once those spaces are occupied with fresh coal, then fill the hopper, assuming some flames are present to prevent explosion. If fire had died down considerably, I might partially fill hopper, wait 5 minutes to get flames going, then top off.

My friend who owns an HVAC company came over recently and was captivated by the radiant heat of the coal stove. Reminded me of a guy I spoke with who sells wood and pellet stoves for a living and told me--privately--that he heats his house with coal.


 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Wed. Jan. 25, 2012 6:17 am

Hey beeman & mike c, ya think one of ya could get creative enough to come up with an original avatar? :clap: toothy

 
Gian4
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Post by Gian4 » Wed. Jan. 25, 2012 10:10 am

Hi Beeman
Thanks for the tips. I also do the hopper tamping trick but I forgot to mention it in my original post. Thanks for the back up. I think the more tips people pony up with about our specific model the easier and more efficient we can run our stoves. I don't think I have clinkers forming but the ash starting to cake up. By poking periodically along the grates as I described it brakes these cake areas up and makes for an easier and more complete shake down. Keep the Tips coming folks.
Gian 4.....In warm and balmy central NY

 
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Mike C.
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Post by Mike C. » Wed. Jan. 25, 2012 8:00 pm

freetown fred wrote:Hey beeman & mike c, ya think one of ya could get creative enough to come up with an original avatar? :clap: toothy
Yeah, I guess it does look pretty bad on my part, since I'm the newbie.

It's amazing how much my avatar photo resembles Beeman's.

 
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Beeman
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Post by Beeman » Thu. Jan. 26, 2012 6:33 am

Mike C,
Those photos are amazingly simiilar. We can talk about a multi-year licensing fee..... --Beeman

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