Hitzer 75 Coal Stove.

EarthWindandFire wrote:Fred I already own a stoker, ran last year without ANY problems but it was too small.

I only have one flue, so I had to disconnect my oil furnace to run the coal stove. If I had an oil-furnace as a backup this wouldn't be an issue. I would gladly pay for a tank of oil when the coal stove failed last night during a snow storm!!

I'd hook them both into the same chimney and enjoy a warm house, but do as you please. About the coal stove "failing", I think that is rather misleading. If there is coal in the firebox and air going through it...the fire will stay burning.

samhill wrote:The only difference that I can see between the 75 & the 85(I believe) is the newer one has an additional row of horizontal brick above the vertical ones making the fire pot 4 in. deeper,

Sam, the difference you speak of is between the radiant model stove, and the furnace model. A 2012 Model 82 radiant stove has a single row of vertical firebrick, a Model 82 furnace has a row of vertical brick, with a row of horizonal brick above that...just like yours.

OK, couldn't remember the model #, my model #75 furnace only has one row & I was thinking of adding another but for my use as a wood burner it works for now.

Rob's right. That is a design that's been out there for a while. It's a bit like most plane crashes. 98% of the time, it's not the planes fault. I too would keep both things connected to the flue and just run one at a time but that's up to you for sure. I can hear the insurence agent screaming from here!

Did you poke down from the top at all? I found out that sometimes you can get voids in the fire and if poke from the top it collapses the fire and you can reload, and get an effective shake down.

sharkman8810 wrote:Did you poke down from the top at all? I found out that sometimes you can get voids in the fire and if poke from the top it collapses the fire and you can reload, and get an effective shake down.

Good advice for most all hand fed stoves. You can always tell when shaking down and it never gets any more resistance, that you have a pocket or bridge of ash up above. A poker is basic kit for any handfed.

The stove has been doing much better, even during this hot spell. I borrowed some tools from the Weber grill such as the steel tongs, fork and spatula. They work great stirring the fire and I'm only using NUT coal from now on. The fire seems to migrate based on freshness of the fuel and sometimes burns nearer to the air intake. The back and front left corner of the bed builds up ash that doesn't shake out. I'm thinking about using an ash vacuum to vacuum out the corners when they get really thick with ash and dead coal.

EarthWindandFire wrote:The stove has been doing much better, even during this hot spell. I borrowed some tools from the Weber grill such as the steel tongs, fork and spatula. They work great stirring the fire and I'm only using NUT coal from now on. The fire seems to migrate based on freshness of the fuel and sometimes burns nearer to the air intake. The back and front left corner of the bed builds up ash that doesn't shake out. I'm thinking about using an ash vacuum to vacuum out the corners when they get really thick with ash and dead coal.

No need to "stir" the fire but a gentle poke from above before shaking is all it usually takes to break any bridged ash or fused pockets. My Herald had a very deep bed and I would always poke the middle down first before shaking. I've never used any shape other then round so I can't speak to the corners or a square firebox.

I'm no expert on hand-fired stoves, but I did managed to put almost 7 tons through a nearly identical stove in one winter. A long poker is all you need...rake those corners a little and the ash will shake right down.

DITTO---twice ---a vacuum????? come on EWF---KISS

agreed a gentle poke from the top at the corners once a week before shake down should work well.

No vaccums please

Eric

This extended weekend allowed me time to use the laser thermometer. The stove is not air-tight and certainly not built to the standards set by antique base-burners or modern stoves like the DS Circulators, so these temps need to be viewed in proper perspective.

The stack temperature was 250 degrees when the stove top measured about 500 degrees.

The surface of my cement block chimney (16" x 16" single flue) in the center of my house runs as high as 120 degrees which actually helps to heat an upstairs bedroom. The register emits 90 degree air just from the convection caused by the heat transferred from the cement block into the steel vent.

Should a cement block chimney be that hot?

EarthWindandFire wrote:The stove is not air-tight

Where is the air leaking in?

Damn stove

My comments are NOT complaints, I am merely looking to improve the stoves performance. Someone here suggested installing a cement board base for the stove so less heat is absorbed by the cement basement floor. I should have the new base installed by this weekend.

It just seems odd that I am reading 90 degrees from a heat register boot, without the furnace fan running, due to radiant heat from a hot chimney.

OK, not complaining--good--Do what Rob suggested & find out where she's sucking air into the stove. If I had a register reading 90* I damn sure wouldn't be worried about loosing heat in the floor. Where's the register??? 1st floor???right above stove??