My Hitzer 608 Stoker Smells Like Sulfur

I am new to anthricite coal burrning. This is the second season on a new hitzer 608 with coal trol. The first season went great for begginers, but.... we fired it up this season and scince have been battling the heavy sulfur smell from the hopper area of the stove. I do not have a power vent unfamiliar? told didnt need it as chimmney goes straight up from stove. I have cleaned it twice to what I thought was to the best I could but to no avail. Inspected the pipe joints sealed the main joint from top of stove but noticed no other leaks. the individual who we purchased the stove is no help. The Hitzer factory says it ash build up in pipe, its only ran a total of 5 months could it be that bad???. any help would be appreciated, visited many sites you guys are it.!!

Welcome! You have come to the right place. Many here with far more experience than I have will be assisting you shortly, but until then:

Did your clean out include cleaning out the flue pipes? If not, this could be the problem. And yes, they can clog up again within 5 months.

Do you have a manometer with which to monitor your chimneys draft level at right near the flue pipes entry into the stove? Without one, you don't know if your chimney is drafting or not, and if your draft is sufficient for your stove.

Do you have carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in your home? With (or without) sulfur odor it is imperative that you and your family are protected.

Thanks Larry for the response. I do not have a manometer wasnt suggested. Iam not for sure if I cleaned the flue pipes? on the inside of my stove on the left and right side there are some passages that lead to the top of stove. The openings are almost impossible to reach. I snaked my shop vac hose up in there but wasnt easy. yes we have a co but are upgrading as soon as possible to a digital one. what is a manometer exactly and where can I obtain one if necessary.

The flue pipes are what connects your stove to the chimney. Your flue pipe sections should be screwed together. If you do not have any clean out Tee's available, you will need to disassemble the flue pipe sections to inspect and clean them.

The Dwyer Mark II Model #25 Manometer is popular with forum members. See it here:
http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/Dwyer_Mark_II_M ... W-68062-58

atgf79 wrote:Thanks Larry for the response. I do not have a manometer wasnt suggested. Iam not for sure if I cleaned the flue pipes? on the inside of my stove on the left and right side there are some passages that lead to the top of stove. The openings are almost impossible to reach. I snaked my shop vac hose up in there but wasnt easy. yes we have a co but are upgrading as soon as possible to a digital one. what is a manometer exactly and where can I obtain one if necessary.

Having a manometer is the only way to get a specific draft needed for your set up.And a complete clean out is required for a good draft.The passages need to be cleaned also.When using the shop vac,duct tape a smaller diameter of flexible hose that will fit into those small passages,There are 1" shop vac hoses avalible at the hardware stores.

Thanks for the help! we were never advised of even installing a manual draft or anything related. the only draft I have is your standard flap that installs in the 6" pipe similar to use on a wood stove. do I need a draft ? and if so is a power or automatic draft unit available and whats the best one? my coal is bagged and the last batch we bought was wrapped but had obviously been outside for storage will wet coal as it dries stink?

atgf79 wrote:Thanks for the help! we were never advised of even installing a manual draft or anything related. the only draft I have is your standard flap that installs in the 6" pipe similar to use on a wood stove. do I need a draft ? and if so is a power or automatic draft unit available and whats the best one? my coal is bagged and the last batch we bought was wrapped but had obviously been outside for storage will wet coal as it dries stink?

I believe what you are describing that installs into the 6" pipe as for a wood stove is a "manual pipe damper (MPD)". Dampers decrease chimney draft that would otherwise be excessive (as for a very tall chimney or when it is very cold outside or when the wind is howling, or the stack temperature is high, or any combination of these factors). There are both MPD's and Barometric dampers. I prefer the barometric type with coal, but many prefer MPD's (and your stove manual should advise you to use one or the other or perhaps neither of them).

Before you can properly dampen down your excessive draft, you need to know what your draft actually is, and if you have enough draft on the low side (when it is calm and/or warm outside and/or the flue pipe temperature is low and chimney draft is thereby at its very minimum level). It's the weak (low or minimum) draft (suction) side of the scale that we are concentrating on right now. Not the high draft side. A manometer will measure your draft. And if you leave it permanently installed (highly recommended) you can monitor your draft all the time.

Thanks I cant say that enough! we currently do not have a mpd installed, nor a manometer. I will be investing in those components soon! what is a good barometric dampener? Also I just pulled out all the coal in the hopper and replaced it with different , either the difference in the coal or were just getting use to the smell not for sure. yesterday 57 degrees in lower michigan today 32 with windows open airing the house out haha.the last part of my last post will wet or damp coal stink as it dries in the hopper?

atgf79 wrote:Thanks I cant say that enough! we currently do not have a mpd installed, nor a manometer. I will be investing in those components soon! what is a good barometric dampener? Also I just pulled out all the coal in the hopper and replaced it with different , either the difference in the coal or were just getting use to the smell not for sure. yesterday 57 degrees in lower michigan today 32 with windows open airing the house out haha.the last part of my last post will wet or damp coal stink as it dries in the hopper?

You should consult the manual for guidance before considering a damper. Only one should suffice, either manual or barometric (though I believe there are some who may have both types installed). 'Field Controls' makes their 'RC' and 'Type M' models, and both work well. The damper should be for down the road. Your current problem is not due to a damper (or the lack thereof).

With a stoker you also need to be concerned about the sulfur odor coming from your hopper. Others with stoves that function like yours does will need to chime in here and confirm if this is a concern to be considered here.

Thanks Larry, I never received a manual for the stove only for the coal trol. The individuals we purchased the stove from were locals. not to happy with them currently not much help and never really wondered about the manual. I will be getting one asap thanks again any info today and later will always be accepted you guys made me feel A little easier was ready to pull stove and head towards wood!!

Whatever you do, don't burn wood in it (sans in minimal quantities to get your coal lit) if you have a barometric damper installed. MPD's are OK with the steady use of wood.

From the instructions for the 608 "Install a 6 inch stove pipe from the flue opening to an approved chimney using a barometric damper. "

Also, "With the stove burning and stabilized, adjust the barometric damper to .03 to .06 (inches of water column) following the instructions provided with the damper. Do not run at a draft above .06 (inches of water column) as this could cause your stoker to over fire. Over firing can cause a dangerous fire hazard. It would be best to set it with a manometer if available. The settings on the barometric damper are close but not completely accurate.
Always burn your stoker with the ash door, glass door, and hopper lid closed. Failure to keep these doors closed can result in smoke and carbon monoxide coming into your house creating a very dangerous situation."

I have never smelled any sulfur smell IN the house wet or dry. If I go out side to where the powervent exits, I do detect a smell.

Thanks you must be running the same stove

atgf79 wrote:Thanks Larry, I never received a manual for the stove only for the coal trol. The individuals we purchased the stove from were locals. not to happy with them currently not much help and never really wondered about the manual. I will be getting one asap thanks again any info today and later will always be accepted you guys made me feel A little easier was ready to pull stove and head towards wood!!

Larry, I think he was implying he was going to give up on coal all together (and give me the stove) and go to a wood stove

That stove doesn't look much different then the rest of our girly stoves. I am guessing a ash build up/draft problem. To be honest with you, the instructions, if you get them are confusing to say the least (to a newbie) which I still consider myself to a point. I think this board helped me understand drafts,baros,manometers better than any other reading I did.

Note for Flyer, I really do think the Pioneer looks better