Hello Everyone,
I just had my alaska stoker 2 installed about a month ago. after trial an error I got the heat to finally rise to the first floor to our liking. now in the past couple days our basment has dropped 12 to 14 degrees (running about 86 to 90 degrees normally) and the first floor stuggles to stay above 62 degrees.( normally 72 to 74 degrees) Called the dealer and they are saying its my block wall basement sucking heat out of the basement. I just find it hard to believe because I have not had this dramatic of a temerature decrease since we have had it installed. I have my setting on 2 and it hasnt struggle to heat my 724 sq ft house(first floor since we got the stove. any suggestions? thanks.
Loss of Heat
- Ed.A
- Member
- Posts: 1635
- Joined: Thu. Aug. 30, 2007 7:27 pm
- Location: Canterbury Ct.
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Channing III/ '94 Stoker II
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
It would be nice to know the Firebox Temp as well as the Stack temp (after the baro). Open Cement block walls would most certainly have a deleterious effect by "sucking" some heat away from you. How much, is tough to say. 12-14 deg's* it's possible, but my only experience with that comes from years back with a wood stove in a unfinished basement with cement walls exposed and I will say it was not the warmest place to be unless you were within 10ft or so.
I recommend you pick up a couple of magnetic Temp Gages for the stove and stack so you can judge you firebox in relation to your feed/temp control and one for your stack after the barometric damper. What kind of draft are you pulling? that is another thing to consider as well.
I recommend you pick up a couple of magnetic Temp Gages for the stove and stack so you can judge you firebox in relation to your feed/temp control and one for your stack after the barometric damper. What kind of draft are you pulling? that is another thing to consider as well.
- SuperBeetle
- Member
- Posts: 1346
- Joined: Sat. Dec. 15, 2007 1:22 pm
- Location: Gettysburg, PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Mark II
- Coal Size/Type: Pea, Nut, & Stove Anthracite
Those blocks act like a heat sink and can and do soak up a lot of heat. Has it gotten a lot colder since the install?
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- New Member
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon. Dec. 16, 2013 4:01 pm
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Stoker 2
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: small electric
i will definitly get some temp gages this week to see what you guys think as far as that goes. also do they sell a gage to check the draft? I seen the guy use one when he first installed the stove but not sure where I can get one. hopefully I can get some stats for you guys this week and see what you think. the temps have been mid to high 20's during the day and teens at night on average the past week and a half. I just don't know why it would take this long before we felt the effect just in the past two days. I guess it is possible it just took that much time for the outside temp to cool the block down and it has finally caught up to me. thanks for the replies as well, greatly appreciated.
- freetown fred
- Member
- Posts: 30299
- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
How are you getting the heat upstairs?
You can buy a manometer from amazon, search DWYER MAMOMETER , others know the exact part number {I think it was # 25}.. While you are on there you may as well buy a temp gauge for the smoke pipe I use the F&C BBQ temp gauge when I install them... and a cheap non contact ir thermometer would be a nice tool to have too...
I had a customer with a Hitzer insert complain about losing heat through the block walls the back of his house was made out of, I sold him a roll of bubble wrap insulation we commonly use on sheet metal duct work, he taped it to the walls in question and he said it was 100% better, its not the R value it is the reflective surface that reflects the energy away from the stove, we have done this a few other times with good results, not very attractive but in a basement aesthetics aren't normally a huge concern...
I keep an eye on all my temps, I know with 1 burner lit on an 8 degree day my basement should easily stay 70, first floor 68 and second floor 63-65, when It is really windy and below 5-8 degrees outside I can either expect lower inside temps or turn on the second burner {doesn't happen often, with both burners running I seem to use A LOT of coal...}
I had a customer with a Hitzer insert complain about losing heat through the block walls the back of his house was made out of, I sold him a roll of bubble wrap insulation we commonly use on sheet metal duct work, he taped it to the walls in question and he said it was 100% better, its not the R value it is the reflective surface that reflects the energy away from the stove, we have done this a few other times with good results, not very attractive but in a basement aesthetics aren't normally a huge concern...
I keep an eye on all my temps, I know with 1 burner lit on an 8 degree day my basement should easily stay 70, first floor 68 and second floor 63-65, when It is really windy and below 5-8 degrees outside I can either expect lower inside temps or turn on the second burner {doesn't happen often, with both burners running I seem to use A LOT of coal...}