I have been happiest with Blaschak, but well satisfied also with Kimmel and Reading. Those are the three brands available here.Emerald7 wrote:what is the best brand of anthracite coal to burn?
Why Doesn't My Hitzer 503 Heat My Small House
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- Member
- Posts: 6442
- Joined: Mon. Apr. 16, 2007 9:34 pm
- Location: Central Maine
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1300 with hopper
- Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Anthracite Nut
- Other Heating: Oil hot water radiators (fuel oil); propane
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- New Member
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun. Feb. 09, 2014 11:40 am
- Location: Howell, Michigan
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 503
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: Wood
I installed a Hitzer 503 insert in Feb of 2014. Sealed off the damper area with Roxwol really well. I used a 6 foot piece of stainless steel chimney pipe installed just above the smoke shelf. I had the same problem, no heat! I have been heating with wood for 30 + years. I could not believe how little heat I was getting. I would come home from work and the fire would be out! (my fault, again I'm new) Huge learning curve to burning coal vs wood. I had a really bad draft on the stove. I have a 2000 sq foot ranch. I think a full liner would have make a huge difference. Long story short is the Hitzer is out and the Lopi Freedom is in. (wife is happy) I was trying to get away from the wood stove all together....I am sick of cutting, splitting etc. I installed a full liner for the wood stove and the stove works excellent. I only have a 15 foot liner. I'm not giving up on the Hitzer.... I am installing it in the basement. I have a wood furnace that I will be removing. My basement is 30 x 50 and unfinished. I am going to install the Hitzer on blocks. I would think that the stove will heat better when it's out in the open and not stuck in a fireplace. (hopefully) I will just have a straight pipe into a 90* and into the wall. (chimney) I ordered 2 ton of coal at the local TSC today. They don't stock it, but they ordered it for me. $237.02 per ton...not bad. I just picked up 20 bags a few towns over from me for $7.00 per 40lb bag....huge difference in price! Any tips on the install for the basement would be greatly appreciated! Thanks....
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- Posts: 1491
- Joined: Mon. Dec. 16, 2013 1:48 pm
- Location: somewhere high in the catskill mountains
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: harman sf 160
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: wood parlor stove
Emerald, with all that you have gone through last season, I still highly suspect a faulty install!!! Before you fire the 503 up again, remove the damper insulation and CAREFULLY inspect the area where the liner navigates through the throat of the damper. PLEASE take picks of same and post. Most if not all dampers have to be "modified" to facilitate the proper installation of the liner. IF the damper was not modified, you probably have a very serious kink where the liner was BENT around the damper. If this is the case, therein your problem lies. Again please inspect and post picks. This simple request just might save one hell of a lot of aggravation. And answer a lot of questions.
Jim
Jim