Surdiac hopper fed coal stove

Direct vent is not recommended because in the event of power failure the stove will keep burning with the strong possibility of CO gas leaking from the stove. You can run a stoker direct vent or pellet stove because the fire dies quickly without power. There is just a small amount burning at one time.

When burning pea coal and with the hopper set high for the deepest bed of burning coal you can go 12 hours or more with a Franco Belge if the burn rate is around 20 pounds. I can't speak for a Surdiac but I think it would be the same. Long burn times need a deep bed which neither of these stoves has. Alternative stoves on the used market with a more finished appearance are Haas & Sohn or Buderus from Germany and Godin from France. They also have their own set of problems though but will have long burn times. A lot depends on how much heat each space needs to select the right stove.

Alrighty! With this information in mind, we have found a used Alaska Stoker II in our area. Haven't seen it yet, but talked to the guy who says it is in nearly new condition. He says we will HAVE to have a power venter to direct vent. But, when I check around I see that alaska has the direct vent option too. Any idea about this? I know I'm in the wrong thread but many of the others are not active. Power venters are no bargain from what I can find. Thanks for your thoughs and guidance, I feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose!!

We are so cold that the idea of being in the mid-70's in our living space sounds like paradise!! It "feels like" 7 degress today near Valley Forge, PA. brrrrrrrrr

Power venting is direct venting. In your situation you don't have a chimney available to vent your stove, so you will need to either install a chimney or direct vent with a exhaust fan (power venter). This is less expensive to install than a chimney in nearly all applications. The pipe is much smaller in diameter than a chimney, and does not have to go up, it can go straight through the wall. Howver, If the power vent motor quits you still have the problem of the stoker continuing to burn causing a CO hazzard (unless newer stoker installations have addressed this problem).

So I just want to say thanks to everyone on this forum and in this thread. I had an "ah ha!" moment late last night from this thread, and thought I would share my ramp up to learning how to heat with coal.

My wife and I bought this house 6 years ago and it came with a Surdiac 715, which mostly sat in the corner doing nothing. Half because i knew nothing about coal, and it had none of the required tools. Guessing previous owner lost them, took them, threw them out. This year our first slug of oil was >$600 to fill the tank, and looking at the cost per BTU, coal is obviously the way to go.

2 weeks ago I bought 2 bags of pea coal and started experimenting. Getting it lit was a tricky process to learn, but think I have the technique down now. My second problem, was I was able to keep it going for about 24 hrs, and then I would loose the fire.

I quickly figured from the posts and tip guides that you have to shake down the ashs. Well, my 715 has no "shaker knob" as some stoves do... And then noticed the holes in the front, and from some where else I read, you're supposed to use these to "shake down" the ashs. So taking a flat head screw driver, I shook the grates. That seemed to take care of the ashes, but then I've been banging my head as my fire dies within an hour. Trying different amounts of shaking vs letting the hopper empty, then shake or vice versa, my fire ALWAYS went out.

Then I realized from this post, you're supposed to "poke" the ashs down! NOT shake! (double face-palm) Anyone else trying to understand this stove, poke not shake! Poke not shake!

I don't have the poker that is supposed to fit thru the hole and reach the other side, and Woodmans doesn't carry it anymore for the 715. (I bought today the poker for the 714, hopefully it will fit) but in the mean time, I'm using a stainless steel kitchen skewer (to my wife's dismay... I'll buy her a new one). And so far it seems I'm getting the ash into the trays and the coal fire is no longer collapsing and contines to burn! Horray!

Next is to understand the damper device and where to set it.

So after a week of burning coal after figuring out how to poke properly, I'm pretty sure my thermostat is shot. The damper doesn't budge without manual intervention. Took it off the stove and tried booiling water while watching for movement, and nothing. I see Woodmans has them for ~$140...

Any suggestions on rebuilding vs replacing? I'm considering trying to drill out the rivets and take it apart. Looks like someone has bent the adjustment on the thermostat body about 30 degrees... The picture on woodmans is perfectly perpendicular to the body....And it's pretty gummed up inside as things don't move without a lot of resistance. (likely from being bent)

Anyone had any experience with malfunctioning thermostats on the surdiac?

Sorry no experience with those but I suspect it is a liquid filled bulb that expands with heat rather than a bi metal strip. Taking it apart to straighten things can't make it worse since it is not working now.

So I took apart the temperature probe device. Actually a pretty simply designed device. The other end of the temp,probe is a bellows that expands when the bulb gets hot enough. When the liquid condenses, and the bellows is supped to contract.

Turns out my probe is fine. You just need to use something hotter than boiling water to test. I used a small soldering touch which did the trick for me. if you use a propane touch or some other heat source, I recommend gently firing the bulb at low temperature, and slowly bring it up until the door begins to move, as to not damage it.

So my damper door was closing ok, but not opening again after the temp drop.

I had to take apart mine anyway to straitened out the adjustment gear shaft (where the cable attaches) that was bent. But rebuilding the mechanics didn't solve my problem.

Turns out, the internal compression spring doesn't have enough force to contract the bellows by itself. The German engineers who designed it only used the exact amount of force needed to simpy counter the force needed to make the bellows contract neutral. Giving the spring from damper arm enough to make it re-open.

So my fix turned out to be as simple as lubricating the hinge under the temp probe box which is connected to the damper door arm, on the back of the stove. (follow the cabe on the knob to the box) You don't even need to take anything off your stove to do this. For those with the same issue, lubricate with powdered graphite. (Powder only, no liquid suspension or gel) You should be able to get this from your local hardware store. (graphite is also useful for lubeing up all those hinges and metal-on-metal joints to get rid of the groans and moans when opening and closing your stove). DON'T use WD-40 or any other liquid lubricant as it will collect dust and likely cause a bigger mess later. (not to mention the fire hazard)

Well congrats to all you guys and girls for helping me along with my gothiac 713. I am renting this house in N H and the stove was in the basement and i just covered it up with junk.. well unemployed temporarily I thought i would try this baby out.. I am origanally from maine and have had wood stoves my whole life. we also tried coal back in the late 79's but not as good as wood [then]..So anyway i figured out the front three spots poking not swiping,and the glass does not need to be tight, and the pans should be emptied often,..now here's my question..On the side of my stove abot mid way up the right side. theres a flatbar handle it moves but seems to do nothing???second theres anouther handle that slides in and out a little lower than this on but appears to do nothin..i looked inside and can see a little hooked end to this handle inside but its hooked to nothin???? and last pea coal does it go bad if its outside in a bin i found abot a 1/4 ton of coal outside kinda protected but not perfect will this be ok to keep burning?? MTG NH

Coal does not go bad...ever...so you now have a partial supply to start the winter with. Enjoy! What part of the state do you live in?

MTG, post some pix of your stove, be easier to figure things out. Welcome to the FORUM

some feedback from before, yes the woodsman's parts did have the correct grates for our surdiac, we ordered them, installed them, and have gotten more years out of our little sweetie pie stove, still a little underpowered for our house, but hey, it was free from a friend, so for the price of the grates and new glass every year or so, it's nice burning coal

Hi Everyone! I just recently got a lightly used Surdiac 715/515 model (The tag on the back doesn't specify which one.) The tag clearly states that a 6" pipe should be used. The exhaust outlet/flange measures 5.25" (inner diameter) and 5.50" (outer diameter).

Is there a 5.25"/5.5" X 6" increaser pipe for this stove? There was an obvious significant gap when I tested 5" pipes into the exhaust outlet.

Please let me know if there is such a part.

1) The built date was 1985
2) "Jotul" Portland, Maine is the parent company listed, however it was engraved "made in Belgium"
3) serial # 861256