freetown fred wrote:J, I would re-read FB's post here & let you know I totally agree--unless you want to confuse the hell out of running that stove-which unfortunately people enjoy doing in this day & age
---just to check--foil over baro, Mpd wide open--initially these stoves were designed to run exactly like that--sounds like you're gainin on the old girl
franco b wrote:If I had that stove I would install no dampers and I would open the ash door only to retrieve the ash pan to empty it. I would let the hopper and thermostat do what they are supposed to do. Just shake down and top off hopper. Why short circuit it and produce burning gas faster than the heat exchange can handle it? It's not a batch fed stove so why treat it as one?
i don't have a Hitzer though I do have quality hopper fed and bi metal regulated stove and I can assure you that the 2 above quotes are in your very best interest to benefit from.
it's also some of the hardest advise to take. because these stoves need very little from the operator other than to understand the fine engineering and coal practice in them and co-operate with it.
unless you have crazy chimney draft use the least amount of control you can to get the stove draft down to -.02 / -.04 then keep opening the bi metal till you are comfortable with the heat level in the house.
believe me, the stove will roll off the heat, the coal use will level out to a nice low amount per hour and the hopper will spill just the right amount of coal over the top of the fire to keep a nice little blue lady chorus line going pretty much non stop.
you are already on the right path, soon you will be rewarded.
steve