HD Video: Tending a Hitzer Insert (983)
- Ashcat
- Member
- Posts: 419
- Joined: Mon. Aug. 18, 2008 10:29 pm
- Location: West Chester PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 983
- Coal Size/Type: Nut/Blaschak
Dissatisfied with the quantity and quality of video on the internet on How To issues with coal stoves, I posted an HD video I made yesterday on YouTube (I'd have posted here, too, but the file [231 Mb] is too large for this website to display all of it at once). Since I posted it to the wider internet rather than just here, I took that as an excuse to address the "all coal is the same" issue, and tried to draw a few distinctions between bituminous and anthracite, in hopes of educating whoever might happen upon it. It's rather basic in its tending approach, and may not appeal, or apply, to many of the experienced viewers here. Also, although there are a variety of different stoves represented on NEPA Crossroads, the principles of tending to a hand-fired are similar, and so may be turn out to be useful to many here, especially new coal burners.
A couple notes on the video:
1)I learned that it's very difficult to capture, on video, how interesting a coal fire can be to watch.
2) I made a few flubs on the narration that you hawkeyes (hawkears?) here will, no doubt, pick up on. Such as: my fire has been burning for 3 months, not 4 as stated. A few others as well. Oh well, I hadn't written out my narration ahead of time, so I just winged it.
3) It figures that, with the fire that emerges after I fill the stove in the video, that a piece of wood (or bituminous?) would be front and center, giving off a crackling yellow, high flame that doesn't look much like anthrcite burning. Eventually, though, this burns up to reveal a more typical looking, freshly-refilled anthracite fire.
A couple notes on the video:
1)I learned that it's very difficult to capture, on video, how interesting a coal fire can be to watch.
2) I made a few flubs on the narration that you hawkeyes (hawkears?) here will, no doubt, pick up on. Such as: my fire has been burning for 3 months, not 4 as stated. A few others as well. Oh well, I hadn't written out my narration ahead of time, so I just winged it.
3) It figures that, with the fire that emerges after I fill the stove in the video, that a piece of wood (or bituminous?) would be front and center, giving off a crackling yellow, high flame that doesn't look much like anthrcite burning. Eventually, though, this burns up to reveal a more typical looking, freshly-refilled anthracite fire.
Last edited by Ashcat on Sun. May. 07, 2017 9:31 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Very professional & helpful video!
I would just have added the reason why you want to burn off volatile gases is to avoid puff-backs which are always messy & can damage your stove/chimney pipe setup. (that a flame burns off the gases b4 they can build up & explode)
I would just have added the reason why you want to burn off volatile gases is to avoid puff-backs which are always messy & can damage your stove/chimney pipe setup. (that a flame burns off the gases b4 they can build up & explode)
-
- Member
- Posts: 6515
- Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
- Location: Cape Cod, MA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
- Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove
Nice!
- Jersey John
- Member
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Thu. Aug. 17, 2006 2:45 pm
- Location: Oak Ridge, New Jersey
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS 1500
- Coal Size/Type: Nut, Pea
- Other Heating: Regency Wood Stove
- Contact:
AWESOME! I spoke with a Hitzer representative yesterday as I zeroed in on the Hitzer model that would best serve my needs. He commented he had just seen your video and enjoyed how well it explained and showed the process. If you're not in the business of instructional media, you should be. Though Hitzer has finally caught up with production, I can see such a promotional video setting them back again to keep up with demands for the 983. Thanks for taking the time and offering it to the internet for anyone to view. ...
- Ashcat
- Member
- Posts: 419
- Joined: Mon. Aug. 18, 2008 10:29 pm
- Location: West Chester PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 983
- Coal Size/Type: Nut/Blaschak
Wow JJ, that's neat feedback. Thanks too to markvii and Bud63.Jersey John wrote:AWESOME! I spoke with a Hitzer representative yesterday as I zeroed in on the Hitzer model that would best serve my needs. He commented he had just seen your video and enjoyed how well it explained and showed the process. If you're not in the business of instructional media, you should be. Though Hitzer has finally caught up with production, I can see such a promotional video setting them back again to keep up with demands for the 983. Thanks for taking the time and offering it to the internet for anyone to view. ...
One of the shortfalls of Hitzer is not with their product, which is great, but with relative lack of user instructions/owner's manual. Their focus is on their products, not on marketing and instruction which, in a way, is how they should be. But more info to users would be helpful. I believe, but don't know for sure, that Harman provides more user info. I've wondered whether they are concerned about legal liability if they say anything, but they may also have liability in not saying much of anything about use, too.
I'm glad that the video is useful to you, and has been seen by Hitzer.
-
- New Member
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 07, 2009 10:04 pm
Hi My name is vern andrews from decatur In. I live 10 min from burne Indiana where they make the hitzer 983 . I was a hitzer shop getting some new fire brick. I was talking to Dean the owner of hitzer and he told me about your video. This was a very good video. You nead to get with hitzer and do more of these videos for them. I have been using the 983 for four years now and always find it intersting how other people burn coal .
- Ashcat
- Member
- Posts: 419
- Joined: Mon. Aug. 18, 2008 10:29 pm
- Location: West Chester PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 983
- Coal Size/Type: Nut/Blaschak
Thanks alot, Vern. Glad you (and Dean) like the video. I almost lost my fire this AM--revived it with some wood. But if I hadn't revived it, and had to restart, I would have done a Starting a Coal Fire video. I'll get around to it at some point, but there are probably even more variations on starting a fire than there are on tending a fire.vernandrews73 wrote:Hi My name is vern andrews from decatur In. I live 10 min from burne Indiana where they make the hitzer 983 . I was a hitzer shop getting some new fire brick. I was talking to Dean the owner of hitzer and he told me about your video. This was a very good video. You nead to get with hitzer and do more of these videos for them. I have been using the 983 for four years now and always find it intersting how other people burn coal .
Since you are a 983 veteran and this is my first year, I'd be curious to ask you how your 983 is holding up over the years? Have you done any repair or replacement of components?
Thanks again, and welcome to the Forum!.
Glad I found this video. I have this stove, the double door model. First year I ran exclusively wood. Second year we ran wood and soft coal. This year I finally made the switch to hard coal. Couldn't figure it out until I found this site and this video.
This video helped me out a ton, and I now have a stove pumping and my cathedral ceiling living room space is 86 degrees, even with 3 windows opened and the blower turned down as far as I can!
Looking forward to learning how to maximize this stove, but so far I love it. Even when we just burned wood it kept my entire house toasty warm. The only other heat source I use is an Edenpure in the basement. The rest of the entire house is heated by this insert. 86 here, downt he hallway to the master bedroom it is 78. Perfect winter temps.
Thanks again for the great video!
This video helped me out a ton, and I now have a stove pumping and my cathedral ceiling living room space is 86 degrees, even with 3 windows opened and the blower turned down as far as I can!
Looking forward to learning how to maximize this stove, but so far I love it. Even when we just burned wood it kept my entire house toasty warm. The only other heat source I use is an Edenpure in the basement. The rest of the entire house is heated by this insert. 86 here, downt he hallway to the master bedroom it is 78. Perfect winter temps.
Thanks again for the great video!