Automatic ignition on stokers

Not talking from experience here,recently put a deposit on a Pioneer,drive a truck and am away from home 12-16 hours a day,if the electric goes off for long enough for the fire to go out,having it relight on command from the thermostat will keep the $$$$$$oil burner from kicking on.Convenience for me and cost saving too.For manual start I'm guessing 2 minutes with a handheld propane torch would be quick and easy.Comments welcomed. Rich(in name only)

Hi Rich,
The igniter will only work when the thermostat button is pushed. It does not sense that the fire is out and relighting is not automatic.
Jerry

And coal doesn't like to light with propane. From what I've read, you might get lucky, but more likely you'll get frustrated. There are several posts here about how to light coal.

Freddy is correct,, a propane torch is not hot enough,, even a acetylene/air torch is just barely hot enough.. An Oxy/Acetylene torch does a good job though !

BTW: I wouldn't be concerned about the fire going out,..the only way it would go out is if you ran out of coal,, or you had the settings so low that it couldn't maintain a fire... You can't 'wean' the stove,,, it has to burn some coal all the time... not much,, only a few pounds a day when it is idling. but you do have to have it set to keep burning...

The Automatic ignition is going to be realy nice for a 'quick start' when the weather turns cold for a day or two, like this spring so far: a week of warm temperatures, then a week of frigid temps... I wonder if it is going to be like this all the way through June???

Greg L
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See movie on electronic ignition system ...

March 31, 2008 - Hitzer, Inc. is introducing their first ever automatic coal stoker stove! Due to hit the market in June 2008, the stove will come equipped with both the Coal-trol Digital™ control system and the new Coal-trol Digital™ Ignition system, the much anticipated electronic coal-fire ignition accessory for the Coal-trol Digital stoker control system. More information on this new stoker stove and the Coal-trol Digital Ignition system and our retail add-on Igniter kit will be added to this site as the release date approaches. Check back often!

Clik on link on this announcement: http://www.coaltroldigital.com/

Hitzer will bring the stoker out next year. They are behind in production with the door assembly. It will be ready when the heating season is just about over. Sorry Guys

You are correct in your summation of the coal stove market today. You see, we in the hard core of coal land get it and have studying coal, it's part of our life and required for survival and we know how to deal with it. However, the public at large is way too stupid and follows govt doctrine. For the short term, coal is bad and pellet stoves are good and so let them go get those rebates. So everybody lines up for their $1500 and we get 1mm people with stoves that there is no fuel for - stupidity knows no bounds. I'm sorry, but my as friends become curiouser about my wonderful coal stoves (that have returned my little farm to modest profitability and my home to excessive warmth) I am discouraging them. The last thing I want is 1mm people waking up to the wonders of modern coal heat. That would mean my coal prices would skyrocket too as the industry (like pellets) could not handle it. I would like controlled growth but basically I'm selfish and so how do we do that? My secret is safe with me.

I can be so mean.

Leisure Line wrote:How does a automatic ignition coal stoker sound ? Would you buy it if it was under $225.00 (leisure line stoves). Imagine coming home from work, hitting a buttom on the thermostat, setting down to eat, watching the news, taking a shower and your stove is purring like a kitten without you ever going to look at it. This is the future in burning coal, and the future is almost here !!!!!!!!
Need your input and opinions.
Jerry

Hi fellas (and ladies) 'Im a noobie and this is my first post. Thanks for letting me join. I decided to stick it to the gas company last year and bought a little wood burner and I'm just about to go buy a Leisure Line Pocono Top vent because I have a triple brick 40`x 50` 20 room 3 story house with 12' cielings built in 1880.

OK - ill get to the point now.

After reading countless boards I finally joined this one because it had a dedicated LL forum. What makes the LL so attractive to me is that is has a reputation for being reliable and simple.
The "simple" part is what really hooks me since I can do simple fabrication (of simple parts) if I have to, with my welder should this company quit supporting the Pocono model when I'm 80 years old.

I really hope that LL does not take the over-engineered approach. Its bad enough I can't work on my car anymore. I don't want that to happen to my coal stove.
Of course if its just the starter breaking, I can just do what I always did. Light it myself.

Thanks for letting me introduce myself. You have a pretty cool thing gong here. Helping people to stick it to the utility companies!


p.s. I actually *enjoy* lighting the fire in my wood burner.

I was frustrated at starting my coal stoker, so I started experimenting with a way to automatically start it, I was about to have a success, then stopped my research as soon as I found out, and watched the video on YouTube of Leisure line, and at the end of the YouTube Video, it showed Patent Pending.

And since most my friends and associates were pushing me to get a patent on something, I started working on a control system for my stove to allow me to use a thermostat to control the heat, I mainly want the thermostat for the ability to have it programmed, it took me a while, and finally I have a Patent Pending status on my device as well, and it works awsome, it is available now, and will be announced soon, the device I have now, works for any stove using the Tri-burner mechanism ( older Alaska, Reading , etc )

The one thing I wasn't crazy about, as far as the video I watched, is the 16 minutes delay for a fire, the one I was experimenting with was firing up in less than One minute ! so watch out, I may start the research again.

As of now, I am not crazy about it at all, since I finally figured out how to start my stoker with charcoal for under One minute, and at one time, I challenged myself to start it using only one piece of charcoal briquette.

Currently I am working to produce prototypes of my control units for other Stoves as well ( Keystokers, Harman, Leisure Line ) their mechanisms are different than the tri-burner.
My device is an electromechanical add-on, and the few people who have them now, can not stop bragging about them. It should retail under $ 200.00 ( Programmable thermostat included )

The one thing that is keeping me away from further developing the auto ignition, is the fact, that you can burn just few ounces of coal all day to keep the stove lit, and it's hard to compete with such a thing economically. The cost of keeping the stove lit, especially when you have already invested in a programmable thermostat, outweighs by far the justification of purchasing an ignition system, even if it drops below the 99 Dollars mark.

BUT it's a great challenge and fun to do !

It's always good to know that our providers of anything are driven to improve their product. It is the essence of capitalism. Now I'm an old hand at coal (my second year - hah) I can give you a word of encouragement about pellets. When construction was going crazy, kiln dried sawdust was everywhere. Now they create sawdust that is not kiln dried the pellets are not the same. The future for pellets that are not as good (I don't care what they claim). I am carefully evaluating both constantly. Yes wood fires took off due to a misplaced govt subsidy, so what is new. That is temporary.

So is coal winning? I listen to the claim on this board that my Pcocono can't keep up with the Hyfire (although it's close and SO controllable) and have decided to exact my revenge - (take this Hyfire I). I am buying a second Pocono - redundancy and power now it's bitchen cold - I can't be down. Oh, did I mention that my oil furnace sprung a leak and they want $4000 to fix it - s c r*w them. Oh, the law says that I can only have coal as a back up heat source - get lost! The capital cost? Well I love to save money along with the next guy but I see where oil is headed and the in long term the capital costs are small. Oh, and there might be an automatic ignition coming - YAWN - junior here can light a fire in a jiffy too now. Oh, did I mention my neighbors that thought I was crazy to buy into coal were gathered around my DVC New Years Eve - one comment - I was crazy to buy my wood fire last winter - I'm putting it up for sale this spring. Another quote - can I somehow tap into your truckful next year? -OK, as I will use over 12 tons a the rate I am going that can be worked out - COZY - and saving a bundle!

I live next to a reservoir and about 50tons of wood falls down on my property every year - damned nuisance tidying it all up - I feel guilty not doing something with it - well, not that guilty. I got a lot of amusement watching my neighbor spend all summer scooping up my 'free' wood, I felt so charitable. Those summer evenings down by my little pond drinking beer and watching the sweating was most amusing. Those mosquitoes were vicious this year. When his $1200 new log splitter sprayed fluid all over the place I nearly broke a rib laughing. I know you should not laugh at the congenitally stupid, but I never said I was a nice guy.

The world will always beat a path to a better mousetrap - but keep improving please, just don't get hung up on that automatic feature. We newbies learn quickly, coal college here is great and I'm not an expert yet, but give me time. When your broke and cold - necessity is the mother of invention!

HNY

Well said HNY!

I just saw my friends NG bill for the month.....$500! I told him that my whole coal cost is $540 and elec to power the stoker for the season is about $600-$650 MAX!

His face....PRICELESS.

Hmm...I can't seem to stop tinkering with different ignition idea's in my head.

I've spent a few hours on European stove manufacturer websites and the best ones so far are the following:
http://www.euroheat.co.uk/Oilfuel.php
http://www.euroheat.co.uk/images/produc ... gnitor.pdf

In my mind's eye I can see a coal stove using oil as the ignition source.

A one pint reservoir of diesel or fuel oil supplying fuel to a burner that uses an electric igniter. Once the oil is lit, the resulting flames would heat the coal to the point of combustion and the oil fire would extinguish itself when its fuel runs out.

Just a thought!

Mark

Sounds interesting, but I'm sure it requires additional plumbing and we're not sure it'll work. Maybe Matt and Dave can look into this?

When temps get into the 50's during the day and 30's at night it would be nice to shut off the stove more and be able to light it without any hassles. I would consider it. I'm not sure how the coil or cord would withstand all the heat.