Hitzer 354

grobinson2 wrote:Here is some more info for you about a 354.

nepacrossroads.com/about389-510.html

Thanks,
Glenn

Pretty cool stove Glen! You designed it and Hitzer made it up for you?

Thank you Sir. I had them send me a welded box with everything stripped and I started from there. . I still love this thing by the way. If I were doing it again, I think I would put the bi metal in the center of the back instead of on the left side and I would have gone with DS Machine shaker grates so I could burn pea coal easier.

Take care,
Glenn

wow great looking stoves and installs. maybe if i finish it this weekend i will post some pix. right now i kind of have the living room torn apart. the wife is not really happy, but i think she is coming around.

modell79 wrote:A 354 is a 50-93 without the hopper,... <snip>

I concur. What's funny is I just replied to a CL ad for a 354 and in the course of emailing back n forth the guy mentioned that the hopper is included.
I asked him if the exhaust exit is on top or back. It will be interesting to see how to use the hopper with an exit flue on the top.

This stove might be a mix/match of a 354 + some extra parts from a 50-93. We'll see soon enough.

smokeyCityTeacher wrote:

modell79 wrote:A 354 is a 50-93 without the hopper,... <snip>

I concur. What's funny is I just replied to a CL ad for a 354 and in the course of emailing back n forth the guy mentioned that the hopper is included.
I asked him if the exhaust exit is on top or back. It will be interesting to see how to use the hopper with an exit flue on the top.

This stove might be a mix/match of a 354 + some extra parts from a 50-93. We'll see soon enough.

Yeah or he's including a coal bucket with the sale.

well i finally got the 354 fired up this past weekend. wow this thing produces a ton of heat. i have the stove mounted in the corner, with the stove running at 350f the durarock walls were at 150f. currently i have durarock screwed directly to the drywall. today i ran to tractor supply and purchased some porcelain fence insulators to mount between sheets of durarock. the only problem i am having is loosing draft on warmer days i would say maybe 40+. anybody have any good ideas for burning when temps are warmer. i have tried burning with the ash door all the way open and still very little draft.

First how low temp wise are you running the stove on the days you are loosing draft? How tall is the chimney and what type is it, metal or block? Do you have a damper in the stove pipe MPD, baro or both? If by chance you do have a baro seal it up tight with tinfoil and see if that changes your draft.

stove temp was down to about 170-180. i have both a mpd and a baro, manual was wide open. i have all metal chimney 6 feet of single wall that has a little jog in it. then a cathedral box that goes to triple wall. then 9 feet of triple wall then the cap. just enough to meet the 10/2 rule. the bottom of the cap is just above the peak. i will try the foil trick tonight. i have a manometer mounted down stairs on my stoker maybe i will bring it up and check it before i put the foil on it. i forgot to mention the chimney is duravent from tractor supply

modell79 wrote:stove temp was down to about 170-180. i have both a mpd and a baro, manual was wide open. i have all metal chimney 6 feet of single wall that has a little jog in it. then a cathedral box that goes to triple wall. then 9 feet of triple wall then the cap. just enough to meet the 10/2 rule. the bottom of the cap is just above the peak. i will try the foil trick tonight. i have a manometer mounted down stairs on my stoker maybe i will bring it up and check it before i put the foil on it. i forgot to mention the chimney is duravent from tractor supply

Well the baro is one problem, the chimney not being tall enough over the peak is another, I would add at least 2 foot if not 4 to the chimney it needs to be taller than the peak.

i have 1 3ft section left over from the install. i didn't really want to use it if i didn't have to. if i add 1 more section i think i will also have to add another extended roof bracket. i am 6 foot above the roof now. what do you recommend that i keep the stove temp at to not lose a draft. i know every install is different but what is the lowest temps everyone is running without forced draft.

modell79 wrote:i have 1 3ft section left over from the install. i didn't really want to use it if i didn't have to. if i add 1 more section i think i will also have to add another extended roof bracket. i am 6 foot above the roof now. what do you recommend that i keep the stove temp at to not lose a draft. i know every install is different but what is the lowest temps everyone is running without forced draft.

Now in your other post you said the bottom of the chimney cap was even with the peak so from where the chimney comes out the roof you are 6' to the peak, correct? You need to add that 3' section even if it means adding another bracket. How about trees, are there any right next to the house and chimney? This could cause a bad draft also. Stove temp depends on the day, with a little breeze you can lower the temp but with no breeze you need to run it a little hotter to maintain draft. On 50* days W/breeze i will run 170 - 180 and with no breeze I run 200*. All depends on your chimney and your stove. Did you close off the baro, how was the draft then? Chimney being to low is alot of your problem. As far as a baro on a hitzer I have one in my pipe but it is capped and I never open it, I only use and MPD.

well i added another 3 ft section it seems to help a little bit more with draft. there are no trees or other obstructions anywhere around the house pretty much on the top of a hill. i currently have the dial set on 8 on the back of the stove. after running the stove for a couple of days i realized that the stove was a little big for the house. after doing a little reading around the site i figured that i would try to section of the firebox. i placed some fire bricks on the back grates and also unhooked the link between the 2 grates. that seems to have made a big difference this morning i woke up to a comfy 75 and not 90. the stove temp is running around 250 to 300 i don't dare let it get any lower it sucks coming home to a cold stove. i also don't dare cover up the baro damper because of the winds that we have, i have the weight set at about .7 and it still flaps like crazy when its calling for heat. other than that the new stove is working good. what are some good tricks to take the ashes out its always a dusty dirty mess i was thinking of spraying the pan with some water before i take the ashes out. there is nothing like opening the front door to a 20mph wind that blows the ashes back in your eyes. i also am running the front ash door air vent open about the size of a pencil does this sound right.

modell79 wrote:well i added another 3 ft section it seems to help a little bit more with draft. there are no trees or other obstructions anywhere around the house pretty much on the top of a hill. i currently have the dial set on 8 on the back of the stove. after running the stove for a couple of days i realized that the stove was a little big for the house. after doing a little reading around the site i figured that i would try to section of the firebox. i placed some fire bricks on the back grates and also unhooked the link between the 2 grates. that seems to have made a big difference this morning i woke up to a comfy 75 and not 90. the stove temp is running around 250 to 300 i don't dare let it get any lower it sucks coming home to a cold stove. i also don't dare cover up the baro damper because of the winds that we have, i have the weight set at about .7 and it still flaps like crazy when its calling for heat. other than that the new stove is working good. what are some good tricks to take the ashes out its always a dusty dirty mess i was thinking of spraying the pan with some water before i take the ashes out. there is nothing like opening the front door to a 20mph wind that blows the ashes back in your eyes. i also am running the front ash door air vent open about the size of a pencil does this sound right.

Well it sounds like you are getting a good handle on the stove now. Now over the weekend turn the stove down a little at a time with at least and hour in between adjustments and you should be able to get it to run nicely at 190 - 200* for those warmer day with no trouble. The slide on the front of the stove sounds a little wide open to me, I run mine a little less than half of what your doing, about a quarter moon. But each stove and house is differant and you might be on to something, the only thing when you slow the stove down you might need to close the front down a little to. As far as water and ashes = MESS. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and get some wide aluminum flashing material and make yourself a cover for the ash pan, when you pull it out pop on the cover no muss no fuss.

Well i have been up and going for almost a month now. anyone have a idea of how long a can run the stove before i do a pipe inspection for fly ash. i know with my stoker i run it for 2 1/2 months then do a clean and lube. this would be the first time with the 354. not really sure if ash can make it up a 6 or 7 ft vertical pipe, or does it just gather on top of the baffle plate. thanks again for the help.

Fly ash will not collect on the inside of the vertical pipes, It will however collect in the bottom of any elbow, or horizontal stretch of fle pipe.

The time between clelanings varies greatly,, it depends on the coal, the chimney design, and the amount of coal burnt.

I'd recommend checking the horizontal flue pipes after a month, if they are fine, then extend the time to two months,,
after a while you will have an idea what the correct interval is for your coal, chimney and burn rate.

Greg L