Hitzer 983 Problem

ccunurse47557 · Post by **ccunurse47557** » Tue. Nov. 24, 2009 10:17 pm

I have a Hitzer model 983 that I am trying to burn coal in....The fire will not stay lit...I can get a nice fire with the coals glowing and a slight amount of fire blue flames and when I leave the house and come back in two hours it is OUT...the bottom vent is wide open(pushed to the left door closed)...how do I keep it going...do I install a blower on the bottom door to try to keep it going...also the flue is 8"...I burned wood in it for three years with no problems and it was professionaly installed

bear creek burnout · Post by **bear creek burnout** » Tue. Nov. 24, 2009 10:49 pm

Check out this video from one of our members who has a 983. I have the smaller 503 and I don't have the problem you are experiencing.
Good luck....

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Tue. Nov. 24, 2009 11:05 pm

How tall is you chimney?? Was the chimney cleaned since it was used to vent a wood stove?? How high above the peak of the roof is the top of your chimney?

The draft from your chimney is the only thing pulling air through your coal fire, so you need to make sure you know you have enough draft. Draft is created by the hot air from the fire rising up into cooler air. So if it is quite warm outside, say over 50*, your chimney may not draft strong enough to maintain your coal fire. Having limited draft, and difficulty maintaining a fire in warm weather is common.

Greg L

grizzly2 · Post by **grizzly2** » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 3:34 pm

Make sure you are filling the stove with coal. Coal doesn't burn well in a shallow fire.

Freddy · Post by **Freddy** » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 4:09 pm

grizzly2 wrote:Make sure you are filling the stove with coal. Coal doesn't burn well in a shallow fire.

Heyyyyy, I was going to say that!

Yup, coal likes to be deep. There's a bit of a learning curve. Don't give up! You need to un-learn wood & learn coal. With wood more fuel means more heat, with coal, more fuel means it burns better and gives a longer burn, only a hotter burn if you tell it too.

ccunurse47557 · Post by **ccunurse47557** » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 4:27 pm

In the video he states that small changes may have been made in the intake vents in the bottom door can anyone elaborate on that

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 4:32 pm

Probably meaning he adjusted them for his desired burn temperature.

Ashcat · Post by **Ashcat** » Wed. Nov. 25, 2009 7:46 pm

ccunurse47557 wrote:In the video he states that small changes may have been made in the intake vents in the bottom door can anyone elaborate on that

Smitty has it right--I just meant you can adjust the ashpan vent slider to increase/decrease the amount of combustion air you give it. I agree with others' comments about chimney height and, especially, coal bed depth. I would guess if you burned wood in it successfully, your chimney is not the issue (other than questions about creosote after woodburning for 3 years). Being a woodburner and not having burned coal, I would bet that, when you first burn coal, you're a little hesitant about not adding too much coal. What has been repeated here many times can't really be absorbed until you experience it firsthand: burning coal is significantly different from burning wood. Woodburners have to forget their tendency to equate the amount of fuel they load with the resulting temperature. With a properly burning coal fire, with enough fuel added, the temperature is determined solely by the amount of combustion air you give it.

Once you have a reasonably good bed of wood embers, start adding coal--maybe to a depth of two inches at a time across the entire firebox. When that starts to burn pretty well, add another two inch layer, and repeat until you have 5-9 inches of depth, or near to the top of the firebrick. Keep ashpan air door open until all is burning well, then close door and adjust vents to desired fire-temperature. Your stove will hold 50-60 lbs of coal when loaded properly.

I'd bet that you are just putting a small pile--5-10 lbs--on top of some wood embers. Instead, fill it up as above. Starting out with coal, give yourself time to watch the fire until you're confident you know how it'll burn, stove temps, etc. before leaving it for any extended period of time. In other words, don't load it like I said, leave the ashpan door open and then leave for two hours. You will be surprised how much your draft improves when you get the proper amount of coal loaded into your stove and burning properly

The heat from all that burning coal, rushing up your chimney and drawing yet more air thru the coalbed, will exponentially increase the more combustion air you allow it to have.