DS Riteburn Basement Versus #4 Basement

I am looking to buy coal stove and and was wondering how these two stoves compare. I am looking to put in my basement. besides the BTU difference, what is the benfit of the riteburn over the #4. Does one use more coal than the other? what is the benifit of the oxygen afterburner and downdraft? any input would be appreciated

The riteburn is not very efficient. I would not buy it, you can burn wood in it that is what the down drafter afterburner stuff is about. Get the #4 with a hopper and be happy, very well built stove.

Eric

P.S. welcome to the forum

I'll second the #4. I've been very happy with my DS. Though it's not a #4 but it is big and warm.

And yes, welcome to the forum.

I am not sure about he riteburn being inefficient because it is a downdrafter. Hitzer 82's are a downdrafter and they aren't inefficient. Downdrafter means it has the stove pipe opening on the side top and the draft pulls through another chamber and lengthening the path the exhaust air travels extracting more of the heat from the exhaust. It is the same principle of a base burner stove and like a heat exchanger. Personally I don't think the downdrafters make good woodstove's, for me the draft is to weak and everytime you open the stove you get smoke into the room (even with the stove working without the bypass on). It is possible that it is more efficient than the basement #4 because it should extract more of the heat since it has the afterburner chamber. Also there is a significant BTU difference between the basement #4 (130,000 btu) and the riteburn (170,000). I'd ask the guys at D.S. but that is my thoughts. There are tricks to running a downdrafter, like let all the coal get caught and the first release of the volatiles out before putting down the lever and having the exhaust go through the afterburn chamber (this way volatile gasses don't hang in the stove and cause puffbacks).

sharkman8810 wrote:I am not sure about he riteburn being inefficient because it is a downdrafter. Hitzer 82's are a downdrafter and they aren't inefficient. Downdrafter means it has the stove pipe opening on the side top and the draft pulls through another chamber and lengthening the path the exhaust air travels extracting more of the heat from the exhaust. It is the same principle of a base burner stove and like a heat exchanger. Personally I don't think the downdrafters make good woodstove's, for me the draft is to weak and everytime you open the stove you get smoke into the room (even with the stove working without the bypass on). It is possible that it is more efficient than the basement #4 because it should extract more of the heat since it has the afterburner chamber. Also there is a significant BTU difference between the basement #4 (130,000 btu) and the riteburn (170,000). I'd ask the guys at D.S. but that is my thoughts. There are tricks to running a downdrafter, like let all the coal get caught and the first release of the volatiles out before putting down the lever and having the exhaust go through the afterburn chamber (this way volatile gasses don't hang in the stove and cause puffbacks).

I did ask them when I bought my 1600, I looked at the riteburn cause it was cheaper. They said that it was not as efficient. I said why do you still make them, the reply was that some people still like them cause they are cheap. I am not sure about hitzers design, I was just realying what the guys at ds told me about the basement riteburn.

Eric

Thanks for the info, there is a local dealer not too far from me in Volant PA, hopefully I will have time to take a look soon. I stopped by Hunts in Clintonville the other day and looked at a hitzer 50-93, but like that the ds has higher BTU output.