1st Burn of the Season

Lettin' it run...
Slow simmer with the Pea...
Stove holds 160-180# of coal so...
Major PIA to let it go out...
Have to clean out and start over...
Chimney pulls fine up to 70* so no issues on the warm days...

I hear ya Smitty. I ALMOST fired up late yesterday afternoon, but saw the forecast for the week(50's & 60's)& decieded against it. I supplement with wood & electric so I'm good for now...............

Fired up my Harman yesterday also. Dear wife and I were away camping over the weekend-first time ever in a snow storm! Sunday morning we found out there was a power outage at home and we arrived home to 55 degrees inside temp. Turns out the power got restored right before we got home so DW turned up the electric heat and asked me to start the stove. I will keep in burning now since I started a fire. Idle along later this week when the outside temps are in the 50's.

Seems that for once my prior planning paid off. Purchased my Hitzer 983 insert a few weeks back and put this past weekend on the calendar as the "paint and install the stove" weekend. Ended up getting the stove painted a sweet honey brown stove brite color as the snow started on Saturday. Snow came and went Saturday night as did the power.... Sunday, after shoveling out and foraging for coffee in the local area, got my sons to help me get it in the house, hooked up and fired up. All I can say is WOW, what an amazing stove. The Hizter fired up beautifully and performed with vigor throughout the night, providing an amazing amount of heat with seemingly no effort. I was pleased with the performance of the Surdiac Gotha 513 I heated my home with last year, but am left practically speechless after witnessing the power of the 983. Am actually looking forward to some really cold weather to see what it really can do.

Pretty sure I uploaded the picture of the first fire. Still need to get the surround taken care of as the stove sits a little too far back in the fireplace to use the one that came with it as the intake vents for the fans would be blocked off. Plan to have one made to fit my installation that I'll paint the same color as the stove. Also, am expecting new rosette knobs, spring knobs and trim above the fuel door to be delivered from Hitzer today or tomorrow - I like the heat, but my wife likes for it to look nice too. Many thanks to all who share their wisdom here. Everything I ever needed to know about burning coal has been found on this site. Thanks!

She looks good cw.

Lit the Mark I tonight. The EFM is more then capable of heating this place, but since I'm running a heat exchanger in the forced-air system I keep the Harman around to provide a radiant heat source, I was into the warm then cool then warm cycle all weekend. I'm keeping it at a low burn. Forced hot air sucks-radiant heat rules!

That's for sure brother,

Radiant heat is what it's all about. I just feels good. When ever I have people over the house, they consistently congregate around the Glenwood in the kitchen without fail. This year, with the Herald in the parlor I can imagine the same scenerio in there and the wife won't be shoo'in people out of the way while cooking. I remember last Thanksgiving have a houseful and guests staying overnight. For that reason I had the boiler on heating rad's so the upstairs was warmer (I like it cooler for sleeping). As soon as people walked in they went to the glenwood, hands held out looking to warm them. I hadn't lit it up yet (wood) and sheesh did I get the WTH looks from everyone. Ok, ok I'm lighting it! Radiant heat, it's expected around here.

I got my Harman Insert fired up Friday evening and have been keeping it idling along about 240° all weekend. Trouble is that the living room area gets up to about 80° during the afternoon, so I've just left a window-stat open a little bit in all weekend. This morning my neighbor had to go in to work early and was leaving when I did. He made a comment about my window being open as he was scraping the frost off his windshield and I told him that it was a little to warm in the house so that was how I regulated the heat. His comment was that he hadn't even turned his furnace on yet and it was in the upper 50's in his house. He then asked what I considered to warm, when I told him he just shook his head and quipped " You friggin suck!" I told him to come over this evening and I would show him my set up. Me thinks that I may have another convert in the making.