Hitzer 3095, Need Advice

My nightime procedure, HELP! At 9 pm I opened ash door and MPD totally for about 10-12 minutes. I stay by stove.
I get fire burning bright with red coals. Flue pipe 225* stove temp 290*. I shake 12 -15 short strokes, take ashes out then close ash door, but open ash door holes 3/8" MPD still open. Note: Bi Metal at 7, did not touch it. Blue flames rising up nicely, flue pipe about 355* (scary). I next closed MPD about 3/4 and closed all ash door holes. Blue flames slowing dwn, flue temp now 170* & stove 325*. Took about 15 - 20 minutes to slow down. I opened fuel door slowly & top off hopper with pea coal. Procedure takes about 30 minutes & blue flame still showing. Why are the blue flames lastng so long & why is the flue temp so high? Is there a better way of doing this? Shorter time frame? Please help, Freetown Fred, Grizzly, & Fastcat please reply. I will respond back tomorrow, have to go to work. Coalcracker Jack

OK, My method--my MPD is always closed 3/4--from start till finish of season--I never open my ash door vents(NEVER) unless I really screw up & start losing fire/coal which has happened twice in going on 3 seasons--I open my ash door & pull pan immediatly, close door with my foot, go empty ashpan--2-3 minutes most--open ash door, replace ash pan--NOW, I close, but I don't latch ash door, I shake 5-10 times until I get a nice red line in ash pan, close ash door & latch. Immediatly open hopper door & top off, close hopper door slowley---walla I'm set for another 12 hours until I do it all again--my ash pan is good for at least two shake downs, sometimes three. You are shaking & topping every 12 hrs, yes??? This is just how I do it & it has always worked real well. Are all your gaskets good--glass, hopper, main door, ash door. Do the dollar test--open individual doors, put edge of dollar in, close door, if you can pull it out, you need to replace gaskets--hopper door just needs to sound solid when you close it with no crumbs around edges & good flat gasket. Your bi-metal thermo, you have to play with--every stove is different. Hope this helps. Don't know where you're from but if my stove was on 7 right now, it's 26* right now w/ snow on the ground,I'm on around 4, I'd be sleeping in the barn with the horses & dogs CJ, them blue flames are pretty, but you don't need to see them jumping about every time you shake & top off--believe me, she's still doin her job. PS, this whole proceedure takes from 5-10 minutes tops.

I will tell you how I do it, and the whole prosess takes me 10 min on the outside. I am sure I will get flack but it works for me. Try it and see what you think and let us know.

#1 You have a fire in the stove with about 8" of burning coal so why are you flaring the thing up? Your answer is going to be (well it is idling with black coal on top and the warm weather) But you can still see red coal down in there. You still have 8" of burning coal down there. Open the MPD and just shake it 5 or 6 quick short strokes giving you just a few red coals in the pan. I suspect you have a load of hot red coals in the pan with 12 or 15 strokes.
#2 Wait 30 seconds for the flyash to settle, open ash door and empty ashes leaving door open. Now this doesn't mean walking to the back 40 to dump the ashes, if this is the case close the ash door before you take that walk.
#3 Put the ashpan back in and SLOWLY open hopper door, fill hopper, close hopper door.
#4 By this time you should have a good fire going, stack 250 to 350, close ash door, close the MPD all the way, adjust the stove setting if needed and stove should settle out in about 10 to 15 min. No need to wait on it.
#5 DONE for the next 12 hours.
Before you start your process what is your stove temp? Mine is about 160 to 180 with the warm weather. Another thing that member Oliver Power told me and works real nice is once it gets cold for good and the stove is steady around 500* open the slide on the ash door about quarter moons and leave it there, keeps a nice steady fire without all the banging from the flapper in the rear, you will get some on a windy day.
Also once a week throughout the season poke the sides and front to send the ash that is hung there to the pan, you will be able to feel the ash and then once it is gone.
I also clean my glass every other day with orange hand cleaner and damp papertowel on the hot glass with no problems and the glass is clear as new after a year and a half.
Good luck and happy heating.

NO WAIT--now I will tell you how to do it! Point being here CJ, fastcat lives two hills over from me, 15 minutes as the crow flies. We are both pretty much on the top & in the open. Other then a few little differences, I think what the big message is, that you are taking to long, and letting to much under draft get at your fire, plus over shaking. Each stove & each locale has it's own little idiosyncrasy's. Once you get your process down time wise, I'm sure you will have to fiddle with ash door vents, MPD, etc. That orange pumice does do a good job on the glass. Remember, fastcat is retired so he has time to do his glass every other day Sorry George CJ, I forgot to ask--why are you useing pea coal ????

Hey Den,

I use a Fieldcontrols type RC barometric damper. I set the bi-metal draft control where I need it according to heat output. I leave the ash door vents closed except when lighting a fire. I used to leave them open about a quarter moon. I think Oliver Power was correct. having them open some can reduce cycling of the draft flapper door. I just wanted to cut down on variables in operating the stove.

I tend the stove once per day when it is above freezing, twice per day when below freezing and sometimes three times per day if below zero or as needed to keep the fire lively. I don't have any hard and fast schedule. Usually I tend the fire morning and evening. Typical tending is: 1. Open the ash door far enough to peek inside and see the ash fall. If the ash pan is getting full I empty it before shaking down so I am not carying red hot coals thru the house after the shakedown. 2. Shake the grates vigorously but not too roughly against their stops. Keep on shaking until I get about a half dozen or so red chunks of coal falling thru the grates, not just glowing ash or fines. 3. Close the ash door. 4. Open the hopper door and fill the hopper from a coal skuttle. Close the hopper door.

DONE, unless the fire needs special attention on an as needed basis.

If the fire remains logy. I will rake the grates from the bottom (search forum for "raking grates"). I think this has always perked the fire back up.

If I am getting persistant dead spots accross the front or sides of the fire bed, I will gently poke right allong the front and side firebricks. Don't overdue it. I have not seen any other action knock a fire down and almost put it out as quickly as "over-poking"

A normal fire tending will take me under 5 minutes and I don't make any adjustments or wait for anything to happen between steps.

We have what must be one of the most carefree coalstoves out there. Very little is needed to keep them going strong. I sometimes think the less you touch it the better it burns , within reason. The Hitzer seems to tollerate manual, barometric, and no damper quite well. It will burn pea or nut and I know from experience that it will burn stove coal mixed in with the other sizes with no ill effects. I have requested nut size from both dealers I have ordered from but have usually gotten quite a range of sizes within the loads. Doesn't seem to matter, it burns it all well.

Have fun and enjoy burning a great fuel in a great stove.