Hitzer 50-93 Thermostat Gone Bad?

We have the Hitzer 50-93 and have been running it for it's first winter with no problems. After a slight learning curve I've figured out how to keep it regulated: fill it up, grate on ash pan closed completely, knob on thermostat set to 8 1/2, blower fan off. This has kept the stove at 200 degrees (thermometer is on pipe) and our 2100 sq. ft. house at a very comfortable 75ish. I have had no problem keeping it regulated at these settings.

Well, I got up the other morning at the fire was out. Stove was full of coal. Shake it and it isn't coal it's all ash. I'm thinking, what the heck? Check the flapper in the back and it's completely open. Cuss my husband out for leaving it open. He says he didn't touch it, I look at it closer and the spring that the knob sits on is sprung out. What happened??

Husband looked at it and said he tightened a bolt and now the spring is tight again, but now the settings are different. The flapper is barely open with the knob at ten where before it was that position at 8. And now I can't regulate the stove. I either have to have the flapper shut and the stove is at 100 degrees (and in danger of going out) or if I open the flapper a little bit the stove overheats to 500.

I can't find ANY information on how the thermostat works on this thing. My husband says the chain just opens and closes the flapper, but I say it has to be a bimetallic thermostat coil (which I can see, but not sure if that's what it is) because how else would it open and close the flapper if it doesn't sense the temp?

So I'm thinking that somehow the coil went bad and won't sense the temperature and that's why I can't regulate it now. Somebody want to educate me on this? Advice? Thanks!

Can the knob be removed and adjusted to your original settings that you are familiar with, also I believe Hizter sells replacement bi metal regulators.

Sounds like it got overheated and lost it's "spring" ... ??

Overheating to the degree that it took the spring out of it is unlikely. I think it worked loose, could not close the flapper, and when he tightened it the settings changed. Look to change the dial as suggested and move the position of the spring. The spring only moves according to temperature and if it rotates a little, you will have to adjust the chain. It might require a little frigging to get back to normal.

Kevin

If you get the stove up to the temp you want it at, set the spring to be closed not with the dial but by loosening the nut and setting it that way, it should open up when the temp drops and be "calibrated" again.

Okay, I adjusted the chain so that the flapper is closed at 8 when the stove is 200 degrees. This doesn't mean much, it's just the number I'm used to but it makes me feel better. The bigger problem is the regulation. If I open the flapper even a tiny bit the temp doesn't go up a bit, it jumps up to 500 degrees. This is pissing me off. It should not go that high with such a small turn of the knob.

Overdrafting of the chimney will cause problems like you describe also windy conditions can cause phenomenal drafts do you have a Baro Damper on this unit.

The thermo spring on my old shaker is over 30 years old and still working fine they are pretty simple and I've overheated the stove scary like more than once, but now it sounds like you messed with the chain and got the calibration all bonkers.

K, somethings going on with the bi/spring--they are set at the factory--check your PM's TOP @ messages (lil envelope)---damn husbands!! Fred

Kimberly,I moved your Post to Our Hand Fired Coal Stoves Section to get you even more Exposure to solve your problem ! Could you edit your Post Title to read:Hitzer 50-93 Thermostat gone bad?....That'll bring 'em in like Rabid Dogs and Sic'Em directly on your trouble. You may even be visited by Our Esteemed Native Colleague And Friend "Freetown Fred",a Self-Confessed 50-93 Owner. We let him think that he's the Chief of the Cold Warrior Hitzer Tribe! .....Oh,I see that he's already arrived while I was typing! :bag:

That would mean---I'm NOT????????????????????????????????? well I'll be damned

Don't worry about Fred. He's got thick skin.

You say you had a full bed of coal. And then discovered it wasn't coal, it was all ash in the shape of coal. That tells me you way over fired the stove. You're lucky to have a home to come home to. The good part is; you know your chimney is safe. Now I'll tell you how it happened; At tending time the fire was low. You tended the stove as always, then left for work. Because the fire was low, the new batch of coal somewhat smothered the fire you had, and would be a while before it catches. ( Fred, you'll appreciate what I'm about to say next). Meanwhile, the FAN continues to pull heat off the mass of the stove body, causing the back flapper to open more, and more, as the stove cools more, and more, as the fan continues to pull the heat off. The flapper door opens wide enough that it shifts just right, and hangs up. It doesn't always happen, but it does. And it did in your case. Now, the fire finally catches, and roars away, as if the ash pan door was left open. Your stove got soooo hot, the extreme heat threw your spring out of calibration. It either broke the spring, popped it out of a notch, or something. What ever happened to the spring, was enough to let the flapper drop back closed. Or was it still open? Those bimetallic thermostats are quite simple. Take it apart, and you should be able to see how it goes back together. Moral of the story is: If you're going to tend your Hitzer, then leave before seeing the "Dancing Ladies", TURN OFF THE FAN. So the house may be a little cooler to come home to. At least you'll have one too come home to. I too have a good safe chimney. Oliver EDIT: Your spring needs to set up under the cover more clockwise. Lets say 9:00 position(cold). 7:00 position(hot). Looks like you're at 5:00.

Now that right there ladies and gentleman is some fine shootin , trouble shootin! OP , looks to me you might'ev been around a time er two with that stove. Damn nice shootin!!!!!!!!!!!!

waldo

waldo lemieux wrote: Now that right there ladies and gentleman is some fine shootin , trouble shootin! OP , looks to me you might'ev been around a time er two with that stove. Damn nice shootin!!!!!!!!!!!!

waldo

Yes, just shootin, trouble shootin. However, I do believe my sites are dead on. I've had it happen to both my Hitzers. As a rule, Freetown Fred doesn't use the fan. I knew he'd appreciate that part. Now, I make sure the body mass of the stove is up in temp, and a good fire before walking away with the fan on. No fan = no heat being pulled off the stove, faster than the fire can produce it. If the stove is cold enough to have the flapper door pulled wide open, you should not walk away, even with the fan off. If my stove is cold enough, lets say a new fire, many times I would turn my back dial down low. Otherwise the fire will roar away too long, trying to bring the mass of stove temp up. The stove pipe gets extremely hot. Once the stove temp is up, then adjust the back dial.The Hitzers are fine stoves, and very well engineered. Still, one can never be too safe around solid fuel appliances.

Oliver, this sounds very plausible except I had the fan OFF. I don't run the fan, don't need to, this stove heats my house without it. And the flapper door was open, wide open. The fire was out and the flapper was open. Which means what? Either the stove never got hot enough to close the flapper yet still burned all the coal up or there's something wrong with the thermostat. Or as the stove cooled off the flapper opened up??

Or my husband turned the fan on and I don't remember turning it off when I found the fire out. Which would make your scenario 100% correct.

Stove was purchased 11-2012 I wonder if the stat is still under warranty.

I gotta confess OP--with this cold ass weather, I've been running my fan probably 1/2 hr AM & PM--this works for my setting--house stays a toasty 74* My downstairs bed room is the furthest from the stove room & has all sorts of jags/corners to get to it--it stays around 65 which I like--trust me, I didn't plan that, it just IS. When I first joined the FORUM after burning wood for 30 yrs plus--I was just plain coal dumb--oliver power took the time to share his experience with his 50-93 & became my coal mentor--The biggest thing I learned from him was that these hand fired stoves, or any other,are not magical & you'd best pay attention to what your doing or they can & will hurt you. Dumb luck only gets ya so far. I NEVER walk away from my stove until she has settled in. He also taught me the simplicity of running my stove. If newer users would pay attention to more experienced users--with the SAME type stove, you're in for a smooth ride. Those of us, including myself that show up here as legends in our own minds, constantly seem to have trouble/problems--first off--learn to listen & THEN progress to listening to learn. More importantly, I learned that the only stupid questions, were the one's I don't ask--point being, don't wait till things get screwed up. ASK--there's more experience & people willing to share that on this FORUM then you can shake a stick at. Hell, my hunt & peck finger has fallin asleep