Made the Big Decission

Today I bought a new Hitzer 30-95 with optional blower, black paint and door frame. Sure is built nice. The dealer had one just like it burning on the show room floor.

I have to get a baro. damper for it before I can hook it up. I forgot to get one while I was there. I did pick up 10, 40lb. bags of oiled pea coal so I can fire it up as soon as I get it installed. The dealer said he gets $220. per ton in bulk, no charge to deliver a 3 tom minimum load. I am 75 miles away from him and he said no problem. He had delivered further than that. Sounds like a real good deal to me.

I will keep you all posted on how I get along with the Hitzer. Can't wait to try it out.

Do you mind if I ask what you paid for the stove?

Adamiscold wrote:Do you mind if I ask what you paid for the stove?

Not at all. $1,375 with the optional blower. The dealer said the blower was $75. I didn't realy want the blower, but the only 30-95 he had in stock had the blower with it. Having driven 80 miles to get there, I wasn't about to have me order a stove without blower and come back and get it later. I got the stove hooked up and running today. I must say the blower certainly makes the stove heat the room up more quickly than without.

I have only had the stove fired up for about 3 hours so far, and everything is working great. It took me two attempts to get the coal lit. The new paint is stinking quite a bit and I have had to open a window or door a couple times with outside temps at 15* F. The stove will keep up with an open window.

Keep us posted if you get one.

Yeah, they stink for awhile when first lighted. I should have negotiated with the dealer to hook it up in his warehouse and burn it for a day or two before delivery. It would have saved a lot of initial aggravation with the wife, who already thought I was crazy to switch from wood to coal (she has since changed her tune).

P.S. I didn't want a blower either, but I have found the coal fire can produce more heat than the stove can radiate, so the blower is almost a necessity except at lower stove settings. I'd like to weld big steel vertical fins perpendicular to the sides of the stove to increase its radiant capacity, but it sure would look funny in the living room.

Your dealer sounds great. Anyone willing to deliver 75 miles away is OK in my book. Sounds like you got a good deal. Enjoy the warmth.

grizzly2 wrote:
Not at all. $1,375 with the optional blower.

$1,375 does sound to bad at all. Thanks and I'm glad your liking your new toy.

Day 2 of burning coal. The Hizer does everything but fill its own hopper. The bi-metalic spring operated air intake control works fantasticly. I have been burning the stove low due to warm temps, and it has used very little coal. The hopper gravity feed works very consistently. So far I am very favorably impressed with the Hitzer and coal burning in general.

Thanks to all who gave input and answered my questions. I was able to select a stove which appears to meet my needs to a "T". The information given throughout the forums enabled me to get the stove up and running with very little trouble.

Good for you & good luck with it!

(You wont be sorry you got the blower)

Great, just great!

Now I want a Hitzer 30-95 too!

Where can I put it?

BK

Glad you like your Hitzer. Doesn't seem like very many people on here have them, and I think they are a fantastic stove. I have the 354 myself, and it works great.

New York Bear wrote:Glad you like your Hitzer. Doesn't seem like very many people on here have them, and I think they are a fantastic stove. I have the 354 myself, and it works great.

Glad to hear from a fellow New Yorker with a Hitzer. I did not communicate with one Hitzer owner on this site (or anyplace else) before I bought my stove. I had a lot of people tell me that they heard Hitzer made a good stove, but you are the first owner I have heard from.

Now, I have a couple of questions for you. Do you burn nut or pea size coal? If you set the draft to a low setting so that the little tin cover is closed over the draft hole all the time, will the stove still keep burning at a low rate, or eventually die out? I have burned with the tin cover closed for up to about 9 hours, the fire got very low but did not go out. I am curious it there is enough air getting to the fire to prevent it going out no matter how low I set the vent adjustment knob.

By the way, whereabouts in NY are you? I am in Chaumont on NE tip of Lake Ontario. I would like to extend an invitation for you to drop in for a beer or whatever.

Can you control the burn rate(lowering the BTU output) by controlling the air flow with the Hitzer gravity feed stove?

Adamiscold wrote:Can you control the burn rate(lowering the BTU output) by controlling the air flow with the Hitzer gravity feed stove?

I have yet to meet a stove, wood, coal, or otherwise, where you didn't control the burn rate with the airflow.

CBT69 wrote:

Adamiscold wrote:Can you control the burn rate(lowering the BTU output) by controlling the air flow with the Hitzer gravity feed stove?

I have yet to meet a stove, wood, coal, or otherwise, where you didn't control the burn rate with the airflow.

On a stoker stove such as my Alaska you control the burn rate with the amount of coal fed onto the burn grate. Certain models have a rheostat to control the feed rate and the combustion air flow, mine is one of those types, called a TriBurner. It uses the same motor for the combustion air as well as for the gearbox for the coal feed.

I leave the motor running at full speed for the full combustion air, and adjust the travel distance of the feed to regulate the fire. I will be installing a separate combustion fan soon and then adjust the speed of the feed motor to regulate the fire.