Made the Big Decission

Wood'nCoal wrote:

CBT69 wrote: 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.

Thanks guys

So far the Hitzer has been the cheapest stove I've heard of.

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

The hopper does not contrul feed rate. It is basicaly a rectangular box with no bottom in it. It goes from the top of the stove downward to just a little higher than the door bottom. After you get the coal started, you fill the firebox up to the bottom of the door. Then fill the hopper through a trap door in the top. as the coal in the firebox burns the ash settles down and the unburned coal settles down, and the coal in the hopper which is resting on top of the coal in the firebox, also settles down.

After about 12 hours of burning and settling, it is time to shake the grate, everything settles a bit more, and it is time to top off the hopper again. Looks like I could fill the hopper only once per day with outside temps averaging about 30*F.

So to answer you question (finaly), The bi-metalic spring thermostat can be user adjusted for temperature desired, then the thermostat controlls the draft cover wide open, closed or anywhere in between to control the air admitted in the draft hole. And that is the only control of burn rate/heat production. It works very very well at maintaining temperature of the stove and room, for such a simple non electrical automatic control.

I never did pick up the baro. damper. I don't think I will need one, because when it gets windy and my chimney draft increases, the thermostat senses the warmer stove and closes down the air intake to the stove. Being an air tight stove I don't think much heat is being drawn up the chimney from the stove. The magnetic flue thermometer goes up only about 50* when the wind bows hard.

grizzly2 wrote:

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

The hopper does not contrul feed rate. It is basicaly a rectangular box with no bottom in it. It goes from the top of the stove downward to just a little higher than the door bottom. After you get the coal started, you fill the firebox up to the bottom of the door. Then fill the hopper through a trap door in the top. as the coal in the firebox burns the ash settles down and the unburned coal settles down, and the coal in the hopper which is resting on top of the coal in the firebox, also settles down.

After about 12 hours of burning and settling, it is time to shake the grate, everything settles a bit more, and it is time to top off the hopper again. Looks like I could fill the hopper only once per day with outside temps averaging about 30*F.

So to answer you question (finaly), The bi-metalic spring thermostat can be user adjusted for temperature desired, then the thermostat controlls the draft cover wide open, closed or anywhere in between to control the air admitted in the draft hole. And that is the only control of burn rate/heat production. It works very very well at maintaining temperature of the stove and room, for such a simple non electrical automatic control.

I never did pick up the baro. damper. I don't think I will need one, because when it gets windy and my chimney draft increases, the thermostat senses the warmer stove and closes down the air intake to the stove. Being an air tight stove I don't think much heat is being drawn up the chimney from the stove. The magnetic flue thermometer goes up only about 50* when the wind bows hard.

Thanks grizzly2 very in depth post. I appreciate it

Hi Grissly2, just a bit of information, if your magnetic thermometer goes up 50*, the internal gas temps in the center of the pipe have gone up around 100-125*. This varies with the pipe diameter, flyash accumulation [insulating layer] and pipe wall thickness..

Check your PM's.

Greg L

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Hello, I have a Hitzer 30-95 and love it. It is 29* and freezing rain here in NE Ohio and our LR is 75* and we are burning it only 1/2 open. Our dealer told us to let the stove go cold and then to adjust the damper chain so that pointing straight up( number 6) the damper plate is 1/4" open. Have burned the stove non stop since Oct and have used 1-1/2 tons of nut coal, have not tried the pea yet. You can control heat output and coal usage by a combination of blower speed and damper setting. It seems that at times a higher blower setting will waste coal, drawing more heat off than necessary, even with a lower damper setting. In the mid 30`s we drop both the damper and blower. You will have to experement with both. The only other quirk I have noticed every few days I have to push some of the ashes down on the edges with my poker, they build up and do fall through, am still working on that problem. When you burn wood and go to reload let the door open a crack for 20 seconds and you will not then open all the way and you will eliminate all the smoke. Estimated savings this year on using coal VS oil heat $1600. Burned wood for years and my wife is now a "convert" to coal. Enjoy your new toy. -Bobby

Good point Greg. So I am sending more heat up the chimney than I thought. But with a baro. damper wouldn't I just be pulling out more warm room air instead?

Bob,
Good to here from an experienced Hitzer 30-95 owner. So the blower cooling the stove does increase consumption. Makes sense. Now I won't feel I am waisting heat by not running the blower, which I do not usually when I am sitting by the stove in the evening.

The manual I got with my 30-95 says ash builds up on the sides of the firebox becase it doesn't have the weight of the coal in the hopper pushing it down, like it does in the center. I poke the sides with my poker every 2 or 3 days also.

When you burn wood, do you remove the hopper? Do you find that the heat and flame go right up the flue due to lack of a baffel? I am going to try turning the hopper arround to burn wood (if it will fit in that way) to see if it will act as a baffel. If that doesn't work I will remove the hopper and make a baffel and suspend it from the ledge the hopper is now suspended from.

So far I have descovered that I can turn the burn down low enough to not overheat the house (heating about 1200sq ft.) when the temp outside is 40*. If I turn the thermostat down all the way, is there enough bypass air to keep the fire going indefinately, or will it eventually go out?

Thanks for the help guys.

With a baro working to control the draft, you will break the draft with room-temperature air, say 75*. Without controlling the draft, the chimney is pulling 4-500* air up the chimney.. You are better off keeping the 4-500* air in the stove and let the radiant or the fan heat the room with it, and loose a little room air up the chimney.

Hope that made sense... ?

Greg L