Need some Hitzer 50-93 guidance please

 
jw157
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Post by jw157 » Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 9:14 pm

Hey all, I purchased a Hitzer 50-93 last month after moving into a new house, I debated on going with my last stove again which was a Leisure Line Pioneer, but didn’t want to be electric dependent for use.

I fired the stove up a few weeks ago, surprisingly that was fairly easy as I had read that could be challenging to new users. The stove runs fine for a few days, throws awesome heat and I’ve experiementated with the hopper in and out.

My concerns are by the end of the third day of burning I start to see a lot of fly ash building, when I shake it looks like a snow globe through the glass. I do 5-6 quick jerky shakes, not full motion. I’m shaking at 6am and 6pm.

By end of day four I have fly ash building on the top of the coal and it looks like it’s effecting the burn, the fire starts to dim, I can see red hot coal under a layer of fly ash across the whole bed of coal, I tried to do a longer motion slow shake to cut down on the snow globe effect and it didn’t seem as effective as the quick short jerky shakes to get ash into the pan.

Well twice, including this morning I lost the fire. When I shoveled it out this morning I noticed what I considered to be way too much ash build up on the grate, which I would assume would hurt the air flow causing the fire to die down.

Before I shake I open the ash door for a few minutes and let the stove get real hot, after shaking I top it off, keep the ash door open and let the new coal catch and then close it up.

Is it normal to have the inside start looking like a snow globe when shaking after day three and then ultimately having only what I can describe as a blanket of fly ash on the top layer of hot coals consistently thereafter?


 
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Post by franco b » Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 9:36 pm

Revving up the fire increases the draft and the pull through the coal.
You can try opening the front door while shaking which will divert the draft from going through the coal bed and sucking up fly ash.

To even out and lessen draft you could consider a barometric damper if your draft is super strong. A manual pipe damper might also help to tame the draft.

 
jw157
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Post by jw157 » Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 10:38 pm

Thank you, I will try opening the door while shaking and see if that works.

 
coalfan
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Post by coalfan » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 8:57 am

could it be the brand of coal ? it does al very an it sounds like your doing the 12 hr shake so you have a couple of things to look at . hope you get it worked out and let us know thanx.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 11:00 am

Readin & re-readin--I got a feelin you don't have much draft. For the first time, I'd suggest a MANO. just to check. Sounds like you're doing everything right. Crack those vents on your ash door about 1/8 moon & leave it there-- see if that helps. No, allthat ash build up is not normal on that stove but that's what is probably killin your fire. What is your bi-metallic dial set on. Yes, like Jamie said, I'm curious as to what brand coal you're using??

 
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Post by warminmn » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 12:25 pm

The only thing I can add is if you have a manual pipe damper installed, is that closed or open when you shake?

 
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Post by Hitzer 503 » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 12:40 pm

Jw157 Im reading your issue on the Hitzer 503 well it does sound like you are doing everything right , I can tell you I have had the 503 for 5 years now, and have no more issues with excessive ash build up because I now use anthrosite stove size coal and I made a tool to slide on top off the grates after I shake it's a long square rod of steel and has a 90 degree bend on both ends one to use as handle and other end to slide back and forth right on top of grates to get rid of the ash build up. You will notice an opening about 1/4 inch high and about an inch wide right on top of grate square for shaking handle, slide this tool about 24 inches long , wear gloves rod heats up fast. And slide it in and out and left to right until you see red coals in opening, so try stove size coal and this method of ash removal, 2 time a day or every 12 hours , I do mine at 4 am and 4 pm, I bet that your stove will run contiusly after this ! So slake , poke, and load, then walk away, my house is 77 degrees first floor around the clock , hope this helps ,Hitzer 503


 
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Post by michaelanthony » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 12:45 pm

Hi jw, does your stove have a hopper in it? I have a box stove without a hopper, before I shake it down I load it up full of fresh coal while I rev it up. After I/2 cup of coffee I close the air vent and give 10+ shakes. I then poke the corners down, POKE straight down. I open the air vent and dump the pan and I sit and drink the other 1/2 cup of coffee with the ash door open and watch it.
I think all the fresh coal keeps the ash from coming up so it stays with the old layer.
just my 02 cents

Fred you recommended a gadget :baby:

 
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 12:51 pm

I don't have a Hitzer, but was told several yrs ago with mine that the way to prevent flyash on top of the coal was to limit the air coming up thru the grates while shaking. I now close my ash door to shake & have limited primary air coming in while shaking.

Can you close the intake flap to cut off all incoming air ?

 
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Post by rberq » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 1:31 pm

windyhill4.2 wrote:
Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 12:51 pm
I don't have a Hitzer, but was told several yrs ago with mine that the way to prevent flyash on top of the coal was to limit the air coming up thru the grates while shaking. I now close my ash door to shake & have limited primary air coming in while shaking.

Can you close the intake flap to cut off all incoming air ?
Ditto that advice. I DON'T rev up my stove before shaking. After shaking I let it sit for a minute or so to let the ash settle. Then I open the ash door to poke up through the grates from below to clear ash that didn't fall during shaking. That poking time is all the revving it usually needs, and even with that I can see some ash being sucked up through the coal bed. Never enough to cause a problem, though.

 
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Post by rberq » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 1:43 pm

jw157 wrote:
Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 9:14 pm
By end of day four I have fly ash building on the top of the coal and it looks like it’s affecting the burn ... When I shoveled it out this morning I noticed what I considered to be way too much ash build up on the grate
I very much suspect it is the buildup on the grates that is killing your fire, not the ash on top of the coal. Five or six wimpy shakes may not be enough. ;) Also, lots of people make a poker -- a rod with a right-angle bend a couple inches from the end, to reach in through the ash door and clear the holes in the grates. (Mine is made from an old paint roller shaft straightened and bent at the end.) Shaking the grates, by itself, never seems to clear enough ash. When you are done poking you should see a bit of glow through the holes when you look from the underside of the grates.

 
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Post by DENNIS BAUER » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 2:35 pm

franco b wrote:
Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 9:36 pm
Revving up the fire increases the draft and the pull through the coal.
You can try opening the front door while shaking which will divert the draft from going through the coal bed and sucking up fly ash.

To even out and lessen draft you could consider a barometric damper if your draft is super strong. A manual pipe damper might also help to tame the draft.
So I did this this morning, opened up the top glass door on both the 50-93 and the 30-95, the 50-93 didn't seem to do anything different but I did notice that the 30-95 didn't get the snow globe effect this morning. May help with the extended burn times.


One thing I do with both stoves is to "stir" them up. I know a bunch of people are going to jump in on me against this but this is what I do and it is working great. I shake down the stove like normal but do not reload it in the morning. In the evening when I go to do the same thing I shake the stove down at this point the hopper is empty and the coal is laying flat in the stove. with my poker I shift everything over to one side and rake the coal around until all the ash falls through into the pan. Just keep working my way crossed the bottom of the stove until I get to the other side and get rid of any extra ask in the coal.

I need to do this more with the 30-95 in the garage due to the slanted back vs. the 50-93 that has vertical back stone.

Also which is I'm thinking the most important reason I can do this is I let the stove get good and hot before I do this and I also have VERY strong draft. So after I'm done raking, I close the load door, open the ash door and let the fire catch back on. After it's up and running again I fill the hopper back up and I'm good to go.

 
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 2:41 pm

I agree with rberq, many new coal burners make the mistake of not properly clearing ash and after a few days the fuel bed becomes ash bound. I also agree that the fly ash settling on top of the coal is in no way causing a problem.

I think what Dennis is describing is not quite called "stirring" but more of an agitation to get ash to fall from the center of the fuel bed towards the grates. I use a similar technique I like to call "heaving" with a 4 foot section of heavy rebar.

 
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 2:49 pm

DENNIS BAUER wrote:
Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 2:35 pm
So I did this this morning, opened up the top glass door on both the 50-93 and the 30-95, the 50-93 didn't seem to do anything different but I did notice that the 30-95 didn't get the snow globe effect this morning. May help with the extended burn times.


One thing I do with both stoves is to "stir" them up. I know a bunch of people are going to jump in on me against this but this is what I do and it is working great. I shake down the stove like normal but do not reload it in the morning. In the evening when I go to do the same thing I shake the stove down at this point the hopper is empty and the coal is laying flat in the stove. with my poker I shift everything over to one side and rake the coal around until all the ash falls through into the pan. Just keep working my way crossed the bottom of the stove until I get to the other side and get rid of any extra ask in the coal.

I need to do this more with the 30-95 in the garage due to the slanted back vs. the 50-93 that has vertical back stone.

Also which is I'm thinking the most important reason I can do this is I let the stove get good and hot before I do this and I also have VERY strong draft. So after I'm done raking, I close the load door, open the ash door and let the fire catch back on. After it's up and running again I fill the hopper back up and I'm good to go.
That is much more ash removal involvement than my stove requires....mine is not a Hitzer & the company is no more.

I thought the Hitzer stoves were supposed to be easy ???

I might play with my coal.... but never when the coal is hot...

Maybe my parents told me i could get burnt while playing with hot coals ?

 
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 2:55 pm

Can't blame a guy for being too thorough, Windy ;)


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