Weird hitzer issue
- BlackBetty06
- Member
- Posts: 603
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:44 am
- Location: Lancaster county PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: Stockton Nut
- Other Heating: Jotul 118b woodstove, dual fuel heat pump/condensing propane furnace
Hey guys something strange going on. Recently in the last few days the setting of 10 on my stove has changed. It used to keep the stove at about 420 with a 180-200 pipe. Now all the sudden it keeps the stove around 300 with a pipe temp of 130. Flap is closed at this point. Additionally my stove burns hotter and the fire is more lively with the blower off and flap opens more frequently. Turn blower on flap closes and stove temps drop. I opened the flap to 12 and sat with the stove. In about 15 minutes I was burning with stove near 500, pipe at 740, and draft of .12. Put it back to 11 stove drops to 430 pipe 200. Turn blower on pipe drops to 150 stove in 300 with just a dull orange glow and no blue flames? Any ideas
- freetown fred
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- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
I had weird this AM--made sure inside flap area was clear--shut flap, opened front ash door vents 1/2 moon--waited an hr--flap was open 1/4"--closed it--kept repeating most of the morning & now things are back to normal--closed ash door vents to just hairline & bi--dial back on 9--10 --bi-metallic spring issue????? who knows!!! Weird huh B!! PS--I RARELY use my blower!! Ceiling fan does real well moving heat.
Last edited by freetown fred on Tue. Jan. 02, 2018 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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It would be normal for the stove and pipe to be cooler with the blower on. What is strange is that the flap should open more as the stove cools instead of closing more.
Its behaving as if the blower is directing hotter air toward the bi-metal coil.
Its behaving as if the blower is directing hotter air toward the bi-metal coil.
- BlackBetty06
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- Joined: Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:44 am
- Location: Lancaster county PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: Stockton Nut
- Other Heating: Jotul 118b woodstove, dual fuel heat pump/condensing propane furnace
Yea up until a few days ago when I would kick the blower on the flap would start opening almost right away and the fire would get nice and bright. I could feel the heat pouring up my steps, stove room at 88. Now stove room is 74 and propane furnace is kicking on to keep the house at temp
- freetown fred
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- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
That's why I use the ceiling fan in these kind of temps. Is 74* in the stove room what you're happy with--I know if my furnace was kicking on I wouldn't be very happy. What's going on with the flap now? Stove room stays around 80* to keep the rest of the house at 72-73*. I would open your ash door vents about 1/4 moon. It's COLD B, stoves gonna act different.
Last edited by freetown fred on Wed. Jan. 03, 2018 6:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
- oliver power
- Member
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- Location: Near Dansville, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: KEYSTOKER Kaa-2
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93 & 30-95, Vigilant (pre-2310), D.S. 1600 Circulator, Hitzer 254
It's just one of them coal heating things.......... I've had my stoves act funny for a day or so, due to atmospheric changes. Running along just fine day to day. Then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, it's not the same stove.
- BlackBetty06
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- Joined: Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:44 am
- Location: Lancaster county PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: Stockton Nut
- Other Heating: Jotul 118b woodstove, dual fuel heat pump/condensing propane furnace
I fat fingered my phone on my last post. My stove room is now 84 NOT 74. Trying an experiment today. Before I left for work I left the blower OFF and stove set at 11. Stove is running 460 on the sides 350 on the top and 240 on the stack. I wonder since my chimney is 12x12 exterior to the house if my draft is getting goofy with the blower on. Maybe my stack is getting cold and blower isn’t allowing enough heat into the chimney to keep her pulling hard. Might be time to drop an insulated liner if this theory works. Still doesn’t explain why my flap is staying shut more and my coal usage has gone down. FF maybe I will try what you did also almost like a “ bimetallic reset” if you will lol
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12 by 12 too big and loosing or getting weird draw do to the arctic moving in ? interesting . keep us posted BB thanx .
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Every once in awhile my bimetallic control acts wonky; same setting different temp. I run the knob back & forth from 0 to wfo about a half dozen times, reset the temp & it seems to go back to normal after that. Could be the flap hinge sticking, spring, ??, whatever caused it goes away.
- BlackBetty06
- Member
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- Joined: Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:44 am
- Location: Lancaster county PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: Stockton Nut
- Other Heating: Jotul 118b woodstove, dual fuel heat pump/condensing propane furnace
UPDATE: I left the blower off on the stove all day. I came home and draft reading was where it was when blower was on..... except the stove is 460 and the pipe about 270. A brighter fire and more coal burned. Im starting to think this giant chimney is playing games with me. I also screwed around with no metallic knob so we will see what that does
- coalmaster
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Peculiar that the fan closes the door. The fan pushing heat from the stove normally opens the flap. I have found that depending on the current condition of the fire will determine what will happen to the stove temp when the fan is turned on. If the stove was just tended and ash has been thoroughly removed the fan will run up the stove temp. If the fire has settled a bit after a few hours, the fan will drop the stove temp a bit
- BlackBetty06
- Member
- Posts: 603
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:44 am
- Location: Lancaster county PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: Stockton Nut
- Other Heating: Jotul 118b woodstove, dual fuel heat pump/condensing propane furnace
Its very strange. I have left the fan off the last few days and the stove has been hanging in the 400s. After tending it gets close to 500 on the sides and reaches 600 above the loading door. Im gonna try the fan again soon. The propane hasnt been running as much. Its weird.
- BlackBetty06
- Member
- Posts: 603
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:44 am
- Location: Lancaster county PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: Stockton Nut
- Other Heating: Jotul 118b woodstove, dual fuel heat pump/condensing propane furnace
Put blower back on last night. Stove burned hot all night and used 1 3/4 buckets of coal in 12 hrs. It was very windy though which i think helps the draft on my giant chimney even with the current temp of 4. When I was getting weird draft issues before it was about 0 with still winds. Will see tonight. Winds are supposed to stop and temps are to be -10-0.
- BlackBetty06
- Member
- Posts: 603
- Joined: Tue. Jan. 01, 2013 10:44 am
- Location: Lancaster county PA
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: Stockton Nut
- Other Heating: Jotul 118b woodstove, dual fuel heat pump/condensing propane furnace
I should say weird burn issues not necessarily draft although I suspect thats about all it could be