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To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 1:48 pm
by Smart_Ash
Hey everyone! It's been a few years since my last post but I'm back. I love my 50-93. It's a heat monster. I've added a new move in my shakedown routine. I've noticed that ash likes to build up in the corners and along the front of the stove. So I take a piece of round bar with a hook on the end and poke down the corners and along the front. This seems to do a good job of clearing it away. Then after i shake i push coal back to the corners which seem to be the low spots. I got to thinking. Coal seems like it wants to burn in a round pot and not a rectangular box. Watching Williams video of the Glenwood all he does is shake. No poking needed! Seems like the prismatic grates are superior to flat ones that rock back and forth. Does anyone do the same? Or is winter getting to me?

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 2:08 pm
by freetown fred
S, each stove design is unique unto itself. When tending my 50-93 I do maybe every other week clear the edges with my long hooked steel rod. When I fill the hopper, I always just run a short poker through the new coal in hopper. It displaces ITSELF to the corners, etc. That's the whole purpose of the hopper. Rarely having to screw around in the bed itself. As far as round vs. rectangular, sorry but I got to totally disagree. BUT, that said, whatever works for ya.

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 5:14 pm
by joeq
Welcome back Smarty. Guess your Hitzer has been treating you good, by the sound of it. Do you see any longer burn times since you've implemented your new technique? I had a Surdiac that also use-ta ash up in the corners. (Among everywhere else). There was a shaker grate handle on the RHS of the stove, and it was in the way of trying to riddle back in that corner, so I jut removed the grate handle. Never used it much anyway.
As for a round pot not ashing up as much as a rectangular, just cause there's no corners to hide in, they still get clogged. Williams video shows his G6, which has prismatic grates, and are "suppose-ta" be the Cadillac of shakers. Can't say, cause I've never owned one, but even with my round grate with a shaker, I still do riddling, and sometimes even flossing. The more ash you can remove, the happier every one is.

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 5:21 pm
by freetown fred
J, don't be bringin that riddling silliness into the HITZER domain!!!!!!!!!! LOL

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 6:03 pm
by joeq
What-da-ya mean Fred!? Don't yer stoves have riddling ports? Don't tell me you guys have-ta "rock the boat" baby.

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 6:29 pm
by freetown fred
Indeed we do & she works well. Good Lord, it seems some of these guys spend more time playin with their coal stoves then I used to with my wood beast! LOL

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 7:06 pm
by joeq
Well, you know what it's like to own a new car? (I don't) That's what it's like with us newbs, just playin around. But everything gets old in time, the "theys" say. When does my time come? How long do I need to wait, B4 this hunk of black iron, becomes a piece of the furniture?

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 7:40 pm
by freetown fred
Hmmmmm, new car--Bought a new truck back in the 70's when they actually made trucks!!! BUT, I think I forget the feeling!! LOL This truck I got now is the first I have to worry about emission crap!! Scares me when I pop the hood!!! Oh, by the way, about 8 yrs should cover that. :)

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 8:06 pm
by joeq
8 years Fred?! Drat! I'm only a year or 2 shy :|
now lets see, how can we get this thread back on track. Let's see. "Poking"? I guess your now-a-days driver, with all it's emissions crap, is just "poking" along. :baby:

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 8:43 pm
by deepwoods
freetown fred wrote:
Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 7:40 pm
Hmmmmm, new car--Bought a new truck back in the 70's when they actually made trucks!!! BUT, I think I forget the feeling!! LOL This truck I got now is the first I have to worry about emission crap!! Scares me when I pop the hood!!! Oh, by the way, about 8 yrs should cover that. :)
Prolly gonna start a fire here but just bought a 99 Dodge Dakota Sport. Has 120K miles 318 V8, loves gas, though I seldom stray far from home, bawls the tires from dead stop and runs great, oil consumption is zero. Consider it a step up from my 2000 Chevy S10 which was a money pit. Dodge needs cab corners but otherwise good to go it was well kept. My grandson needed transportation so I gave the S10 to him and wished him luck but he's going into the Navy shortly so it will probably do him well till he can get another vehicle.
Only bought 2 new vehicles. An 82 Ford Escort station wagon (try an find a "station wagon" now) and a 2016 Subaru Crosstreck (love it so far) Emission crap? Hell I took a look under the hood of the Subaru and found the dipsticks for tranny and cranckase and that's as far as I go, rest of that is up to the dealer on the warranty. Just think if they built a high tech coal stove today, what a nightmare!!

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 9:22 pm
by deepwoods
Smart_Ash wrote:
Tue. Jan. 30, 2018 1:48 pm
Hey everyone! It's been a few years since my last post but I'm back. I love my 50-93. It's a heat monster. I've added a new move in my shakedown routine. I've noticed that ash likes to build up in the corners and along the front of the stove. So I take a piece of round bar with a hook on the end and poke down the corners and along the front. This seems to do a good job of clearing it away. Then after i shake i push coal back to the corners which seem to be the low spots. I got to thinking. Coal seems like it wants to burn in a round pot and not a rectangular box. Watching Williams video of the Glenwood all he does is shake. No poking needed! Seems like the prismatic grates are superior to flat ones that rock back and forth. Does anyone do the same? Or is winter getting to me?
Jeez, FF led me ito the woods on the car stuff!
I have a Hitzer 50-93 and a poking works well and I do it once a week. My stove is usually run on a low setting which I thought wold accumulate heavier deposits of ash in the corners but does'nt seem to be the case. Possibly the quality/grade of coal has something to do with it. I burn Blaschak washed coal and does well for me.
I have a fully repaired Glenwood #6 waiting for me to re-assemble. Hopefully next season I can back up William's praises of that stove. Until the G6 and I get to know each other the Hitzer will remain in my posession. After 30 odd years of wood burning, coal is the best way to go.

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 12:38 am
by oliver power
The HITZER has VERY GOOD, Flat shaker grates. They are smooth, minimum effort, and get the job done. If I needed superior performance through out the entire bed of coal, I'd poke (only if needed).

Other times, I'd purposely not poke. Let ashes build. This acts as a fire bed reducer at times when outside temps are up, and you don't want much heat.

I can't say enough good about the HITZER 50-93. It's very user friendly. It's performance, and simplicity would be hard to beat.

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 4:45 pm
by Smart_Ash
I have not noticed any affect from poking on burn times as I tend the stove twice a day. The whole thing that got me thinking about excessive ash buildup was coming home to a cold stove. We unexpectedly had to be away from our home. I looked downstairs and saw the stove was black. After running out for some match light charcoal I did a complete clean out to start over. I know, I'm out of the one match club! I had been running the stove at 500 before the clean out. I got it up to 400 and the heat output felt like it was at 500! Ash must be insulating the stove.

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 5:06 pm
by joeq
Know the feeling SA. I just had to do the same thing. Matter of fact, I'll be posting some results soon. Good luck with yours. hope you find some good clogs.

Re: To poke or not to poke... That is the ?

Posted: Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 5:53 pm
by freetown fred
Ya got it S.Just do those corners every week or two. Every now & then I'll take my ash shovel while the pans out & clean the right side of the ash area. Never seems to effect the bi-metallic flap area, I just do it.
Smart_Ash wrote:
Wed. Jan. 31, 2018 4:45 pm
I have not noticed any affect from poking on burn times as I tend the stove twice a day. The whole thing that got me thinking about excessive ash buildup was coming home to a cold stove. We unexpectedly had to be away from our home. I looked downstairs and saw the stove was black. After running out for some match light charcoal I did a complete clean out to start over. I know, I'm out of the one match club! I had been running the stove at 500 before the clean out. I got it up to 400 and the heat output felt like it was at 500! Ash must be insulating the stove.