Box stove questions.

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Hoytman
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Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
Coal Size/Type: nut coal
Other Heating: electric, wood, oil

Post by Hoytman » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 4:57 pm

I'm curious about a couple things and thought maybe y'all may have some answers.

Box stoves for 1200-1500 (to 1800)sq.ft...was wondering how many have owned a Hitzer, Harmon/Legacy (MKI and II, and TLC2000), or comparable DSM. I just list those because they seem to be the top 3 brands at the moment...or the popular ones on this forum. Perhaps there are others I am not aware of.

Mainly interested in new models...but I will take information on older models too.

I like the idea of being able to burn wood or coal...that is a nice option, but isn't totally necessary.
Answer any number of questions you can, please.

I have only seen the Hitzer stoves in person...and even then didn't really get the time to look at them like I'd like to...but I plan to remedy that soon.

1. Are their any known or common problems/issues/drawbacks, or advantages you think one particular brand has over the other?

2. How well you feel one is made vs the other?

3. If you were buying new, which stove would you buy and why? Discussion open to any brand mentioned or not.

 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 6:01 pm

I would not consider any new stove lacking both thermostat and hopper. The advantages of fast tending and much less tendency to puff back are too great.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 6:12 pm

DITTO!!!!!!!!

 
DENNIS BAUER
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Location: Springwater NY, (Western NY)
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 105 - SOLD
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 30-95 - Garage
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: HITZER 50-93 - HOUSE
Coal Size/Type: NUT
Other Heating: PROPANE FURNACE, ELECTIC BASE BOARD, AND WOOD FIRE PLACE

Post by DENNIS BAUER » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 6:36 pm

Hitzer hands down. I run the 30-95 in the garage and the 50-93 in the house. Simple to use. Simple to learn on.
New models (last couple of years) of the 50-93 have the ability to remove the hopper. This makes the wood option usable. Neither unit is great at burning wood. They do work and it's not bad for that raining 50* fall day but an extended time to keep going it does not work great on wood. I gave in Sunday, threw the hopper back in and started the coal. I'll shut down sometime in April at this point.

They are built amazing and extremely heavy. The 50-93 is very easy to keep from ashing up with long runs and no shut downs. The 30-95 with the slanted bricks in the back gets challenging to keep the ash clear in the rear when running the stove hard.

 
Hoytman
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Joined: Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 11:30 pm
Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
Coal Size/Type: nut coal
Other Heating: electric, wood, oil

Post by Hoytman » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 7:36 pm

franco b wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 6:01 pm
I would not consider any new stove lacking both thermostat and hopper. The advantages of fast tending and much less tendency to puff back are too great.
You made that sound as if the thermostat and hopper have something to do with puff backs. Can you elaborate?

When researching Harmon wood stoves, before I found this coal forum, I had read where the Harmon wood stoves have a tendency to puff back. If I recall correctly, I believe it had something to do with them being a down draft design which also causes them ash up behind the secondary air vents. If I'm not mistaken VC wood stoves have a similar down draft design for their secondary air...but we're getting off track. I'm more interested in coal stoves at this point.


 
Hoytman
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Posts: 6019
Joined: Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 11:30 pm
Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
Coal Size/Type: nut coal
Other Heating: electric, wood, oil

Post by Hoytman » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 7:42 pm

Side question...
What's the main differences, besides the obvious thermostat and removable hopper, of the 54 and 93 Hitzer stoves? Their website doesn't tell a lot about it from what I seen. I would like to learn how they work...how the air flows in each, etc.
Last edited by Hoytman on Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
Hoytman
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Posts: 6019
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Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
Coal Size/Type: nut coal
Other Heating: electric, wood, oil

Post by Hoytman » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 7:47 pm

DENNIS BAUER wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 6:36 pm
Hitzer hands down. I run the 30-95 in the garage and the 50-93 in the house. Simple to use. Simple to learn on.
New models (last couple of years) of the 50-93 have the ability to remove the hopper. This makes the wood option usable. Neither unit is great at burning wood. They do work and it's not bad for that raining 50* fall day but an extended time to keep going it does not work great on wood. I gave in Sunday, threw the hopper back in and started the coal. I'll shut down sometime in April at this point.

They are built amazing and extremely heavy. The 50-93 is very easy to keep from ashing up with long runs and no shut downs. The 30-95 with the slanted bricks in the back gets challenging to keep the ash clear in the rear when running the stove hard.
You have the Hitzer and seem to love them. Thanks for the comparison of the two since you have them both. Did you happen to look at the DS Machine stoves or the Harmon/Legacy stoves before choosing the Hitzer's? What made up your mind? At least two of them are built by the Amish and I would think both Amish stoves are built heavy...main differences being design I suppose.

 
charlesosborne2002
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Post by charlesosborne2002 » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 8:23 pm

If you really want an efficient wood stove as well as coal, the only choice for me is the Comfort Max 75 from DS Machine (Amish made). It has very high efficiency with wood--and comes with an iron plate to put over the coal grate when using wood. It has proper air controls either way. It has thermostat and hopper (self-feeding). It covers your space. However, you can burn wood in any coal stove except the auger-fed rice coal stoves--they just won't be as efficient as wood-only stoves of current design, and some are much better for wood than others. My Vermont Castings coal stove can burn wood, but not as efficiently as their wood stoves--VC stoves can all be used as open fireplaces with wood or closed for better efficiency. Many people use wood in their coal stoves in the fall and spring, when a small fire in the evening is enough. Consider also that when a stove is discontinued or replaced by a new model, you can find clearances at bargain prices. My VC coal stove was almost half price (discontinued but still around--the Vigilant II). The Comfort Max may be replaced by a new model, the AnthraMax series--rated for coal because of EPA definitions, but probably good for wood.
Hoytman wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 4:57 pm
I'm curious about a couple things and thought maybe y'all may have some answers.

Box stoves for 1200-1500 (to 1800)sq.ft...was wondering how many have owned a Hitzer, Harmon/Legacy (MKI and II, and TLC2000), or comparable DSM. I just list those because they seem to be the top 3 brands at the moment...or the popular ones on this forum. Perhaps there are others I am not aware of.

Mainly interested in new models...but I will take information on older models too.

I like the idea of being able to burn wood or coal...that is a nice option, but isn't totally necessary.
Answer any number of questions you can, please.

I have only seen the Hitzer stoves in person...and even then didn't really get the time to look at them like I'd like to...but I plan to remedy that soon.

1. Are their any known or common problems/issues/drawbacks, or advantages you think one particular brand has over the other?

2. How well you feel one is made vs the other?

3. If you were buying new, which stove would you buy and why? Discussion open to any brand mentioned or not.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 8:27 pm

The Keystoker HFH-90 Hopper stove is a really well made hand fired hopper stove, and it has the others beat for looks.

 
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oliver power
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93 & 30-95, Vigilant (pre-2310), D.S. 1600 Circulator, Hitzer 254

Post by oliver power » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 10:19 pm

DENNIS BAUER wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 6:36 pm
Hitzer hands down. I run the 30-95 in the garage and the 50-93 in the house. Simple to use. Simple to learn on.
New models (last couple of years) of the 50-93 have the ability to remove the hopper. This makes the wood option usable. Neither unit is great at burning wood. They do work and it's not bad for that raining 50* fall day but an extended time to keep going it does not work great on wood. I gave in Sunday, threw the hopper back in and started the coal. I'll shut down sometime in April at this point.

They are built amazing and extremely heavy. The 50-93 is very easy to keep from ashing up with long runs and no shut downs. The 30-95 with the slanted bricks in the back gets challenging to keep the ash clear in the rear when running the stove hard.
I'm with Dennis....... and will be buying another 50-93.


 
franco b
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
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Coal Size/Type: nut and pea

Post by franco b » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 11:07 pm

A hopper or magazine in antiques helps to prevent puff backs because it feeds hot coal, some of which has already lost its gas. Everything is already hot so any fresh gas generated easily ignites instead of waiting for enough heat to build, when there is the danger of too much gas accumulating before ignition. With a batch fed stove the recommendation is to leave some red coal exposed or to drill down into the batch with a poker to leave a path to hot coal to ignite gas.

If in addition the stove has a thermostat it will have opened more as the stove ashes up in an effort to maintain set temperature. That wider opening helps to ignite the new coal as well as supply air to the new generated gas. It can be left at one setting and automatically feeds more air at shake down time.

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 11:38 pm

Hitzer or a DS...
Hopper and thermo air control...
Had a Harman MKII before the Hitzer and DS...

 
DENNIS BAUER
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Posts: 283
Joined: Tue. Jan. 13, 2015 8:49 am
Location: Springwater NY, (Western NY)
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 105 - SOLD
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 30-95 - Garage
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: HITZER 50-93 - HOUSE
Coal Size/Type: NUT
Other Heating: PROPANE FURNACE, ELECTIC BASE BOARD, AND WOOD FIRE PLACE

Post by DENNIS BAUER » Tue. Oct. 23, 2018 1:02 pm

Hoytman wrote:
Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 7:47 pm
You have the Hitzer and seem to love them. Thanks for the comparison of the two since you have them both. Did you happen to look at the DS Machine stoves or the Harmon/Legacy stoves before choosing the Hitzer's? What made up your mind? At least two of them are built by the Amish and I would think both Amish stoves are built heavy...main differences being design I suppose.
I did look into the DS Machine but the side of the unit it self is HUGE with the same heat output of the Hitzer. I did not look into the Harmon due to them not being in the area that I knew of. Another big selling Point is there is a great Hitzer and coal dealer with in 10 miles from me. The Coal Shop.
The sell Hitzer and it worked out great for me!

 
Hoytman
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Posts: 6019
Joined: Wed. Jan. 18, 2017 11:30 pm
Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
Coal Size/Type: nut coal
Other Heating: electric, wood, oil

Post by Hoytman » Tue. Oct. 23, 2018 2:46 pm

The Hitzer plant is an hour and 40 minutes from me. That will likely have a huge bearing on my choice should I decide to go the box stove route for the house.

I still have a goal of getting a Glenwood#6 and a couple nice Warm Mornings to put back for future use.

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