thinking of a hand fed stove

tiogajoe · Post by **tiogajoe** » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 7:45 am

Hi I now am running a Keystoker 105 in our living area of our home. It heats very well and we rarely use more than a 40lb bag a day unless it is very cold. I'm thinking of getting a hand fed stove just to get away from the noise. I get concerned that a hand fed having enough output. My home is new and very well insulated open concept and about 1900 sq. ft. I like the hopper fed keystoker and the large chubby. I have my stoker standing on an angle and I am concerned about clearances. I'll post some pictures later. Your thoughts?

Jasmf24 · Post by **Jasmf24** » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 11:14 am

I have two hand fed stoves, and they keep my 1969 4500+ sqft house warm. One is a insert that has a built in fan, I’ll turn that on every once in a while... but that will make a little noise. Never had a Keystoker so I can’t compare.

oliver power · Post by **oliver power** » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 7:51 pm

When it comes to stoves, I'd never have anything but a hand fed.

BostonBob · Post by **BostonBob** » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 9:18 pm

I had a hand fed Keystroker with a blower, was a neat stove the top flipped up and there was a griddle for cooking (if needed) it handled an 1800 sf cabin with little insulation fantastic always 72 degrees !!!

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:57 pm

Hitzer without a fan or a DS circulator...
Hopper and no fan...
Quiet...

Spacecadet · Post by **Spacecadet** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 2:24 am

You defiantly have a good bunch of options. I like the look of the keystoker hfh90 with hopper. That is the stove I wish I would have bought for inside my house - only because I like the look and the glas top. I also like the DS antromax hopper stove. It has convection tubes which really churn out some silent heat. It's available in many sizes.
I have 2 Hitzer's. I have a 30-95 in my house. I bought a 50-93 first but it's over all size was too big for the spot I had to put it inside my house so I bought a 30-95. I have an Alaska Channing stoker in my garage which works good. With the drone of the fans in the garage I don't notice it as noise. In my opinion- The 30-95 would be a little small but the 50-93 would definitely do the job. When needed it also has a blower on it that is very quiet.
For total silence I would suggest looking into the DS stove. It was specifically designed to not need an electric blower. However I do believe you can get a blower for it as an option.

keegs · Post by **keegs** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 5:20 am

A used Chubby is cheap, efficient, bulletproof and puts out a lot of heat.

Roofer · Post by **Roofer** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 7:30 am

I bought a Keystoker hfh90 a couple weeks ago and have been burnining coal in it for almost two weeks now so that’s my only experience with coal . First I love burning coal, heated with wood for 20 years and can’t see myself going back to that . I love this stove and it’s so easy to use and keep a fire in . I was expecting some difficulty keeping a fire but I haven’t experienced any issues . You can run it low or high . I use the front dial for air . I can’t figure out The thermostat on the back , and don’t want to now . The dial in the front is easy and I already know how open to keep it whether I want to run it low or high . I was looking at other hand fired stoves that didn’t have hoppers and preferred them but I wouldn’t have one now as my main heater . The hopper feeds the fire which I think keeps it burning steady . I shake it twice a day and before I shake it I go around the outside with a poker to knock down the ash that builds up along the firebrick . Then shake it and use the poker from under the the grate to knock out any stuck ash . That’s what has worked for me so far . Great stove in my limited experience.

Seagrave1963 · Post by **Seagrave1963** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 8:35 am

We have a Harman (now Legacy) TLC2000 and have been very happy with it. It heats a 2200 sq/ft. Cape Cod with open 1st floor that was built in 1996 just fine. We rarely go through more than 40 lbs. in a 24 hour period. The clearances are 12" when angled in a corner (see pic in profile).

rberq · Post by **rberq** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 9:26 am

I don't know how noisy your Keystoker is, but many hand-fed stoves also use fans which can become annoying hour after hour. Hand-fed stoves can be had without fans -- see previous replies -- so the question is, how much is a circulator fan needed for air distribution in your setup? Also, in my limited experience, a hand-fed with a hopper is far easier to tend than one without a hopper.

Paisan · Post by **Paisan** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 11:42 am

CapeCoaler wrote: ↑
Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:57 pm
Hitzer without a fan or a DS circulator...
Hopper and no fan...
Quiet...

My DS only makes noise twice a day. During tending time. In the morning when I tend the noise also doubles as a alarm clock for the rest of the family.

VigIIPeaBurner · Post by **VigIIPeaBurner** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 12:56 pm

Get something that controls the primary combustion air with a thermostatic bimetallic setup and big enough to not have to run at max output 70% of the time. You'll need that extra 30% a few times during the heating season and it won't be too big for the shoulder months. Many passive circulating stoves that meet this have been suggested in the above posts.

Seagrave1963 · Post by **Seagrave1963** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 3:19 pm

Paisan wrote: ↑
Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 11:42 am
My DS only makes noise twice a day. During tending time. In the morning when I tend the noise also doubles as a alarm clock for the rest of the family.

Daughter gets grumpy!

rberq · Post by **rberq** » Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 6:40 pm

Seagrave1963 wrote: ↑
Thu. Jan. 31, 2019 3:19 pm
Daughter gets grumpy!

Tell her it builds character.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Fri. Feb. 01, 2019 12:22 am

Early to bed...
Early to rise...