Hitzer 354: First coal fire in a few days
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- Member
- Posts: 6077
- 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
If not tomorrow, then on Saturday, I’ll be doing a test run of the Hitzer 354 outside.
Just cleaned the glass and put new gasket material around the glass.
All door gaskets are out, channels have been cleaned, test fit of new gaskets, and I am ready to put them in permanently with gasket adhesive.
Still need to order my manometer.
Here’s my coal stash, which should get me a good start and get me through the rest of winter. Will also help me decide which will serve me best for a bulk order.
6 Bags TSC Nut
5 Bags Blashak Pea
10 Bags Lehigh Nut
20 Bags Blashak Nut
Just cleaned the glass and put new gasket material around the glass.
All door gaskets are out, channels have been cleaned, test fit of new gaskets, and I am ready to put them in permanently with gasket adhesive.
Still need to order my manometer.
Here’s my coal stash, which should get me a good start and get me through the rest of winter. Will also help me decide which will serve me best for a bulk order.
6 Bags TSC Nut
5 Bags Blashak Pea
10 Bags Lehigh Nut
20 Bags Blashak Nut
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- Member
- Posts: 6077
- 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
By the way,
I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you about an observation I’ve made on the coal...even before I open any of the bags.
Just by handling the bags I can tell...it seems...which brand has less fines and the most consistent sizing...just by feeling the bags.
The Lehigh feels most consistent by feel, and less fines in the bag. Next would be the Blashak, last would be the TSC...which I think is Reading coal.
Will use the pea on top of the nut when it’s warmer outside to help idle the stove.
Anyone want to make any recommendations which brand I should start with?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you about an observation I’ve made on the coal...even before I open any of the bags.
Just by handling the bags I can tell...it seems...which brand has less fines and the most consistent sizing...just by feeling the bags.
The Lehigh feels most consistent by feel, and less fines in the bag. Next would be the Blashak, last would be the TSC...which I think is Reading coal.
Will use the pea on top of the nut when it’s warmer outside to help idle the stove.
Anyone want to make any recommendations which brand I should start with?
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
TSC nut already has the pea in it...and the rice and the buckwheat.
-
- Member
- Posts: 6077
- 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
Going to try burning off of the front grate only. Anyone have any input regarding how to cover the back grate? I have extra bricks. Wasn’t sure if I could lay them flat. Thought maybe try to angle them, but also not sure if I get get them to stay in that position.
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
Bill,
I've seen some bags of nut that were pretty bad with fines to rocks and with some real coal and lots of unburnables...then I've seen bags of nut as I've described above but they still burned pretty good and hot...was just that the sizing was pretty loose.
When you see what's inside you'll have to make a call as to when to use it.
- warminmn
- Member
- Posts: 8193
- Joined: Tue. Feb. 08, 2011 5:59 pm
- Location: Land of 11,842 lakes
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Junior, Riteway 37
- Coal Size/Type: nut and stove anthracite, lignite
- Other Heating: Wood and wear a wool shirt
Or simplify it and just let ash build up on the back grate and not shake it... or is that not possible with your stove??? Crap, the early alziemers has kicked in! I forget...Hoytman wrote: ↑Fri. Dec. 20, 2019 12:16 amGoing to try burning off of the front grate only. Anyone have any input regarding how to cover the back grate? I have extra bricks. Wasn’t sure if I could lay them flat. Thought maybe try to angle them, but also not sure if I get get them to stay in that position.
McG's description of the bags of TSC match mine fairly close.
Best and worst on the same pallet for me. In a perfect world with smiley faces, dry coal, the right sized as advertised, with your multitude of coal choices I'd start it with the TSC, but only if it isnt wet, so it must have been bought a year ago, or months ago, and have holes poked in the bags to be dry as those bags are almost airtight. Poke holes in the bags, even if not TSC. Wet coal is not good at all for starting a fire. i could darned near light dusty dry TSC with a match if its nut sized, it does have its positives! Takes off easy except for the fines. Kimmels was nice for me that way too, the easy lighting, much less fines. After thats burning, throw any half dry coal you have on top of it slowly, shake it every 12 hrs thereafter, add as needed, read a book, watch a movie, enjoy life.
After i figured it out years ago, lighting it is easy. Keeping it burning is much harder to learn. Much much harder. Then you figure it all out and its easy. So easy you think you were real dumb not figuring it out quicker. Its not rocket science.
Get that thing in your house and start enjoying it!
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- Member
- Posts: 3950
- Joined: Fri. Aug. 16, 2019 3:02 pm
- Location: Oneida, N.Y.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harmon Mark II
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Looking
- Baseburners & Antiques: Looking
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: newmac wood/coal combo furnace
You're going to burn a bag a day. More if it's cold. Use the Lehigh to get it going and figure things out. It will be the most consistent. Learn the way it's supposed to run, then use coal that you're not sure of. I wouldn't worry about restricting firebed until you know it will give you heat you want.
- oliver power
- Member
- Posts: 2970
- Joined: Sun. Apr. 16, 2006 9:28 am
- 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
I agree with others. Put the stove in, and enjoy it. If unsure of which coal to start with, choose the one that has been suggested. Once you have an established bed of coals, use the brand that's on top. The Hitzer has nice grates, and doesn't care much about which brand of coal you use. They will all burn good in a Hitzer. Remember to always leave a hot spot....
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- Member
- Posts: 805
- Joined: Wed. Aug. 28, 2019 7:38 pm
- Location: Southwest P.A.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 983/ Hitzer 55
- Coal Size/Type: Nut anthracite/pea
- Other Heating: Heat pump/forced air
Hoytman good luck with your new Hitzer words can’t describe how pleased I am with my 983! I’m burning Lehigh nut... bag a day give or take. Fill her up dial her in and sit back and enjoy easy street and all the heat you need or don’t need by controlling how much air goes in your bed of coal! In a short time you will be amazed!
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- Member
- Posts: 6077
- 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
Anyone have any recommendations for where to put the magnet thermometers on a 354 double door blower model?
I assume the sides of stove would be good. Not sure of getting an accurate reading from the top since it’s a blower model.
I have two (2) magnet mount thermometers and a IR fun. One magnet therm will be placed on the pipe. I plan to get another so that I can have two on the stove so they can be seen from either end of them room. Probably should mount them high on the sides I guess.
I assume the sides of stove would be good. Not sure of getting an accurate reading from the top since it’s a blower model.
I have two (2) magnet mount thermometers and a IR fun. One magnet therm will be placed on the pipe. I plan to get another so that I can have two on the stove so they can be seen from either end of them room. Probably should mount them high on the sides I guess.
- freetown fred
- Member
- Posts: 30300
- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
Yep----next page
Last edited by freetown fred on Sat. Dec. 21, 2019 4:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.