Hitzer 503 Insert Expolsion

Hi all. We've been using our Hitzer insert for a few years now. Tonight we had a small explosion that ended up pushing dust out from around the frame. I'm super concerned, husband not so much. Does this indicate a problem? Anything we should do different?

Thank you all!

Not really... We call it a "puff back". It happens when fresh coal produces hydrocarbon gases and under the right circumstances they flash. Although, some puff backs can be severe, so it's important to be aware of why they happen.

Things that contribute to a puff back are burying a fire with fresh coal and not having enough secondary air to keep the gases diluted.

Thank you!!

Hello, What size and type of coal are you using?
Great info from Lightning

I have a 503 insert. I had not used it in several years so I thought I would make sure it was up to the task before lighting my first fire of the season. There is no way to clean the stove pipe from inside the stove. I have a terracotta chimney liner and when I did my initial install I simply pushed black pipe in the chimney up higher than the original dampener and hooked it up to my insert. In order for me to clean my stove pipe I had to pull my insert out. When I did I noticed that the original black pipe stove pipe had completely disintegrated and the exhaust of the stove was all plugged with rust and debris. I found myself some stainless stove pipe and replaced everything and put the unit back in place. I am not saying you have any issues or installed yours the same way I did mine but, if you did it might be worth examining your stove pipes integrity.