Stove front is a lot hotter than stove
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My hitser 354 temp above door runs a lot hotter than any where else on stove oat is falling i need to turn it up but don’t want to over fire the stove 450 top of door the rest of the stove 360s can I turn it up?
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Since its a Hitzer, Freetown Fred will be in soon to tell ya. Some one mentioned 600+ as a max temp the other day. Don't go by that as I am not sure what stove that was. Maybe run a fan to distribute the heat you are making.
Stay warm!
Stay warm!
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I have a 354, but I have never burned it that hot. I can’t tell you how hot to burn that stove. However, I asked Dean at Hitzer this same question. His response:
“If you’re cold turn it up. You can’t hurt it”.
Of course, steel has its limitations so some common sense is to be used. If you see glowing steel in a dark room then you are likely pushing the limits of the steel of the stove and/or pipe. I never like to push a stove that hard for several reasons. Never hurts to throw some caution to the wind.
That said, before we get crazy turning it up perhaps some answers to some questions are in order.
What type of fuel are you burning?
Is your 354 a radiant model, or a blower model?
How many square feet of space are you trying to heat?
How well insulated is it?
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If you have further questions about your stove here is where to ask them. Hand Fired Coal Stoves & Furnaces Using Anthracite
Also you can search that section and others for key words to find information about your stove. I am by no means a pro at this, having only burned coal for 3 years, but I have posted many questions and comment and pictures on the topic of “Hitzer 354” or Hitzer 354 double door”. Just enter those words in the search and you will find pages and pages of comments and pictures.
By the way, I’m going to guess you have a blower model stove like mine.
Just above the doors is just as you stated...the hotter than the rest of the stove. I usually monitor the hottest temps above the doors near the damper rod. You will also want to take some me temperature readings on the sides, the top center right where the stove makes the step upward, and below the bi-metallic thermostat box.
Any of those places will work really. I have a magnet thermometer placed on the step top in the center of the stove. I also keep a magnet thermometer 18” up off the stove on the stove pipe...AND...I use an infrared thermometer gun. The gun lets me know my magnet thermometers are close to accurate and vice-versa. They allow me to check each for reasonable accuracy.
One thermometer is sufficient. Taking temperature readings above the center of the door and below the thermostat box on the back of the stove are the two best places to monitor temperature.
Hope this information was helpful.
Also you can search that section and others for key words to find information about your stove. I am by no means a pro at this, having only burned coal for 3 years, but I have posted many questions and comment and pictures on the topic of “Hitzer 354” or Hitzer 354 double door”. Just enter those words in the search and you will find pages and pages of comments and pictures.
By the way, I’m going to guess you have a blower model stove like mine.
Just above the doors is just as you stated...the hotter than the rest of the stove. I usually monitor the hottest temps above the doors near the damper rod. You will also want to take some me temperature readings on the sides, the top center right where the stove makes the step upward, and below the bi-metallic thermostat box.
Any of those places will work really. I have a magnet thermometer placed on the step top in the center of the stove. I also keep a magnet thermometer 18” up off the stove on the stove pipe...AND...I use an infrared thermometer gun. The gun lets me know my magnet thermometers are close to accurate and vice-versa. They allow me to check each for reasonable accuracy.
One thermometer is sufficient. Taking temperature readings above the center of the door and below the thermostat box on the back of the stove are the two best places to monitor temperature.
Hope this information was helpful.
- warminmn
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I would think it would run 500 all day and night, no problems. Probably even hotter. Ive ran every stove I have that hot and long many times. If your using a magnet thermometer maybe put it in your oven to test it to know where the real 500 is on the needle
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I'm finding in temp. like what we are having at the moment I use the air adjustments on the ash door only. That way I can keep the stove at a steady temp. I find that using the bi metallic I get bigger swings in the stove temps. That's fine with OAT in the upper teens and twenties. Right now my stove is about 420 above the door. I'm letting my Toyostove Kero furnace pick up any slack. The thermometer on the Toyo is set to come on at 70 and it's running on low right now. Normally at 420 degrees on my stove my house is 74 to 75 degrees. Like the OP I'm sure I could run my stove hotter? If this cold air was going to stick around I might do that. I see no shame in using a back up heat source (if you have one) when needed?
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If your ash pan vent/idle air is open at all, try closing it completely, & let the bi metallic do it's thing. It is my understanding that the purpose of idle air is to supply just a little air during periods of warmer weather when the bi metallic is closed for extended periods in order to keep the fire alive. On days like today it's just adding excess air to the front of your stove making it burn hotter there.
Jim
Jim
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Coalder….I’m going to try that.coalder wrote: ↑Sat. Jan. 15, 2022 10:08 amIf your ash pan vent/idle air is open at all, try closing it completely, & let the bi metallic do it's thing. It is my understanding that the purpose of idle air is to supply just a little air during periods of warmer weather when the bi metallic is closed for extended periods in order to keep the fire alive. On days like today it's just adding excess air to the front of your stove making it burn hotter there.
Jim
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I wouldn’t think then that you would need to burn that stove much over 550 above the doors. Should give you plenty of heat...but the caveat is you’re likely losing lots of heat through the basement walls.
Still, with a blower running it should put out lots of heat. Do you run the blower?
How hot do you think you need it measured at the doors? What has been your peak so far? I’ve seen 3 different posts with 3 different temperatures mentioned.
A quick fix in the basement would be some sort of box store reflective bubble insulation material placed on the walls to reflect heat back into the room. It is cheap and it works. Tape the joints with foil tape.
That stove should easily heat 3000-3500 square feet, so you shouldn’t need maximum horsepower. Yes, I know the Hitzer manual says 2000-2500.
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My 354 doesn’t have a vented ash door. Many of the older 254/354 stoves were built this way...with a solid ash pan door.coalder wrote: ↑Sat. Jan. 15, 2022 10:08 amIf your ash pan vent/idle air is open at all, try closing it completely, & let the bi metallic do it's thing. It is my understanding that the purpose of idle air is to supply just a little air during periods of warmer weather when the bi metallic is closed for extended periods in order to keep the fire alive. On days like today it's just adding excess air to the front of your stove making it burn hotter there.
Jim
The only primary air comes through the flapper in the back. My flapper does stay closed for extended periods 20 minutes to 45 minutes.
Not sure when Hitzer added vents to the ash pan doors of their stoves but all 254/354 now have those vents.
I am planning on adding a spinner in my ash door for the purpose you mentioned...to help keep the fire alive. However, I really don’t have much trouble in that regard during colder temps. Warmer temps of shoulder season those vents would help a lot with my stove the way it is made.
The vents help lessen the temperature swing cycle of the the bi-metallic.
A paper clip on the flapper can do the same thing I am told although I have not tried it. I will try it before adding the spinner knob on the ash pan door simply because it is easier and cheaper.
- HandFire
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600° stove top limits are quoted many times . A lot of stoves are baffled under the plate steel tops. I think you would be very conservative taking a temp around the door for limit. There is usually little to no fire brick or other baffling in the area so that is going to be a hot spot. BUT notice doors are cast iron and sheet metal surface area is limited. If you need more heat I would measure the hot spot on top. My DS stove has been to 500° on top a limited number of times and the amount of heat it puts out becomes dramatic. It's your decision where to measure but 600° on limit either way would be safe in my book.
- oliver power
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My 254 will spike over 600*, but settles in at 450 - 475 between the door and top. If I follow that level of height around the stove, it is in line with the bottom of bi-metallic control box. Someone recently mentioned that was the place to measure temp according to Dean at Hitzer.
I have my ash pan vent holes looking round, and the back dial just above straight up. It's running like a swiss clock. I have the fan running on low. Can watch the magnetic thermometer slowly drop 25*, then the back flapper door pops off the magnet. The stove temp comes up 25*, and flapper door closes. This repeats over and over. My 30-95 use to run the same way, only the ash pan vents were set at about 1/8th moon shape. The 254 runs a little different than the 30-95. The 30-95 has a gravity fed hopper, and a single grate. The 254 has no hopper, and two grates. I'm still playing / experimenting with the 254. I will say; with the fan off, heat rolls out the 254 heat exchanger much nicer than the 30-95. Air flow must be restricted going around 30-95 hopper.
I have my ash pan vent holes looking round, and the back dial just above straight up. It's running like a swiss clock. I have the fan running on low. Can watch the magnetic thermometer slowly drop 25*, then the back flapper door pops off the magnet. The stove temp comes up 25*, and flapper door closes. This repeats over and over. My 30-95 use to run the same way, only the ash pan vents were set at about 1/8th moon shape. The 254 runs a little different than the 30-95. The 30-95 has a gravity fed hopper, and a single grate. The 254 has no hopper, and two grates. I'm still playing / experimenting with the 254. I will say; with the fan off, heat rolls out the 254 heat exchanger much nicer than the 30-95. Air flow must be restricted going around 30-95 hopper.