Fire keeps dying overnight - Hitzer 254

 
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Rinderciller
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Post by Rinderciller » Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 3:59 pm

warminmn wrote:
Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 2:56 pm
Get a pair of welding gloves, or insulated leather at a minimum. i had a pair of even heavier leather gloves for a while so you can get whatever woks. This is the pair I use now for wood and coal. Saves a few burns. https://www.menards.com/main/tools/welders-access ... 5&exp=true
Thanks Warminmn I will add a pair of these to the list.


 
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ShawnLiNy
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Post by ShawnLiNy » Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 5:34 pm

Rinderciller wrote:
Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 3:59 pm
Thanks Warminmn I will add a pair of these to the list.
If your stove is full at the previous tending and you’re awaking to a dead fire , don’t be afraid to add 2-3 scoops( no shaking just drop on top each bathroom trip during the night ,

 
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Rinderciller
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Post by Rinderciller » Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 5:52 pm

ShawnLiNy wrote:
Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 5:34 pm
If your stove is full at the previous tending and you’re awaking to a dead fire , don’t be afraid to add 2-3 scoops( no shaking just drop on top each bathroom trip during the night ,
:lol: :lol: If I did that it would be coal every couple hours.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 7:36 pm

Ah ok, I replied to your thread :D

 
ReidH
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Post by ReidH » Mon. Jan. 30, 2023 8:51 pm

Hello FOilcompanies,

Lots of good advice has been given to you. I’ll add mine.

1. Take no artistic license with operating a coal stove until you have enough experience under your belt . Getting a coal stove to stay burning overnight is part of the art to be comfortable with.

2. If you are an old hand with wood and change to coal, you are staring your coal learning with a disability. Don’t even start it with wood. Best IMHO is hardwood lump charcoal and some solid fire starters. Don’t ever add wood, cardboard, or paper to the coal fire.

3. If the ash isn’t cleared sufficiently, it will become more ash than coal. Anywhere where it is fully ashed up with no coal on top. Is likely to result in a primary air leak to the top side. This short circuit from the below firebed air to the top will kill the fire in no time for at least a couple of reasons. The air pulled by the draft will take the path of least resistance. In this case the short circuit around the coal bed. The primary air now becomes secondary air and decreases the draft.

3. Don’t attempt working it like a modern furnace. If the fire is going out , you will be wasting coal. No point trying to set back until you have overnight fires under your belt.

4. Lots of good posts in this forum regarding how to run a coal stove. Recommend you read some of them if you haven’t already.

5. When your tending, always fill it up to the gunnels. The heat from the stove is determined primarily by the air passing through the coal. Less coal means less time till it is burned to ash. Between tending, don’t poke it or play with it. IMHO, a window to see the fire is just asking you to worry about it. It should be tend and forget until next tending time. The tending should be 12hours apart so you get a good idea of how much burns in that time. As you become familiar with it, then more latitude is available to you.

Questions from me.

1. The fire is going out at night. Why isn’t it going out during the day?

2. When do you tend the stove?

Reid

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Mon. Jan. 30, 2023 9:15 pm

For those so inclined here’s the original thread…with nearly the same issues and same suggestions…
Post by FOilCompanies - Newbie with Hitzer 254... help?

 
BigT
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Post by BigT » Fri. Feb. 03, 2023 9:33 pm

I have spent the past two days reading this forum and decided to join today. I had given up last week after constantly failing, over firing, and getting frustrated. These posts gave me hope and I’m fired back up and running. My grate tray was so warped that I couldn’t shake the ash any longer. My son cut it, straightened it and re-welded. All of my fire brick were broken across the back and I had a hard time locating new ones. After everything was back together and clean, it didn’t work the same. This is my first season and I didn’t have seasoned wood as a back up. Thanks for all the information and putting up with us noobs. I pray that I can wake up to hot coal for once.

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waytomany?s
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Post by waytomany?s » Fri. Feb. 03, 2023 9:47 pm

You won't. Not enough coal in that stove to last overnight in these temps.

 
waytomany?s
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Post by waytomany?s » Fri. Feb. 03, 2023 9:50 pm

Bricks can be broken. As long as they're in there keeping the coal from touching the fire box. They don't look awful in the picture.

 
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oliver power
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Post by oliver power » Fri. Feb. 03, 2023 10:41 pm

waytomany?s wrote:
Fri. Feb. 03, 2023 9:47 pm
You won't. Not enough coal in that stove to last overnight in these temps.
I agree, not enough coal. I find my 254 runs nicely if the coal bed is level throughout with the door opening, using chestnut size coal. And 2-1/2 to 3 inches down from the top of the fire brick in back, I find that's where the stove performs best. One thing I have learned myself is: If you want the stove to stay a constant temperature, and perform, you need to put a very thin layer of coal throughout the coal bed. Open that ashpan door and get that thin layer ignite. Once going, do another thin layer. Do this about 3 times. If you shovel the coal in all at once, the stove will cool, and you will be a long time trying to get heat out of that stove. So very thin layers. They will ignite quickly, and stove temp will stay up. When I say thin layers of fresh coal, I mean very this layers. Everything I just said is based on 12 hour tending schedule. The thickness of the coal bed seems to be the sweet spot. That being said; if you know ahead of time that you will be much later than 12 hours, by all means, fill to top of firebrick. it will buy you a little more time, but not performance.

 
BigT
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Post by BigT » Sat. Feb. 04, 2023 1:46 am

I woke up to check on it and loaded it full. Once it lit, I had the blue flames and got nervous because they weren’t just dancing, they were angry! Hahaha started to over fire and I closed the ash damper and watched it all calm back down. Scary at first but nice to read how to manage such an issue. There was a blue flame across the top of fire box and Ive read a lot about chimney fires on here. It’s under control again. Back to bed….

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Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Sat. Feb. 04, 2023 3:03 am

Welcome BigT!!

I realize this thread is about using the 254 Hitzer stove, which is what you have. However, I suggest starting a new thread of your own for a couple of reasons:

1. A new 254 thread started by you can easily be searched by you if you ever want to come back to revisit your thread. For instance to detail your own problems and to see your progress.

2. Starting your own thread doesn’t mix your problems with the original posters problems.

3. Starting your own 254 thread helps us keep replies specific to each thread starter so we don’t mix replies and so you don’t get confused.

4. Plus you can always find your thread in a search and link to it in other threads you may start in the future.

Hope this helps!
Again, welcome back o the forum!

 
BigT
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Post by BigT » Sat. Feb. 04, 2023 7:12 am

Got it, thanks.

 
WESOman
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Post by WESOman » Tue. Oct. 10, 2023 6:50 am

Hoytman wrote:
Mon. Dec. 26, 2022 2:38 pm
I also do NOT recall you ever getting and hooking up a Manometer to see how strong your draft is. As I recall your chimney is very short and the house is sort of a hard layout pattern to effectively and efficiently move heat throughout your house. Just because the chimney is short doesn’t mean it isn’t a drafting monster, but there is no way to tell, and therefore our assistance is limited until you get and install a Manometer:
1. So you know what the stove/chimney combination is doing.
2. So we can get a much better sense of what is happening. The Manometer information tells us a lot to be able to better assist you. We’re guessing without that information and so are you.
I was wondering if there is such a thing as a continuous graph manometer, or app,. that would allow someone to be able to see what the draft was doing over a period of time. Changes in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed or wind direction can probably all change the draft level. One can have apparently sufficient chimney height but taller objects in proximity to the chimney could have an effect depending on wind direction. This is not knowledge I have but rather questions I have. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable has some input. It is hard to correct a problem until you know what causes it. With everybody having different stoves, fuel and circumstances, it is hard to be definitive but it's nice to know where to look when trying to resolve these stove related issues.

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Tue. Oct. 10, 2023 9:29 am

WESOman wrote:
Tue. Oct. 10, 2023 6:50 am
I was wondering if there is such a thing as a continuous graph manometer, or app,. that would allow someone to be able to see what the draft was doing over a period of time. Changes in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed or wind direction can probably all change the draft level. One can have apparently sufficient chimney height but taller objects in proximity to the chimney could have an effect depending on wind direction. This is not knowledge I have but rather questions I have. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable has some input. It is hard to correct a problem until you know what causes it. With everybody having different stoves, fuel and circumstances, it is hard to be definitive but it's nice to know where to look when trying to resolve these stove related issues.
I'm sure there probably is, but I'm not aware of it.

Quite honestly, I don't think it's needed. I have a Dwyer Mark II Model 25 https://www.globaltestsupply.com/product/dwyer-ma ... -gauge-oil, as many of us here use, and it is not a problem at all to watch it, unless it's in a basement of course. Just install it, fill it with the supplied red liquid, and you'll be amazed how easy it is to monitor it. Simply take a sheet of paper and write down specific times to check it and plot it on your own graph over a few days or week.

Been awhile since I've read any of your posts so I'm not sure what your situation is other than what you mentioned above. If your chimney is inside your home the manometer will likely show natural draft even when the stove is not burning. Mine does. You'll be surprised how sensitive and accurate the instrument is.

My home is down in a small narrow valley with 80ft-250ft hills surrounding 3 sides. I also have some trees within 30 feet of my house but no limbs directly near my chimney which is above the center peak of my house in open space. I'm sure those trees and hills affects my draft some, but to what degree I do not know because it seems to draft just fine when I'm burning. Never had a draft reversal, but occasionally get a down draft which could be corrected most likely with a chimney cap...which by the way was there original intent, being a rain cap came as a secondary reason to use a cap.


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