Hitzer 254 - Why do I only sometimes get "blue ladies"?

 
FOilCompanies
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Posts: 38
Joined: Fri. Feb. 11, 2022 8:01 pm
Location: Ashtabula County / Northeast Ohio
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 254
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite / Nut
Other Heating: Wood

Post by FOilCompanies » Fri. Mar. 24, 2023 8:15 am

freetown fred wrote:
Mon. Mar. 20, 2023 7:43 am
F,, try tending 2X's a day uniformly--morning/evening. Just give that a shot. I keep my 200 yr. old farmhouse ( all broke up)
at 72-74*--stove room's about 80* with my 50-93 it heats my whole 2000 square ft.----biggest problem was movin the warm air---fans placed properly takes care of that.
My house is also 200+ years old and still largely under renovation. I'm sure that insulation is an issue even though I'm doing the best I can to insulate where and when I can. It being really frickin' cold in the winter is another big problem.

My stove room is more like an alcove, and we're generally doing okay if it is around 95 degrees. 100+ is okay if I'm trying to get the house to gain heat, but it seems that I have to keep it about 15 degrees above what the living room thermometer says in order for everything to balance out.

But I agree about moving the air. I have two fans in the stove area for different purposes, ceiling fans, and another box fan that I will set up wherever it's needed if one room has to be heated up beyond what ordinary heat spread would provide (or if the living room has to be cooled down a bit).

The tending requirement seems to vary with the day. For example, I've been tending twice a day recently because it's been in the 40s and 50s, but I could probably get away with once a day. (Just don't want to risk it.) When it's in the 20s though, I have to stay on top of it. When I notice the living room thermometer going down significantly, I rev it up and tend the fire.

And I will admit that I got a stove that was just a little underpowered for its requirements, mostly because I didn't realize that I would have to put the house at 80+ degrees in order for my wife to be comfortable. Her thyroid condition has deteriorated rapidly - she didn't even have a levothyroxine prescription when the stove was installed, and now she's taking more than half of the maximum allowable dose and it'll only get worse with time. So could this 254 have kept the house at 68 like I originally planned for it to do, in the dead of the northeast Ohio winter? Yes. But keeping it at 80+? Let's face it, a Chevette would do 55, which is all it was ever expected to do, but it wouldn't do today's 70+ speed limits.


@ColdHouse: I generally do tend the stove myself. But occasionally I'm gone all day, literally 13+ hours, and it's iffy whether or not I have any time in the morning to tend it. That depends upon when my older son gets up. So, there is the occasional day when I have no choice but to have my wife tend it.


 
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freetown fred
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Location: Freetown,NY 13803
Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut

Post by freetown fred » Fri. Mar. 24, 2023 9:51 am

F, I remember my first winter here 25 Yrs, ago--I spent many days walking around with a BIC lighter & a caulk gun filing the worst drafts--I was in the process of gutting with all the mud & lath board, etc. when it came to insulatin ya can only do so much with a post & beam structure, BUT, it needs to be done-- My old 50-93 is located pretty much in the middle of the 1st floor-- with a ceiling & box fan to move heat around, plus ceiling vents in the floors & YES when it gets real cold I crank the old girl up. I've also installed new windows & doors. I have a 2/3's basement with logs for support beams--I took some 2" Styrofoam & placed it between the logs with spray foam to finish it up--that makes a BIG difference. Also seriously sprayed liquid foam on the basement sill's AND skimmed the basement stone foundation. This all took time my young friend. Damn, my hunt & peck finger has gone to sleep!!!:) My old lady also has a thyroid situation, house stays at a steady 72* ( no matter the outside temps) but she's learned to wear warmer clothes. PS--bedrooms stay at 68*--we've got plenty of heavy quilts. ;)

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