Hitzer 30/95 Blower or Not

I've burned coal for 20 years in my VC Vigilant I (no blower) , just a ceiling fan and small box fan in doorway to 2nd floor (cape). I used to own a Chubby w/blower and didn't think it added much. My belief is that coal/wood is radiat heat and eventually the heat will get through the house. I'm very close to buying a Hitzer 30/95, (Kodiak and Mark II) are also under consideration, but would really like to hear some convincing reasons why I need a blower. Expense is not a issue. I've talked to the folks at Hitzer and they don't have any compelling reasons either.

The blower will wash more heat off the stove and into the house, otherwise wasted heat goes up the chimney. Go ahead and get the blower and if you don't like it just unplug it.

Bk

tmegg -- I agree with psaun, you will find when it is "cold" and you are running hard, the blower helps push more heat
off the stove=less heat up chimney. baldeagle

As bksaun says, get the blower. Night and day difference. I have 30-95 in shop. No blower = heat, but mainly in area of stove. Blower = entire shop evenly heated. Sometimes I shut the blower off if I'm not going to be in the shop for a couple days or so. It stretches my tending time out to 24 hours, instead of 12.

I kinda hear what your saying, but I think that stove location is the key. I have my stove centered on the interior wall of a 26 X 14 front to back living room (2 story Cape). The warm air would just be blown across 10 feet towards the exterior wall. Heat rises and with a ceiling fan and small doorway fan I move air already. I'm not fond of the noise from the the blower either. Any other comments would be helpful. Thanks

Hello, I've only used a ceiling fan all these years to distribute the heat, my stove is located in the living room and I like how quiet this setup is! Also I have the fan blowing down not up.

Rich

tmegg wrote:I kinda hear what your saying, but I think that stove location is the key. I have my stove centered on the interior wall of a 26 X 14 front to back living room (2 story Cape). The warm air would just be blown across 10 feet towards the exterior wall. Heat rises and with a ceiling fan and small doorway fan I move air already. I'm not fond of the noise from the the blower either. Any other comments would be helpful. Thanks

Hi tmegg, Hear are some other comments. I agree fully with fan noise. The 30-95 has a single squirrell fan that is about 6 inches in diameter, (I'm guessing at that). It can be a little noisy, even on low. For out in the shop, it's ok. The 50-93 however, has a double 2-1/2 inch squirrell fan, which is much quieter. I may install an old computor fan on the 30-95. I think it would be quieter. I have a couple old computor fans laying around for this experiment. The best part of the stove mounted fan is; the hottest of air comming directly off the stove would be getting circulated, and not going up the chimney. If you want strictly radiant heat (no fan what so ever), I'd buy a radiant stove, not the EZ-Flow stove. The problem is; I don't think the HITZER radiant stoves have top feed hoppers. I also think the BTU's are a little less. I'm going from memory. I haven't reserched these stoves in a while.

tmegg wrote:I think that stove location is the key

Correct, as far as heat DISTRIBUTION is concerned. But think about radiation. Look at some of the old cast iron parlor stoves and the European wood stoves, with fancy designs cast into the body panels. Look at the Round Oaks and at the Chubby you used to burn. One thing those curves and curlicues did, was add significant surface area. The more surface area, the more radiation. Now compare that to a modern flat plate steel coal stove. I think a lot of coal stoves can generate more heat than they can radiate. That's why you need the air flow of a fan, to help "wash" that heat off rather than send it up the chimney. I hate the fan noise, too, but I find it significantly increases heating capacity at anything above low-to-moderate burn rates.

I have thought about welding steel fins to the sides of my stove, for greater radiant capacity, but I don't think the appearance would pass the wife test. For a stove in a shop or garage, where the ugly factor is less important, you could add a secondary heat exchanger like the double-55-gallon drum stoves promoted by Mother Earth News back in the 60's.

I have the Hitzer 30-95 with blower. I love the Hitzer, but if I had it to do again I would buy the radiant if it is available with a hopper. I thought the hopper (EZ Flow) model could be purchased with single wall construction and no blower. The blower is noisy, even on low speed. If the power goes out, you don't have the blower, and the double wall construction (top and 2/3 of the back) holds in the heat, alowing it to go up the chimney faster than it can radiate or circulate through the air space between walls. With all that said, The hopper is indispensable to me. I would not buy the radiant model if it is not available with a hopper.

Another issue for you to consider is that your are considering the 50K BTU stove and the 100k BTU Kodiak. If you need more than 50K BTU, Consider the Hitzer 50-93 wich is about 70K BTU. If you don't need more than 50K, The Kodiak is more stove than you need. Harman also makes a few different sizes. I suggest you determine your output need and then compare stoves of simmilar output.

If you contact Hitzer about EZ flow vs. single wall construction, would you please let us know what configurations they are available in.

Thanks for all the input. The 30-95(EZ FLO) is available in radiant version without the blower. In this configuration you cannot add a blower at a later date because of the the lack of the double wall. I'm surprised that no manufacturer has come out with a clone of the Chubby. I used one from 1978 to 1986 with great results. I purchased the Vigilant because at the time I was building my current home and liked the wood burning feature. I had lots of free wood at the time, and it was like having a free standing fireplace, plus it looks good with mitten rack etc. It's time to move on though, because the qulality of coal is not like it was 25 years ago. The high ash content requires me to poke much more than I used to. I hope the new stove will be easier. Are their many Kodiak owners on this forum ?
Thanks again

Lets experiment: I just went out and tended my 30-95 in pole barn shop. It's not very well insulated. Dirt floor, with places along the edges you can look outdoors. No wheather stripping on the overhead door. It does have a drop in tile ceiling. Thermometer is at opposite end of building from stove. With setting on #7, and fan on low, the inside thermometer reads 60 degrees. Outside temp is 14 degrees. I turned off the fan, and set the back draft dial at #8. Lets see what the temp difference is in the morning. PS: I mentioned in my earlyer reply, that I shut the fan off for 24 hour tending time. When ever I do this, I'm not concerned about temps. Lots of times I even turn the dial down to #6. All I was intending to do is keep the fire going. Tonight, my intentions are to keep the temps up, without the fan. I want to see how well the stove radiates heat. Don't forget to check back now.

rberq wrote:

tmegg wrote:I think that stove location is the key

Correct, as far as heat DISTRIBUTION is concerned. But think about radiation. Look at some of the old cast iron parlor stoves and the European wood stoves, with fancy designs cast into the body panels. Look at the Round Oaks and at the Chubby you used to burn. One thing those curves and curlicues did, was add significant surface area. The more surface area, the more radiation. Now compare that to a modern flat plate steel coal stove. I think a lot of coal stoves can generate more heat than they can radiate. That's why you need the air flow of a fan, to help "wash" that heat off rather than send it up the chimney. I hate the fan noise, too, but I find it significantly increases heating capacity at anything above low-to-moderate burn rates.

I have thought about welding steel fins to the sides of my stove, for greater radiant capacity, but I don't think the appearance would pass the wife test. For a stove in a shop or garage, where the ugly factor is less important, you could add a secondary heat exchanger like the double-55-gallon drum stoves promoted by Mother Earth News back in the 60's.

If you were to look up into the heat exchanger of a 50-93, or a 30-95, you will see that these two stoves are finned.

Re: Hitzer 30/95 Blower or Not
By: oliver power On: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:37 pm

Lets experiment: I just went out and tended my 30-95 in pole barn shop (26 x 30). It's not very well insulated. Dirt floor, with places along the edges you can look outdoors. No wheather stripping on the overhead door. It does have a drop in tile ceiling. Thermometer is at opposite end of building from stove. With setting on #7, and fan on low, the inside thermometer reads 60 degrees. Outside temp is 14 degrees. I turned off the fan, and set the back draft dial at #8. Lets see what the temp difference is in the morning. PS: I mentioned in my earlyer reply, that I shut the fan off for 24 hour tending time. When ever I do this, I'm not concerned about temps. Lots of times I even turn the dial down to #6. All I was intending to do is keep the fire going. Tonight, my intentions are to keep the temps up, without the fan. I want to see how well the stove radiates heat. Don't forget to check back now. oliver power
Member Results are in: No fan, inside temp is 54 degrees. Outside temp is 9 degrees. Tonight I will set the back dial at #9(no fan). Check back again tomorrow morning. Results: Draft dial on #9 (no fan). Inside temp is 60 degrees. Snowing & blowing. Outside temp is 22 degrees. Forgot to mention; Draft dial on #8 with fan = 68degrees inside.

Posts: 108
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 8:28 am
Stove/Furnace Make: HITZER
Stove/Furnace Model: 50-93 & 30-95
Private message

I looking at. Hitzer 254 but was wonder how safe it is if I also wanted to burn wood.