Very Happy With Leisure Line.

Our LL Hyfire I bought used (from LSFarm) with rehostats, I never used it with the rehostats, I figured it would be constantly feeding and could waste fuel and probably have to mess with it all the time to increase/decrease feed rates, blowers, etc.. for colder/warmer weather, no thermostat, etc....and being in the basement, I wasn't going to be running up and down to adjust it all the time.

I converted to the CoalTrol and it works very well at maintaining setpoint. Sometimes, once in a while drops 1 degree, but adjusts accordingly. The blowers vary in speed and come on very low and circulate the heat and you don't even know they are on. If it needs more heat, the blowers slowly increase in speed based on feed rates.
Settings:
HLF - 2
Min - 8
Max - 48

Neal
I guess I could add, and as posted elsewhere, that the coal-trol being standard equipment on the LL stoves was a deciding factor, and I have not been disappointed. (Just in case my trying to see both sides in my last post in this thread might be open to interpretation.)

Don

This Forum is for the most part populated with helpful, sincere and wonderful people. It is also supported by three manufacturers (LL, EFM and AC) who make their living with the products they are answering questions and supporting by their posts. As in life, there are also on here that seem intent on pushing their own agenda and influencing others to see that they are "right". Coalstoves has along history of saying he doesn't like LL or AC, so enough already we get it. I for one am a little tired of seeing so much energy expended to discredit a product or products.

I have operated a stove with the Coal-Trol for almost two seasons, I have sold 4 refurbed stoves with new Coal-Trols. So obviously I have an opinion with some experience to back it up, but you don't see me going out of my way to tell someone that the Coal-Trol or any other product is the only right way.

So here is my open letter of advice to you coalstoves, lay off the campaign. You have the potential to be a valuable part of this Forum and have been so in the past, please stop treating the manufacturers representatives unfairly. Opinions are one thing but bashing a product is another, I believe you have crossed that line.

Can't we all just get along!?

xackley wrote: As to CoalStoves post, his opinion is as useful as any, he was describing why he chose not to even try the coal-trol unit. .

I'm sorry, Don, I have to disagree with that statement as well. I only will accept an opinion from someone who has truly experienced and researched both sides of a topic. CS is not voicing an unbiased opinion.
Example:
Would you base your decision on whether or now to buy a certain model of new car, say the 2008 Wizzer based solely on the opinion of someone who has never driven one but instead read an article in a magazine or online about it? Wouldn't you want to go to the dealer and test drive the Wizzer and learn all you could about it before making your decision? Wouldn't you think that the person who told you his opinion of the Wizzer was not the right person to listen to and base your decision on because all of his experience regarding the Wizzer was second hand?

I could easily gain a basic knowledge about many things simple by reading about them, but that really doesn't make me an expert or even close. It certainly doesn't qualify me to voice an opinion that may influence others.

I didn't know jack *censored* about how a stoker operated until I bought the Alaska from Matthaus. Now I know how the TriBurner operates. I still don't know exactly how other stokers operate. It's all about the actual experience with the actual machine or device.

John

To quote Coal Stoves

"I do not own a coaltrol and my opinions are based only on what I have read here and a general knowledge of coal and gadgets"
End quote

His post was in no way trying to fool anyone. He likes the combustion fan to stop and the fire to cool, then turn back on periodically. He says so far he is happy with the controls on his stove, and doesn't think he needs a coal-trol.

Personally, I don't want to adjust the pusher and an idle timer, controlled by a thermostat the simply turns the stove off/on. I would rather have a system that continuously adjusts the burn as the demand for heat changes. The coal-trol makes burning coal simpler.

And most importantly, without CoalStove type post, no one gets excited, which makes for a dull, uninformative conversation.

Xackley,

I wasn't criticizing you, just politely disagreeing, just wanted to reinforce that point, as we are all friends here.
I feel a separate combustion fan and a rheostat control for the feed motor or even better-a Coal Trol unit is the way to go. Certainly easier than running everything full speed as I do now and adjusting the tab on the feed lever to regulate the size of the fire.

I could do without that kind of excitement. Dull is good sometimes.

Yuengling anyone??

I am going to give some perspective here. I just in stalled a coal-trol with the new firmware ( correct me if I am wrong on that Neil) , but anyway I was operating with the alaskastat high low type thermostat and there is no comparison. First of all the temp is varying less than .5* +/- the setpoint instead of 4*, the stove is using less fuel with a much more complete burn. My coil is producing much more hot water than before with similar heat load, plus I have a more even temp through out the house than I have ever had before. When I bought the stove I considered the coal -trol then but I was steered away by the people at Alaska who knew nothing about the coal-trol. After seeing the results I am getting I feel like a dumb ass for paying the $250 premium for the alaska stat upgrade . I should have gotten the coal-trol from the get go. I don't understand how anyone can condem a product if they have no experience what so ever with the product. All I am going to say is atleast Auotmation Correct stands behind there products with great customer service which is more than I can say about your beloved Harman which I have first hand experience with there sorry excuse for customer service. rant off

Hello all.

This is my first post and I want to thank everyone for sharing your collective experiences. I just got finished making my third $600 payment to the gas company (natural). I live in Carbondale, PA, at the head of the world's largest anthracite belt. My wife and I just bought this brick house with two huge coal bins. Ergo, coal is a no-brainer and I have been shopping. The place is about 2100 square feet.

Looks like the Leisure Line Hearth Stoker Stove is in my future. I think the thing might even fit in the back of my Saab 900. This house has a full basement, poured concrete foundation. Balloon construction, with a brick exterior built around 1929. Current setup is a commercial Weil-McLain LG 5 2-pipe boiler - 1970's vintage. As you shovel snow outside your can literally hear your money humming right out of your wallet.

I normally hunt for used but my bet is that the LL I want will be hard to find used. So, if no one here knows where I might find one, I am poised for a trip to Drums, PA to the LL store.

My fireplace is clay lined and looks fine. The fellow at the store mentioned a barometrically controlled flue. So the education continues. Many thanks for sharing, again. And I do plan on posting as my adventure matures.

Should anyone have any pointers, I am all ears and most grateful (no pun intended) for any advice.

Many thanks.

Jack

Jack,
I'll bet that a big Leisure Line will heat most of your home if you want to shut the boiler off.

If you read through this forum you'll see a big push towards central heating rather than multiple small stoves. What you will hear is "replace the oil boiler with a coal stoker job and use the same rads...". This is advice to heed. If your coal bins are in the basement, then just buy a coal stoker boiler and keep the oil for backup. It saves carrying coal upstairs and messing with ashes on carpet/fine floors etc. I would not want to accidentally trip and dump a scuttle full of coal over the place.

I know Newmac sells an oil/coal combo boiler that would do you, but its hand fired.

Thanks for the advice. Would the coal boiler mean big bucks? The Weil-McLain LG 5 is a commercial boiler, gas. The system is a 2 pipe steam.

jack

I am not real familiar with Mclain boilers and there sizing but Keystoker makes steamboilers that run 1 or 2 pipe steam systems. If it were mye and I had a 2 pipe sysytem instead of the one pipe system that I have I would convert the oil boiler to hot water and plumd in a coal boiler in series. A hot water system is much more efficient than a steam system reguardless of the fuel type and it also offers less in the way of temp swings. Already having the two pipe system should in most cases be fairly easy to convert over to hot water .

xackley wrote:Neal
I guess I could add, and as posted elsewhere, that the coal-trol being standard equipment on the LL stoves was a deciding factor, and I have not been disappointed. (Just in case my trying to see both sides in my last post in this thread might be open to interpretation.)

Don

+1

I bought a LL stove for many reasons, but having the CT as standard equipment was a major selling point to me.

Well. I am collecting my dough for the LL buy. WIll check a few more options but it looks like the way to fly. Had an experience with a local vendor sending out a "chimney inspector." The inspector was a sales guy with a handful of contracts. Didn't inspect bupkiss just told me I needed a stainless insert. The total install of the LL hearth model was looking like the stove plus about 1500 to 2000 bucks.

When he left I called a real chimney inspector and got the good news that my chimney tile was sound.
Beware, its a jungle out there.

jack

Nice to hear you are making head way toward a cheaper warmer winter Jack. Let me know when you get the Leisure Line, will come over and give ya a hand getting it set up.

The owner of Leisure Line worked for Alaska Stoves for years before starting LL. Great guy...answers his own phone and helps customers with problems. Owners will rarely ever do that. Great product!