Coalpail.com Forum

I'm sure there are somewhere--BUT--if ya finish your profile with location, there might well be a FORUM member that could do a visit & help ya with any question--I promise--nobodies gonna steal ya!!!!!!!!!!! LOL Good luck with your purchase.

Even if it's just for a visual!!!!!

lincolnmania wrote: ↑

Sun. Jan. 12, 2020 3:05 pm

you could always add some electric baseboard for a backup system.

I keep a spare stoker motor (bought directly from Keystoker) and combustion fan ( purchased from Amazon) on hand in case of failures. And because I have a boiler, I also have spare circulators, air vents, and a PRV among other spares... Your list of spares would be different, obviously. The current owner may already have a stash.

Ok profile updated, good point freetown! I will check with the homeowner and see what back up parts he has. However, the question still stands because I assure my wife isn't replacing any parts on that thing if I'm away haha!

The truth is, this probably won't ever be the case. But I am trying to figure out if people do in fact service these units or is it 100% on me to figure it out if an issue arises.

Thanks!

Nice on the profile!! You & a couple hundred others on this FORUM A. I was in the hospital for a couple months last year & Momma had a problem with the HITZER--a fellow FORUM member came up here from Pa. & straightened it out for her--Welcome to the family my friend.

freetown fred wrote: ↑

Mon. Jan. 13, 2020 11:00 am

Even if it's just for a visual!!!!!

my thoughts exactly.

my cousin bought a house with electric heat pump and heat strip forced air and a coal stove in the living room.....he was able to get a mortgage. the coal stove was broken so i helped him find a reading allegheny with a coal trol. that is his primary source of heat. when the hand fed coal stove was down the first winter he bought the home, his electric bill was over 400 dollars.

The stoves aren't rocket science really. Ask around at the local coal dealers, bet you'd find some like minded people that would take care of any problems if you aren't around. Probably cost you a six pack upon your return or something though.

Awesome awesome! Love the support and camaraderie. Soon enough I'll know what I'm doing and ill be able to help the next guy. Going over for an inspection this morning. Hoping for no surprises! I'll post some pics.

Thanks again all. Talk soon!

Wow I totally forgot to mention the part about us making an offer on the house and the homeowners accepting! The homeowners are super cool and the guy is going to show me all about the stove should we move forward. Will keep ya'll posted.

Outstanding A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats A, hope the lending process goes well. Coal in ashes out , adding a little ductwork would probably be pretty easy!

Hi Andrew, I know exactly what it is like to walk into a house with a stoker and wondering how the heck you use and maintain it. I have a Keystoker Koker that the previous owner installed in 2014 and tied into one of the heat pump’s ductwork. This is my third season using it and I am much more comfortable now than at the start. Keystoker has helpful videos on their website as well as the user manuals. They explain how the furnaces work and tips on how to clean and maintain them. I’ve also called them a few times and they are very helpful. Of course this forum is extremely helpful as you have seen already. On an average day I spend approx. 15 minutes maintaining the stove. That’s emptying the ash, filling the hopper, and checking draft. I burn about 50 lbs. a day depending on the weather. About once a month I do a total clean. That’s a little more involved, but not bad. Make sure you have a CO detector and some way to check draft, like a manometer. If you end up getting the house, keep posting updates and questions. People will help. Good luck!

Hi all. Thanks so much for the support ~! Inspection went great. The inspector was incredibly impressed with the house as a whole but his favorite thing was, guess what, the Keystoker. He thought it was a great design, safe, and efficient. He was also extremely impressed with the new blown in insulation job the homeowner had done last year. He said "trust me, you will NEVER be cold in this house."
Sounds like you ran into a similar situation as me Eab. I surprisingly haven't stumbled upon those videos yet but am definitely going to search for them in a minute! Good to know Keystoker is responsive and helpful over the phone. I love that they're in PA and that all of the coal we will burning is as well. There's something extremely gratifying about not burning oil to heat our home. The current homeowner has one smoke/CO detector and two other CO detectors in the basement where the stove is. Also a few on the main level of course.
I am going to have to do some research on checking draft. I am not sure how to do that or what a manometer is if I am being completely honest, haha. The inspector did say that the basement is extremely tight and that the unit could benefit by bringing a flow of fresh air into the space. The homeowner currently has a draft inducer hooked up to the outlet to force exhaust up through the chimney. I am not sure if he always has that running but I would assume so, right? If I were to do what the inspector recomended and just bring some air into the space, say for example with a gutter flex pipe or something ran from the window, would that alleviate the need for a draft inducer? Of course I would find a more long term fix if I were to go this route. I took a few pics, nothing great but I do have one of the draft inducer. Anyone else using one of these? Let me know what ya'll think! I also snapped a few pics of the wood burning Hitzer on the main level. These two stoves are the only sources of heat in the house.

Good news! Your “wood stove” is a Hitzer 503 coal stove. The previous owner removed the hopper to burn wood. What you have is a great, safe, user friendly stove you will be amazed by the performance of the Hitzer. I have it’s big brother the 983 and I’m totally impressed with Hitzer. Tons of members have the 503 search the forum here and you will find everything you need to know about operation of that stove...enjoy!

I'm afraid you are going to have an issue with the bank on buying the place. I could be wrong, but when I looked at a house with Wood heat only they said it was a no go for a mortgage. The said the best way to think about it is this way. You need to be able to leave the house with no one there and keep the house from freezing.
I was lucky that that house fell through and I bought the house I'm in with a coal Stove. I'm now on my 3rd stove that I love but I do have a propane furnace. Even though I honestly don't think the propane furnace can keep up with the house how it is set up.