Looking for Advice for Coal Insert

I didn't even think about not being able to have a baro with a insert.This morning my wife said how about using a wood insert.I said BITE YOUR TONGUE.
DON

Download the manual,page 9,para 6.1,under the title "WARNINGS" RichB

bustedwing wrote:Download the manual,page 9,para 6.1,under the title "WARNINGS" RichB

You are right. I never realized tha the insert was so much different than a free standing!

That being said, the warning indicates a potential damage if the stove surface temp "exceeds 500 degrees":

........."Non-use of the blower system
is one of the major causes of overfiring in insert use.
An overfire situation is considered to exist when the
surface temperature of the insert exceeds 500
degrees F.."

I have never had my stove much above 400* even on the coldest days, & if you have the blower working you'll be fine anyway.
(It would appear that you'd have to deliberately wait for a power failure (so your blower was not working) & then decide to over fire your stove! ....... A situation unlikely to ever occur!

I any case, it sounds like that may probably be true of all inserts, by their design, so I wouldn't decide against the Harman for just that reason.

My 2 cents

I have a friend whom I tried to talk into installing a coal boiler who now is considering an insert or hearth stove. His chimney is a 12x12 I think. When inserts or hearth stoves are installed, I assume a metal liner the size of the coal vent should be added Also, if you have an insert or hearth stove, is there a way to cleanout fly ash during the course of the burning season short of removing the unit Thanks

Hitzer says maximum of 3 times device flue area. 12 by 12 is way oversize.
I am going with an insulated liner due to the factors that exist in this install of a 503.
Hitzer 503 Arrives

Coalkirk,

I just bought an Alaska Hearth model. On the rear of the unit, a square box with a gasket is bolted right to it. The square box has an outlet heading right out of the top for the chimney and another outlet out the side where they mount the baro. You can access the square box from inside the stove after removing the ash pan. I assume (dangerous I know) that you can use a vacuum into that box. With the chimney pipe being a direct vertical into the box should cause most fly ash to fall into that box. No elbows to worry about at all.

At first I was concerned that it didn't fit the fireplace opening (about 3" per side too narrow) but now realize that it is a benefit in that I have access to the baro without having to pull the unit out of the fireplace. The only problem is where will I connect up a manometer to check the draft ?????

I'll have to take some pics.

Rick

Rick 386,
I was going to start a post on the manometer topic myself. I have the Alaska hearth and am about to install this weekend. Have the manometer and where would you hook it up seeing the Baro is so close to the stove body?
Anyone out there know?

Scott

Put the manometer probe in the firebox, there may even be a hole in the firebox already with a bolt in it to plug the hole.. Read the draft in the firebox.

Greg L

.

Thanks Greg,
I will look for it when I pull the stove out tomorrow.
Scott

Hey Devil,as for the over firing we all have specific needs/circumstances that are unique to our particular dwelling/lifestyle,mine requires me to be gone from home 12 to 16 hours/day,6 days/week,in the dead of winter an insert at my house would be left pumping out the heat and a power failure would have a good chance of overheating it, I don't mean to imply that it isn't a good stove,just not the best choice for me.Reading the manuals prior to purchase is time consuming but aids those of us who are not yet experienced coal users in making a wiser decision. 3 cents worth. RichB

I was just saying that maybe it's all inserts, not just the Harman, that are prone to that problem. Based on your description then, I would recommend a free standing, hand fired stove you could still connect to your fireplace flue but would not be effected by power outages & would actually put out more heat than in insert anyway.(being away 12-16 hrs per day would necessitate a low, long fire or a stoker, but then you are back to relying on power)

I've run an insert for the past four years. Granted, it's a wood insert, but the operating principles are similar. I highly recommend a full liner from the insert to the top of the flue. I ran my insert without a liner for the first season, and it was unreliable, troublesome in wind, and didn't have the heat output I expected. I installed a liner in year two, and the thing functioned like a machine... almost as if it were designed to have a 6" liner on it... because it was, and that's the key. It was the best improvement I could possibly make to the stove. The heat output increased significantly, and most importantly, it became "regular." I only had to fill it 3 times per day, vs. 4-5 without the liner. The burn cycles were almost identical each time I loaded it. Additionally, windy conditions didn't effect it nearly as much as without the liner.
One thing to be concerned about, and a potential down side of not having a damper, is overfiring. When I leave the house and expect wind (which increases draft, in my case), or a power failure, I generally choke down the air intake somewhat to prevent overfiring. That said, based upon what I am reading here, overfiring in a coal stove happens at lower temps than in a wood stove. I routinely run this insert at 650-750 all day long, with occasional forays up to 850, without a problem. According to the manufacturer, just don't let it sit up at 900 for too long, and it's fine.

-- Mike