Hitzer 55 Questions
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Hey gang, As some of you may be aware, I have a son in the Army; currently stationed at Ft. Drum. He is anticipating a transfer within the next year, possibly a little longer. If he has his way he is going to put in for Alaska. As he is so busy he asked me to research a decent wood/coal stove for that area. I have no idea what the coal is like there or what stove to recommend. I did a bunch of research on this forum and read every page of the 55 and all pages of the Alaska thread. Seems the Alaska moderator "Valley Trash", is kind of recommending the 55. But I have some questions. Apparently the Hitzer 55 is a wood/coal combo, with a down draft re burn system making it conducive to bit coal. I even talked to Cliff at Hitzer and he also confirmed that the 55 was a good choice; and that a lot of these stoves are shipped to AK. A particular question I have is with a firebox so large, how come only rated 60K?? Is it because stove is 16 GA?? He doesn't want to get elaborate because the stove will come and go with him. Hitzers seem to be very popular up there only no hopper allowed. Now I know the virtues of a combo stove; but my son is very smart but also very THICK!!! And he is an experienced wood burner. So if all else fails he can still burn wood; and this unit seems very economical. Also because you have to open the ash door to shake, will that create excessive dust? I believe that as long as a healthy fire is established, and MPD is wide open it won't. Anyway I realize that this may be a bit premature; however I would rather find out now Than ask in August. As always, Thanks in advance.
Jim
Jim
- ONEDOLLAR
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Are you sure that the door needs to be open to shake down the 55? I can see opening the ash door to take a peak but not to have it open while shaking down. Or needing it open to shake down. I watched a Hitzer video on another unit and they kept the ash door closed during shaking down. I know that it isn't the same stove as the 55 but I find that the door needing to open be "odd".J F Graham wrote: Also because you have to open the ash door to shake, will that create excessive dust? I
http://www.hitzer.com/products/stove/Model-55/
From the pics on the website the shaker handle is on the right side of the stove or am I missing something? (Wouldn't be the first time! )
A BIG THANK YOU to you son as well for serving this GREAT NATION! Hope he gets the posting he wants in Alaska.
- warminmn
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Yes, you have to open the ash door to shake it. The handle on the right side is for the downdraft. It connects to a sliding door inside. I thought the same as onedollar when we ordered the stove.
In my Dads stove, ash was never an issue when shaking. That was with some coal burning but a lot more wood. He heated his fairly large home for over a month on one pickup load of really top rated good dry burr oak which I thought was amazing. He only shook one side a little bit with wood, leaving as much ash as possible on the grate, and of course used the spinner on the door. Keeping the down draft closed really worked well for him. Hit the sides with a rubber hammer once in a while as it keeps the creosote and ash off.
The stoves steel on the outside does seem rather thin, but it seems to work fine. It reacts to temp change fast because of that, which is likely how it gets efficiency.
I have no idea how well it will burn the sub bit they have available up there. Its a no frills stove.
2 strong service men could move this about anywhere they want too.
In my Dads stove, ash was never an issue when shaking. That was with some coal burning but a lot more wood. He heated his fairly large home for over a month on one pickup load of really top rated good dry burr oak which I thought was amazing. He only shook one side a little bit with wood, leaving as much ash as possible on the grate, and of course used the spinner on the door. Keeping the down draft closed really worked well for him. Hit the sides with a rubber hammer once in a while as it keeps the creosote and ash off.
The stoves steel on the outside does seem rather thin, but it seems to work fine. It reacts to temp change fast because of that, which is likely how it gets efficiency.
I have no idea how well it will burn the sub bit they have available up there. Its a no frills stove.
2 strong service men could move this about anywhere they want too.
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warminmn
THANKS for the info on the 55 shake down! It is true....... If you open your eyes and ears you can learn something new everyday!
THANKS for the info on the 55 shake down! It is true....... If you open your eyes and ears you can learn something new everyday!
- warminmn
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I was pretty surprised when we removed the stove from the box as I had thought the same. But then again, its a simpler stove this way. Maybe not simpler to use, but simpler in an Amish way. My Dad loves that stove.ONEDOLLAR wrote:warminmn
THANKS for the info on the 55 shake down! It is true....... If you open your eyes and ears you can learn something new everyday!
We do learn a lot on here!
- freetown fred
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Jim, sounds like in the boys projected situation, he won't find a better stove then the 55
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Fred, kinda what I was thinking. I know he is gonna burn wood and he can gradually go to coal when he wants. I really like the downdraft system and it seems pretty popular in AK. Because it's sheet steel, 16 GA I was wondering how it would hold up?freetown fred wrote:Jim, sounds like in the boys projected situation, he won't find a better stove then the 55
Jim
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55 is a smaller version of a 82
- warminmn
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My Dad is real careful about over firing but I do know the temps can jump real fast. How they would hold up if they turned red hot, I don't know. Probably a matter of learning the stove, and maybe not firing it as hot if he is going away.J F Graham wrote:Fred, kinda what I was thinking. I know he is gonna burn wood and he can gradually go to coal when he wants. I really like the downdraft system and it seems pretty popular in AK. Because it's sheet steel, 16 GA I was wondering how it would hold up?freetown fred wrote:Jim, sounds like in the boys projected situation, he won't find a better stove then the 55
Jim
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Warminn, how long has your dad owned the stove? And is it the 55 or 82? I really like it, and think it's ideal for my son. Not bad wood consumption either 1 pickup load of wood is less than a cord. How many sq ft is he heating?
Jim
Jim
- warminmn
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Its a 55UL, the one without a jacket. I think Nov of 2011 he got it. He used it for all heat the first year, most of his heat the following, not as much since. Its just getting harder for him as arthritis kicks in. I cant say for sure how many square feet but his house is well insulated. It was the downdraft that saved on the wood, is what he and I both thought. He was just using a few pieces a day, letting them simmer away. The pickup load was as good as wood gets, but still I couldnt believe he went a month with it.
The 82 is a huge stove. If he has a super large area it may be a better stove.
The 82 is a huge stove. If he has a super large area it may be a better stove.
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warmin, Thanks for all the good info. For all practical purposes the 55 is my pick. The firebox is quite good size, and I feel that the BTU's are on the conservative side; 2 guys can easily move it and it won't break the bank. Again THX for the info.
Jim
Jim
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First season with my Hitzer 55, running with coal since over one month now in my garage with great success. Earlier this fall try it with wood, success was quite poor a lot of creosote, had the feeling that the stove did not have enough air to operate correctly. My question: how do you control air entrance on this stove? Do you close the rear air inlet and use only the front spinner to control the combustion?
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Inside of the rear air inlet, is there a baffle plate in there, partially covering the opening, that is held in place by one bolt? If so, remove that for use with coal, that was put there to control the wood burning.Serge wrote:First season with my Hitzer 55, running with coal since over one month now in my garage with great success. Earlier this fall try it with wood, success was quite poor a lot of creosote, had the feeling that the stove did not have enough air to operate correctly. My question: how do you control air entrance on this stove? Do you close the rear air inlet and use only the front spinner to control the combustion?
The flap at the back is supposed to control the air with the bi-metallic thermostat. The spinner on the front would be for over the fire air when using wood or bituminous coal.