New to Hitzer 503 - replace fire brick

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amarsh818
Member
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat. Jan. 11, 2020 8:50 pm
Location: Lake Peekskill, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker Lite
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 503
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Rice Coal, Nut

Post by amarsh818 » Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 10:37 pm

Hi ya'll! This is my first post in the hand fed forum. My wife and I just bought a house whose only source of heat is coal. I am new to burning coal but have already fallen in love with it and wouldn't think of heating any other way. I currently have a koker lite running in the basement heating the 1000 square foot single story home. There is also a Hitzer 503 in the living room that I have yet to fire. The koker is running great but I would like to shut her down and get some action with the Hitzer before all the cold is gone. I think I want to be even more hands on than the koker lite allows. I always just put one bag in the hopper instead of 4 or 5 and my wife yells at me. But it's just because I want to go back to put more in the next day!

I am going to post a couple of pictures of the 503. I am just curious about what you all think of the stove and if you own one, your experience and anything that you think I should know!

You will see in two of the pictures that a few of the firebricks are cracked. How crucial is it to replace these? They are all still in place but a few are cracked. I also took a picture from the inside of the stove facing outwards. There are four fire bricks right below the glass of the fuel door. They all look broken and I'd like to replace them as well. Are those standard sized bricks that slip down to the grate or are they cut to sit right below the sill?

Other than that how do you feel the stove looks? I just gave it a once over with the shop vac. I shook the grates and they move freely, Once I get all the brick out I'll give it an even better cleaning. Is there anything I should use to clean the inside of it? Seems like he burned a lot of wood. The glass was straight black, I wiped it down so it's clear once again.

In regards to the blowers and intakes, are there filters anywhere that need to be swapped out?

I'm sure I'll have more questions but this sure puts a dent in the list!

Thanks in advance for any help. I am super grateful for this resource. Looking forward to all replies!

Best,
Andrew

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Den034071
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Posts: 907
Joined: Sat. Jun. 25, 2011 4:30 pm
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer, 3095

Post by Den034071 » Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 10:43 pm

Change all Gaskets on all doors .Call Hitzer directly for gasket sizezs .Lots of info here .Just ask or P M me .Jack

 
CapeCoaler
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Posts: 6515
Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove

Post by CapeCoaler » Fri. Mar. 20, 2020 11:29 pm

Replace the bricks...
Shop-vac all the ash out...
You should have two skinny bricks...
Those are the only 2 that are not standard fire brick size...
The knob above glass is a MPD...
you should be able to slid the rod out several inches...
pushed in is MPD closed...
Pulled out is open...
Nice hot coal fire will clear off all the black crud inside the stove...
No filters on fans to clean...
The cover screens get removed to pull out each fan...
They can be full disassembled to clean and oil...
Had a fan stop working on my pre 2007 503...
fully disassembled fan and motor to clean and lube...
no problems this year...
Stove polish on the cast pieces for sure...
The stove body can be polished over the paint...
I use Williams Polish does a nice job...
Shroud can be painted if you want to pretty it up...
Link to docs and part list, has the special brick...
https://hitzer.com/our-products/stoves-furnaces/m ... per-insert
You can always call Hitzer and talk to the people there...
Very nice to deal with...
260-589-8536
Yep love my Hitzer 503 heats the whole house...

You might want to pull the stove out one inch if you have room on the hearth...
Helps keep the hopper lid from hitting the shroud...
You do have the hopper for the inside, correct?...


 
User avatar
amarsh818
Member
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat. Jan. 11, 2020 8:50 pm
Location: Lake Peekskill, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker Lite
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 503
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Rice Coal, Nut

Post by amarsh818 » Sat. Mar. 21, 2020 7:51 am

Thanks for the thorough response cape. I haven't been up that way in a while. I dated a girl who lived in West Yarmouth for a few years. Beautiful area.
Anyway... I do have the hopper in the basement. The previous homeowner (let's call him Joe)
removed it to create more space for burning wood. And you are absolutely right, the shroud does overlap the backside of the hopper and I would have to pull the stove out an inch, maybe two to get the clearance I need. The MPD rod moves freely and does the job correctly. Joe said he had the stove fired up about a week before we moved in. I sent an e-mail over to Hitzer yesterday afternoon but haven't heard back. I'll give them a call on Monday to poke their brains a bit and get the fire bricks ordered up.

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions. Any one else want to chime in please do!

 
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freetown fred
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Posts: 30293
Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
Location: Freetown,NY 13803
Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut

Post by freetown fred » Sat. Mar. 21, 2020 8:05 am

A, I could be wrong but in my 50-93--the standard fire-bricks from tractor supply do well, I think I had to cut one w/ 4" thingy!!! LOL Other parts--definitely HITZER direct!!

 
CapeCoaler
Member
Posts: 6515
Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove

Post by CapeCoaler » Sat. Mar. 21, 2020 10:27 am

Yep just order 4 of the special bricks...
Two to use now...
The other two for when you go oops...


 
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11ultra103
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Posts: 407
Joined: Thu. Nov. 14, 2019 12:11 pm
Location: Wannamakers, Pa
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 50-93, DS Comfortmax 75
Coal Size/Type: Nut

Post by 11ultra103 » Sat. Mar. 21, 2020 9:02 pm

Welcome to the forum! I would replace all the gaskets, replace all broken bricks. And dont order the brick off amazon. I Ordered ones from amazon that said for wood and coal for my Hitzer and I melted every single on of them! Complete junk. As Fred mentioned I have heard the tractor supply brick is good, but I'm going to get a price from Hitzer and from TSC.

IF the previous owner burned wood, HAVE SOMEONE CHECK THAT CHIMNEY! If it is full of creosote you dont want a chimney fire or exhaust gases backing up in the house!

 
User avatar
amarsh818
Member
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat. Jan. 11, 2020 8:50 pm
Location: Lake Peekskill, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker Lite
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 503
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Rice Coal, Nut

Post by amarsh818 » Tue. Mar. 24, 2020 10:04 pm

Hi ya'll. I am certainly going to get the chimney cleaned before I light her up. I know he burned wood. I am not sure how often. Hope I can be good to go before we lose the cold!

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