Hitzer 354 Burning statistics 2020/2021

 
coalder
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Post by coalder » Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 8:27 am

Hoytman wrote:
Sun. Apr. 04, 2021 11:08 pm
Does make me wonder if a matching 7” liner would allow me to run lower stove temp with slightly higher draft???
Bill, as I have eluded to, in previous posts, I personally don't feel that you would be gaining anything to speak of by reducing your present liner. You would only be adding significant expense for negligible results. Being able to idle down to 170* is about as good as you are gonna get. Rather than wasting all your time, energy & money focusing on the chimney, you would be better off just swapping out your present stove for a smaller one & move on. Your chimney is fine.
Jim

 
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Post by Hoytman » Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 11:23 am

coalder wrote:
Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 8:27 am
Bill, as I have eluded to, in previous posts, I personally don't feel that you would be gaining anything to speak of by reducing your present liner. You would only be adding significant expense for negligible results. Being able to idle down to 170* is about as good as you are gonna get. Rather than wasting all your time, energy & money focusing on the chimney, you would be better off just swapping out your present stove for a smaller one & move on. Your chimney is fine.
Jim
I agree, Jim. That’s why I said I was only “wondering” what the results would be without factoring in costs...not making the change really worth while. I was strictly thinking about performance. I am thoroughly impressed with my chimney and results. Just goes to show:

1. How well a coal stove functions.
2. How well an “inside the home chimney” drafts even though it may not be all that tall. I’m probably just a tick shy of 15’ from top of chimney to the firebox floor with two 90 degree turns.

Going to be burning some wood in this stove just because I want to see how it performs. These will likely be short hot fires simply because the weather is changing so fast, so it won’t be a full blown test.

Another reason I want to try burning some wood in the stove is because there’s literally zero wood burning info on these stoves that I can find. Since the stove is still made the same exact way and still being sold, though now only marketed as a “coal only” stove, I think it would be nice for some to have at least some information to access and hopefully answer some questions they might have on into the future.

 
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Post by hcarlow » Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 6:32 pm

It will be very interesting to see how you make out burning a little wood with the 354 . Burning a little wood on occasion certainly can have some benefits . It is easy to start and usually easy to control in most stoves .
Glad you were able to do the winter with one match . You certainly have mastered the 354.

 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 9:10 pm

Im expecting it will burn wood about the same as the 50/93 or the 82. Grates are about the same and the stove sizes too. It will work fine but you lose some efficiency, but it really doesnt matter if your main fuel is coal.

You were really choking that stove down good to use that low amount of coal. You did good. Next year use a fire striker so you dont use any matches like I did this year. Im in the zero match club, lol OK, I'll call it the one fire club.


 
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Post by Hoytman » Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 9:14 pm

Hey..I like that. :lol:

 
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oliver power
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Post by oliver power » Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 9:55 pm

Hoytman wrote:
Sun. Apr. 04, 2021 11:08 pm
Not sure I understand what you mean by “kicked up”.

Never gave any thought to dampness though. Of course, I’m not totally done with the stove yet either. I knew we had warm weather in the 70’s coming so I let it burn down real low trying to not open more bags that aren’t necessary. Expecting about two weeks worth of warm weather. Thought I’d clean it out tomorrow and put my bricks over the grates for some wood burning if the temps dip without warning. I’ve been wanting to see how it burns wood anyway.

Does your stoves burn all the coal completely at end of the season? Mine has some left in the bottom, but I knew it was going out and planned to let it get real low, which it did. I could have easily kept it going, but since the weather is changing I thought no time like the present. I’ve been adding some every day to maintain the low level and the stat was keeping it right there in the money even without a deep bed of coal. There’s not much I burned coal sitting on top of my grates. Maybe a hod full, if that.

Going to vacuum out all the ash in the grates and the ash pan area. Do I need to vacuum/brush the inside steel walls yet before I burn wood? Probably should I suppose. Just hate to have to super clean it twice before seasons end.

I let it go out because this warm weather coming in and the stove at 170 (IR gun below the stat in the back) the stove was just still putting off too much heat even with windows open. No sense in trying to run it much lower than that. Was riding the line with it as it was. I might could get it to 150, but that would be pushing it. Besides, mano was riding at -.01 and sometimes -.005 even more to 70+F OAT’s, which isn’t bad at all. I didn’t expect my chimney to allow me to run that low. Does make me wonder if a matching 7” liner would allow me to run lower stove temp with slightly higher draft???
Kicked up = liven up. The stove had a few small clinkers on the grates. Nothing that would have bothered if the fire was livened up. I had thrown a couple shovels full of damp wet coal on, thinking it would catch eventually, but it never did. I had the ash pan door open for quite some time. The stove body just kept getting cooler, and cooler. It was out this morning. I think mostly due to weather. I restarted the stove tonight.

 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 10:04 pm

Hoytman wrote:
Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 9:14 pm
Hey..I like that. :lol:
Matches are expensive! :lol:

 
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Post by Hoytman » Tue. Apr. 06, 2021 8:39 am

oliver power wrote:
Mon. Apr. 05, 2021 9:55 pm
Kicked up = liven up. The stove had a few small clinkers on the grates. Nothing that would have bothered if the fire was livened up. I had thrown a couple shovels full of damp wet coal on, thinking it would catch eventually, but it never did. I had the ash pan door open for quite some time. The stove body just kept getting cooler, and cooler. It was out this morning. I think mostly due to weather. I restarted the stove tonight.
Ok. Yeah mine had some glowing red coals, but I had let the coal bed get so shallow on purpose that I thought there was more inside than there was. I opened the ash pan door too and it just helped it cool down that much further and snuffed it finally. Still calling for another week or more of mid-70’s here, so I’m done.


 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Tue. Apr. 06, 2021 9:20 am

Opening ash door will NOT help with cooling/shutting down--you had to of lost your fire a lot more then you're thinking. Done huh????? LOL

 
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Post by Hoytman » Tue. Apr. 06, 2021 12:51 pm

I already new it was going out. I was letting it. I just tried to see how far I could bring it back from. Red coals were burning, but only in a baseball sized spot. I threw some coal on top of it, but it didn’t light. The flap was open and stove cooling down from its running temps. Opening the ash door just gave it a rush of much cooler air and snuffed that spot even quicker. Had the entire bed been red with coals, then yes...it likely would have reignited because there was some I burned coal left on top, not much.

 
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oliver power
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Post by oliver power » Wed. Apr. 07, 2021 10:57 pm

I restarted, and will keep it running low to keep the dampness out while doing some copper fabricating. One thing I have noticed is; With these warm temps we have been having, the whole fire bed stays even, and alive with very healthy glowing coals. I'm telling you this because I'm only half way up the firebrick. Not even mounded, just flat across. This bed of coals is burning really nice. When I shake, I can feel nothing but powder drop. My point is: All winter I've been filling to the top of the fire brick, and mounding. The stove would easily go 24 hours between tendings. So now it has me thinking that if I only went half way up the firebrick, and tended it every 12 hours, I would get better performance, and more complete burn, which makes for easier, faster tending. At the same time, it's nice knowing I can easily go out 24+ hours if need be. This little stove amazes me. I have nothing but good to say about it. From the sounds of it, the 354 performs just as well. So Hoytman, have you ever tried running steady state half way up the firebrick?

 
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Post by Hoytman » Wed. Apr. 07, 2021 11:17 pm

Oh yeah. My last few weeks were that way and the last week and a half was level only about 2”-3” deep. I’d shake and nothing but fine powder, but shaking was once every day and a half to two days. It did stay lit all across the bed until the last little bit I loaded. Of course, I was wanting it for go out because it was getting hit out. I’ll take a picture of what is left in the stove in the morning.

I really wonder about having to fill the firebox so much now. I swear it seemed to burn the coal to a much finer ash, but it’s hard to say. All I know is when I was filling the box heaping full, nearly 3 bags full, when I would shake I was getting crunchy so stuff. I think before I try to run it less full in colder weather that I will first try only shaking once a day and see if I get less crunchy stuff and finer ash. I’m telling you burning below 250F there was nothing but super fine ash in the ash pan. I was surprised to see that. Wish I had pictures to show. Darn!

 
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Post by Hoytman » Wed. Apr. 07, 2021 11:21 pm

Calling for rain tonight. Haven’t cleaned my stove or chimney yet. I hope it’s nothing to worry about just yet. Calling for a couple days worth of rain. I’d like to relight just because of that but it’s going to be mid-70’s here. Much too hot in the house at those temps and the stove running.

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