Hitzer for wood?

[Fytanman]

I have a been lurking on your forums for awhile and decided to finally post a question. Thanks for all the great info I have received here. I have a older Hitzer model 55 wood furnace that I heat my house with every winter. My wood is mainly oak and tested to have a moisture of 15 to 20 percent. I have problems still with a black sludge that will form down low on the ash door and on the outside of my chimney pipe at the roof for about 3 feet down.( My chimney is a straight run from basement to roof of 6" triple walled pipe around 30 feet long) I talked to Hitzer (they are 20 minutes away) and they didn't seem surprised and said you can have that sometimes. I know that coal was the main design of this stove and so I guess that may be the case.

My question is can I do anything to make this a wood burning furnace that cleanly burns wood. Is there a website that may talk of modifying this type of stove . I have seen tube added to the top of the fire box to give fresh air for a secondary burn. I was blaming it on my firewood for awhile but the last few years I have done everything I can think of to guarantee a great wood supply and feel rather confident that it is not a issue. The firebox is 15x22x25 and if I fill it to the top I can get a 10 to 12 hour burn in 25 degree daytime weather. Does a EPA stove (Tundr,Caddy,Ruuma,etc) really use that much less wood to justify replacing it. I do struggle giving up on something especially if I can improve what I have, but at the same time I can see logic if it just isn't worth it. Sorry for the long post and hope I can draw some great info from you guys. Thanks alot!

 

[claydogg84]

I can tell you personally I miss my old stove - the EPA stove I have now is not nearly as user friendly. The sludge you're talking about is creosote, right? When you've got the stove running how much smoke is coming from the chimney? if you damp it down less you will likely have less buildup but also shorter (hotter) burn times.

 

[laynes69]

Dad has a Hitzer copy, made by the local amish. It's a downdraft furnace. It does get long burn times, but there's been times we couldn't get a brush down the chimney from the creosote. That's with him burning bone dry wood. The one thing I noticed about his stove was it's awfully thin. The side chamber would glow and sometimes the body of the stove. I don't know if it's the same with a Hitzer. They are an excellent coal burner, wood maybe not so much.

How large is your home, and how is it insulated? Burn times depend on your heating demand, the less demand the longer the burn. The Caddy and Tundra both can be operated off a wall thermostat. The Caddy has a large plenum opening with a higher btu rating than the Tundra, but shares the same firebox. The Kuuma is a nice furnace that's controlled by a computer, a clean burner, but up there in price. All of them are nice furnaces, it's what you want and what's in your budget. I would say for sure the efficiency will be higher due to the insulated fireboxes and preheated secondary air. What do you have currently for a chimney?

 

[tarzan]

I think the reason your Hitzer performed poorly with wood has something to do with the way it gets its air.

I believe coal likes air from the bottom while wood burns better with air from the top.

I could be wrong about that but one thing I am sure about is while Hitzer makes a great coal stove, I've never seen one that handled wood any different than what you described.

While I'm not getting into the EPA, Pre EPA argument, I think you would be better off with a dedicated wood stove if wood is what you will be heating with.

 

[Fytanman]

Thanks for the help guys! Claydog- Yes it is creosote , but with a viscosity of Vaseline. You are also right in saying if I burn smaller hotter fire I can clean it up, but nt eliminate. Fire box is almost always clean and dry, just the ash door. I need a minimum burn time of 9 hours , so I can go to work. You said dampen down and I want to make sure that you know that I have nothing to restrict the chimney(mechanical damper) just a mechanical thermostat that controls air into the store.
Laynes- I don't get maybe a handful of dry ash when I send a brush up the chimney. I do get a build up of creosote on the rain cap that I have to go up and clean like every few weeks or it will cause trouble. I also get a black build up on the outside of the chimney for around 2 or 3 feet. My house is around 2500 square feet with basement. I have the fresh air return going to stove from upstairs and all heat through ducts going upstairs. Radiant heat keeps basement a comfortable 70 degrees. My stove has never glowed but I have had the single wall pipe that connects to the triple walled chimney glow before. My chimney is a 30 foot straight six inch interior triple walled stainless pipe.
Tarzan- I'm getting the same feeling about it being a design issue. Is there a way to fix those issue on this stove. I'm not afraid to make serious change to it, but can favorable results be had or is this just not worth it?
It does seemed to be what I was afraid it was. If it cant be fixed , what furnace would you guys suggest ? I very tight with a dollar , but not afraid to spend it when it makes sense and is a great investment! Comments like I miss my old stove when talking about EPA stoves does make me worried and I am trying to learn from other past issues. Thanks and I hope I answered all the questions and I cant thank you guys enough . Be safe and warm