I will absolutely never go back to coal. I am glad it is working out for you though. Any news on recovery time yet?
Coal stoker vented with pellet pipe
- Thread starter JRemington
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That pipe looks kinda small diameter wise. Is the stepped down from a larger size cuz thats not a good idea with coal. Never saw a coal stove with smaller than 6in diameter pipe. I use black pipe for my coal boiler (same as the wood stove)and it lasts many years. At least 10 or more
The reason 316 stainless is needed for coal is due to the high levels of chlorides present. Stainless steels have a thin oxide layer on them that creates the corrosion resistance, chlorides disrupt this oxide layer causing corrosion in the steel. 304 and 316 are very similar except that 316 has 2% molybdenum added to increase it's corrosion resistance and reduce the effect of the chlorides.
Chloride corrosion is also the reason to not burn driftwood in a fireplace. The chlorides from the salt water attack the steel in the stove and in the chimney.
430 stainless can have superior thermal properties to 304 and 316. 300 series stainless works well at consistent elevated temperatures, but due to the high expansion rate it doesn't as work well when it is thermally cycled such as in a chimney. The oxide layer and the unaltered inner material expand and contract at different rates, enough so that it can cause the thin oxide layer to flake off, eventually causing thickness loss of the material. In reality most chimneys won't experience high enough temperatures to make a difference between 300 and 430 stainless materials. So as you mentioned in the case of wood chimneys where corrosion isn't as critical 430 can be selected due to lower expansion and lower material cost.
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We see quite a few 5" ones and some 4" ones. There is no reason a stoker like that couldn't be designed to run on 3" even. As far as connector pipe goes that depends on whether it gets moisture in the down season or not. If it does the pipe won't last long at all
If it wasn’t for the hopper I wouldn’t like it either I don’t think. I chose this particular hitzer based on what I read about performance.
I’m still waiting to hear back from a specialist. I’ve lost all faith in our healthcare/insurance system...
Yeah hitzlers are nice stoves. I just don't like the smell of the coal the smell outside or the dirt
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
I'm sorry to hear you are having these troubles. Even with "good" insurance the Healthcare system is a joke if you aren't wealthy. If my body won't let me do wood anymore I'll probably end up burning coal myself.
charger4406
Feeling the Heat
I hope everything works out for you soon.
Glad to see the coal stove working out so well,
if I had to stop burning wood here today I would
have to use the heat pump and about 3-4 grand in oil
for a 60F house, wife would not be happy!
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