HotBlast 1575M questions

[BKFENCE]

Hi everybody,I would appreciate some info on a HotBlast 1575M furnace I picked up today.Found it on a yard sale site,went to look at it ,and bought it.This stove looks as if it was never totally assembled.The thermo disc is not there,the junction box for the wiring is not there,and the front loading door handle latch is not there.It appears these parts were never installed either.Stove looks new,but has some ashes and small burnt wood pieces,so I know it was used a few times at least.Also,when I picked up the stove,the guy gave me 2 brand new in the box blowers.My first question,will this model burn coal?Second,do I need to run both blowers?And lastly,could someone please recommend the best place to order parts for this?Thanks in advance for any help.My internet searches on this furnace have not been very helpful.

 

[cantoo]

Do a search on here using my user name and you will find a couple of threads. User name " Cantoo"

 

[sean donato]

It's a tractor supply special. The rear blowers are for heat circulation. The blow into the same plenum, that isn't divided. So yes you should run both. There was an add on forced draft unit that bolted in the back. It's less then worthless. The thermo disk should be swapped out for a Honeywell thermostat. It will last for years, not months or weeks. Yes it can burn coal, but I never had any luck with it, and have since modified the fire box to hold more wood, amd ditched the shaker grates. Be prepared to replace the original fire bricks, quickly. They are junk. The rear heat shield should last for 2 or 3 seasons (I use mine for primary heat) the blowers should go a few years as well, but I suggest stepping up to a furnace blower. I havent had need to replace a blower in years since I went that route. Parts can be had readily over the internet. Just be warned it's not a heavy duty unit, I've had cracking issues around the feed door hinges, multiple times. When I had it apart to redo the fire box I reinforced the inside around the feed door to help stop it from cracking around the hinge posts. The baffles they come with are also trash after a year or two. I got a local fab shop to bend me baffles out of 3/8" plate. I did have to notch out the center of the baffle shaft to get them to fit right, but have had them in going on 4 years now. The draft control knob on the clean out door also needs the nubs ground off flush, it simply lets too much air in and makes it burn much too hot at times. And remember this thing is rated to something like 3000 sq ft. I heat 2400sq ft, and it will about roast you out of the house on a 30* day if you let it.
Oh and it's made by us stove company. I'll try to answer any other questions you have. I'll get a few pictures up of my blower set up, later this evening