Yukon Big Jack

 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Fri. Mar. 01, 2019 2:03 am

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the knowledge about coal burning. From previous threads I learned how to get my Big Jack to burn coal well. Here's a list of tweaks that I performed:
-Adjusted barometric damper from -.03 to -.05 on the manometer.
-Blocked secondary combustion air with fiberglass.
-Added 2.5x9" fire brick to the sides and 1.25x9" to the rear. The firebox holds about 70 lbs now. There no longer are dead spots along the edges of the box. Since I don't have a shaker grate I slice/poke the fire from underneath the grate every 12 hours and add coal to the top of the brick.

I've been able to get easy 12 hour burns. Once I got the combustion blower adjustment correct the thermostat turns the blower on and off and keeps the house a steady 72 degrees. I've been burning about 30 lbs a day. It's been fairly cold the last couple days. Teens during the day and single digits at night. Heating 3000 square feet. So much less work than burning wood but still have the nice even heat. I can't stop burning wood though, the emerald ash borer is within 10 miles of our property and we have about 70% ash in our 10 acre woods. Lots of "free" firewood. I will use the pallet of Blaschek coal that I ordered for next season during January and February. Won't have to restart a fire every morning and evening during the work week.

Thanks again!

Lee



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lsayre
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Posts: 21781
Joined: Wed. Nov. 23, 2005 9:17 pm
Location: Ohio
Stoker Coal Boiler: AHS S130 Coal Gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Anthracite Pea
Other Heating: Resistance Boiler (13.5 KW), ComfortMax 75

Post by lsayre » Fri. Mar. 01, 2019 5:58 am

It seems to be working great, but is there any potential way to add a shaker grate system to your boiler? Does the manufacturer offer it as an option?

 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Fri. Mar. 01, 2019 1:08 pm

Isayre,

Unfortunately there are no shaker grate options from the manufacturer. I plan on fabricating one this summer. I'm hoping to be able to find one from another manufacturer that is close enough to make it work. That would make the coal burning process even easier! Thanks for the feedback.

Lee

 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Sun. Mar. 03, 2019 1:15 am

Hey guys,

I have a few observations/questions;
- Front face of furnace is 260-280 when idling (no combustion fan) 160-170 at the flue in the rear of the furnace.
- Is this a good temperature or should I try to throttle it back a little more? The house crept up to 74 with the
27 degree sunny day we had today.
- Noticed a bit of fly ash on the walls of the burn chamber.
- Does this hurt efficiency when it builds up? How often should I cool it down and clean it when running coal?

Thanks for any feedback, I truly appreciate it!

Lee

 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Tue. Mar. 05, 2019 11:46 pm

Hey guys,

I thought I'd update my foray into burning coal. We've had a pretty cold stretch here in WI. Got down to -15 with 15-20 mph winds the other night. I had to open up the combustion blower to keep up. Front face of the furnace was 350-360 with the flue temp around 275. Was able to easily maintain 72 degrees in the house. It took a full 40 lbs to fill up the firebox after that night.

I had a question about coal consumption. I've burned 400 lbs in 7 days. I'm heating a 3000 square foot ranch with vaulted ceilings, 2 x 6 walls and spray foam insulation. Built in 2010. Does this seem like a pretty normal amount of usage or is my furnace inefficient? Just want to get some of the more experienced coal burners thoughts.

Thanks,
Lee

 
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lsayre
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Posts: 21781
Joined: Wed. Nov. 23, 2005 9:17 pm
Location: Ohio
Stoker Coal Boiler: AHS S130 Coal Gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Anthracite Pea
Other Heating: Resistance Boiler (13.5 KW), ComfortMax 75

Post by lsayre » Wed. Mar. 06, 2019 2:08 am

lee192233 wrote:
Tue. Mar. 05, 2019 11:46 pm
I had a question about coal consumption. I've burned 400 lbs in 7 days. I'm heating a 3000 square foot ranch with vaulted ceilings, 2 x 6 walls and spray foam insulation. Built in 2010. Does this seem like a pretty normal amount of usage or is my furnace inefficient? Just want to get some of the more experienced coal burners thoughts.
Given the temperatures you experience your coal consumption is amazingly low. You've burned a bit less than I have over that span, and my house isn't as big, plus my temperatures have not been as brutal as yours.

 
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ShawnLiNy
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Waterford
Coal Size/Type: Nut

Post by ShawnLiNy » Wed. Mar. 06, 2019 10:15 am

Maintaining 72 inside and only using 60# per day for 3K sqft in those temps . For a furnace that was modified to burn coal and it doesn’t even have a shaker You are killing it Dude 👍


 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Wed. Mar. 06, 2019 7:33 pm

Thanks for the kind words guys! I'm happy to hear that my coal consumption is good. I think the longer sunny days have helped. Our house is a darker color and the long side is facing south so we can take advantage of solar gain. Makes me feel better about buying a pallet of coal for next year. I think it will keep the house much more comfortable during the dark days of January and February. The furnace is always cold when I get home from work then and 68 degrees with the propane furnace running :no1: .

Special thanks to Lightning whose thread on getting the Clayton running well got my Big Jack running great as well. Many of the same mods applied to my furnace. Now I just need to set it up for a riddler.

Thanks again,
Lee

 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Thu. Mar. 07, 2019 10:58 pm

I thought you guys and gals might like to see some fire pics from below the grate and in the fire box. Have a great night!

Lee
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McGiever
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Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 11:51 am

Is it the coal fire that is out when you come home.
That could taint coal consumption figures a bit.

If fires are not lasting 12-24 hours between loading you may consider deeper coal bed by bricking up the sides of the firebox higher and piling on the coal higher...it will not make it hotter, just to last longer...air control is what controls temperature output, not the amount of fuel added.

BTW: Nice looking pictures under and over grates. :)

 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 1:23 pm

McGiever wrote:
Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 11:51 am
Is it the coal fire that is out when you come home.
That could taint coal consumption figures a bit.

If fires are not lasting 12-24 hours between loading you may consider deeper coal bed by bricking up the sides of the firebox higher and piling on the coal higher...it will not make it hotter, just to last longer...air control is what controls temperature output, not the amount of fuel added.

BTW: Nice looking pictures under and over grates. :)
It's the wood fire that would be out. I've had a coal fire going since last week Tuesday night. Slice, poke and load it twice a day. I have 6.5 bags of coal left. Gonna see how far that will take me with the seasonal temps we are forecast to have now. I've been experimenting with the idle air setting. I've got 210 on the front, 150 flue temp. I've been mounding the coal higher than the bricks so it's about 9" deep on the side and 10-11" in the middle when I load it up. Definitely burns better that way!

Thanks for the kind words and input!
Lee

 
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McGiever
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Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Fri. Mar. 08, 2019 9:17 pm

:clap: You're well on your way there! Keep on keeping on...

 
lee192233
Member
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed. Feb. 20, 2019 1:40 am
Location: East Central WI
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle Big Jack Wood/Coal
Coal Size/Type: Blaschak Nut
Other Heating: Carrier 96 % Propane Furnace

Post by lee192233 » Fri. Jan. 22, 2021 12:27 pm

Good morning everyone,
Got the furnace burning coal again. Burned 1.5 cords of wood and it finally got cold enough to burn coal.
I picked up a pallet of Blaschak nut for $345. I wish there was coal available for less in my area. Now I can get a more accurate consumption figure over a longer period of time.
I attached a picture of the blue ladies. Sorry for the sideways view. I can't seem to get it to load right.

Have a great weekend,
Lee
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D-frost
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Location: Southern New Hampshire
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman MK ll
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Yukon Eagle I (multi-fuel oil, wood/coal)
Baseburners & Antiques: Herald 'fireside oak'
Coal Size/Type: nut/stove-Blaschak/Lehigh

Post by D-frost » Fri. Jan. 22, 2021 1:17 pm

Lee, I have a Yukon Eagle I......I purchased coal grates from Yukon in Minnesota about 10 years ago. Maybe they can be modified to the 'Jack'. Price then, I think was around $250........now...?????? It was an easy swap out the wood grate and drop in the coal grate. Good luck.
Cheers

 
fig
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Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Clayton 7.1/DS Machine basement stove/ Harman SF1500
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Post by fig » Fri. Jan. 22, 2021 1:35 pm

FWIW. I have shaker grates in my Clayton. Last year I had a flat grate mod in a hot blast. Comparing the two now I much prefer the flat grate and slicing as opposed to the shaker grates in the Clayton. The stroke is much too short to shake it down sufficiently. If I go to far with the stroke it’s an immediate jam. Still have to poke from the bottom. Slicing was so much easier. I just used a hand saw. Cut through anything. 60 seconds and done. I have to mess with the shaker grates for at least 10 minutes. Yukon grates may be different then claytons but it seems most stoves of that period usually had the same style.


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