Keystoker

GENDERD66 , I like the sound of that. i'm only heating the downstairs , about 1,200 sf. I really wondering how much I will actually burn. I like it warm , like 75 degrees.

ken wrote:i'm only heating the downstairs , about 1,200 sf. I really wondering how much I will actually burn. I like it warm , like 75 degrees.

Not much.

1200 sf crank it up, get out the kiddy pool, it'll be like going on vaction. 15* out side 90's inside. LOL. This is only my second year with coal but its here to stay. I do have to use the ol'oil burner if it gets real cold. My next step is another keystoker 90 or their 160,000 BTU furnace.

really nice day today , i'm going back to the pond and have some fun. now no laughing at my questions . finaly finished the stove. I put some coal in the hopper. the push bar pushes about a 1/2 inch of coal out at a time. I didn't light a fire. does this sound about right? also even when I turn the setting below room temp all the fans keep running. the blower fan , DV fan (i'm sure this one should) and the grate fan. is this normal to? thank you

The grate fan (combustion blower) will blow all the time to keep the fire going. The feed motor will run all the time when the t-stat is calling for heat, when the t-stat is'nt calling for heat the feed motor should only run every 10-15 minutes for 3 minutes or so just to keep the fire going while its in idle stage Check the timer mine did get stuck on once. now the blower should only run when the heat controler allows it to unless the little white button is pushed in making the blower run all the time. As for the push plate you can adjust that once you get her up and running.

As for laughing at your questions: Grandpa allways said "the only stupid question, is the question not asked". Besides I would'nt laugh at you, I'd be laughing with you. Hope this helps you, if I left any thing out I sure other nice folks here will jump in to help. This site saved me alot last winter when I was new to coal. Hope you had a good time at the pond. This is one of those day where I am suffering from "motavational Lacktosis"
Gene

had alot of fun catching fish. caught few chanel cats pushing 10 lbs on the ultra lite set up. 1 hybred striper about 8 lbs. some LM 1-3 lbs. they want to fatten up for winter , lot of action. that white button on the right side of the stove is in. this button should be out then. thank you , Gene. have cut grass today

hi guys I fired her up today. couple questions please. when the coal is burning the blue flame is like 8" to 10" high ( have a bed of about 6" of coal burning and 2" or so of ash in the front ) hitting the top of the stove. is that ok? also it looks like the fire wants to go right to the hopper lol , not good. maybe it just looks that way. other then that it's heating the house real nice.

6" fire width would be about the maximum fire, you want to have 1" or so in this warm weather (that is about the min).

Best bet is to set up the max and min fire by adjusting the timer and the stoker stroke per the manual. The min fire would be set for when the Tstat is not calling for heat and the stove is just idling. The max is set when the Tstat is calling for heat. You usually have to go back and forth a couple of time to verify both max and min are where you want them.

If you don't have a manual it is a worthwhile investment to call Keystoker and get one for your stove.

Have fun and enjoy the blue flame, try not to sweat too much!

nfire:

On idle, you will have 2-3" of ash and about 1-2" of glowing coal, with a slight orange/blue flame on top.

Mine hits the top when really cranking, with about 1"-2" of ash at the end of the grate.

Here's mine in a normal to high burn rate. You can see the ash on the end of the plate. about 1-2" If you have it adjusted up too far, it will push hot coals off the end....take a bit to adjust and time...make small adjustments (1/4 - 1/2 turn and check after an hour or so.

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thank you guys.

hi guys. well i'm not to happy with my unit. it's cold out , about mid 20's at night. i'm getting about 5" burn running and 2" at idol. my DV pipe is really hot when running. I believe I need to adjust the damper in the DV , to reduce heat loss out the chimney. well I don't have a draft gauge. when you pull the damper bar out , does it reduce the the damper or increase it. do I have to bit the bullet and buy one?

A manometer will be cheaper than a draft gauge. I just purchased a Dwyer MK II for $27 with shipping. I would recommend it, is cheap insurance and you can also use it to set up the plate on your combustion fan to keep from over pressurizing the stove.

This is the one you want, a little more than I paid but still a good deal:

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Sounds like you're sucking the heat out of the stove.

My unit doesn't have an adjustment on the direct vent with a shutter, I have a variable speed control on the blower instead. I have my draft set at between -0.02 and -0.03.

I've not been able to run the stove long enough at full fire to see how close the burning coals get to the front of the grate because I can't stand it when it's 90 degrees in my basement. However, even at a 5 or 6" long fire, the exhaust is barely hand warm.

I have determined, however, that Keystoker changed the design of the stoves significantly since mine was built. I believe I have a superior heat exchange system to get the heat out of the exhaust gases and into the convection air better. But, my design is also very prone to filling up with fly ash and it's very difficult to clean properly unless you can tip the stove upside down and sideways to knock it loose.

All I can say is that we've been in the 20s, 30s, and 40s this week, and I'm keeping 2800 s.f. at 68 degrees across 3 floors and I've not burned 100# yet since Sunday morning. Yes, it's a new, well insulated house, so that really helps, but the amount of heat the stove puts out even just idling is impressive.

hi guys , ken with another question lol. I put a fan above the stove on the wall behind the stove to try and push some more heat through the house. the house is wide open , about 40' shot. whats a good fan to use that has some high velocity? the stove and the fan now will push about 30'. you can fell the temp change when you hit the 30' make. another thing , should I wire the wall fan to the blower fan? seems usless to run when the stove is in idol. I have a 52" fan above the stove.

hi guys. on my blower motor there is a junction box with the wiring to the motor. i'm running 2 fans behind the stove. one cooling the DV pipe and the whole rear(20" box). it helps keep all the stove motors cool to. then a pedestal fan to help push the heat through the house. well these fans don't need to be running unless the stove is running on a burn. I want to put a receptical in that junction box and plug the fans in. that way they only come on when needed. is this an . will it screw up the PC board that controls everything? thank you for your thoughts , ken