Coalpail.com Forum

Heya Folks,
It's been a successful first year of burning coal; all the warmth I could ask for at a great price. I'm not sure how to tackle this latest issue however...

I've got a Keystone Koker that doesn't want to idle. My thermostat on all floors of the house are set to 72 and as of this morning my top level is 77, middle is 78 and lower (Where the stoker is) is at 81! I know the thermostats aren't calling for heat yet the stove is still running at what seems to be full blast. We've got plenty of hot water in the tank, so, I also don't believe my hot water heater to be calling for heat.

The white knob on the side that controls the fan is set to "Automatic," and I've tried to unplug and reset the unit. I also gave the stoker a good cleaning about a month ago after my first two tons were burned.

I'm admittedly still very green to the stoker world, though, with only so many knobs and buttons on the unit itself to check and reset, I'm not too sure what else it could be.

I'm trying to avoid a $ervice call from my installers, though, am thinking it may be something electrical which may be out of my league .

Has anyone else encountered this? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

-Michael.

How do you have three zones wired for a hot air system? Have you tried disconnecting the thermostat wires?

Welcome to coal. I suspect your furnace is idling, which means it "fires" periodically to keep it burning. Common problem in the spring and fall when outside temps climb. What I do to regulate the excess heat is to open a window.

Thanks for your quick replies. I just disconnected the "TT" wires from the Honeywell box on the stoker and noticed that the fan is still turning just as fast as it was before I did so. Is the result supposed to be instant with the fan?

In response to HardWood1789, the stove is at a full burn with just about a full grate of fiery coal. In my limited experience I've found that when the stove is idling properly I would just have a maybe 2" - 3" wide strip of coal with a dancing blue flame.

Thank you guys for your input.

-Michael.

Seems like if the thermostats where disconnected the stoker would slow down. Might take a while to notice, however.

Call Keystoker directly and ask for Don. It's a small company so they are only there 7:00 am until 3:00 pm 570-385-3873 They do have emergency service, although you don't need anybody to come look at it, maybe they can help you over the phone.

What fan are you talking about con. Fan combustion fan or the feed motor fan

Do you have a timer with pins? Take some pins out. Make your idle fire smaller.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I think I'm just going to give Keystoker a call in the morning and see what their take is on it. I don't think that its a matter of just taking a few pins out as the unit isn't even attempting to idle. The fan that is stuck in a constant state of "On," is the larger fan on the bottom of the unit.

-Mike.

MikeO88 wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I think I'm just going to give Keystoker a call in the morning and see what their take is on it. I don't think that its a matter of just taking a few pins out as the unit isn't even attempting to idle. The fan that is stuck in a constant state of "On," is the larger fan on the bottom of the unit.

-Mike.

I'm not familiar with your unit. However, when it comes to the fan on a oil, gas, etc. unit, it doesn't matter if the circulation fan runs 365 days a year. All the fan does is circulate the air. The fan on many newer units won't simply shut off till the temp inside the heat exchanger is lowered. If you have a full carpet of glowing coals, maybe that's why the fan won't shut off, or even slow down. Sounds like you have a feed problem to me. The combustion fan is supposed to run all the time. Is something wired wrong? Or has the furnace been running just fine, and all of a sudden acting up?