Keystoker GT Coal Feed Adjustment

aproth · Post by **aproth** » Sat. Feb. 02, 2008 4:33 pm

This is my second year heating my house with my Keystoker and it seems that the coal feed adjustment has slowly been speeding up over time. Last year I used to have the adjuster knob set at about 2 1/2 turns. But now I have it turned as slow as it will go and when it is running full blast for a long period of time it is pushing red coals into the ash pan. Is there some other way to adjust the coal feed that I don't know about? The stove is level now but would it help if I put something under the front to tilt it back slightly?

Matthaus · Post by **Matthaus** » Sun. Feb. 03, 2008 9:55 am

It looks like your combustion air under the grate may be restricted by fines collecting in the plenum. If you let the fire idle down and the unplug the stove and carefully unbolt the combustion fan you can look in with a flash light and see if the plenum under the grate is getting clogged. If I am right you are having to reduce the amount of coal being fed because it is burning slower due to the restriction.

The proper way to clean it is to let the stove go out and vacuum thoroughly under the grate through the combustion fan hole. Also remove the coal and check the grate for obstructions in the air holes (you can twist a drill bit the right size by hand to remove any crusties).

If this isn't the issue and the mounting screws on the stoker are secure, then maybe the rod is turning by itself somehow, a little blue locktite will prevent that. There is no other adjustment I know of.

lincolnmania · Post by **lincolnmania** » Sun. Feb. 03, 2008 10:02 am

i just went thru the same problem with my alaska......i took a drill bit and cleaned the buildup out of the holes on the grate and cleaned the fines out......the stove works much better and is pumping vast amounts of heat and using a lot less coal

aproth · Post by **aproth** » Sun. Feb. 03, 2008 6:39 pm

Thanks to both of you for your replies. I did remove the combustion motor and clean out under the grate before burning this season but I have not done it since then. And now that I think about it, I think that the coal I got this year seems to have more fines than the coal I had last year. Since it was warm today it was a good day to shut it down and clean it out. I will post back and let you know what happens. Thanks again.

lincolnmania · Post by **lincolnmania** » Mon. Feb. 04, 2008 7:18 am

they say you should clean out your stoker for every 2-3 tons burned......i was a sleepyhead yesterday when it was warm and didnt get the flyash out of my efm like I wanted to

aproth · Post by **aproth** » Wed. Feb. 06, 2008 9:52 am

Thanks a lot guys. Even though it's been warmer lately, I can tell that there has been a dramatic improvement in heat output and coal consumption. It's like I have a new stove again.