Keystoker Feed

Hi folks,
I'm wondering if I am getting a complete burn from my k6 Keystoker boiler? I'm using rice coal. Often when I empty the ash bucket I see what appears to be unburnt pieces of coal in with the ash.
I've observed the fire during a call for heat and I have about 2" of dead ash at the end of the tray so I'm thinking my feed rate is about correct.
I have noticed the tray (probably the wrong term) is level full and I think some coal spills over the sides. I have also noticed that the ash coming off is completely burnt on the bottom but on top maintains its form. So my thought is even though I see this coal burning it doesn't completely burn before its temperature drops and it becomes dead ash.
Any thoughts? Feed rates? I was feeding it less but it wasn't keeping up with heat loads during a colder time. I also wonder if the throat is allowing to much through?

Thanks Chris

sinistrafatboy wrote:Hi folks,
I'm wondering if I am getting a complete burn from my k6 Keystoker boiler? I'm using rice coal. Often when I empty the ash bucket I see what appears to be unburnt pieces of coal in with the ash.
I've observed the fire during a call for heat and I have about 2" of dead ash at the end of the tray so I'm thinking my feed rate is about correct.
I have noticed the tray (probably the wrong term) is level full and I think some coal spills over the sides. I have also noticed that the ash coming off is completely burnt on the bottom but on top maintains its form. So my thought is even though I see this coal burning it doesn't completely burn before its temperature drops and it becomes dead ash.
Any thoughts? Feed rates? I was feeding it less but it wasn't keeping up with heat loads during a colder time. I also wonder if the throat is allowing to much through?

Thanks Chris

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Do you have a tall flame across the coal bed that is burning on the stoker bed??
Is the air shutter half way open? are you drawing .02 for draft with the manomometer?
When was the last time you cleaned under the stoker bed with a vacuum and checked to make sure the air holes in the three stoker bed plates are not plugged??

Have you cemented the side rails where they meet the outer grates or the joints between the grates at any time?

If your spilling coal off the sides of the stoker bed rails your feeding too much I think.

One of the folks found his stoker motor was running backwards and the squirrel cage fan was running backwards.

When was the last time you cleaned the fan and the housing?