Moisture inside keystoker while running

Post Reply
 
lamina1982
Member
Posts: 149
Joined: Sat. Oct. 11, 2014 2:11 am
Location: Albio , Ny
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: keystoker econo 90
Coal Size/Type: rice

Post by lamina1982 » Mon. May. 13, 2019 9:26 pm

Its pretty much the end of the burning season for me but i had some free coal from my bro, supposedly rice but seems a tad smaller pretty dusty and not as shiny as usual.
I had been mixing it in with my usual.stuff but out now so its just that. Stove been running lighter than usual since warmer. Noted today fire looked wrong, lots blue flame on top, coal seemed deeper and not red on top and hot coals going off grate, thought maybe the fines were clogging it up...so i just cleaned it and it almost looked like some moisture on inside stove on either side of of the grate-on the back wall and some greenish color. Was worried maybe too much fly ash in stove pipe, i pulled that and pretty much just a dusting...i burned prolly over 4 ton amd no issues thus far, no condensation in hopper. No elevation on co detector that is near stove..stove in basement,masonry chimney. Drafting .02-.04 currently.
Any thoughts other than bad coal?
Seems weird if stove hot how could water be inside
Ive never noticed greenish before in stove or chimney, until now.
Keystoker 90, been raining few days here, in 40-50s
Thanks

 
User avatar
2001Sierra
Member
Posts: 2211
Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34

Post by 2001Sierra » Mon. May. 13, 2019 10:39 pm

Was the flame clean with little or no smoke? I suspect the coal was a little on the soft side. Not good anthracite, many years ago I got urban mined coal for free, and before the forum , I was just guessing on what I was seeing. Some of it was really crap, but I had limited money and it was free.

 
lincolnmania
Member
Posts: 2684
Joined: Fri. Jan. 26, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Birdsboro PA.
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 350
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: reading allegheny stoker
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: alaska kodiak stoker 1986. 1987 triburner, 1987 crane diamond
Coal Size/Type: rice

Post by lincolnmania » Mon. May. 13, 2019 11:23 pm

yea if the flu is not clogged i would blame it on the coal. 14 yrs ago when i first started burning coal friends would bring me free basement coal from craigslist to help heat the shop. one time i got a pickup load of pea coal that would not burn on it's own. and when you got it going with other coal it stank.


 
lamina1982
Member
Posts: 149
Joined: Sat. Oct. 11, 2014 2:11 am
Location: Albio , Ny
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: keystoker econo 90
Coal Size/Type: rice

Post by lamina1982 » Mon. May. 13, 2019 11:46 pm

Opened the combustion blower to 3/4 instead of half and seems to be doing a little better.
No clue how old this coal is but def seems subpar, i was hoping to just burn it up to get rid of it but it doesnt even seem worth it.

 
User avatar
2001Sierra
Member
Posts: 2211
Joined: Wed. May. 20, 2009 8:09 am
Location: Wynantskill NY, 10 miles from Albany
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90 Chimney vent
Coal Size/Type: Rice
Other Heating: Buderus Oil Boiler 3115-34

Post by 2001Sierra » Tue. May. 14, 2019 12:00 am

lamina1982 wrote:
Mon. May. 13, 2019 11:46 pm
Opened the combustion blower to 3/4 instead of half and seems to be doing a little better.
No clue how old this coal is but def seems subpar, i was hoping to just burn it up to get rid of it but it doesnt even seem worth it.
My new coal is probably at least 100 million years old :D

 
User avatar
McGiever
Member
Posts: 10130
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 » Tue. May. 14, 2019 11:27 am

Water is always there...you just won't see it if combustion it proper.
You are on right track with seeing it is smaller sized and restricts air feed a lot more.
A thinner layer on grate or greater air flow up through grate will burn this perfectly good coal...

Post Reply

Return to “Stoker Coal Furnaces & Stoves Using Anthracite (Hot Air)”