Moving from a Keystoker Koker to EFM AF -150

 
lgilkes
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Post by lgilkes » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 9:00 pm

Thinking about moving from a Keystoker Koker to EFM AF -150. Want to reduce the maintenance and want a more consistent coal burn.

Anyone have a EFM AF 150, what are your thoughts, is it much better than the Keystoker. If i buy used how old is too old a unit.

Advice is greatly appreciated.


 
lgilkes
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Post by lgilkes » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 9:08 pm

Thinking about moving from a Keystoker Koker to EFM AF -150. Want to reduce the maintenance and want a more consistent coal burn.

Anyone have a EFM AF 150, what are your thoughts, is it much better than the Keystoker. If i buy used how old is too old a unit.

Advice is greatly appreciated.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 9:54 pm

What sort of maintenance are you looking to reduce?

The age question is a tough one. An old unit that was well maintained and/or not run hard may be in better shape that a newer model. I would not exclude any purely based on age.

 
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Post by lgilkes » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 10:42 pm

If you do not do this every month and a half the unit does not run well.

Vacuum inside of the unit floor, sides, top, everywhere and wipe down.
Vacuum up into both heat tubes.
Remove Direct Cent and Vacuum entire Flue up into Chimney
Vacuum out the direct vent motor
Disconnect and Vacuum the combustion motor and under the plate
Replace both filters
Duck Tape ALL filters everywhere.
Clean back and pusher bar/fan fins
Check/Punch Grate holes
Daily check of draft

 
lgilkes
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Post by lgilkes » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 11:01 pm

EFM i am looking at

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lgilkes
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Post by lgilkes » Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 11:02 pm

Want to reduce my maintenance footprint. Too much on the key stoker.

Its a good unit if properly cared for.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 6:53 am

lgilkes wrote:
Wed. Jul. 22, 2020 10:42 pm
If you do not do this every month and a half the unit does not run well.

Vacuum inside of the unit floor, sides, top, everywhere and wipe down.
Vacuum up into both heat tubes.
Remove Direct Cent and Vacuum entire Flue up into Chimney
Vacuum out the direct vent motor
Disconnect and Vacuum the combustion motor and under the plate
Replace both filters
Duck Tape ALL filters everywhere.
Clean back and pusher bar/fan fins
Check/Punch Grate holes
Daily check of draft
I see what you mean. I can't comment on the filters as I have only used EFM boilers, but I can tell you they are not nearly as picky about cleaning. I clean mine once per season and have no issues with draft, etc.

Here is another thread that goes through a rebuild of one of these units.

EFM AF-150 Disassembly, Rebuild, Installation


 
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Post by Pacowy » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 10:21 am

There are a couple of things on the maintenance schedule I don't understand:

- If there is a chimney why is a direct vent being used? They tend to add maintenance and monitoring needs relative to a chimney.

- What are all of the filters for? Most coal furnaces I have seen have an internal filter that captures impurities from the return air and prevents them from being distributed through the house. That filter needs to be changed fairly regularly in most situations, esp if you have a lot of pets that shed, dust tumbleweeds, etc.. Not sure what the other filters are for.

The EFM has an easy cleanout lever for the air chamber, so it should be a little easier than the Keystoker on that. On the other hand, almost any coal appliance requires at least one mid-season cleaning to keep the heat exchange surfaces and flue pipe clear of flyash buildup, so some of that maintenance is unavoidable.

Also, if you are getting a lot of buildup in the air chamber and blockage of air holes in the grate, you might want to check your coal supply for excessive undersized pieces and fines, esp if the coal is also wet/damp. If so, changing your coal sourcing and/or handling would likely produce a bigger improvement than changing furnaces.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 
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Post by freetown fred » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 10:50 am

Damn I, with all that maintenance, I'd consider a hand fired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Light her up in the Fall & forget all but tending every 12 hrs. LOL

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 10:54 am

Mike makes a good point. If it is a coal quality issue, that will increase the maintenance on any equipment.

 
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Post by lgilkes » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 4:17 pm

I do not have a chimney, getting one installed.

The filters are for the cold air return.

The grate needs to be cleaned out for effective operation of the stove, with the combustion blower. Fines get into the combustion fan and it needs to be cleaned out, otherwise the fire does not get enough air. Taking the combustion fan off and putting it back on is a pain in the A#!@.

When the draft is not set properly, you get a hopper fire, then the nylon cam melts, then you have to clear the hopper of coal, install a new nylon cam, pusher bar needs new screws, that need to be reset or the fire will not be right.

I do not want to have set screws to have a proper fire.

The unit, needs to be cleaned at least 8 times during the season, if you do not properly clean it out you get carbon monoxide or the unit does not operate at full capacity.

Need something with less maintenance, i think the EFM what i hear only needs to be cleaned once a year. Once a year is fine with me.

 
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Post by nepacoal » Thu. Jul. 23, 2020 4:53 pm

I rewired my stoker and combustion blower with plugs... Cut cleaning time by at least an hour, maybe more. See photo.

You must use horrible ( or possibly wet) coal. You should only have to vacuum fines once a year, maybe twice if you shut down for a mid season cleaning. Same thing for combustion fan... I clean mine once a year in September. I take the cover off and use a brass brush on the fan blades. My KAA-4 has the same stoker/fan as the koker...

I would guess that 90% of your problems come from having to use a direct vent... A DV requires so much routine maintenance and has to add tons of fly ash in your furnace room. That new chimney will make a huge difference no matter what else you do!

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Post by McGiever » Fri. Jul. 24, 2020 9:28 am

What about chimney 'first', then see how koker behaves??

 
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Post by lgilkes » Mon. Jul. 27, 2020 10:48 pm

I am putting in a new chimney and EFM, if i have the chimney rather have the better unit.

 
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Post by McGiever » Wed. Jul. 29, 2020 9:21 am

lgilkes wrote:
Mon. Jul. 27, 2020 10:48 pm
I am putting in a new chimney and EFM, if i have the chimney rather have the better unit.
Do it the LAST WAY FIRST is very wise...


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