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Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 5:51 pm
by Skeeter41
I installed a KA6 direct vent last winter and it seemed to burn really well. This fall is seemed to burn pretty good also and then around Thanksgiving we got a warm spell so I shut it down to clean it. The only thing I did was take the stove pipe off of the direct vent and cleaned that out. Once I put it back together the stove's performance has slowly been diminishing. I started getting some severe clinkers. Clinker big enough that they do not come down the grate and the new coal being fed into the stove gets pushed on top of the clinkers and into a heap in the middle of the grate. When the stove gets to temperature and the feed and air flow shut down (quits firing) the coal still stays a glowing red. Not as hot and red as when the blowers are running, but definitely more red than before. last year and in the fall it would heat the water up to 180 the stove would shut down and the most the water temp would go up would be to 183-185. After I cleaned it and I noticed the coal is staying cherry red after the stove shuts down the water temp is still climbing up into the 190's and a half hour later would be burned out.

I bought a manometer (dwyer 25) to check the draft. Keystoker says to shut the air shutter at the stoker, light the stove and get it hot and then shut it down and measure the draft. Adjust baro to .02. Turn the stove back on and adjust the air shutter to get to .01 to .02.

I have the stove good and hot, shut it down and measured the draft it read a .1. I moved the baro weight the whole way out to the end which only made the baro open about an inch or so. Measure it and it read a .07. I held the baro door completely open by hand and the lowest it would go is a .05-.06. I am out of adjustments to the baro. When the stove kicks on the baro door closes completely and the draft measures .02 like Keystoker says it should. I moved the air shutter to see what differences it would make and it didn't move the draft measurement at all.

So my questions are:

1. How do I get the idle draft down to the .02 like Keystoker says it should measure?
2. Should the baro door shut when the stove is firing?
3. Should moving the air shutter make a difference in the draft measurement while the stove is firing?
4. Do the clinkers come from the time the stove is on idle or do they come from the time the stove is firing?

Sorry this is so long, but I am trying to give as much information as possible.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 6:08 pm
by WNY
First, where are you measuring the draft at with your manometer?

The T-Handle on the Direct Vent Adjusts the draft on the stove and how much it sucks from the stove, maybe you bumped it or opened it up more when you cleaned it, that will create A lot of draft on the stove. There is a setscrew on T-Handle that will loosen it up and you need to close it a bit and check your draft.

Post a pic of your direct vent/baro setup, then we can get an idea if there anything wrong.

Thanks!

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 6:15 pm
by Skeeter41
Measuring the draft from the hole in the door.

My direct vent doesn't have the t-handle that I can see.

I will try to get a couple pics posted.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 6:20 pm
by WNY
Okay, is your direct vent mounted directly on your stove or close to it? Big black blower unit? I pic would help.

Measuring in the door is good! that shouldn't be a problem. You are problaby just pulling too much draft with your direct vent if you have the baro open and you are still reading high.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 6:27 pm
by Skeeter41
Working on getting some pics, but dial up takes some time.

Yup big black blower mounted directly to the stove.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 6:32 pm
by WNY
Usually there is some type of air adjustment for the intake of the direct vent blower, maybe a cover that can be closed off? that the way mine is, it has a slide cover hooked to the little T-Handle that slides back and forth.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 6:34 pm
by Skeeter41
Here is a pic of the direct vent. The weight on the damper door is completely at the top and this is all the further it opens. At this it is measuring .07. If I hold the damper door completely open or take it off it measures .05
IMAG0283.jpg

Front of the Direct Vent

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IMAG0284.jpg

Back of the Direct Vent

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Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 6:39 pm
by WNY
Thats a bit different, mine doesn't have a baro on it, so I have to manually adjust the draft with the damper slider. Someone else can probably chime in that has this setup.

Unscrew the weight and Add a washer under it to add weight, that will make it open more and reduce the draft down.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 7:06 pm
by Skeeter41
If you look at the back of the direct vent there is a round part that is mounted to the main black tube. This round part is the actual fan blades and then the fan motor out the back. The fan blades spin inside of that and sucks air out of the main black tube which pulls the air from either the stove or the damper.

Thanks for your help, hopefully someone will chime in that has this setup and can help. I will put a washer or two on the weight to at least get it to a .05.

Would it pulling this much draft at idle be causing the clinkers?

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Fri. Dec. 09, 2011 8:16 pm
by WNY
Yes, too much draft can cause the clinkers, since its pulling more air thru and burning it hotter. Sometimes it takes a bit to get all the adjustments set, sometimes you just have to live with some of it, but sounds like you are getting closer.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Sun. Dec. 11, 2011 1:13 pm
by Skeeter41
Clinkers are getting really bad now that it was really cold this weekend. I am talking clinkers that are 9 inches long, 8 inches wide (or whatever the width of the grate is) and 4 inches thick. New coal gets pushed on top of the clinker. Definitely not burning efficient at all.

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Sun. Dec. 18, 2011 11:18 pm
by McGiever
Seems logical that if you limit the amount of air at the stoker inlet by way of the air shutter adjustment...two things would happen different. The grate air will be reduced eliminating clinkers and the direct vent would get less air to exhaust. Given that there aren't and air leaks from elsewhere...the excess draft air requirement could only then come in through the baro...which is a good thing, if there isn't any other way to slow the DV motor down. ;)

Re: Help With Keystoker KA6 Direct Vent Draft

Posted: Tue. Dec. 20, 2011 7:23 am
by Skeeter41
I called Keystoker last week. I bought this unit used and the small combustion fan that was supposed to run 24/7 was wired to only run when the main stoker unit was on. Once I wired this to be on 24/7 my draft at idle went to a neg .02 - .03. Keystoker said this would be fine. I have been running it the past week and haven't had any clinkers, coal is burning up completely and is definitely heating water a whole lot quicker than before.

The only thing is that the -.02 to -.03 is the lowest draft I can get at idle (this is with the baro completely open) but when the stove is running I get a -.01 as the highest. It never goes into a positive draft, but it also never goes above a .01 now.