Introduction of the New Stoker Base

The redesigned stoker base was introduced in the Summer of 2008. An incomplete pictorial is shown of its assembly. It takes about 20 minutes to fully assemble. Any individual panel is able to be replaced, eliminating the necessity to replace an entire base when only one or more parts is damaged.

Great improvement. That must also keep shipping costs down?

Chris F.

Same weight, but more compact, and individual pieces can be bought, although probably not in my lifetime.

is there any reason the back of the base cound not be opened up for easier flyash cleaning, or why is it closed off?

Change is slow and painful. Like politics, you can lead them to water, but you can't make them drink! Great step forward, now the tankless on the other end.....I know it is not as pretty.....out of sight ,out of mind. Now, a mini rail system to slide the blower and stoker assembly out for ease of maintainability. I know...you would have to address the infeed tube and auger situation. I'll just shut up and enjoy the marvel of the product. When the ability to dream dies, so do all the rest of us......

10" of snow and 25 MPH winds, not a good day for shingling a roof!
Chris, thanks for the updates on the bases of the 520. A very good start.

I would also like to echo termite1's question about an access port to clean out or observe the fly ash levels. I know we can engineer one ourselves, just wondering if that is a pimple on the 'behind' of progress in the coal R&D.
Hey, at least we don't want to add any relays, muffler bearing hydraulic support actuators, or a remote sensing devises to compute fuel usage based upon the outside temp in Tibet.
Chris, I also know that EFM coal devices are a small part of the overall operation. Having seen your oil and gas boilers, you guys do know what is going on outside 'stoker world!'

Everything has to be sealed, so any removable plates have to be sealed too. If it were my own, I would make an inspection hole like the type on the drum brakes, but it isn't hard to remove the smokepipe elbow either. The Dwyer Mark II should show a great loss of negative pressure when the pipe starts to fill up.

I like everything except that non american made forklift in the picture

just wondering on the everything sealed part? I know the vawert, now A&B Stoker, is all open so the fly ash just falls into the ashes. does it have to do with the pressure or the draft?

It will affect the draft if all openings aren't well-sealed with boiler putty. It also allows any positive pressure to push out CO.

I don't know what the problem is with the existing back plate. I removed my flue pipe and was able to run a brush and vacumn and drop light in the 8" opening, giving it a good cleaning in about 5 minutes. I don't think it was that big a deal, not one to warrant a big design change. I was real suprised that it was so easy. Scott

No question Scott. All we were asking is why couldn't we have a 4" or 6" threaded or twist lock opening so that the stack pipe can stay in place, while a vac could suck out the fly ash. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, just talking out loud about something else to ease keeping her tuned up.
Kinda like an excavator that has all the boom grease fittings down on the turret in one place. Make it easier, and folks will do it more often.
If the stoker was on mini rails and could slide out in 3 minutes, how many people would do the deed?
Work on a new car lately? Those SOBs that build them sure as hell never intend to have to work on one.
Also, they must have the dinkiest hands in the world. Is our world going to be run by micro-mini people?

Chris, one more small thing, why doesn't EFM weld in a lifting hook like AHS? I use the 3" BUSHING reduced to 2", but that can't be any safer than the nipple or nipple and cap with a small chain in it. I have welded lifting mounts on the sides of my boilers; I kinda like having all my fingers and toes attached as long as I am alive.

Yes, my df520 is purring along right now....so thanks for all that you do as our link to the Corporate folks.
16 degrees outside, wind is 25 mph and steady. The deer are coming toward the bird feeders, must be sick of eating evergreens. Landscaping bushes will be next.........

When I lifted similar loads, I'd put a grade 8 bolt through a chain link of appropriate size and tip the bolt into the cavity and have it cross the hole.

I was telling upper management about the requests for a way to access the rear panel. I think it's easy enough to remove the stove pipe, but he was interested in hearing more. I also reminded him that we want to change the coil to the front and he wrote that down again too.

What would you like to do with the rear panel.....give me an idea.

And the 6 million dollar question: how much does it cost to order the complete base direct from EFM?

A good cleanout would be 4" or 5" slots across the back sides, a foot tall. On the same side as the stoker panels just farther back in the flyash cleanout. With the matching cutouts in the covers. Just enough to get your arm and a brush up the heat exchanger. Whistlenut is right Scott

EFM Dealers Who Sell Direct

Ed, See the link. Call any of them or all of them. RD Fuel or Randy might be the easiest to contact. You will get good prices on efm parts from that list.