New (to Me) Axeman 260

Townsend wrote:

Pacowy wrote:If things don't work out with that buck I've got a nice bin you could dump it in to get rid of it.

Mike

That is one hell of a bin Mike!

You wouldn't even have to bring it to that one - it could chute right into the "bin room" from outside. But - sadly - I think you're right that buck might be a good choice for you for summer DHW.

Mike

Pacowy wrote:I think you're right that buck might be a good choice for you for summer DHW.

Maybe. The buckwheat will require more air and in the low draft conditions we see in the summer months it may just bite you again. I vote for blending it in with the pea and closing the books on that stuff while Mr Axeman has a big appetite. When an Axeman has an outfire, it will eat all the coal in the bin looking for heat without an outfire safety switch.

If the chimney provides draft it seems like it would be a tough job to get the fire to go out on a 260, with buck or pea. I think it is a good idea to run a timer and keep the fire "happy", but some have demonstrated it isn't mandatory.

As for buck in the summer, Matthew D. claims it resolved an outfire problem for him. I think the biggest variable is chimney draft.

AHS S130 Coalgun- Puffbacks & Explosions

Thanks Rob, by the way, I like the new avatar!! Looks like you were explaining some hydronic heating theories to him just before you took the picture. Remember to instruct him in steam as well

Beautiful child you you have there.

Does anyone have installed on their stoker a outfire shutoff switch? I'd like to prevent a run on situation resulting in coal being dumped out all day should I loose a fire.

I came home the other day to a cold house. As I headed to the basement I heard the boiler fan running and thoughts of coal overflowing my ash pan flashed through my mind. Luckily I found it to be the gear motor belt jumped off. I put belt back on and tightened it up a bit. Unfortunately the fire was dead so I had to refire it.

Back in business pretty quick but I got thinking of setting up preventative measures for a run on coal feed.

Look at Page 16 of the EFM DF520 manual: http://efmheating.com/manuals/DF520-Installation.pdf

Obviously your wiring will be slightly different, but you will still need an aquastat and a switch to bypass the control on startup. Do you have a spare boiler tapping for an aquastat well?

Steve, have you spent any 'quality time' with your AA this week? Have you been able to measure what your coal use is?

Did you find time to plumb in your DHW ?

Greg L

Well, I'm finally all Axeman for both heating and domestic hot water!

Plumbed in a tempering valve and moved my electric tank out of the way in a corner. Kept the electric tank hooked up but shut off with valves in case I need it for boiler maintenance etc. As for the valve, I found a brand called Caleffi that has an inline thermometer on the mixed outlet. I set it for 130 degrees and it's working fine. Took a nice hot shower that was all Axeman!!!

Looking forward to see what kind of savings on my electric bill I'll have.

And how long was that shower ??? 20-30 minutes ???

The only time our AA has ever gone out was due to a gearmotor failure. My system has a motor for the fan and a seperate gearmotor for feed. I do not use a timer. It has run 24/7 for the past 4 or 5 years straight. Even through a partial collapse of the chimney liner partially blocking the flue for 2 days before I discovered draft and hooked the pipe back up to the flue. SS Liner Woes liner woes



Rick

Don't be afraid to pipe the tank-less to and through your electric water heater either. I gives you a 30 gallon buffer tank that is still ready to go all the time and usually is a buffer on the boiler run time.
I've been doing it for 40 years with a stone line tank, and it is flawless. (same tanks are still on=line today) I have a replacement tank on a pallet, but I'm still waiting...............talk about a lifetime warranty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, you could take a 3 hr or 40 hr shower and it won't ever cool down unless you run out of coal. AA's are built for the long run, and anyone who has one knows that well. Not as pretty, but I don't take my 'girls' to the 'boiler expo's' anyway.

Whistle, I was looking to stay away from having to add any additional pumps to my hot water line. The idea is sound though and it is tempting.

I also thought about flowing the cold water into and through the 50 gallon hot water tank without the power to the tank, essentially using it to hold a volume of water so as to get it to room temp before it hits the boiler. In other words having 70 - 80 degree water come into the boiler instead of 40 degree water. I know the Axeman has no trouble with the cooler water but was not sure if the less taxing warmer water would make a difference. I also wonder if the electric tank's insulation would prevent the cooler water that enters it from getting to room temp, or that much warmer to make a difference.

Things have been very nice with the set up as is. Perhaps it's just psycholgical but showers just feel better! I stay as long as I want and don't think about any electric bill increases.

I love my Axeman 260!!!!!!

The hotter the feedwater the better. It is more efficient as well. I installed a tee for the hot water supply off of the hot water heater. I ran piping from that tee for my boiler feedwater line. There are two globe valve's and also a check valve to prevent boiler water from going into the hot water heater. How much make up feedwater is you're boiler using? They sell a meter so you can keep track of make up feed usage. This thread is great. Lots of info for restoring my AA 260, although I have much more to read on this and other threads. Glad you like you're AA260.

It's not needing any make up water. The feeder I have piped to the system is not working properly so I disabled it and only use the valves manually. The water level stays consistant in the gauge glass. I only manually add water when I blow down the low water cutoff each week. Other than that the water stays at the 40 inch mark for the normal water level of the 260.

I'm going to purchase a new feeder soon and get one with a digital meter as well.

As for the cold water feed to the boiler for the domestic coil, I haven't decided if I should repipe to go through the electric tank first to act as a buffer or just keep it like it is.

That's great that you don't need much makeup. Making a buffer tank is entirely up to you. Do you have some more pictures you can post?

Sure, here is a couple more pics.