Yellow Flame, A Christmas Stoker Boiler
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
Sorry Kevin, no metal tape.
So, I forgot to do some things I should have done today, but I did get this part done.
New choke
Old choke
So, I forgot to do some things I should have done today, but I did get this part done.
New choke
Old choke
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
Here is the flame with the new and old chokes.
New choke
Old choke
Flue temp has dropped about 30 degrees with the reduced combustion air.
New temp
Old temp
This info was take at about the same time during a long heat cycle.
It looks to me like the flame is a bit lazyer withe the reduced combustion air and the flue temp is down 30 degrees.
-Don
New choke
Old choke
Flue temp has dropped about 30 degrees with the reduced combustion air.
New temp
Old temp
This info was take at about the same time during a long heat cycle.
It looks to me like the flame is a bit lazyer withe the reduced combustion air and the flue temp is down 30 degrees.
-Don
- CoalHeat
- Member
- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 10, 2007 9:48 pm
- Location: Stillwater, New Jersey
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Magnafire Mark I
- Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
- Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
- Other Heating: Fisher Fireplace Insert
Here's my Honeywell S400A timer for reference.
-
- Member
- Posts: 5791
- Joined: Sun. Feb. 17, 2008 1:08 pm
- Location: Harrison, Tenn
- Other Heating: Wishing it was cold enough for coal here....not really
You guys gotta stop putting up those pics of the mercury filled terrorist devices. The EPA, NSA, TSA, CIA, FBI, and DHS are going to descend on you guys and put you out of business.
Kevin
Kevin
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
WoodnCoal,
Wow your is nice and clean! I can actualy read the numbers! I had to guess how many minutes mine was set for. On yours I can see "1 RPM" on the side of the motor. I will look at mine to see if it is a "2 RPM".
-Don
Wow your is nice and clean! I can actualy read the numbers! I had to guess how many minutes mine was set for. On yours I can see "1 RPM" on the side of the motor. I will look at mine to see if it is a "2 RPM".
-Don
- CoalHeat
- Member
- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 10, 2007 9:48 pm
- Location: Stillwater, New Jersey
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Magnafire Mark I
- Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
- Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
- Other Heating: Fisher Fireplace Insert
mercury filled terrorist devices
It was new old stock, had never been used.
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
Craigs list saved my domestic hot water!
I got a nice Amtrol 41 gallon boilermate with digital controls off of craigslist for a song.
It should be easy enough to hook up. I will run another zone pump wired through the "to heating circulator" violet violet section. Then it should run the zone pump until the internal thermostat temp is met, guess I won't need my mixing valve?
I'm not sure if I will hook it up now, but it will be hooked in once the boiler goes in the basment.
-Don
I got a nice Amtrol 41 gallon boilermate with digital controls off of craigslist for a song.
It should be easy enough to hook up. I will run another zone pump wired through the "to heating circulator" violet violet section. Then it should run the zone pump until the internal thermostat temp is met, guess I won't need my mixing valve?
I'm not sure if I will hook it up now, but it will be hooked in once the boiler goes in the basment.
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
I got up this morning, and the water temp was down to 140 and the fire was out. Only a few handfulls of coal in the ash pan so it wasn't out for very long. Over the passed few days I have zeroed in on a good feed rate and combustion air setting and it has been running well. I have no idea why it went out? Maybe it's afraid of the boilermate sitting next to it?
-Don
-Don
- Sting
- Member
- Posts: 2983
- Joined: Mon. Feb. 25, 2008 4:24 pm
- Location: Lower Fox Valley = Wisconsin
- Other Heating: OBSO Lennox Pulse "Air Scorcher" burning NG
Nice Score!StokerDon wrote:Craigs list saved my domestic hot water!
I got a nice Amtrol 41 gallon boilermate with digital controls off of craigslist for a song.
-Don
- 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
Got my BoilerMate the same way.
I still used a thermostatic mixing valve so I can store hotter water, making hotter water also gives the boiler a longer workout which is helpful when the heating load is lighter. I run @ 138*.
If you do go ahead w/ mixing valve, plumb it to have a heat trap or you could add a spring check valve, add isolation valves and add a valved stub to feed 138* water straight to dishwasher and washing machine...later on you can run directly to appliances w/ 1/2" pex.
I still used a thermostatic mixing valve so I can store hotter water, making hotter water also gives the boiler a longer workout which is helpful when the heating load is lighter. I run @ 138*.
If you do go ahead w/ mixing valve, plumb it to have a heat trap or you could add a spring check valve, add isolation valves and add a valved stub to feed 138* water straight to dishwasher and washing machine...later on you can run directly to appliances w/ 1/2" pex.
- Rob R.
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 18004
- Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
- Location: Chazy, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr
Timer cycles are either too short, or too far apart.StokerDon wrote:I got up this morning, and the water temp was down to 140 and the fire was out. Only a few handfulls of coal in the ash pan so it wasn't out for very long. Over the passed few days I have zeroed in on a good feed rate and combustion air setting and it has been running well. I have no idea why it went out? Maybe it's afraid of the boilermate sitting next to it?
-Don
- SMITTY
- Member
- Posts: 12526
- Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
- Location: West-Central Mass
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
- Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
- Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler
Just a word to the wise - wire it up so it's powered 24v if you can. If you can't, take a gander at the following thread and keep it in the back of your head for when it starts buzzing on you. Those control units are almost $200 online for that thing. I fixed mine using the steps I outlined in this thread - cost: $0.StokerDon wrote:Craigs list saved my domestic hot water!
I got a nice Amtrol 41 gallon boilermate with digital controls off of craigslist for a song. .................
-Don
Fixing the Dreaded Boilermate Buzz: Control Board Repair
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
Thanks a lot Smitty,
I didn't know anything about this Boilermate before I bought it, that is a great little tutorial. I DO know exactly what Mikie is talking about. Capacitors are one of the more expensive compenents to have in your circuit from a mass production standpoint. So, manufacturers always put cheap ones in, they last a few years and the they ware out, they only warranty the product for 3 months to a year. Most consumer electronics can be fixed by replacing capacitors.
Maybe I will do a little preventive maintinance on my Boilermate before I install it.
-Don
I didn't know anything about this Boilermate before I bought it, that is a great little tutorial. I DO know exactly what Mikie is talking about. Capacitors are one of the more expensive compenents to have in your circuit from a mass production standpoint. So, manufacturers always put cheap ones in, they last a few years and the they ware out, they only warranty the product for 3 months to a year. Most consumer electronics can be fixed by replacing capacitors.
Maybe I will do a little preventive maintinance on my Boilermate before I install it.
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7496
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
Those are good ideas McGiever, I never thought about it before but, I might want to run the dishwasher and washing machine at a higher temp than the tap water.McGiever wrote:Got my BoilerMate the same way.
I still used a thermostatic mixing valve so I can store hotter water, making hotter water also gives the boiler a longer workout which is helpful when the heating load is lighter. I run @ 138*.
If you do go ahead w/ mixing valve, plumb it to have a heat trap or you could add a spring check valve, add isolation valves and add a valved stub to feed 138* water straight to dishwasher and washing machine...later on you can run directly to appliances w/ 1/2" pex.
-Don