Yellow Flame, A Christmas Stoker Boiler

How about some metal duct tape? Then you will have some spare time!

Kevin

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

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

Here's my Honeywell S400A timer for reference.

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

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

mercury filled terrorist devices

It was new old stock, had never been used.

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 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

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

Nice Score!

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.

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

Timer cycles are either too short, or too far apart.

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

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.

Fixing the Dreaded Boilermate Buzz: Control Board Repair

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

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.

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.

-Don