Yellow Flame, A Christmas Stoker Boiler
- 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
Those damn unions always leak. Drain, unscrew the collar and wrap the hell out of it with teflon tape and then tighten them tighter then you think they should be.
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7502
- 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
At 0800 this morning pressure is down from 15 PSI to 12 PSI. The bucket under the leak in the return is about 1/3 of the way full. I hope thats were my 3 PSI went! The leak in the union has stopped, one less thing to worry about. Time to get out ther and take some pipe apart.
-Don
WOW! 20 pages! I should have called this thread " Everything you ever wanted to know about the Yellow Flame 3 grate stoker, but were afraid to ask".
-Don
WOW! 20 pages! I should have called this thread " Everything you ever wanted to know about the Yellow Flame 3 grate stoker, but were afraid to ask".
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7502
- 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
FIRST FIRE!!!
In the time it took to right this, the boiler came up to 170 degrees and the aquastat shut it off, like it should!
Now I need to figure out where the timer wires get hooked to.
-Don
In the time it took to right this, the boiler came up to 170 degrees and the aquastat shut it off, like it should!
Now I need to figure out where the timer wires get hooked to.
-Don
- Rob R.
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 18009
- Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
- Location: Chazy, NY
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr
That fire looks pretty wild!
Once you get a load on it and let it stoke for at least 30 minutes, take note of how much ash is on the grate compared to the air holes. You want the fire to stop just before the last set of air holes on the grate.
Once you get a load on it and let it stoke for at least 30 minutes, take note of how much ash is on the grate compared to the air holes. You want the fire to stop just before the last set of air holes on the grate.
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7502
- 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'll worry about the Manometer readings later.
YAH!!! That is WILD look'in!
I had to slap together a temp coal bin. I gotta go out and get some more coal for it. This thing might just use a little more coal than the Alaska!
-Don
YAH!!! That is WILD look'in!
I had to slap together a temp coal bin. I gotta go out and get some more coal for it. This thing might just use a little more coal than the Alaska!
-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
Congratulations!!!!!!!!!
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7502
- 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 guys,
I just went out and got coal.
There ya go, about 800 pounds worth!
The blowers are blow'in, the boiler is maintaing 170-180, I have the one garage door open and it's 68 degrees in here!
-Don
I just went out and got coal.
There ya go, about 800 pounds worth!
The blowers are blow'in, the boiler is maintaing 170-180, I have the one garage door open and it's 68 degrees in here!
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7502
- 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 just hung my old CO detector from an extesion cord down about a foot off the floor, just in case. That is a real worry, it's just a 6"x14 foot chimney. That blower can put a lot of CFM into the firebox and those doors don't have any kind of seal on them, gravity holds the fire door closed, the ash door has a latch.
I hope it will maintain a fire without the timer, I don't know when I will get around to hook'in that up.
-Don
I hope it will maintain a fire without the timer, I don't know when I will get around to hook'in that up.
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 7502
- 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 would again like to thank everyone who has helped out with information support. I'm very suprized that it is one month to the day that I loaded this boiler in the back of my truck, and now, with all of your help it is fired up and running!
1 month ago.
Today
Thank you all very much.
-Don
1 month ago.
Today
Thank you all very much.
-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
Give yourself some credit, it's real easy to sit behind a keyboard and spout out advice, you did all the hard work!
It looks great!!!
It looks great!!!
- coalkirk
- Member
- Posts: 5185
- Joined: Wed. May. 17, 2006 8:12 pm
- Location: Forest Hill MD
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1981 EFM DF520 retired
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul 507 on standby
- Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite/rice coal
Man that's got to be a forum record for buying, refurbing and firing of an old boiler. You are the man! Congrats! I notice you said there are no seals on the doors. I would assume there used to be and should be seals?
- 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
Agreed...has to be a record!