Draft

northernmainecoal · Post by **northernmainecoal** » Tue. Mar. 04, 2014 7:43 am

Hello all
I installed a new EFM and lit my first fire in it on Jan. 21, since that time I haven't had any issues and am totally in love with the thing. After spending some time reading here I decided I'd like to get a bit more technical about running the stove and monitoring the draft. Last week I installed a manometer about 10 inches from the back of the stove and before the baro. It consistently reads .05, right where it should as I understand. Last night I checked the draft over the fire during a burn. It wasn't what I expected, but I could just be misinformed. The draft shot up to .2 and then I had to abandon my mission and tend to a fussing baby. I expected to see something less than the .05 at the back of the stove.
So is what I'm seeing correct and I was expecting the wrong thing, or is something going on?
Feed is 4 teeth air is 4.5 or a tish more

Rob

Post by **Rob R.** » Tue. Mar. 04, 2014 7:56 am

Did you use the same manometer to check the draft in each location? Was it windy outside?

It is not normal to observe such a strong draft over the fire...my only guess is a strong wind gust gave you a very strong draft for a few seconds.

I normally observe -0.05 at the flue outlet and -0.02 to -0.03 at the fire door under full burn.

northernmainecoal · Post by **northernmainecoal** » Tue. Mar. 04, 2014 8:00 am

I used the same manometer, just a longer tube to reach around to the front. It was a bit windy but nothing notable. I will run out at lunch time when there are no kids around and see what I get for a reading

northernmainecoal · Post by **northernmainecoal** » Tue. Mar. 04, 2014 12:49 pm

I'm not sure what happened yesterday but today I got what I was expecting, .05 at the flue and .02 to .03 over the fire.

As far as I can tell everything is as it should be...I just wished I bought this thing years ago!

I've figured I have burned on average 72 lbs of coal per day starting Jan. 21. I bought the unit new. Would you recommend shutting down and cleaning this spring or should I be able to make it to fall/end of summer before really needing to clean. I plan on using it all summer for DHW.
Anything else to look for?

Post by **Rob R.** » Tue. Mar. 04, 2014 1:04 pm

I would shut it down and clean it in the spring. Let the boiler come down to room temperature and check the piping for leaks. If you haven't already, insulate the boiler piping. EFM's recommended settings of 160/200, 4 teeth 4 air, and 2 minutes every half hour has worked well for me in the past for summer operation. If your coal is on the small side you might need to run the air a little higher, as you are now.

Draft

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