The Small Gentleman Janitor

 
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BunkerdCaddis
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Posts: 708
Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 10:26 am
Location: SW Lancaster County
Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
Other Heating: oil fired hydronic

Post by BunkerdCaddis » Wed. Feb. 22, 2017 9:53 pm

StokerDon wrote: A word of advice, if your going to install a fire view door, put the boiler up on 3 or 4 more coerces of block than you would normally. The fire looks awesome in this arched-top firebox, but it's so short, I have to get down on my knees to see it!
I think what you really need is a low lounge chair for in front of it... maybe like a cot... with a big pillow :gee:


 
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CoalHeat
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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

Post by CoalHeat » Wed. Feb. 22, 2017 9:57 pm

I second that idea.

 
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CoalHeat
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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

Post by CoalHeat » Wed. Feb. 22, 2017 10:09 pm

Rob R. wrote:I played with the timer settings for years, and arrived right back at what EFM said I should use.
Same here. There is only so much you can do trying to overcome a chimney that develops a marginal or no draft in certain weather conditions. At that point it's time to force a draft to occur.

 
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StokerDon
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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

Post by StokerDon » Thu. Feb. 23, 2017 8:05 pm

I found a couple things that may have caused the outfire. The draft was good so I think that is out of the equation. It was 75 degrees down here today and the fire was still going when I got home from work.

I had apparently been running the timer with the GJ-51, 72 seconds every hour. For some reason it ran fine and never went out. This little boiler doesn't seem to like that setting. I changed it to 2 minutes, 10 seconds every 45 minutes.

The other issue is skipping teeth. The drive pawl was randomly skipping over the drum gear teeth. I pulled the drive pawl off and found it had a lot of ware.
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I chucked it up in the vise and filed the point flat, then refaced the two edges until it had a point again.
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It's not perfect but it's a lot better than it was.
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It drives further down into the drum gear now.
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I also replace that cotter pin with a sheer pin.
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I ran it for a while and I could not get it to skip anymore. This drum gear has more ware on the back side than the front. The drive pawl edge was uneven and was predominantly trying to grab the worn side of the drum gear. Now it grabs the gear front to back.

We'll see how it goes.

-Don

 
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CoalHeat
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Location: Stillwater, New Jersey
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
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Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
Other Heating: Fisher Fireplace Insert

Post by CoalHeat » Thu. Feb. 23, 2017 9:32 pm

Bet those two repairs make a difference!

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Feb. 23, 2017 9:38 pm

Don, is the check pawl stud adjusted to minimize the backlash on the gear?

Also make sure that the check and drive pawl rotate very freely on the studs. If there is even the slightest hangup you might have a burr to file.

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
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

Post by StokerDon » Fri. Feb. 24, 2017 9:07 am

Rob R. wrote:Don, is the check pawl stud adjusted to minimize the backlash on the gear?
Yes, shortly after fire up I noticed the check pawl was skipping. I adjusted it and it has not been a problem since.
Rob R. wrote:Also make sure that the check and drive pawl rotate very freely on the studs. If there is even the slightest hangup you might have a burr to file.
I will take a look at that today. If I don't find anything I will smooth them out on the wire wheel anyway.

-Don


 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
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

Post by StokerDon » Fri. Feb. 24, 2017 6:43 pm

I made a couple improvements today.

I have a couple old ash doors, one is an EFM, the other is a Van Wert. I pulled the handles off of both, the Van Wert was the closest match.
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I had to do a little drilling and grinding but it's on there. The old ash door handle is in keeping with the "Diesel Rat Rod" theme we got go'in here.
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I was getting some stink out of my bucket using this short Auger/pipe. So I decided to try the "CoalKirk" barrel approach. I couldn't find a barrel with a sealing lid like his so I just used a trash can with a lid. This can has been sitting in the basement taking up space for the past few years, now it has a job!
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Hopefully that gets rid of the stink!
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I had one leak in this plumbing setup. It was between the Tee and the valve at the base of the return. Lucky for me, after running the boiler for a day the leak dried up!
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Temps in the 70's here today. no outfires or any other problems to report.

-Don

 
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CoalHeat
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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

Post by CoalHeat » Fri. Feb. 24, 2017 6:51 pm

Quite the piece of machinery you have there!

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
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

Post by StokerDon » Fri. Feb. 24, 2017 7:03 pm

Wood'nCoal wrote:Quite the piece of machinery you have there!
Thanks!

It turned out a little different than I thought it would when I got it back in Nov. of 2015.

-Don

 
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CoalHeat
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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

Post by CoalHeat » Fri. Feb. 24, 2017 8:13 pm

It doesn't have a bottom!

 
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StokerDon
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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

Post by StokerDon » Sat. Feb. 25, 2017 9:38 am

Wood'nCoal wrote:It doesn't have a bottom!
Nope!

Gentleman Janitors and Yellow Flames have no bottom.

EFMs, Loschs and BairMatics do have bottoms.

-Don

 
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hotblast1357
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Location: Peasleeville NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1984 Eshland S260 coal gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite pea
Other Heating: air source heat pump, oil furnace

Post by hotblast1357 » Sat. Feb. 25, 2017 3:14 pm

Eshland and I believe AHS doesn't either, possibly axeman too?

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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Feb. 25, 2017 4:17 pm

hotblast1357 wrote:Eshland and I believe AHS doesn't either, possibly axeman too?
Correct...And add Van Wert to the list.

Don, have you tried heating the house with the GJ?

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
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

Post by StokerDon » Sat. Feb. 25, 2017 5:31 pm

Rob R. wrote:Don, have you tried heating the house with the GJ?
Heat??? What would we need that for? Oh yah, it's still February. Hard to remember that down here, Sunny and temps in the 60's and 70's. Just had a thunderstorm roll through with a bunch of hail.
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I was a little nervous about junk from inside this boiler getting into my house loop so I have it isolated now. I put blow-down ports/valves on both returns. I want to blow it down a couple times to see if anything comes out. If not, I could try to heat the house and DHW with it, just for fun.
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-Don


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