The Small Gentleman Janitor
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
SHUT DOWN!!!
Yesterday was shut down day. I turned the power off, hand cranked coal into the pot until the fire was all on top. Then I scooped all the lit coal off into the ash pan. Pulled the trashcan off, put a bucket on the end of the pipe, then hand cranked all the coal out of the pot, feed pipe into the bucket. I only had about a half hour so I didn't have time to do a clean out. I did have time to pull the stove pipe off and blow it out. I put a cap over the flue. Later in the day I got a 40 watt light bulb mounted in there to keep it dry. I put the pipe coupler inside to. I put some pipe insulation in the feed pipe hole so it's pretty well sealed up now. I shot a video of the shut down,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF7jmDYGbzQ&t=25s
And another after getting the light mounted inside.
The cat made her displeasure known in both videos. Even though it's 85 degrees outside, she thinks the boiler should have a fire in it!
-Don
Yesterday was shut down day. I turned the power off, hand cranked coal into the pot until the fire was all on top. Then I scooped all the lit coal off into the ash pan. Pulled the trashcan off, put a bucket on the end of the pipe, then hand cranked all the coal out of the pot, feed pipe into the bucket. I only had about a half hour so I didn't have time to do a clean out. I did have time to pull the stove pipe off and blow it out. I put a cap over the flue. Later in the day I got a 40 watt light bulb mounted in there to keep it dry. I put the pipe coupler inside to. I put some pipe insulation in the feed pipe hole so it's pretty well sealed up now. I shot a video of the shut down,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF7jmDYGbzQ&t=25s
And another after getting the light mounted inside.
The cat made her displeasure known in both videos. Even though it's 85 degrees outside, she thinks the boiler should have a fire in it!
-Don
- BunkerdCaddis
- Member
- 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
I know you still have the Bair burning for dhw but I guess shutting down the GJ means an official end to the season? You'll garrentee no more snow this season right...
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
Guaranteed!BunkerdCaddis wrote:I know you still have the Bair burning for dhw but I guess shutting down the GJ means an official end to the season? You'll garrentee no more snow this season right...
Shoot, we only got one snowfall down here this year and most of that was sleet.
Olllotj wrote:You spared us from the wire brush dust session.
Not really. I just have not got around to doing it yet. This thing is so small, I might just disconnect it, wheel it outside and blow it out with air!
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
Well it's been a year and a half since we played with the small Gentleman Janitor. I finally got sick of looking at it all rusty.
I pulled the EFM S-15 stoker out. Wheeled the boiler outside. Then spent about an hour and a half with the wire wheel. De-greased it with Breakleen. Then spent an hour or so spreay'in it down with some nice shiny Sliver paint. Got it inside before it started raining. I closed up the garage doors, turned up the Monster radiator and set it right up against it. We'll leave it like that overnight to get the new paint cured.
We still have to clean and paint the doors and plates and give the stoker a good cleaning.
-Don
I pulled the EFM S-15 stoker out. Wheeled the boiler outside. Then spent about an hour and a half with the wire wheel. De-greased it with Breakleen. Then spent an hour or so spreay'in it down with some nice shiny Sliver paint. Got it inside before it started raining. I closed up the garage doors, turned up the Monster radiator and set it right up against it. We'll leave it like that overnight to get the new paint cured.
We still have to clean and paint the doors and plates and give the stoker a good cleaning.
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
Having the garage radiator on all night has cured the paint pretty well.
A nice, dry 83 degrees in the garage on this cold, rainy, windy morning. The cat has no problem adapting to these conditions! -Don
A nice, dry 83 degrees in the garage on this cold, rainy, windy morning. The cat has no problem adapting to these conditions! -Don
- BunkerdCaddis
- Member
- 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
Do I ... detect a bit of jealousy in the countenance of the GJ? Must almost be humiliating to sit there looking at your replacement and being warmed by it... #boilerstaredown
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
It was getting to intense, I had to turn the small GJ away.BunkerdCaddis wrote: ↑Mon. Oct. 29, 2018 7:09 amDo I ... detect a bit of jealousy in the countenance of the GJ? Must almost be humiliating to sit there looking at your replacement and being warmed by it... #boilerstaredown
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
This afternoon I had a chance to get a few things cleaned up and painted.
The rear fly ash trap door, the auger side panel, and the ash door hing. .
Just a few more pieces to go!
-Don
The rear fly ash trap door, the auger side panel, and the ash door hing. .
Just a few more pieces to go!
-Don
-
- Member
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Mon. Oct. 22, 2018 8:47 pm
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Yellow flame
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Sears homart
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
Idk where you find these gems unfortunately I’m in central pa and older stokers are few and far between now you want cast iron soft coal there everywhere lol I work for directv and I’m in basements all the time and got lucky with the yellow flame thankfully
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
I usually have to travel up to Anthracite Country to find them. At one time, pretty much everybody up there had a coal boiler or furnace in there basement. A lot of them are still there, they only get removed during house renovations or heating system change outs.
-Don
-Don
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
Last weekend I cleaned up the EFM S-15 stoker.
Later in the weekend I cleaned and painted the ash door and the fire door frame. We had a real nice fire door with pretty good original Gentleman Janitor paint. I just cleaned it and on it went. Just a few minor things to tidy up and this one will be done!
-Don
The Gooseneck on this one is probably the cleanest used one I've seen. Usually there is a good bit of ware and corrosion down were the coal turns up into the pot.
Serial number 56820. From 1963.
I also got some paint on the stoker side panel so it was time to throw the stoker back in.
.Later in the weekend I cleaned and painted the ash door and the fire door frame. We had a real nice fire door with pretty good original Gentleman Janitor paint. I just cleaned it and on it went. Just a few minor things to tidy up and this one will be done!
-Don
-
- Member
- Posts: 6515
- Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
- Location: Cape Cod, MA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
- Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove
So will she be needing a new home...
- StokerDon
- Site Moderator
- 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
I would love to keep it just to look at and fire up once in a while. But I guess a new home would make more sense.
-Don
-Don