The Van Wert VA600 Project

 
lincolnmania
Member
Posts: 2684
Joined: Fri. Jan. 26, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Birdsboro PA.
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 350
Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: reading allegheny stoker
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: alaska kodiak stoker 1986. 1987 triburner, 1987 crane diamond
Coal Size/Type: rice

Post by lincolnmania » Sun. Dec. 03, 2017 7:16 pm

that's excellent mileage.....i'm burning like 80 lbs a day here with a hot air stoker stove.


 
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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

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Dec. 10, 2017 6:45 pm

Meter reading today was, 3681.6 - 3646.8 - = 34.8 hours over the passed 7 days, 4.97 hours per day, times 12.25 pound per hour = 60.9 pounds per day. Cold this past week, highs upper 30's to low 40's.
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That "V" just keeps get'in wider!
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-Don

 
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hotblast1357
Member
Posts: 5657
Joined: Mon. Mar. 10, 2014 10:06 pm
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 » Sun. Dec. 10, 2017 7:13 pm

So since last Sunday you have burned 426.3 pounds?

Are you still heating your garage?

Do u have heaters in the basement or just radiation off the boiler?

 
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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

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Dec. 10, 2017 7:29 pm

hotblast1357 wrote:
Sun. Dec. 10, 2017 7:13 pm
So since last Sunday you have burned 426.3 pounds?

Are you still heating your garage?

Do u have heaters in the basement or just radiation off the boiler?
Yes, the garage is staying at about 55-60 degrees with a slow, constant gravity feed through the GJ and the monster radiator.
The basement stays about 75-78 degrees from the boiler and plumbing.

-Don

 
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hotblast1357
Member
Posts: 5657
Joined: Mon. Mar. 10, 2014 10:06 pm
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 » Sun. Dec. 10, 2017 7:32 pm

What are u keeping the upstairs at?

What sq ft is your house again?

 
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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

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Dec. 10, 2017 7:36 pm

About 70 degrees. 1400 sq ft ranch, garage and breezeway about 900 sq ft.

-Don

 
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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

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 7:51 pm

Meter reading today was, 3726.6 - 3681.6 = 45.0 hours over the passed 7 days, 6.43 hours per day, times 12.25 pound per hour = 78.75 pounds per day. That's kind of a big jump. It has been cold and it has snowed a couple times over the passed week.
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Gofer action.
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Mid week I moved the LO limit up from 155 to 160 to try to ease boiler temp crash a bit.
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-Don


 
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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

Post by StokerDon » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 8:03 am

Meter reading today was, 3758.1 - 3726.6 = 31.5 hours over the passed 7 days, 4.50 hours per day, times 12.25 pound per hour = 55.125 pounds per day.
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I did a fire box brush down. These are the brushes I usually use.
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This is the first time I have cleaned the Van Wert. I found that this one works best and is now my main brush down tool.
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In other news, I made kind of a drawbridge door to cover the glass when not in use. This way I don't have to change the door every time I want to look at the fire.
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1 weeks worth of ash.
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The Gofer hole.
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Merry Christmas!

-Don

 
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windyhill4.2
Member
Posts: 6072
Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:03 am

Your drawbridge door may have opened up a whole new world of stove door modifications....

All those folks using the flatbed stoker stoves with glass that gets "hazed" in a season or 2...

~~ Don's Drawbridge Doors,Inc... :P

Sometimes i get depressed when seeing figures like your 55 # avg... my last 7 days avg was 158#....
BUT, that is for 3 buildings +DHW for 2 houses.... i doubt if i am triple the sq. footage tho.

How is your current boiler doing compared to the last unit you had ?

 
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lsayre
Member
Posts: 21781
Joined: Wed. Nov. 23, 2005 9:17 pm
Location: Ohio
Stoker Coal Boiler: AHS S130 Coal Gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Anthracite Pea
Other Heating: Resistance Boiler (13.5 KW), ComfortMax 75

Post by lsayre » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:06 am

55 lbs. per day sounds pretty good for December. Looks like you are dialed in for the winter.

 
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Lightning
Site Moderator
Posts: 14659
Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Olean, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:19 am

Omg, the draw bridge door. Love that. No air wash needed?

 
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windyhill4.2
Member
Posts: 6072
Joined: Fri. Nov. 22, 2013 2:17 pm
Location: Jonestown,Pa.17038
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1960 EFM520 installed in truck box
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Crane 404 with variable blower
Coal Size/Type: 404-nut, 520 rice ,anthracite for both

Post by windyhill4.2 » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:38 am

Lightning wrote:
Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:19 am
Omg, the draw bridge door. Love that. No air wash needed?
Who but Stokerdon to figure that one ??

 
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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

Post by StokerDon » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:48 am

windyhill4.2 wrote:
Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:03 am
Sometimes i get depressed when seeing figures like your 55 # avg... my last 7 days avg was 158#....
BUT, that is for 3 buildings +DHW for 2 houses.... i doubt if i am triple the sq. footage tho.

How is your current boiler doing compared to the last unit you had ?
Thanks W.H.
I don't expect the 55 pounds to last very long, we had some warm days this week, that brought the average down.
It's a little difficult to compare the BairMatic to the Van Wert right now. The Van Wert is currently heating the garage/breezeway as well as the house/DHW. I will have to look back at the history but I think the BairMatic only covered this for a week or two. The rest of the time the GJ covered the garage/breezeway.

Merry Christamas!

-Don

 
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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

Post by StokerDon » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:52 am

Lightning wrote:
Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:19 am
Omg, the draw bridge door. Love that. No air wash needed?
Thanks Lee.
The air wash doesn't work on a Van Wert so I had to think of something else.

Merry Christmas!

-Don

 
User avatar
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

Post by StokerDon » Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:54 am

lsayre wrote:
Mon. Dec. 25, 2017 9:06 am
55 lbs. per day sounds pretty good for December. Looks like you are dialed in for the winter.
I hope so! I was considering bumping the feed rate up from 12.25 to 14.5 pounds per hour to cover the extra load and the cold weather.

Merry Christmas!

-Don


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