Highboy 520

Post Reply
 
hardcoalhardcore
Member
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed. Jul. 26, 2017 9:03 pm
Location: Schuylkill County, Pa

Post by hardcoalhardcore » Wed. Aug. 01, 2018 9:20 pm

Hello,
I'm finally going to start my boiler install in the next few weeks. I have a 1953 EFM 520 Highboy (Fitzgibbon). It's getting hooked up to a single pipe steam system. What is the NWL on these highboys?

Thanks

 
User avatar
Rob R.
Site Moderator
Posts: 17980
Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
Location: Chazy, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr

Post by Rob R. » Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 4:00 am

Unless you can find one of the original manuals with the piping specifications, I think you are going to have to make an educated guess. Halfway between the two sight glass tappings should be very close.

 
User avatar
coaledsweat
Site Moderator
Posts: 13763
Joined: Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 2:05 pm
Location: Guilford, Connecticut
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
Coal Size/Type: Pea

Post by coaledsweat » Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 7:58 am

EFM may have that knowledge.

 
Pacowy
Member
Posts: 3555
Joined: Tue. Sep. 04, 2007 10:14 pm
Location: Dalton, MA
Stoker Coal Boiler: H.B. Smith 350 Mills boiler/EFM 85R stoker
Coal Size/Type: Buckwheat/anthracite

Post by Pacowy » Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 9:21 am

coaledsweat wrote:
Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 7:58 am
EFM may have that knowledge.
But you probably should expect that no one you reach there now will know where to look for it. I think Rob's suggestion should provide a reasonable estimate.

Mike


 
User avatar
coaledsweat
Site Moderator
Posts: 13763
Joined: Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 2:05 pm
Location: Guilford, Connecticut
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
Coal Size/Type: Pea

Post by coaledsweat » Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 11:07 am

Page 13, figure 6?

download/file.php?id=5884

 
User avatar
Rob R.
Site Moderator
Posts: 17980
Joined: Fri. Dec. 28, 2007 4:26 pm
Location: Chazy, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Jr

Post by Rob R. » Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 11:44 am

coaledsweat wrote:
Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 11:07 am
Page 13, figure 6?

download/file.php?id=5884
Nope. The current EFM 520 uses a different boiler than the OP's.

As long as the water line is over the tankless coil and roughly centered between the sight glass tappings, it should be fine.

 
lzaharis
Member
Posts: 2366
Joined: Sun. Mar. 25, 2007 8:41 pm
Location: Ithaca, New York
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KAA-4-1 dual fuel boiler
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: former switzer CWW100-sold
Coal Size/Type: rice
Other Heating: kerosene for dual fuel Keystoker/unused

Post by lzaharis » Wed. Aug. 08, 2018 3:10 pm

I hope you can obtain and use the low water cut off with the electric water float level control and sight glass for your older EFM steam boiler.

I also hope this highboy has an extra tapping at the upper water level to create a skimming port otherwise it may end up being a case of draining the boiler from the 2 lower tappings several times when it goes to steam to drain off the oil and foam created by the cutting oils adhering to the close boiler piping.
If you do not have a skim port or a tapping that can be used as a skim port you will need to do this several times to get the oil out.

A way to reduce the amount of cutting oil entering the boilers steam chest would be to dunk each fitting in warm/hot tub of water with dawn dish soap and a bit of washing soda to make it more effective in removing the oils and any remaining metal particles before you assemble your drop header, elbows, unions, close nipples, the hartford loop and any long pipe joints by just dipping the ends of the longer pipe joints in the tub and letting them soak there before you wipe down and tap or chase the threads before you assemble the piping.

All or most of the cutting oil will fall off the threads and you can wipe them off with a soft rag or blue shop paper towel after you chase the male threads on the unions and and run a tap through the female threads on the boiler tappings to make sure they have no burrs on them.

The cutting oil will rise to the surface and you can skim it off and dump it in some absorbent kittty litter and dispose of it later in a lined garbage can- if you have some safety clean USDOT ground corncob for an oil absorbent that will work wonders as well to soak up the oil after you skim it to avoid eventually plugging a P trap drain with the oil .

An ultra sonic parts cleaner with dawn and hot water would work well for the small fittings too.

Post Reply

Return to “Stoker Coal Boilers Using Anthracite (Hydronic & Steam)”