Combustion blower rheostat question

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Denius
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Alaska Channing

Post by Denius » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 3:34 pm

I tried searching but couldn’t figure it out.
I just go a Alaska Channing from around 96. The feed and combustion is wired to a rheostat. How could I go about wiring them to separate rheostats?

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 3:50 pm

Welcome to the forum.

I'm pretty sure they are the same motor, so you can't. I'm not sure why you would want to. If you run the combustion blower without the feed motor you will just burn all the coal on the grate and risk a hopper fire.

-Don

 
Denius
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Post by Denius » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 4:33 pm

Last night I fired it for the first time. Left it run high for 20 mins or so. Backed it down to low and it went out. Seems like not enough air on low

 
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 4:40 pm

Is this one motor w/ two shafts?, like *SD* suspects.


 
Denius
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Post by Denius » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 6:00 pm

appears to be

 
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StokerDon
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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. Nov. 09, 2018 6:39 pm

Then the feed rate could be too low. After a 30 minute continuous run you should see fire down the whole grate and about an inch and a half of ash on the end. If you have more ash than that, the feed rate is too low.

-Don

 
Denius
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Post by Denius » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 11:28 pm

Image

This photo is after burning about 30 mins on high. I notice if I turn it down much in the guys makeshift rheostat (our of a dimmer light switch. It doesn’t burn much. And wants to go out. On high the side of the box gets up to 550 (via magnetic flue temp gauge) I turned it down to the guys “medium” setting and it drops to 200* before I turned it back up to prevent from burning out

 
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Post by Denius » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 11:28 pm



 
Denius
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Post by Denius » Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 11:30 pm


 
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McGiever
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Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
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Post by McGiever » Sat. Nov. 10, 2018 8:55 am

Denius wrote:
Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 11:28 pm
makeshift rheostat (our of a dimmer light switch. It doesn’t burn much. And wants to go out.

A light dimmer is not a workable solution for a motor.

 
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StokerDon
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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. Nov. 10, 2018 10:12 am

Denius wrote:
Fri. Nov. 09, 2018 11:28 pm
Image

This photo is after burning about 30 mins on high. I notice if I turn it down much in the guys makeshift rheostat (our of a dimmer light switch. It doesn’t burn much. And wants to go out. On high the side of the box gets up to 550 (via magnetic flue temp gauge) I turned it down to the guys “medium” setting and it drops to 200* before I turned it back up to prevent from burning out
If it is a "makeshift" rheostat you should get rid of it and get the real thing.

In your video. If that is really after a continuous 30 minute burn, the fire does not look right. Only the front half of the grate has burning coal on it which would lead me to believe that either the feed rate is too high or there is not enough combustion air.

Does it push lit coal off the grate?

-Don

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