AA130 blows air into ash bucket

 
Ctraffie
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Post by Ctraffie » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 6:52 am

I finally got my stoker working again after it got burning up in the transfer head Friday morning. It did not want to stay burning and it sounded like it was blowing sand up the chimney. So I took a metal hanger and ran it up in the cone at the bottom ash area. Now the boiler runs good except it blows out of that cone...? This is my 5th year do dust basement..


 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 8:27 am

Welcome to the forum.

I can only think of one cause for air blowing out of the cone into the ash pit. If the chimney is blocked, there is only one other place for the air to go, out the bottom.

What kind of chimney do you have and what is the draft reading?

-Don

 
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hotblast1357
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Post by hotblast1357 » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 8:47 am

Yup I agree with don, might as well just shut it down and take the stove pipe off and check and clean everything to be on the safe side.

 
Ctraffie
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Post by Ctraffie » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 9:53 am

hotblast1357 wrote:
Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 8:47 am
Yup I agree with don, might as well just shut it down and take the stove pipe off and check and clean everything to be on the safe side.
Ctraffie wrote:
Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 6:52 am
I finally got my stoker working again after it got burning up in the transfer head Friday morning. It did not want to stay burning and it sounded like it was blowing sand up the chimney. So I took a metal hanger and ran it up in the cone at the bottom ash area. Now the boiler runs good except it blows out of that cone...? This is my 5th year do dust basement..
StokerDon wrote:
Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 8:27 am
Welcome to the forum.

I can only think of one cause for air blowing out of the cone into the ash pit. If the chimney is blocked, there is only one other place for the air to go, out the bottom.

What kind of chimney do you have and what is the draft reading?

-Don
Don, it goes up into a masonry chimney, and I have took the pipes off and cleaned them 3 times in the last month, including last night . I don’t know the draft reading but I have been using this for 5 years now. One year I tool pipe off and it was so full I couldn’t believe it ran even. I can see to the masonry chimney so only other thing is if that was plugged, but my oil is on the same flue and that seems to work fine if I run it when coal isn’t on.

 
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hotblast1357
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Post by hotblast1357 » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 9:57 am

Have u taken the pope hat off?

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 10:09 am

She have a cork in the exhaust path somewhere...
Take a mirror an look up the chimney...
Follow it all the way back to the coal bed...

 
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Post by lsayre » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 10:13 am

A chimney blockage worries mere here also. AA/AHS don't plug up their flue pipes 3 times a season. Not even 1 time a season, and not even close to blockage level, is more in line with my experience. I don't believe I've ever even seen a 1/4 blockage of my flue pipe. Perhaps about 1/8 blockage after a full season is what I most often see. The cyclonic separator keeps a lot of fly-ash from going into the flue pipes. It goes into the ash tub instead. You can tell if its working by seeing gray dust in the ash tub at the location of the cyclonic separator.


 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 12:53 pm

Ctraffie wrote:
Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 6:52 am
I finally got my stoker working again after it got burning up in the transfer head Friday morning.
If the chimney is blocked or not providing enough draft the fire will find the next easiest way out, up to the transfer head. This is yet another indication that your exhaust is not going up the chimney.
Ctraffie wrote:
Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 9:53 am
I can see to the masonry chimney so only other thing is if that was plugged, but my oil is on the same flue and that seems to work fine if I run it when coal isn’t on.
An oil burner and a coal burner in the same flue is not recommended and violates codes in certin areas. That being said, with most coal burners you can get away with it but your chimney has to have enough draft to support both units.

I have never heard of anyone using a shared flue with an Axeman Anderson. I would think this is a very bad idea because the Axeman, unlike other coal burners, pushes air and fly ash into the chimney. I would expect that it would push fly ash into the oil burner too.

Remember, the oil burner is not as picky about the chimney as the coal burner is. I still think something is blocking your chimney. Measuring the draft and inspecting the chimney are the only way to find out.

-Don

 
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Post by Ctraffie » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 1:07 pm

Okay, I am going to take a long ladder out and shine a bright light down the chimney, no cap so maybe something in it., 8x8 but it is possible. Thanks for all the help !

 
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Post by StokerDon » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 1:12 pm

Be careful and let us know what you find out.

-Don

 
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Post by Ctraffie » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 4:13 pm

I made sure the chimney is clear, dropped a 15 pound bar bell down it. Then I put a light at bottom and went to the top. It’s clear abt can feel and see it coming out in the cold. Also ran a wire from top to ash grate and that is clear. But with it blowing out the cone it will not run... some one mentioned the popes hat? Also I did not re silicone the chimney pipes if that is important..?

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 4:34 pm

Re-sealing the chimney pipes is really to keep fly ash from huffing out all over the place. it won't effect performance.

The Pope's Hat is the part on top of the boiler that the stove pipe is connected to. It is held on with 2 bolts. It has a pipe that extends down into the cyclone separator 8". If it is rusted off, the cyclone separator will not work properly and could blow air out of the bottom cone, I think.

-Don

 
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Post by Ctraffie » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 5:59 pm

I have a picture looking down there if anyone can tell if it’s missing...? I don’t know how to post it but maybe some one has a picture of what it should look like .

 
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Post by Ctraffie » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 6:31 pm

Ctraffie wrote:
Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 5:59 pm
I have a picture looking down there if anyone can tell if it’s missing...? I don’t know how to post it but maybe some one has a picture of what it should look like .
. This is the picture.

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hotblast1357
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Post by hotblast1357 » Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 6:40 pm

Ctraffie wrote:
Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 9:53 am
but my oil is on the same flue and that seems to work fine if I run it when coal isn’t on.
If I was a betting man, And you measured your draft, I think it would read positive. I don’t think you have enough chimney draft for the AA.


How do you know it’s blowing out the cone?? If it was lacking daft, and was coming out the cone, wouldn’t the combustion fan just suck it back up into the fire pot? And it would be one big circle.. it’s not like it would blow out the bottom of the base??


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