Axeman Anderson 260 not feeding coal

 
amernestle
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman-Anderson 260

Post by amernestle » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 5:19 pm

Recently bought a house with an axeman Anderson 260, along with the various other problems we've had with this unit, today it decided to lose a belt off the pulley and now it's not feeding any coal, auger is free moving and not jammed. Any hints as to why it's doing this?


 
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McGiever
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Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 5:40 pm

Alignment, both pulleys need to be parallel And twist must be not backward and rub in the middle..

 
amernestle
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Post by amernestle » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 5:54 pm

Thanks! This unit has been a nightmare from day one.

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 6:59 pm

They are among the best in the business. Once you get it figured out you'll be very happy. If you replace the belt, get the green ag belt. The cure for the tossed belt is described above. I always note, you twist it the way you think it shouldn't go.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 7:20 pm

amernestle wrote:
Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 5:54 pm
Thanks! This unit has been a nightmare from day one.
If that is the case, it has likely been neglected, and/or worked on by someone who did not know what they were doing.

 
amernestle
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Post by amernestle » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 7:37 pm

Thanks for all the info! My husband and I purchased this 120 year old, 3800+ sq ft house a little over a month ago and have had at least three problems a week with heating. We're new to coal in general and this unit is a beast. The company is informative if/when you can get ahold of them, otherwise no one in the area has any clue how to operate it or what to set the individual settings at so we've been scouring the internet for help. It's very obvious none of the entire system has been taken care of which is a shame because when it does work it's great.

 
ben
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Post by ben » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 7:51 pm

Be patient these guys will help you. They helped us 2 years ago and were running good here.
Where are you located?


 
amernestle
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Post by amernestle » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 8:17 pm

ben wrote:
Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 7:51 pm
Be patient these guys will help you. They helped us 2 years ago and were running good here.
Where are you located?
Any help is definitely greatly appreciated. We're located in Central PA

 
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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 » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 8:22 pm

amernestle wrote:
Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 5:54 pm
Thanks! This unit has been a nightmare from day one.
Welcome to the forum.

An Axeman Anderson is a very different coal burning machine than just about any other. If i'm not mistaken, the only internet knowledge you will find is on this site. You probably just need to fix a couple of things and get it adjusted right. Then it will keep you warm for cheap money.

Do you have any pictures of it? Is the belt staying on now?

-Don

 
amernestle
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Post by amernestle » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 9:07 pm

StokerDon wrote:
Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 8:22 pm
Welcome to the forum.

An Axeman Anderson is a very different coal burning machine than just about any other. If i'm not mistaken, the only internet knowledge you will find is on this site. You probably just need to fix a couple of things and get it adjusted right. Then it will keep you warm for cheap money.

Do you have any pictures of it? Is the belt staying on now?

-Don
You're not wrong about the information, it is hard to find and often vague. I'm definitely ready for it to start being cheap! Haha, so far we've run about a ton of pea coal per week at $210/ton, not delivered. We did replace the belt with one of the other belts we found stored in the basement and it's working great, for now, however I plan on going tomorrow and tracking down a new higher quality belt just so I don't wake up to a 50 degree house again. We actually have an almost complete second furnace: same brand, parts and everything that came with the house so all the extras have been useful so far.
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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 » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 9:33 pm

That don't look bad. I'm not a big fan of that flex exhaust pipe setup though.

A ton a week is way over the top for coal consumption. If it's real cold out I think you should be in the 100 to 150 pound per day area.

Do the ashes look like ash, or is there a lot of partly burnt coal? What is the Anthrastat set at? How many teeth (clicks) is the ashing lever pushing?

-Don

 
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McGiever
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 9:41 pm

Using one ton a week...there might be a reason there is a second AA-260 sitting there... :annoyed:
You running steam there?
Look out, here comes izzy...

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 10:27 pm

More pics from different angles to show the entire setup...
What brand coal are you burning...
Steam or hot water...
How tall is that chimney...
Barometric damper installed...

 
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CoalHeat
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Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
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Post by CoalHeat » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 10:40 pm

The Axeman experts here will get things straightened out for you, just be patient. Those are excellent machines, just need a little TLC sometimes.

 
lprince
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Post by lprince » Tue. Jan. 15, 2019 4:35 am

I am wondering if that 2nd stoker was plumbed in parallel. If you look at the photo the circulator has a gate valve aiming towards the 2nd stoker.

At 3800 sq feet and 120 years old your heat loss could be as high as 190,000 btu’s if there was no insulation.The stoker would almost never satisfy. Hence the second stoker sitting next to it.

Someone correct me if I am wrong but to burn 2000 pounds that is about 25,000,000 btu’s at for round numbers sake 200,000 btu load the stoker would need to run 125 hours a week.


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