I just got my '63 520 from Scrapper set up this past weekend and it sure is nice having that thing click away rather than the heat pump, which was running like a fridge. I'm in new construction with spray foam on second (main) floor and 3rd floor open loft, along with 11.5' ceiling basement and garage with uninsulated block. Still getting it dialed in but I couldn't be happier.
Burned an Alaska Kodiak II all last year and this thing makes that look like a toy.
-3 here doing fine
- Coaled Medicine
- New Member
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun. Dec. 03, 2017 10:50 pm
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 (1963)
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Kodiak Stoker II (for sale)
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: Heat Pump
- CoalHeat
- Member
- Posts: 8862
- Joined: Sat. Feb. 10, 2007 9:48 pm
- Location: Stillwater, New Jersey
- Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harman Magnafire Mark I
- Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
- Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
- Other Heating: Fisher Fireplace Insert
Currently 1 degree here, the Harman is cooking and the EFM runs every so often to take up the slack.
My EFM came from Scrapper as well. They are amazing machines.
My EFM came from Scrapper as well. They are amazing machines.
- Coaled Medicine
- New Member
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun. Dec. 03, 2017 10:50 pm
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 (1963)
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Kodiak Stoker II (for sale)
- Coal Size/Type: Rice
- Other Heating: Heat Pump
Yeah I'm almost 40 and am from the same town as Scrapper. We had a huge EFM when I was a kid in Pine Grove and I can remember standing in the walk-in coal bin with my dad.
Life comes full circle as I now have my own EFM, haha.
Life comes full circle as I now have my own EFM, haha.
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- 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
i had to leave my efm af-150 behind in newtown when i moved home to take care of my mom two yrs ago, i miss that beast. it is still working well in my friends building. Scrapper helped me with repairs a few times. the furnace was taken apart and not stored well for 20 years before me and my friend got it for free.
i have a reading stoker in my basement for now, it's doing ok, i got it cheap and it is in real nice shape and i have it on a power vent. i have the coal trol set to 74 and the oil furnace is usually set to 69.....tonite i bumped the oil furnace up to 71 because it was only 64 upstairs. i thought i was using a lot more oil than i was but it turns out the old gauge was stuck.....about 2 weeks ago i put 40 gallons of fuel oil in the tank and i went and looked at the gauge (normally at 1/8) and it read 1/2 tank this time...i was like no way! so i took a cap off and put a stick in and yep i got over a half tank. so yes my oil burner runs, but usually only for a few minutes at a time. i am estimating i have added 80 gallons in the past year. i fired the oil man summer of 2017 after they filled our oil tank that their service man condemned.....my dad installed it in 1971, the legs are rotten. i have a new tank, have to use the oil and replace the tank in the summer. the oil dealer service dept wanted over 3000 dollars to replace the oil tank, i got a new tank for a little over 500 dollars. if my dad did it, i can do it again.
Momma said leave my oil furnace alone, so i respect her wishes. she did not want coal in the first place. she is right by wanting to keep the oil furnace intact, what if something happened to me. i do have a skin disease that causes painful flaring. i had several surgeries in 2013.....my friends insisted they tend the stove for me. Now they are 56 miles away. my cousins son has the same coal stove i have and will help me but he lives in port clinton, and my son lives in leeseport. so if i ended up having to get surgery we would be without heat.
i was planning on a boiler install, but towards the end of last winter our roof started leaking real bad and we ended up with water damage. i got the roof replaced and that ate up the boiler fund and the windows fund....still have to replace the windows and siding and the sheathing that got damaged. the roofer my parents hired in 2012 while i was laid up had no clue what he was doing. it was a steel roof and there was no flashing in many areas, he caulked around the roof vents.
i have a reading stoker in my basement for now, it's doing ok, i got it cheap and it is in real nice shape and i have it on a power vent. i have the coal trol set to 74 and the oil furnace is usually set to 69.....tonite i bumped the oil furnace up to 71 because it was only 64 upstairs. i thought i was using a lot more oil than i was but it turns out the old gauge was stuck.....about 2 weeks ago i put 40 gallons of fuel oil in the tank and i went and looked at the gauge (normally at 1/8) and it read 1/2 tank this time...i was like no way! so i took a cap off and put a stick in and yep i got over a half tank. so yes my oil burner runs, but usually only for a few minutes at a time. i am estimating i have added 80 gallons in the past year. i fired the oil man summer of 2017 after they filled our oil tank that their service man condemned.....my dad installed it in 1971, the legs are rotten. i have a new tank, have to use the oil and replace the tank in the summer. the oil dealer service dept wanted over 3000 dollars to replace the oil tank, i got a new tank for a little over 500 dollars. if my dad did it, i can do it again.
Momma said leave my oil furnace alone, so i respect her wishes. she did not want coal in the first place. she is right by wanting to keep the oil furnace intact, what if something happened to me. i do have a skin disease that causes painful flaring. i had several surgeries in 2013.....my friends insisted they tend the stove for me. Now they are 56 miles away. my cousins son has the same coal stove i have and will help me but he lives in port clinton, and my son lives in leeseport. so if i ended up having to get surgery we would be without heat.
i was planning on a boiler install, but towards the end of last winter our roof started leaking real bad and we ended up with water damage. i got the roof replaced and that ate up the boiler fund and the windows fund....still have to replace the windows and siding and the sheathing that got damaged. the roofer my parents hired in 2012 while i was laid up had no clue what he was doing. it was a steel roof and there was no flashing in many areas, he caulked around the roof vents.
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- Member
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Wed. Jan. 23, 2019 3:48 pm
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Van wert
- Coal Size/Type: rice
My Van Wert was humping last night. Estimated use of over 300 lbs in 10 hrs! All radiators were hot and no problem keeping up as its capable of 60 lbs per hr if needed! Ran about every 1/2 hr. Next week in the 50s should give us all a brake here in central PA.
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- Member
- Posts: 2365
- 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
Hello StephenD,
You obviously have very high carbon coal to burn so that is a lot of it.
About your traveling fire grate ashing switch; You can always use some duck tape to hold it in the "on" position to prevent accidentally bumping it to the off position.
You obviously have very high carbon coal to burn so that is a lot of it.
About your traveling fire grate ashing switch; You can always use some duck tape to hold it in the "on" position to prevent accidentally bumping it to the off position.
- 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
You got that right! The EFM is a much heavier duty machine.Coaled Medicine wrote: ↑Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:41 pmI just got my '63 520 from Scrapper set up this past weekend and it sure is nice having that thing click away rather than the heat pump, which was running like a fridge.
Burned an Alaska Kodiak II all last year and this thing makes that look like a toy.
-Don