Summer idling on Keystoker KA6

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not2bad
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Posts: 49
Joined: Thu. Feb. 02, 2017 6:29 am

Post by not2bad » Sat. Feb. 09, 2019 6:23 am

It's early for this since it's still winter but looking ahead. I had shut down my Keystoker ka6 for the summer first time last year new install, because I didn't want the exhaust from my swg-4hd power venter running all year long (have no chimney) Ended up with a lot of rust build up fairly quickly. Does anybody put some kind of heat lamp, etc and run it all summer to keep inside from rusting, etc.until time to fire up again after maintenance clean up?

 
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 » Sat. Feb. 09, 2019 10:55 am

not2bad wrote:
Sat. Feb. 09, 2019 6:23 am
It's early for this since it's still winter but looking ahead. I had shut down my Keystoker ka6 for the summer first time last year new install, because I didn't want the exhaust from my swg-4hd power venter running all year long (have no chimney) Ended up with a lot of rust build up fairly quickly. Does anybody put some kind of heat lamp, etc and run it all summer to keep inside from rusting, etc.until time to fire up again after maintenance clean up?
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A lot of us clean the fire box and the coal grate, disconnect the flue pipe from the chimney thimble and then plug the thimble with a stove pipe plug and put a drop light in the fire box.

One of the members scrapes his firebox clean of ash and soot as well as the water walls and then sprays the interior of the firebox with Fluid film to coat it to prevent any rust build up.

I put a drop light with an incandescent shock resistant clear light bulb and leave it on all summer to heat the firebox after I clean it. I leave some coal in the hopper to seal the firebox from the open air in the laundry room.

I plan on replacing and changing the flue piping this year on my kaa-4-1 and changing the thimble connection using the same reducer and adding 2 lengths of stove pipe in the 7" to 6" reducer to avoid issues with fly ash building up around and in the reducer as the build up will reduce the draft. I have to stuff the shop vac hose up through the chimney clean out and into the long round chimney liner that connects the flue pipe to the chimney to do it every year otherwise.

I have been using 6 inch tees with plugs to let the fly ash drop out and I collect it in a 5 gallon pail.
I will be changing this method slightly by installing a 6 inch to 4 inch reducer in each Tee to make it easier to clean and remove the fly ash.


 
not2bad
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Posts: 49
Joined: Thu. Feb. 02, 2017 6:29 am

Post by not2bad » Sat. Feb. 09, 2019 1:28 pm

Some good ideas. Too much money invested to just let rust away during the summer months. Thanks.

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