Axeman Anderson 260-M adventures!

O ya that’s a way to really let you know how much your heating the ground!
Might be a constant 10k loss!

Lightning wrote: ↑

Thu. Dec. 31, 2020 3:26 pm

It was a fun experiment lol.

I might be better off not knowing, sounds like a lot of work! I would have to unwire my fan plus there would be a little loss circulating through the coil. Drove the truck last night and nothing was running in the barn, t-stat satisfied at 55*! Happy New Year!

You could turn the barn up to 60°... Not because you want to, but because you can!!!

nepacoal wrote: ↑

Fri. Jan. 01, 2021 6:51 am

You could turn the barn up to 60°... Not because you want to, but because you can!!!

It is a beautiful thing! In past years I would have to shut the fan off and just circulate so the water wouldn't freeze on the really cold days to concentrate all heat to the house. I am still very giddy over this unit but I am starting to get bored. I will get to take the ash out today for the first time so I have that to look forward to after work! Had one of my boys doing it but I'll give him a break.

My under ground heat run is only 18-30 inches deep because of the clay and rocks I couldn't dig thru. Even with only a 1500 BTU per hour heat loss across that whole 100 ft run I can still notice where the line is due to the variation in snow on top the ground. I mean, it won't melt a path in a foot of snow or even close but if conditions are just right with a dusting of snow, you can see it.

swyman wrote: ↑

Fri. Jan. 01, 2021 6:58 am

I am still very giddy over this unit but I am starting to get bored.

Well, I guess that says it all. Obviously your not worrying about heat anymore. It's been a full week and we have not heard a word out of the Swyman!

In January, I got used to reading the tales of low heat output, weekly power vent cleaning and pump calculations. Now what am I going to do on a Friday night???

-Don

StokerDon wrote: ↑

Fri. Jan. 08, 2021 9:00 pm

Well, I guess that says it all. Obviously your not worrying about heat anymore. It's been a full week and we have not heard a word out of the Swyman!

In January, I got used to reading the tales of low heat output, weekly power vent cleaning and pump calculations. Now what am I going to do on a Friday night???

-Don

You're right on! Just sitting here telling my partner how boring this boiler is and his response was "that's how it's supposed to be"! I really enjoy looking at it but other than dripping a little oil on moving parts all I do is take out the ash and shop vac the exploded pieces of coal that shoot out the fire view cover. I sweep inside the ash pan area once a week but yea we are very warm and I have achieved 100% coal heat with all areas running to set temps! I still enjoy reading the forum but for the first time in 6 years I don't have much to say! I know you like numbers and looking at my bin I guesstimate I have used around 2 ton of coal so far in a month and a couple days. That would equate to about 129lbs/day. Yes it's been a little warm but that is about the same or maybe a little LESS than my other boiler without any propane supplement. Might grab a couple more ahs pans so I can go 2 weeks before I need to take any out but I can't say how nice it is to have this boiler!

The last few days here have been in the 20s at night. burning about 130 lbs per day with my ahs 260. does this seem about right with what your burning?

Jkohanski wrote: ↑

Tue. Jan. 12, 2021 8:22 pm

The last few days here have been in the 20s at night. burning about 130 lbs per day with my ahs 260. does this seem about right with what your burning?

From what I can tell that seems to be about exactly what I've been burning judging by how much is left in the bin

Have a pretty good gopher hole now! Seems like I have burned a little over 2 ton?

Crickets........nothing but crickets! I must say that my Lehigh Pea has an absurd amount of fines in it but the Axeman is not missing a beat. I am thinking about taking my shop vac to try to suck up the fines before they work their way to the auger. Are heavy fines the norm with larger coal? I noticed when I went from rice to buckwheat that the buck had more fines but I attributed that to it's larger size?

swyman wrote: ↑

Thu. Jan. 21, 2021 9:27 am

Crickets........nothing but crickets! I must say that my Lehigh Pea has an absurd amount of fines in it but the Axeman is not missing a beat. I am thinking about taking my shop vac to try to suck up the fines before they work their way to the auger. Are heavy fines the norm with larger coal? I noticed when I went from rice to buckwheat that the buck had more fines but I attributed that to it's larger size?

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Good Morning swyman,

it is not worth you time to do this as you will not receive the results you hope for. Its better for your sanity to just scoop them up and put them back in the bin and let the auger take care of them.

Fines are the normal state of affairs for both soft and hard coals. The western sub bituminous and bituminous coals are more friable meaning they break more easily. Fines also mean money and if they are screened out to a greater degree they cannot be sold UNLESS they are screened and washed more to be sold for activated carbon.

The amount of fines in a mined product are created as a result of the many times it is handled causing the sedimentary rock to break along the cleavage lines of the coal-meaning the layers of coal) and simple abrasion from being transported to the crushing and screening plant by haul trucks or conveyors.

This also occurs when:
1. the coal is blasted from the mine face
2. when the continuous miner breaks the coal from the mine face.
3. when the coal is being transported from the mine face with a shuttle car or belt conveyor
4. when the coal is broken and sized by a feeder breaker prior to its being discharged on to a belt conveyor
5. fines are created each time a conveyor belt transfers the mined ore to the next conveyor flight

If a horizontal screen is used the product is screened more efficiently and there are many fewer fines in the product where the material is moved along a very long screen deck and slowly discharged at the end of the screen to be sent to a bagging bin or stored in a bulk hopper to be loaded in railcars or trucks.

If an inclined screen is used the material is not screened as well and more fines remain in the product as the material is constantly thrown back upon itself to slow the speed of actual screening and to prevent the over size material from simply rolling down and falling off the screen to be carried away.

A very long screen deck permits the material to be screened in larger to smaller screen sieve sizes as a single screen deck can be used with several screen sizes permitting the screen deck to sieve out up to 6 material sizes or more with one screen deck to a lower screen deck in the same screener which screens the material further improving its quality.

Anthracite coal that is reclaimed from a surface gob pile requires more work and time and any rock would have to be picked off the belt unless the mine operator simply disposes of any coal with excess rock in it without crushing, washing or screening it.

There are lot of coal washing plants that have been shut down or scrapped due to the conversion of power plants to natural gas as the bituminous coal is no longer mined at the specific mine property.

A soft coal washing plant that is no longer used could be dismantled and used by a cooperative of mine operators if the mines are close to each other as the haulage cost to the coal washing plant would be minimized if it was centrally located.

Eastern Bituminous Soft Coal requires more washing and cleaning due to the dirt and oil that is present in it from the mining process and takes a great deal of energy and water to clean it.

Augers are fines fabricators.

Have you noticed that the fines going into the auger are not exactly the same size and shape as the fines getting expelled out of the cyclone cone???

How is this you say...a lot more fines are combusted in-between than you may at first realize.

I would recommend finding ways to deal with whatever it is that bothers you about any or all of these fines.

Hint: If it is the dribble of fines on the floor that misses the ash bucket, then look to improve how to get more in the bucket and less on the floor.
But do allow them to have a chance to burn before hastily tossing them aside.

And don't forget that the swirling grit does a fabulous job of scouring the swirl chamber/vessel walls and that is a valuable feature too!

Well stated Mac, let her eat the fines and spit out the ones she doesn't want..