Failed grate.

KLook · Post by **KLook** » Mon. Oct. 28, 2019 7:45 pm

I bought new grates for the VF-3000 before selling the house to my son. They both have grooves cut in the front where the coal first meets them and the one in the back has cracked and degraded. The original went for 10 years or so and probably would have lasted me 20, but my son does not have the background and does not hear everything I tell him until something fails and the light goes on.
The originals were not sealed down to the unit, they set in grooves all around. Has anyone seen this kind of wear in a similar unit?

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Kevin

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Wed. Oct. 30, 2019 8:15 am

That is pretty extreme wear. I ran a VF3000 starting in 2004 until I switched to the EFM 3 years ago. In that time I replaced the grates 3 times. I never glued them in place. Also never had any damage like is seen on the edge of that one grate.

Post by **coaledsweat** » Wed. Oct. 30, 2019 8:23 am

Looks like it rotted away to me, not worn. Is it damp in there in the summer?

KLook · Post by **KLook** » Wed. Oct. 30, 2019 7:56 pm

Thanks for the responses. On the original grates he left wet coal in the hopper and ate up the hopper and grates. I scolded him for that and bought a stainless steel hopper and new grates. And he cleaned it out properly at the end of the season. He took the grates out to clean under them and noticed this damage. One season.
I contacted AHS and the guy that responded said to seal them in. My response was the originals were not and it did not tell me to. He indicated that coal would get under them and cause them to warp. This is not a warp. And if coal could get under the leading edge it would lift the grate completely as the coal is moving almost straight up when it contacts the grates.
He is going to run these this winter, I wonder if sealing them in will help? I encouraged him to preheat his coal to dry them out some before going in the hopper.

Kevin

I should have mentioned the grate to the left has the same erosion cut into the face but does not have the cracked and crumbled edge.

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Wed. Oct. 30, 2019 9:07 pm

That's one season?? None of mine ever looked that bad after 5 years. It must be a defective casting.

KLook · Post by **KLook** » Wed. Oct. 30, 2019 10:15 pm

That is what I thought, they offered to sell me more......but what choice do we have?

Kevin

Post by **StokerDon** » Thu. Oct. 31, 2019 6:44 pm

KLook wrote: ↑
Mon. Oct. 28, 2019 7:45 pm
Has anyone seen this kind of wear in a similar unit?

That's not ware, that grate got too hot. It's possible that the feed was set to low and the fire burned back there.

-Don

KLook · Post by **KLook** » Sun. Nov. 03, 2019 9:49 am

There are holes for combustion back there and why would it be any different then the top where it burns?

Post by **StokerDon** » Sun. Nov. 03, 2019 10:21 am

KLook wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 03, 2019 9:49 am
There are holes for combustion back there and why would it be any different then the top where it burns?

I'm not sure why it would happen on a Harman at the back of the grate. When you see all those rectangular-ish looking cracks and small pieces missing, it's heat damage.

Maybe it's a bad casting that can't take the heat in some spots???

-Don

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Sun. Nov. 03, 2019 3:38 pm

StokerDon wrote: ↑
Sun. Nov. 03, 2019 10:21 am
I'm not sure why it would happen on a Harman at the back of the grate. When you see all those rectangular-ish looking cracks and small pieces missing, it's heat damage.

Maybe it's a bad casting that can't take the heat in some spots???

-Don

Bad casting. That would be my guess.

KLook · Post by **KLook** » Mon. Nov. 11, 2019 7:32 pm

Thanks guys, I encouraged him to set the feed rate up first, so a full burn stays back 1 inch, and adjust the timer to reduce outfires. He had the timer running to often, and must have dialed the feed rate back to compensate. Plus different coal each season changes things.

Kevin