Putting my AA130 to use

Also I have a pretty good bit of fines, black powder in the transfer head, not excessive but probably more than desired. Fines in the ashpit, even at the very front of the boiler. I pulled the cover off where you would remove the grate and there are like ashy burnt fine powder hanging out on the corners of the grate. Would take pictures but my phone is mostly poop for that! Is it possible to not have a good enough seal under the base or around the transfer head? To me it appears the fan could draw thru the transfer head gaps if the ash bed proved too tough, hence bypassing everything! I am running out of a barrel right now because the bin bottom was too close to the tube bottom and stuff was getting crushed. I do have a decent setup in the barrel- not like the tube just sticks in there, I have some sort of roof over it

And by fines I mean practically a powder

Good deal!

So I think part of the issue is my popes bit is in bad shape. There were some little holes broken thru on both upper and lower tubing sections that I patched, but I think the irregular surface/passages to the center core are causing bad airflow currents and pushing down thru the cone back into the ash pit, carrying dust and non oxygen bearing air. I know this may sound like a stretch but I ordered a new one. It needs it anyway! The rope gasket I used around the brim where the hat meets the boiler is impregnated with dust and ash fines that tells me things are not going right. Can't wait to get it fixed! Debating driving up to pick the part up or getting it mailed....

Retro_Origin wrote: ↑

Tue. Jan. 31, 2023 5:48 pm

So I think part of the issue is my popes bit is in bad shape. There were some little holes broken thru on both upper and lower tubing sections that I patched, but I think the irregular surface/passages to the center core are causing bad airflow currents and pushing down thru the cone back into the ash pit, carrying dust and non oxygen bearing air. I know this may sound like a stretch but I ordered a new one. It needs it anyway! The rope gasket I used around the brim where the hat meets the boiler is impregnated with dust and ash fines that tells me things are not going right. Can't wait to get it fixed! Debating driving up to pick the part up or getting it mailed....

I learned the hard way that sealing the cone is critical! I should have used a larger rope gasket around the pope's hat.... I used 3/8", what did you use?

SMITTY wrote: ↑

Tue. Jan. 31, 2023 1:17 am

Good deal!

Looks like I should've quoted the message I was replying to. There's 2 extra posts there that look like I said this to them! WTF. I'll figure this internet thing out eventually ...

That was supposed to be, "GOOD DEAL" ... that the 4006 is working out.

Retro_Origin wrote: ↑

Mon. Jan. 30, 2023 8:13 pm

To me it appears the fan could draw thru the transfer head gaps if the ash bed proved too tough, hence bypassing everything!

I seal the transfer head with a bead of silicon. With the fan running at the stock 2875 RPM it won't make much difference though. I've found with these boilers that the hardness of the coal can make a big difference. In 2018 I got a really hard batch of Blasckek, and the Axeman absolutely, hated it. Hardly any ash and mostly partly burnt coal in the pan. I made it work by slowing the fan and ashing down.

Where did your coal come from?
-Don

Sherman- it's been working really good for me and isn't as hard as the blahack I ran before. Taped up the transfer head and the popes hat some more and that did help, found a lot of fines in the bin so need to add a mesh system they can fall thru and not be so drawn up into the tube. Coldest temps tonight that the axe has seen yet! And don't worry smitty, I know what you meant!

Retro_Origin wrote: ↑

Wed. Feb. 01, 2023 8:25 pm

found a lot of fines in the bin so need to add a mesh system they can fall thru and not be so drawn up into the tube.

I've seen my Axe eat up copious amounts of fines. I don't think it had any noticable impacts on performance.

Thanks guys! So on Tuesday I called axeman Anderson to order a new cardinals crown (haticus popas in Latin), the old one I had tried to patch as you can see but there was so much dust blowing out due to the holes and I thought maybe this was cause to my real issue. However, although it really needed fixed my issue still stands- so help!! First off this thing is running really well for me, it keep up it eats only moderately. But I can do better. I've got positive pressure coming thru the cone into the ash pit constantly, I can smell the sulfur smell if I open the door during a run. No blockages when I changed the popes hat (sealed with rope gasket and high temp rtv) . Temperature probe next to anthrastat does not increase while fan blows so to me it doesn't seem like a lot of exhaust is coming down, just enough to give me unburnt and heavy ash, I'm not sure I understand the whole cyclone system, how does a spiral effect of exhaust still force it down then up and out? Wouldn't some exhaust coming thru the cone be normal? I understand with pressure differential some unexpected things can be achieved but how exactly does this work in a perfect world to only drop the fines and not gases? Also I should mention this isn't a stock one. I bent it out of metal and did a very good job sealing around the mating area. The cone wasn't perfectly symmetrical and might be sitting a bit cocked. Let me know if this is enough to cause weirdness in pressure. Thanks in advance, gurus!

Also my running draft with fan is -0.17. The metal flapper door is pulled shut but I feel it's a pretty week pull. Would checking draft thru flapper door indicate anything?

So I did some research on cyclone separators but can't find anywhere it mentions about whether some gas escape r . I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get one from axeman, I was trying to be smart about this rebuild and that cyclone isn't rocket science, figured I could make it myself. I feel like this would be pretty hard to replace with the fire alive

Retro_Origin wrote: ↑

Sun. Feb. 05, 2023 2:05 pm

so to me it doesn't seem like a lot of exhaust is coming down, just enough to give me unburnt and heavy ash,

I can't say for sure that a little exhaust getting into the ash cabinet would cause that. Maybe, but I'm inclined to say not.

Retro_Origin wrote: ↑

Sun. Feb. 05, 2023 2:05 pm

not sure I understand the whole cyclone system, how does a spiral effect of exhaust still force it down then up and out?

The spiral effect throws particulate matter against the wall of the boiler where it then falls downward toward the cone. The "cleaned exhaust" is then helped up and out by the natural draw of the chimney, which seems like you have plenty of at -.17.. mine only runs at -.05 to -.06 while the fan is on. Where exactly are you measuring the -.17?

Retro_Origin wrote: ↑

Sun. Feb. 05, 2023 2:05 pm

The cone wasn't perfectly symmetrical and might be sitting a bit cocked.

I can't say for sure if this is a problem but maybe? We learned from Shane's experience that it not sealed properly created a huge amount of exhaust into his ash cabinet. So symmetry of the cone might be important.

Retro_Origin wrote: ↑

Sun. Feb. 05, 2023 2:10 pm

Would checking draft thru flapper door indicate anything?

I don't think so other than you'd see the brute force that the fan is pulling combustion air up thru the fuel column.

Lee, im measuring directly where the popes hat ends. Another reason for my suspicion of unequal burn is sometimes the fire is buried by new coal properly and other times the fire is crawling up into the transfer head. Maybe fire height does change pretty drastically sometimes?

Keith I really think you need to look very closely at your cone. I had the exact same problem with mine. I would smell sulfur as soon as I opened the ash door and a lot of swirling particles. It also looks like your cone is on an angle, it should be straight. I swore to Lee on a stack of bibles that my cone was sealed and if you looked down from the top of the pope's hat, it looked like it was. It took a lot of coaxing from lightning but I finally pulled out the pope's hat and over half my cone was not sealed. I previously sealed it from the bottom but with the angle of the cone, it's really hard to get in there deep enough so I really gooped it up. My giant wad of silicone must have fell out somewhere down the line. While you have that pope's hat out, make sure you give that cone a good look to make sure it is completely sealed.