EFM Mix buck in with rice?

LTStorm07 · Post by **LTStorm07** » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 1:42 pm

Hey gents,
I have probably 3/4 ton of "buck" left over from the days of the Van Wert and I was wondering if I could mix it in with the rice I'm running in my 520. Below is a picture of the buck, but it just seems huge to me, but I've only every been exposed to rice and stove coal. Maybe my rice is just tiny, but here are two pictures for reference. I have a 1/2 in screen I was screening some with, but this stuff won't go through. I will say I feel like my rice is smaller this year compared to what I've used in the past at my other house. Thoughts?

Buck or is this oversized?

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This is the stuff I took off the screen and put it next to the rice I'm running. Maybe my rice is just tiny... If you need another rice picture let me know

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Thanks!!

Post by **Rob R.** » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 2:37 pm

Go ahead and burn it. You can burn the buck by itself and avoid the mess of trying to blend it.

Pacowy · Post by **Pacowy** » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 3:16 pm

Yes, probably best to use buck by itself, and during the peak of the heating season. All else equal, buck breathes better and rice idles better.

Mike

lincolnmania · Post by **lincolnmania** » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 4:44 pm

I ran buckwheat in the efm at the shop for years until my friend that owned the building found out he could use it in his hand fed stove in his part of the building and stopped buying nut coal. Switching to rice fixed that issue lol

Post by **StokerDon** » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 7:00 pm

LTStorm07 wrote: ↑
Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 1:42 pm
I was wondering if I could mix it in with the rice I'm running in my 520.

I wouldn't mix the Buck and Rice together. You have to remember that with an auger fed pot stoker the size of the coal directly effects the feed rate. With Rice you have to reduce the feed rate to make the same size fire as with Buck. Rice = 2.5 pounds per hour per tooth and Buck = 2.0 pounds per hour per tooth.

I think that mixing the two would create an un even, cantankerous fire.

-Don

Pacowy · Post by **Pacowy** » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 12:27 am

Agreed.

Mike

LTStorm07 · Post by **LTStorm07** » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 11:10 am

Thanks all for the replies. I'll see if I can run it after I get through the rice. I was worried because it looked awfully large, but then again I feel like my rice is full of barely too. I get quite a few fines when I pull the cleanout handle each day.

Thanks!
Mike

Post by **Rob R.** » Sun. Dec. 05, 2021 9:41 am

LTStorm07 wrote: ↑
Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 11:10 am
Thanks all for the replies. I'll see if I can run it after I get through the rice. I was worried because it looked awfully large, but then again I feel like my rice is full of barely too. I get quite a few fines when I pull the cleanout handle each day.

Thanks!
Mike

Please let us know how you make out.

LTStorm07 · Post by **LTStorm07** » Sun. Dec. 05, 2021 9:58 am

Rob R. wrote: ↑
Sun. Dec. 05, 2021 9:41 am
Please let us know how you make out.

Hey Rob, I certainly will! I posted a question about the DHW gasket on the new install in my other install thread. Any thoughts on that? I guess I should have maybe made a sperate post to address that one?