4.85lbs per hour @10F-22F, what are YOU seeing this weekend?

 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sun. Jan. 16, 2022 11:13 am

Now you know why I need to continue insulating and playing with electronics to make my system more efficient.

KA6, buckwheat anthracite.

It is set aggressively not to lose fire, so uses "extra" coal. Also had ashes back up a bit, so might drop a third a pound avg.

House is set 69F-70F at night, 70F-72F during day, indirect DHW.

Basement 65F-68F just from boiler.

So what is everyone else seeing this weekend?


 
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Post by Lightning » Sun. Jan. 16, 2022 11:22 am

Based on my last measurement of 1.56 pounds per HDD, I used 3.9 pounds per hour yesterday with an average temp of 5 degrees OAT. That is heating only, DHW is factored out.

 
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nepacoal
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Post by nepacoal » Sun. Jan. 16, 2022 11:43 am

4.4 lbs per hour here yesterday, including DHW. Low of 2, high of 10 with high winds. IAT 72, basement stays between 67 and 68. Kelly had no problems keeping up but she did burn about 105 pounds.

 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sun. Jan. 16, 2022 12:56 pm

Thanks for sharing.

So if I'm about 1/2lb or 1lb per hour more than you guys, that's 12-24 lbs more per day.

My buckets are 45lb and 40lb, so about 1/4-1/2 bucket more per day. Not crazy, but still have room for improvement.

I'm hoping to gain some ground with the new Triple Aquastat, the old one has a bad spot so I keep it up a bit and no idea if it holds steady.

I *wanted * to replace it this week, but then there is the whole storm thing and just my luck I'd get the old bulb stuck in the well and wouldn't be able to use either (!) So after this one clears and a mild couple of days.

 
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Post by Jkohanski » Sun. Jan. 16, 2022 5:45 pm

low was 3deg last night. avg abou 115lbs per day during this cold snap. heating 2500sq/ft 1862 farm house, with original single pane windows, with storm plastic inside. temp 70deg inside. cast iron radiators.

 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sun. Jan. 16, 2022 5:58 pm

Jkohanski wrote:
Sun. Jan. 16, 2022 5:45 pm
low was 3deg last night. avg abou 115lbs per day during this cold snap. heating 2500sq/ft 1862 farm house, with original single pane windows, with storm plastic inside. temp 70deg inside. cast iron radiators.
That's pretty good, I think. What are you heating with? I have KA6

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Jan. 17, 2022 11:52 am

560 lbs since 6 pm on 1/12, you will have to do the math and look up weather. It has been nasty cold.


 
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Mon. Jan. 17, 2022 12:11 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Mon. Jan. 17, 2022 11:52 am
560 lbs since 6 pm on 1/12, you will have to do the math and look up weather. It has been nasty cold.
Around 100lbs/day?

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Jan. 17, 2022 12:22 pm

That is what it has averaged out to. I think I had one day that was about 200 lbs in 24 hrs.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 12:32 pm

I have been burning 80 pounds a day with the kaa-4-1 but with a morning
temperature of 20 degrees Below Zero Fahrenheit its struggling.
I have the stoker set at 10 threads out and it is maintaining the correct
2 inch band of coals and 3 inches or so of ash.
I have a very old house that is poorly insulated but we are coping with
small electric heaters.

 
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Post by Retro_Origin » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:03 pm

Izaharis, how do you like the rice/buck mix? I just went to buck because my rice was clinkering a good bit (and I can save that for summer) and wanted to try buck. Increased feed a good bit and now boiler reaches the high limit even with the circulator running.

 
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:06 pm

lzaharis wrote:
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 12:32 pm
... it is maintaining the correct
2 inch band of coals and 3 inches or so of ash.
You NEED more coals than that. 2 inches of ash at the end, or whatever you need as long as orange coals don't fall off the end.

The KAA-2 has a smallish bed, so fill it up with hot burning coals.

A narrow band is okay for idle, but when needed it should be something like 80%+ hot burning firing coals!

Otherwise it likely will never keep up.

Put it to work! :yes:

 
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Post by lzaharis » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:50 pm

Retro_Origin wrote:
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:03 pm
Izaharis, how do you like the rice/buck mix? I just went to buck because my rice was clinkering a good bit (and I can save that for summer) and wanted to try buck. Increased feed a good bit and now boiler reaches the high limit even with the circulator running.
=====================================================================================================

When they gave me the rice buck mix it was a case of dump a bucket of rice in the trailer first and then the bucket of buck and then scooping it out a shovel and lifting the pail in the hopper so it was not much of a mix.
If the hopper had a divider it may have worked better but I don't think it would have as to obtain a true mix you need to feed the coal through two augers with the correct speed to a common draw point being a third auger feeding a stoker.

When I burned straight buckwheat coal the heat output was not all that great and the same thing happened with the buck rice mix. That is why I went back to all rice coal for the kaa-4-1.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:54 pm

CoalisCoolxWarm wrote:
Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:06 pm
You NEED more coals than that. 2 inches of ash at the end, or whatever you need as long as orange coals don't fall off the end.

The KAA-2 has a smallish bed, so fill it up with hot burning coals.

A narrow band is okay for idle, but when needed it should be something like 80%+ hot burning firing coals!

Otherwise it likely will never keep up.

Put it to work! :yes:
======================================================================================================

The kaa-2 and kaa-4 have the same 3 bed stoker. I will turn it in one thread to 9 threads
to see how well it does as it is supposed to get really cold again tonight and tomorrow.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 2:00 pm

Is the stoker running nonstop? I am just wondering if your issue may be lack or radiation rather than boiler capacity.


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