4.85lbs per hour @10F-22F, what are YOU seeing this weekend?
- CoalisCoolxWarm
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- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
- Other Heating: Oil Boiler
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?
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?
- Lightning
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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.
- nepacoal
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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.
- CoalisCoolxWarm
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- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
- Other Heating: Oil Boiler
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.
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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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.
- CoalisCoolxWarm
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- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
- Other Heating: Oil Boiler
That's pretty good, I think. What are you heating with? I have KA6
- CoalisCoolxWarm
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- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
- Other Heating: Oil Boiler
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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.
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.
- Retro_Origin
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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.
- CoalisCoolxWarm
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- Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: old Sears rebuilt, bituminous- offline as of winter 2014
- Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
- Other Heating: Oil Boiler
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!
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=====================================================================================================Retro_Origin wrote: ↑Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:03 pmIzaharis, 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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- Coal Size/Type: rice
- Other Heating: kerosene for dual fuel Keystoker/unused
======================================================================================================CoalisCoolxWarm wrote: ↑Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 1:06 pmYou 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!
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.