The Bairmatic - Van Wert Project Boiler Saga Continues

 
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BunkerdCaddis
Member
Posts: 708
Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 10:26 am
Location: SW Lancaster County
Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
Other Heating: oil fired hydronic

Post by BunkerdCaddis » Wed. Apr. 05, 2023 10:06 pm

Well, it's been a little while since I had a chance to post but really hasn't been a lot to say... the mighty Bairmatic-Van Wert has run like an absolute charm since I started it. One light up since the beginning, put coal in the barrel and take ashes out. I've been burning about 1 55 gallon blue barrel of coal a week, a little more during cold weeks and less during warmer weeks. I did run my coal stove in the sun room during the cold spell we had but more so cause we wanted to sit by the fire and we do enjoy the radiant heat as well. The house was plenty warm that week. :D I had a total of 3.6 ton of rice and am down to a couple of buckets left on the pile. I let the fire go out today so I have only burnt about 1 1/2 ton more coal this year than most years but didn't use any oil to heat with and the whole house was warm. I didn't get the domestic water on the coal boiler yet because I got too busy with other things. :cry: I could not be happier with the Bairmatic-Van Wert unless I had the outdoor bin/auger set up already (and an ash auger) .

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Apr. 09, 2023 9:39 am

That is one nice stoker boiler. Glad it got you through with no problems!

-Don

 
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BunkerdCaddis
Member
Posts: 708
Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 10:26 am
Location: SW Lancaster County
Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
Other Heating: oil fired hydronic

Post by BunkerdCaddis » Sun. Dec. 03, 2023 7:41 pm

My apologies all I'm a little slow on the upload on a recent project but one of my goals from the beginning of the Bairmatic-Van Wert installation was to have an outdoor bin and certainly something that held more than a 55 gallon barrel. It was good while I needed it but I won't be crying any tears on it's removal. :out:

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User avatar
BunkerdCaddis
Member
Posts: 708
Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 10:26 am
Location: SW Lancaster County
Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
Other Heating: oil fired hydronic

Post by BunkerdCaddis » Sun. Dec. 03, 2023 8:22 pm

Knowing that I would need a right hand feed (actually a left side feed on a Van Wert boiler, I believe) Stoker Don was kind enough to include one with the Bairmatic-Van Wert. It did come with a very short auger tube installed and a two foot pipe wrench with a 3 foot extension did not have enough man behind it to convince it it no longer needed to reside there. The saws-all with a couple of slices to the inside and a cape chisel persuader were up to the task and shortly there after we had an auger head sans any tubing. (sorry no pics)... :?


 
User avatar
BunkerdCaddis
Member
Posts: 708
Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 10:26 am
Location: SW Lancaster County
Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
Other Heating: oil fired hydronic

Post by BunkerdCaddis » Sun. Dec. 03, 2023 8:35 pm

So my next bit of mental anguish would be to cut a hole in the wall and figure where to run the new auger tube... I knew where I wanted/needed the bin and (have you priced 2 1/2" stainless sch 40? yeah not this year) got some 2 1/2" pvc conduit for mock up. Fortunately, there was some discussion on the forum about using pvc for auger tubes and I decided to just use that anyway. :)

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User avatar
BunkerdCaddis
Member
Posts: 708
Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 10:26 am
Location: SW Lancaster County
Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
Other Heating: oil fired hydronic

Post by BunkerdCaddis » Sun. Dec. 03, 2023 8:48 pm

I built a pressure treated base for my new bin first and then set about making some footers to set it on. I had some scrap pieces of 8" sdr 35 pipe and used them to make simple 2b stone pillars to support the base (I just didn't want frost moving things around) set the base on that and got a measurement for a new auger.

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User avatar
BunkerdCaddis
Member
Posts: 708
Joined: Sun. Jan. 18, 2015 10:26 am
Location: SW Lancaster County
Stoker Coal Boiler: Bairmatic-Van Wert
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Van Wert VW85H
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Saey Hanover II working when I feel the desire, Waterford 105 out on vacation, Surdiac Gotha hiding somewhere
Coal Size/Type: pea/nut/rice/stove-anthracite, nut/stove bit when I feel the urge
Other Heating: oil fired hydronic

Post by BunkerdCaddis » Sun. Dec. 03, 2023 10:42 pm

So, once I had a measurement for the auger I put a call into Mark's Supply for an 8' auger, took a little while but finally got the call and made a trip north the Monday before Thanksgiving.

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