Nice asshhhh ... ??

 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Sat. Feb. 25, 2023 12:15 pm

What do you fellers think of this?

To me, the ash pan feels heavier than it should. I'm not sure if I'm seeing the right amount of unburnt coal in here, either. Boiler is running great, although with time it seems the stack temp has fallen a bit, and it takes a little longer to get up to temp - that's to be expected with flyash accumulation.

I'm wondering if I need to be fiddling with the stoker (EFM520 Highboy, S15 stoker) to get it burning more efficiently. Not quite sure which way to go. Ash ring is a little wide at light loads, but a little thin on heavy loads. I'm at 5 teeth feed and a bit below 4.5 on the air. Burning Blaschak rice from 2019.

If it ain't broke, I won't fix it! :yes:
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Feb. 25, 2023 12:28 pm

If the fire is creeping onto the ring around the grates on long burn cycles, you need a bit more air. But first, I would adjust the feed to 4 teeth. Unless you are burning 175+ lbs per day, you don’t need to be on 5 teeth. Set it on 4 teeth and just a tad over 4 on the air and see how it does.

I run mine on 4 teeth.


 
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Post by waytomany?s » Sat. Feb. 25, 2023 12:29 pm

Yeah, but you have to tinker, right?

 
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Post by freetown fred » Sat. Feb. 25, 2023 1:28 pm

Indeed!!!!!!!!!!! Jon IS a tinkerer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: How's she workin today???????????????

 
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Post by leward » Sat. Feb. 25, 2023 6:50 pm

I gad to tinker with my air adjustment this yr for first time in 10 yrs. Not sure why, coal must have changed a bit. Jumped the air up a bit and unburned coal disappeared in the ash pan, and the ash bucket got a whole lot lighter. Go ahead and turn it up a bit and see

 
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Post by Retro_Origin » Sat. Feb. 25, 2023 11:41 pm

I was amazed how we set my brother in laws 520 to 4 and 4 and his ash came out dead perfect. Super light bins too. Seems those machines are so well designed. He won't even Go through the four and a half tons he got. And he's been burning since October I think!

 
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Post by SMITTY » Sun. Feb. 26, 2023 5:25 pm

Great info, everyone - much appreciated. She's runnin' great, Fred - just thinkin' I might be dumping some money outside with the way the ash pan felt. Gonna turn her down a notch and see what happens.

Now I'm wondering if I was on 4 teeth to start ... I can't friggin remember! :lol: Time to go check ...


 
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Post by SMITTY » Sun. Feb. 26, 2023 5:29 pm

AHHH *censored*!! I was at FOUR teeth! My bad ... :roll: Went to one too many parties I guess! :oops:

I turned the air up to 5. It was just a hair over 4.

 
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Post by Retro_Origin » Sun. Feb. 26, 2023 8:30 pm

My monitoring instruments just picked up a slight growth in the ozone hole. Thanks a lot Smitty!

 
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Feb. 26, 2023 8:36 pm

You should only make small adjustments. Going from 4 to 5 is a big jump, and will likely result in wasted heat up the flue.

 
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Post by SMITTY » Mon. Feb. 27, 2023 5:03 am

Keith, LOL! :lol:

Yeah, I can smell the pipe now on a long run, but the ash ring seems perfect now. Stack was 300° at the exit of the boiler. When it was fresh and clean I'd see 350° on a long burn.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Feb. 27, 2023 6:54 am

That is the temperature inside the pipe? Or the surface?

 
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Post by SMITTY » Tue. Feb. 28, 2023 6:42 pm

I saw 300° on the surface, but not sure how long it had been running when I saw that. I may have been smelling excessive radiant heat from the pot heating up the base, now that I think about it. I turned air down to 4.5, and ash feels heavier again. I think it wants to be at 5.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Tue. Feb. 28, 2023 7:24 pm

Those thermometers are not really the most accurate devices, but 300F is hot for the pipe temperature on 4 teeth. I have never seen mine over 250, even when running for an hour straight.

Do you have the baffle hanging inside the firebox?

 
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Post by SMITTY » Tue. Feb. 28, 2023 8:09 pm

There's one up top hanging above the fire, but I read that there were supposed to be 2 more in the other section, downstream of the firetubes. The manual I have is the newer unit with the oil burner that isn't a Highboy, so that may not apply here.

Yeah, those thermometers suck. I only use it as a reference. I've seen that hit 350° in the past. Doesn't seem to be getting that hot lately. Was only hitting 250° before I made the adjustment. I'm sure the pipe and the fire tubes are starting to get choked up with flyash after 3+ months of run time. Mostly the chimney pipe I'd wager.


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