pricing installation

Thanks for correcting my error Don. The kalamazoo coal grates in my Switzer wood and coal CWW100 simply lifted out.

After trial and error over and over and over and almost turning gray, i tweaked everything just right, and reduced the firebox just right. First time making no clinker ash, no overfires. Good temp range for dumpzone, hits cools down takes a long time to get back to 190.

P.s. sealed the brick spaces with plastic refractory

So after burning for 9 hours i checked mid movie and everything was out, all white coals, is it normal to get white clinker or should i have been shaking way more to keep up with breaking down the nut sized coal?

White clinker is normal Sylvester.

Save up you money for more coal and the right parts now.

filled to top of bricks?...
Try mounding it up...
Looks like it was running pretty hot in the photo...
If so you will burn thru the coal...
Mound it up to get extra burn time...
What was the outside temp where you are?...
Colder temps use more coal...
Cut your teeth on the reduced fire box...
Then apply the lessons learned to the full fire box...
You are into the winter season...
My DS Machine stove while not a boiler...
Did take about 120 lbs of coal to fill from empty...
And I Did learn how to keep that big pile from over heating the house...
You just need to get in tune and be aware of the environment for that day...
And dial it in properly...
You too will soon have the beast tamed and behaving...
Like a domesticated pet...

Its been early 30s here and okay fellas

Unfortunately while reducing the firebox and flipping the grates i broke a few of the factory firebrick, so im gonna have to order replacements and shutdown to replace them. Then ill stack a few more fire bricks in the back up to the breach

Suit yourself, but broken bricks can still be mortared back in place with high temp motar..

McGiever wrote: ↑

Mon. Nov. 19, 2018 10:12 am

Suit yourself, but broken bricks can still be mortared back in place with high temp motar..

^^What he said.

Buy high temp motar/cement at hardware store in a plastic tub or even in a caulk tube. Hercules is one brand.

If they did not fall out the pressure of the coal will keep them in there...

I would replace any broken brick in a hand fired. Don't need a chunk of it stuck in your grate. Don't ask me how I know. Not suggesting a shutdown, just the next opportunity

Now let's take some time to look at your system PRESSURE and the steel pressure tank.

The steel tanks are superb in volume but can be frustrating. For everyone.

A couple of things to keep in mind, so we have the correct expectations.

1. When in proper operation the tank will be about 1/2 water, 1/2 air.

2. The operating pressure of your system is dependent on the volume of water in your system and the temp of the water.

3. A proper hydronic system is a DYNAMIC system that will fluctuate based upon conditions, so don't get too hung up on precise to the 1,000th decimal place accuracy. As long as it stays in the 'proper' operating range and it is HEATING reliably, without excessive usage or waste, and is safe, you're good.

So let's take a look at your pressure situation from the baseline.

We need to start by asking for the following values:

1. Total water volume of your system?
2. Size/volume of your expansion tank?
3. PRV (fresh water Pressure Reducing Valve) setting?
4. Pressure in your system before it heats up?
5. Design operating pressure for your particular model of boiler from Mfr?

Anyone have some helpful input on this subject? I know we like to get our tanks set and never touch them again, LOL.

I do not know right off hand if Sylvesters older Harman boiler has an H stamp. The Identification tag on the boiler will have all the rating information for hot water heat and steam if it is rated and tested for steam use.

Sylvester may have just a simple drain cock in the base of the steel compression tank he has hung in the ceiling; or it could be type with the drain cock that can fill the tank with the water and the venting tube in it will allow excess water to be removed when the filling hose is removed.
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MY water filling valve is shut off; which it should be at all times unless it was drained for a repair so the following is relevant to this;

With the water filling valve shut off the following conditions exist:

1. the water pressure regulator valve is not in use
2. the back flow preventer is not in use
3. no water enters the system if the ball valves are seated and closed
4. the steel compression tank had approximately 10 gallons of water in it
5. a vacuum condition(pressure gradient) can and did occur due to a change in the pressure gradient(vacuum) as I will describe below.


My 15 gallon B+G (Wessels Tank Company) steel compression tank with the gauge glass has 1/3 air, 2/3's water so it has 5 gallons of air and 10 gallons of water in it.

I have 54 total gallons of water +- in my system.

My system may run from zero PSIG to twelve PSIG and back to zero quickly with no heat call.

I found the system was not heating well with no little to no pressure with low return water temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit -+.

The vacuum gauge was registering -5 inches HG water gauge pressure. After finding this pressure gradient I opened both the water fill valve and the second ball valve that isolates the water fill valve and back flow preventer from the entire boiler piping if one or both of these valves needs to be replaced.
adding water back in to the heating system brought the excess vacuum condition(pressure gradient) back to zero HG water gauge pressure.

I then drained the excess water out of the steel compression tank to bring it back into proper balance and to deliver heat to the 225 feet of fin tube baseboard.(which I hate).

I closed the gauge glass valves and tightened the gauge glass packing nuts 1/4 of a turn and I have had no issues
with a vacuum condition of -5 HG water gauge pressure gradient as I previously observed.

Normally a vacuum condition like this indicates that a circulator has failed and is causing cavitation in the system and the circulator needs to be replaced but adding water back to the system to correct the vacuum condition and raising the pressure to create zero HG water gauge pressure brought balance back to the system and the boiler and circulator are working properly.

Having a pressure gauge on the circulator outlet and a vacuum gauge on the inlet side of the circulator or each circulator will show the systems condition at all times.

The heat in the home is even and the floors are neither cold nor damp.