Newbie With a Simplex Multitherm Boiler

michaelanthony · Post by **michaelanthony** » Sun. Dec. 07, 2014 4:46 pm

This is great news Artemus and a shout out to your daughter.

Now don't be sneakin' off so soon, myself and many others still have years of service left here.

Post by **StokerDon** » Sun. Dec. 07, 2014 4:55 pm

FINALY!!!

Glad to hear you sorted this problem out, accidentaly or not!

Now you can enjoy the beniffits of running a coal boiler.

-Don

Sting · Post by **Sting** » Mon. Dec. 08, 2014 7:05 am

ahhhh CLOSURE!

That's all I need to make posting advice enjoyable!

blrman07 · Post by **blrman07** » Mon. Dec. 08, 2014 7:32 am

Ain't it wonderful? Another successful event taken care of by the family itself. No service calls, no parts charges, no labor charges, just good old American ingenuity and happenstance.

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Mon. Dec. 08, 2014 8:03 am

For future clarity for all tie a wire bread bag tie to that link.

artbar56 · Post by **artbar56** » Thu. Dec. 11, 2014 6:05 pm

Again, Thank You ALL!

I took your advice McGeiver and put a bread tie on the correct link. My 30-year-old daughter even took an interest in the furnace. She can start it as well as I can, get the settings right and get a nice fire going. Nice to have a relief on watch (sorry, retired Navy

). We've even experimented with one more and one less chain loop (1/2 chain link) on the Samson link. Main damper closes fully at 150ºF on fourth loop and for overnight we drop it to third loop just to keep a low even fire that's still going in the morning and toasty warm in the house. I really can't believe I EVER used oil! In the words of Poe...Nevermore!

You guys really have no idea how much I do appreciate all the time and help and encouragement you've given me! I hope you ALL have a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa! You definitely made mine better! I kinda' hope Santa Claus brings me coal in my stocking!

Thank you again!

Post by **Lightning** » Thu. Dec. 11, 2014 6:12 pm

Art! Awesome to hear about the bountiful success with coal and kudos to your daughter for taking an interest as well! Fantastic! Thank you for reporting back partner..

Post by **Rob R.** » Thu. Dec. 11, 2014 6:31 pm

This has been a great story to follow. I'm glad you stuck with it and have gotten to see what the steady & economical heat from coal feels like.

artbar56 · Post by **artbar56** » Mon. Jan. 05, 2015 7:32 am

Newbie No More!

Good morning All,
Just an update to this whole thread. Well the coal has been burning for five days straight now. The coals had to be adjusted down for warmer days (40ºF or so) but the furnace really proves itself on cold days!

1) I have found that the best way to load the coal is on a "slope" configuration. Very little coal loaded in the front near the firebox door, build up to the first boiler stay (8" level) and straight to the back of the firebox. This leaves a bit more airflow toward the front.

2) The chain on the Samson is set such that it closes the damper completely at 150ºF. There is still a little slit when the damper is "completely closed" so some air gets in but not enough to overfire.

3) Just to be sure it doesn't overfire, I set the thermostat to 80ºF at night. The temp never gets this high but it does ensure that the pump will keep running, circulating the water and no overfire. House usually stays at 74ºF to 76ºF. (1853 2400 sq. ft. farmhouse with 11 foot ceilings).

4) By my calculations, I'm using 95 lbs of nut/stove range per day (one ton lasts a bit more than three weeks). Not sure if this is good or bad but over an entire year I figure this will turn out to be approximately $4.50/day to heat the house.

5) My daughter and I are keeping a furnace log book (Navy training, Sir!). We'll log everything we do to the furnace. Start/load/shake-down, pump start times, water/house/outside temps, load amounts, Samson chain position, etc. This definitely helps and we can always refer back to similar conditions.

Now, if you're reading this, I can't let you get away without a question:
Samson valve, as I said, closes the damper at 150ºF. Opens a little (about 1/2") at 120ºF but stays that way, It will open the damper all the way when the fire has been out for a bit. The question: should the Samson be opening gradually at 120ºF and more when below that? Do the guts need replacing or is this about correct for the valve?
As ever, I DO appreciate any info! You guys are great and have really helped me in every way!

Thank you very much!
Artemus

Post by **Rob R.** » Mon. Jan. 05, 2015 7:53 am

artbar56 wrote:The question: should the Samson be opening gradually at 120ºF and more when below that? Do the guts need replacing or is this about correct for the valve?

It does not sound like the Samson control is working properly. I had an Itasca hand-fed boiler and after fighting with it for a month I installed a brand new Samson control on it. The colder the boiler got, the farther the control would open the air inlet. As I recall, mine would hold 180 degrees pretty well. Once the boiler got to 170 or so the air inlet would start to open.

You can buy the entire control for about $100 online. Here is one site: http://www.boilerroomequipment.com/product_info.p ... cts_id=986

EFM dealers can also order this control, just call and ask for the control used on their WCB-24 hand fired boiler.

artbar56 · Post by **artbar56** » Wed. Jan. 07, 2015 6:37 am

Thank you Rob,

I DO appreciate the help!

Artemus