Help! Trying to get info on my boiler.

So I bought a home last year that has a boiler setup. It’s from 1987 according to the stamp and called “plate coil” on the side but I can’t find any info on it and I wanted to find out if it is a wood boiler or a coal/wood boiler? If anyone has come across one of these and can share some info that would be awesome. Thanks

If that big lever shakes the grates it will burn anthracite. Post up some pictures of the firebox please.

Yes the big lever shifts the grates inside front to back and it falls down into a pan. I put a picture of the inside. In my original post. I can get a better one if that’s what you want for the “firebox”

That's a lot like the Steel King I had years ago. The rod sticking out the front above the door should be a sliding baffle. You'll use that before you open the door, once closed, it adds one more pass to the heat before leaving. Do you have the sheet metal sides and top for it? It looks like a thermostatic draft control. You may want to go with a blower if you want to get a quicker and bigger punch out of it.

coaledsweat wrote: ↑

Thu. Jan. 13, 2022 6:27 pm

That's a lot like the Steel King I had years ago. The rod sticking out the front above the door should be a sliding baffle. You'll use that before you open the door, once closed, it adds one more pass to the heat before leaving. Do you have the sheet metal sides and top for it? It looks like a thermostatic draft control. You may want to go with a blower if you want to get a quicker and bigger punch out of it.

Yes the rod up top is a what I was calling flue damper. Above it does have a chamber that has more water jacket surface. Your correct the draft control is thermostatic based on water temp. And the it has a electronic aquastat that kicks on the circulator pump which is also controlled by my thermostats around the house.

I’ve been using it with wood the last couple weeks and it’s been doing a great job heating the whole house and our water heater. I was hoping it could do coal because I’ve heard coal burns much longer and right now I’m adding wood every 3-5 hours depending how much I load it up and size if the wood pieces.

You should be able to go 12 hours or more with anthracite.

Clean that build-up off the sides of the fines chamber and you'll get more heat transfer.

Heads up on insurance: If you cannot identify it with a Mfr plate and find documentation for clearances, NFPA defaults to 36" clearances. Ask me how I know, after restoring an old Sears hand fired stove and the whining about the hot air plenum...