Like's and Dislikes of EFM (Electric Furnace Man) Boilers

A Van Wert Is a good model of underfeed stoker. They run buck which has less fines and their design is self cleaning from what I've heard. Gentleman Janitors use buck also and have a larger door in front to facilitate cleaning. Both good examples of underfed stokers. Scott

I am beginning to hear from quite a few knowledgeable people who use buck in the efm without any problems. It's cleaner, less dust and burns well with some air and feed adjustments. It might be more prone to outfires in the Summer.

i ran buck in mine all year last year. burnt 70#'s per week in the summer months without changings timer settings and had no outfires

A change-order has been made to move the coils to the front of the boiler for newly-made boilers.

The truly beautiful machine has just hit the ugly tree

Scott, You are not taking it to a Stoker Illustrated Hot-Flash contest. Slam Mr Happy in the ash door a couple times and you may come into it!!!! If Chris isn't kidding, then I have the greatest respect for his ability to move a company off dead center, and move forward. Yippee! 'Change occurs when someone sees the next step'!!! I can see the hand swedged set shedding a tear, but it is OK, you won't have to die with nothing new having occurred in Stoker World. Chris, how about the aquastat location somewhere else beside the return piping location in the rear. A remote well with a front mounted aquastat would be what I am talking about. http://www.hydrolevel.com
Check out this bad boy with a 48" remote. These guys are giving Honeywell fits. Freddy and the others will like the fact that with their well, you can also have a low water cutoff and alarm in the same unit. AND here's a heck of an idea: lets put an LED panel on the front, not on the side, back or bottom. When we say "it isn't rocket science" this is what I mean.

I know the guy who redesigned "Vise grips" so they release by squeezing the release and not pulling it apart was probably call an idiot too....how many smashed knuckles are there in the world before this little device was implemented....

Slam it in the window again just for good measure!!

Hey nut! I pay 10 grand +or - I want a pretty machine, not a frigging AA clone. What the hell difference does it make that the coil is in the back anyway? Too hard to design a room with enough space to stick your neck around? And it's always the smartest I dea to put high tech, untried controls on a unit that has survived perfectly into the 21st century using the keep it simple stupid method. As far coming out in the industry and showing something new, its's my opinion that from what I've read and heard, EFM has set the standard that the rest of the industry has been trying to beat. When they do start showing something really a lot better then maybe it might be time to break out some new tricks. Slam that in your ash door Scott

DING! Two minutes until round three. Stay tuned!

10 grand and you want something pretty....Elliot said that too, and what did it get him? I'll just bet it's fun at the dinner table at his house! He might be in the market for just an old base unit to use as a 'slammer'. Got anything not too rusty?

It's great fun here! No bullets whizzing by....no baseball bats hidden under a trench coat....
Round three pits an old timer (me) who is sick of the 'round head, single slotted, square nut mentality'. Try a torques head screw, aviation nuts, some anti seize, clearances that work, ergonomics for technicians, improvements, not a wholesale rebuild.......electronics....mated to durable, rugged proven technology. The originals were and still are a tribute to quality construction. I'm not taking pot shots, just offering my perspective with over 30+ years with these sturdy and economical heating solutions.

I don't even know why I argue about the tankless coils; I use indirects most of the time anyway. Just trying to make it better for everyone else I guess. I am not the only one who asks for advancements, you should be able to express some of the things you would like to see improved. By the way, do you file the sharp edges off the ash door(safety concerns and emergency room explanations) or would you like to see a rounded or eased edge from the factory? I was thinking of a hydraulic damper on the door to ease your pain, and lincolnmania could get us an electrically powered, soft damped, closer like the Lincolns have on their truck lids....add a UPS so you can still open the door and take out the ashes with a power loss.....Devil could get us a break on the 'Mass Vactor' that sucks all your assets into an unknown place, and that would solve the ash issue....or at least cover it in a fine gray dust. A few more weeks of slammin' it and we won't be able to call you Stroker Scott! You will be a poster child for Johnson and Johnson. How's the fishin' these days?
Fitzgibbon figured it out 60 years ago. AA didn't. I hated the AA tankless design mounting and now they made a simple fix. Thank You, Pete and team! I have noticed EFM did also, but Chris may be able to tell us who came first, chicken or egg?
And the beat goes on........Cold this AM 6 degrees and crystal clear. The deer were peering out of the hemlocks at 5:30, waiting to steal some birdfood I guess. :nice:
All in good fun, have a good one Scott!

Jeeeeeeessse NICE post you nut. Really hitting the highlights!!!! I would go for a new computerised control system on all of mine and connect them via wireless but its just to dang much for a coal boiler. Reminds me of a new oil boiler with all those controls. Evolution pal. Tankless coils. great idea for the consumer. AA had to put there coil in the front because it wouldn't fit in the back, would it?

A friend of mine has a Terex Rock crusher....controls from the loader or excavator, wireless of course, and the f...ing thing is an electronics nightmare. It's 4 years old now, and he has aged about 50 in the same time. 1/2 a million and it will drive you to drink.....more. Made in the Land of Bricklin's if you get the drift.
I hear you about the technology, and you do heating controls, man what a pain. KISS is the best way to go, but times, they are achangin'. We'll get through this, but for now, I've got two places with no heat (not mine, oil units,) so have fun today.

Call lincolnmania and get that damper ordered, or at least order up some foam pipe insulation, I think they make it in extra-large, can't go by me, though. I think devil has the Vac truck at his residence; take some extra clothes, it's chilly by the ocean these days. :punk:

No news from Scott today. Was he on that big chunk of ice that broke away from the mainland with all the fisherman aboard?
Worse yet, do you think he may be injured from 'Over Slammin' in the Ash Door'. Those edges can be sharp, sure hope he makes it! I told him to make a poultice of coal ash and sheep dung, apply liberally, and not wax the 520 covers for 14 days.

when I got up this morning the ash door was open and the stoker door was unlatched on the efm......cats must have been messing with it

Just another old guy from the north country Who doesn't have anything to do. I finally realized who you are. Why do you keep talking about fishing??????????????? Scott

It's the email address you have. Something about slammin' something in the bob-house door....
Have you been fishin lately? Did you fall in? Stokers inside the bob-house must be used with extreme caution.
More importantly, did you catch anything? (Ain't really about the fishin' is it?!)

On a personal note, did the foam pipe insulation fit, and does it soften the blow from the door?
Lincolnmania says the electric solenoid latch mechanism will be in today, and Freddie is checking with Taco and Honeywell about the relay circuit so you can have an automatic overload release before a 'severing' could occur.

Have a fun day...........think of the new tax plan on the news today. Stay away from tall building and bridges with a height over 600 feet. This is a 'devil' fantasy; 'HOPE' isn't even in the vocabulary!

Oops, off topic.....Can't wait to 'pin-up' pic of the next gen EFM 520 with the front mounted 'coil pac!' She's gonna be a classic! I wonder if they will use some retro color for the coil face plate?

Still fantasizing about the blower/stoker pot on a slide out rails, with quick disconnect mounts............
Chris, any plans on a rebirth of the Hi-Boy?