ahs s-130

this is for the ahs guys or anybody. i am going to fire up my s-130 for the first time weds. what is the best way to start the coal fire in this puppy. i have the fuji ash/grate control on this. can't wait to see this go. it will be heating 3 apartments in 2 houses with a oil boiler backup. i have built a small 12x12 shed for her .

I've looked on the AHS site for a viewable set of instructions. But can't find any.
If you have some matchlight BBQ charcoal, you can use a pair of Channel-lock pliers and break several cubes into quarters, make a furrow in the coal on your grate, fill the furrow with the matchlight chunks. Then use a propane torch to light the matchlight coal. Once it has caught, turn on the boiler so you have a draft and combustion air. Add a handfull of coal over the row of burning charcoal. This should do it.

Another method would be to use some good dry wood, a few strips of 2x4 cut or split to about the size of a pencil will light and burn hot very fast, make a 1-2" high pile of this wood kindling, you can put some crumpled paper underneath or use the handy propane torch to light the wood. As before, turn on the boiler to get a draft and combustion air, once the kindling is burning well, add a few pieces of coal to the pile and soon it will be a coal fire.

We have only one AHS coal stoker-boiler owner on the site that I remember, hopefully he will see your post and help out.

Hope this helps, Greg L

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The other AHS boiler/stoker on the forum that I know of goes by the name Yanche.

You can see his boiler and the very neat install of it in the 'Pictures of your stove' thread Page 5 about midway down.

How about a photo or two of your instalation??

Greg L

Feeble memory, Yanche and Arlandis both own AHS boilers

Greg L

thanks Greg for your help. i am now a 1day coal burner. will say the ash measuring temp controller paid for itself already. with out it i would have really screwed starting it up. it knew i had a coal fire when i thought i accidentally killed it. so far so good. it has heated on houseand 2 famlies hot water for 2 buckets of coal. i have to say its pretty funny the last time i handled coal i was 10 years old bringing it up in buckets for my grandmother. 32 years ago..... i will have to get pictures of my set up and my coal bin. i have 22 tons of coal stored. have a great day

I'm currious, since you have a rather 'different' style burner in the AHS stoker, what method did you use to get the coal started??

Glad it's burning well, Greg L

hi Greg. i used the matchlight charcoal . then added coal. that looked like it was going well. blue flame and red coals. then i added more like my manual said and nothing but smoke. i then left it alone. thought it went out. but noticed my ash sensor was gaining temperature. so i left it alone.was at 85 degrees climbing to 90,then 95 on up and up. when it reached about 120 i added more coal . the rest is history. the sensor reached a high of 520 that night. talked to jeff this morning. he said that is normal on start up . until a bed of ash is established. then it will run between 120 and 150. thanks for your help mike

I started my AHS 130 October 28, 2006. For me starting is really, really easy. I use an oxygen-acetylene torch! Here's my procedure. First I add a bucket of last years ashes to the hopper. This fills the grate area with ashes. Continue to add small amounts until ashes are visible at the lower bottom of the front oval access door. Then start adding coal. I put in a couple of buckets but don't fill the hopper. I then lite my torch and heat the coal directly via the front oval door. Be sure the combustion blower is running. When a few coals are glowing I add some oxygen from the cutting lever on the torch. This really gets the coal burning in a hurry. Start to a good volume of burning coal is about 5 minutes. It will take 30-45 minutes with the combustion blower running to reach the high boiler water temperature cut off. Assuming all is working normally I fill the rest of the hopper. I don't first fill the hopper full, because there might be some problem that would require me to remove all the coal. If I have mistakenly added to much initial ash I temporarily jumper the grate motor to run continuously which will remove the unwanted ash. Before I used an oxygen-acetylene torch I tried an air-acetylene plumbers torch. It didn't work. Not hot enough. I don't know if a MAPP gas torch would work.

New for me this heating season will be a new boiler aquastat. A Honeywell AQ475A Outdoor temperature compensator. It has boiler water and outdoor temperature sensors. I automatically adjusts the boiler water temperature based on outdoor temperature. Colder outside = hotter boiler water. The device should reduce temperature losses when heat is not needed. It will also cause my zone circulator pumps to run more, perhaps continuously, giving more even room temperature heat. It's not yet installed. Just waiting for some initial shake down time on the standard controls.

I'm really interested in the fuji ash/grate control. Could you post some photos. I understand it's a type K thermocouple with a microprocessor controller. Right?

BTY I'm thinking of writing a book on modern central heating with coal. Think there would be any interest?

Yanche