Sharp Dressed Highboy

1954 EFM 520 Highboy. Heating a 3,300 sq. ft home in Northern, NY. Six zones, 7 GPM coil, excellent performance! At 4 teeth of feed the Highboy will literally "blow the doors off" the 100k btu oil boiler sitting next to it. With 54 gallons in the boiler, it can often satisfy a call for heat without firing the stoker.

According to EFM the stoker was originally shipped to Pine Grove, PA on August 10, 1954. We picked it up from Scrapper on August 15, 2010. It took a lot of late nights after work, but dad and I installed it ourselves. The first fire was on November 17th, and it has been running great ever since. I still have a few things on the "punch list" to address in the spring, but it will run great until then. Based on our calculations, it costs about 50% less to operate the EFM than the oil boiler...with the bonus of unlimited domestic hot water and a warm basement. Overall I am very proud of the install, but I am always open to suggestions for improvements.

The video was taken with my cell phone, and for some reason it makes the stoker and auger sound much louder than it really is. Note that the video is available in HD.

-Rob

the boiler looks beautyfull, but the ty laying on its back on the plumbing going out is not to code

Nice job, Rob. She's a beauty Will you eventually build a bin, or keep the barrel?

Very clean installation and an unbelievable presentation of the High-boy. I've never seen 'the case' in such fine condition, and someday you can take it to the 'Barrett-Jackson' Boiler Expo and come home with a 'First Prize!!'

I'm guessing that the capacity isn't even tested on a 20 below day, and that warm floors and no shaking a hand fed are benefits not even planned on. I wished you had the front cover off to show the Domestic coil mounted 'up-front' so that the rear clearance is not even an issue. FitzGibbons personnel may have done that modification without EFM approval, or why else was it not incorporated into all 520's. 700's,900's or 1300's that followed the 1954 end of the highboy?

You may have a new 'hobby' for the rest of your life!

The video was taken with my cell phone, and for some reason it makes the stoker and auger sound much louder than it really is.

I love that sound.

whistlenut wrote:Very clean installation and an unbelievable presentation of the High-boy. I've never seen 'the case' in such fine condition, and someday you can take it to the 'Barrett-Jackson' Boiler Expo and come home with a 'First Prize!!'

I'm guessing that the capacity isn't even tested on a 20 below day, and that warm floors and no shaking a hand fed are benefits not even planned on. I wished you had the front cover off to show the Domestic coil mounted 'up-front' so that the rear clearance is not even an issue. FitzGibbons personnel may have done that modification without EFM approval, or why else was it not incorporated into all 520's. 700's,900's or 1300's that followed the 1954 end of the highboy?

You may have a new 'hobby' for the rest of your life!

There is no way EFM would of ever left one of their unit out of the factory not made under there specification.
Fitzgibbon made the boiler top to EFM specification .
I Think there are two reason why they only made the coil up front for 7 years is that when the coil is above the fire viewing door and the coil starts to leak you don't want water going into the fire chamber located In the back not a problem .
Two is appearance having two water lines coming out of the front does not look as good as having them in the back.
Remember back then they had full cabinet doors they wanted them to look like a piece of furniture it was the 50's look.
They made Highboy from 1948 to 1954 made a few units in 1955 .
First AP-1 520 came out in late 1950 early 1951 rear water coil .
First AP -1 350 1960 rear coil
First AP-1 700 in 1962 ended 1975 rear water coil
First AP-1 900 1965 to 1986 rear water coil
First AP-1 1300 1966 to 1986 rear water coil

whistlenut wrote:Very clean installation and an unbelievable presentation of the High-boy. I've never seen 'the case' in such fine condition, and someday you can take it to the 'Barrett-Jackson' Boiler Expo and come home with a 'First Prize!!'

I'm guessing that the capacity isn't even tested on a 20 below day, and that warm floors and no shaking a hand fed are benefits not even planned on. I wished you had the front cover off to show the Domestic coil mounted 'up-front' so that the rear clearance is not even an issue. FitzGibbons personnel may have done that modification without EFM approval, or why else was it not incorporated into all 520's. 700's,900's or 1300's that followed the 1954 end of the highboy?

You may have a new 'hobby' for the rest of your life!

How many highboys have you seen That's what the cabinet are supposed to look like when there done right

markviii wrote:1954 EFM 520 Highboy. Heating a 3,300 sq. ft home in Northern, NY. Six zones, 7 GPM coil, excellent performance! At 4 teeth of feed the Highboy will literally "blow the doors off" the 100k btu oil boiler sitting next to it. With 54 gallons in the boiler, it can often satisfy a call for heat without firing the stoker.

According to EFM the stoker was originally shipped to Pine Grove, PA on August 10, 1954. We picked it up from Scrapper on August 15, 2010. It took a lot of late nights after work, but dad and I installed it ourselves. The first fire was on November 17th, and it has been running great ever since. I still have a few things on the "punch list" to address in the spring, but it will run great until then. Based on our calculations, it costs about 50% less to operate the EFM than the oil boiler...with the bonus of unlimited domestic hot water and a warm basement. Overall I am very proud of the install, but I am always open to suggestions for improvements.

The video was taken with my cell phone, and for some reason it makes the stoker and auger sound much louder than it really is. Note that the video is available in HD.

-Rob

Don't see its own Draft control / baro hope your not sharing one chimney with two different heating unit that's a no no
to code

You got me. The video was taken about two weeks after we first fired it up. Once we were confident with the boiler setup and our plumbing the smoke pipe configuration was changed. It has an RC draft control.

-Rob

This boiler is just so awe inspiring I may tear out my hot air ducts and pipe the whole house, the detached garage and the driveway!

Nicely done video btw!

Mark

That sure is one Sharp Dressed Highboy Wow...blows me away.

Question for all the EFM gurus...

Were there any other residential sized EFM (350's or 520's) with the full smooth removable fronts?

And if there was, was that removable cover discontinued at the same time (1955-56) as it was for the Highboy?

Thanks for all the comments about the highboy, the wife gets all the credit for the cosmetic looks, a lot of time went into this unit and i handled like restoring an old car i wanted it to look presentable to show what they looked like because so many never seen one, to the best of my knowledge with my brain fading with my age i do not know of any other units produced with this style covers, have another one in shop that i just started on and hopefully she turns out just as nice for whoever purchases it

Not only is this Highboy a "looker", it is a "runner" too! You will never meet a bigger EFM fan that my dad, this boiler really sold him. I don't think anyone has visited his house in the last year that didn't get a tour. Two weeks ago they had a house FULL of people, and it seemed like the washing machine, dishwasher, showers, etc were always running. More that one person commented that the hot water was endless.

Rob R. wrote: I don't think anyone has visited his house in the last year that didn't get a tour.

I hear that! My entire neighborhood is waiting for me to install my Highboy, and "Get the Tour". Right now, I am giving tours just for the DVC500
I hope I can set up my highboy as well as you set yours up. It will have its own room

Well done Rob, great looking and performing unit.