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CoalHeat
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Stoker Coal Boiler: 1959 EFM 350
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Baseburners & Antiques: Sears Signal Oak 15 & Andes Kitchen Range
Coal Size/Type: Rice and Chestnut
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Post by CoalHeat » Sat. Feb. 04, 2017 8:18 pm

Thanks for the photos, enjoyed seeing them.


 
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Rob R.
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Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Feb. 04, 2017 8:20 pm

waldo lemieux wrote:Rob, is the old wood boiler a marathon heater (logwood) boiler? Looks identical to my old unit. mine was the bigger of the two sizes they made, and they are still made about 15 miles from my house.
The brand was Itasca. Mine was a model 415.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Dec. 30, 2017 9:07 pm

As I come up on the 7 year mark since I first fired up my EFM 520, I decided to hook my hour meter up again and take some readings to see how I am doing compared to when I first got started. Unfortunately I only took readings for the winter of 2011-2012, and we did not have the bitter temperatures we are currently experiencing. I picked a week from January 2012 for comparison, based on an average inside temperature of 70 in 2012, and 71 now (turned a storage room into a game room and keep it warmer now).

Since 2012 I have had the two most leaky windows in the house replaced, used a few cans of expanding foam to seal drafts here and there, insulated the boiler and piping, added a fresh air vent to the basement, and changed the boiler controls so it no longer ramps up to 200 degrees on small heat calls. I am also burning better coal.

Based on what I have seen this week, it is a 28% reduction in lbs per degree day. Pretty close to the overall 25% decrease in annual coal consumption I have seen since I got started. Not sure how much of that reduction is due to the coal itself compared to the other changes, but I'll take it either way.

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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Dec. 30, 2017 9:19 pm

A few weeks ago I had some trouble with my Hydrostat model 3250 control - it locked itself out, and the company told me it was because I was running it close to the maximum operating temperature of the control. Their theory was that the temperature in the heat exchanger would "coast" after a heat call and cause the safety feature in the control to activate. That seemed like a weak theory to me, since the control worked fine for 5 years, but I suppose they could be right...this new coal does burn pretty hot. I decided to replace the control with something simple, at least temporarily.

I had a L4006A on the shelf, so it took over controlling the boiler temperature. The circulator between the two boilers runs all the time on medium speed, and there is a L6006C you can't see that acts as a high limit for the timer circuit. So far it seems to work very well, and depending on how the rest of the season goes, I may just leave it like this.

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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 1:57 pm

Back in December when I made the changes to the aquastat, I decided to reconnect my hour meter and get the clipboard back out. I've taking a reading in the evening nearly every day since Christmas, and finally got a chance to compare it to the readings I took back in the winter of 2011/2012.

Overall I have averaged 0.46 lbs per degree day less than I did 6 years ago. For this season, I have averaged 1.46 lbs per degree day, compared to 1.92 in 2011/2012. That is for 3435 sq ft, heated to an average temperature of 71 degrees, and domestic hot water for 4 people.

When you consider that 6 years ago the house only had 2 adults and 1 infant (now it is two adults, and two boys, ages 4 and 6), the reduction in coal consumption is even more impressive. Changes I have made over the last 3 years include a lot of air sealing efforts, such as insulate/sealing around the sill plate, some penetrations into the attic, and a new storm door on the North end of the house. I have also insulated the boiler and most of the piping, brought fresh air into the basement, and changed the boiler controls so it does not always ramp up to the high limit on a heat call. I have also switched from Kimmel's/Reading/Blaschak to Lehigh anthracite.

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Lightning
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Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 2:07 pm

That's pretty impressive Rob. Is it possible along with insulation upgrades that thru experience you've more finely tuned your combustion controls resulting in less coal used?

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 2:19 pm

I don't think so. I have always made sure the feed and air settings were properly adjusted for the heating season. I am using the same feed rate today that I was using 6 years ago, and nearly the same air setting. The Lehigh coal requires a tad more air to keep the ash ring correct.

Also - in 2011 I cleaned the boiler in late December. This season I have not done any cleanings.


 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 2:30 pm

My calculations say that's 24% less coal. That's pretty good! Out of 4 tons you'll burn 3 instead.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 3:03 pm

Yes, it has been a nice improvement. I have been puzzled why so few people take steps to do the same thing, and why a select group of others think you need an Axeman Anderson to have an efficient setup. :annoyed:

 
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lsayre
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Stoker Coal Boiler: AHS S130 Coal Gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Anthracite Pea
Other Heating: Resistance Boiler (13.5 KW), ComfortMax 75

Post by lsayre » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 5:22 pm

Congratulations Rob! Roughly 25% less coal is tremendous!!! I seriously need to consider upgrading the insulation in my house.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 6:02 pm

I have not touched any of the insulation in the walls, other than what I have done to the rim joist in the basement.

My high tech basement window seems to have helped a little. :lol:

Image

 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 6:30 pm

Rob your consumption numbers are incredible when you consider your location on the Canadian border, as well as that ice-box lake that is right across the street from you. It would not be out of line to say that you use less fuel per square foot than some of your Southern coal burning buddies. You have completely driven it home that sealing off the drafts is the difference, and it’s made enough of an impression on me that before next heating season begins I will go after the few drafts I have here with a vengeance. Equally impressive is the fact that your family has doubled in size during this time so domestic water use must be much more as well.

100% agreed... what good is it to have the most efficient boiler on the market when the wind is blowing the curtains around and you have to refer to the living room seating selection as the “draft choice”. :o

I lived in a house like that for 10 years... I don’t miss that place in the least.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 6:40 pm

Thanks Tyler. The man that sold me the EFM was the one that pointed out the area's I needed to work on. A few pieces of foam board and a few cans of spray foam took care of most of the basement drafts. I also bought a few "bales" of dense packed cellulose to stuff in some key spots in the attic, where interior walls met the ceiling.

A professional energy audit probably would have revealed a the trouble spots as well, but it would have cost more than what I spent on the improvements.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 6:46 pm

In most situations conduction thru walls and windows is only a small piece of the pie. Cold air infiltration is the big bandit.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Mar. 16, 2018 7:18 pm

Lee, ya mean leaks?????????????????? LOL


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