rotted hopper

i have a kaa-2 keystoker boiler which is 3 years old and my hopper is so rotted i could push my finger through it. i was wondering if anybody else is having this problem and is keystoker willing to do anything about it.

Have you been burning wet coal? Does the boiler sit through the summer with coal in the hopper?

Never heard of that, and I've seen a bunch of 25 year old machines with hoppers that look like new on the outside, and only have paint worn off on the inside. Give Don a call at Keystoker and ask him about a solution. They are very good folks to deal with.

What kind of coal are you burning? Same brand all three years? Simple solution, but makes you scratch your head.
You don't run the exhaust of the 'Ole Water Buffalo' through it do you to dry the coal in the hopper?
If you can, you should post a couple pics of the GT750, and as our black flies attack us, I wish I had one of those 2 strokes to smoke em to death. Perhaps someone will chime in with a 500 Titan, or a old Kawasaki 500 or the dreaded Vibrator 750!
Smitty could easily modify the oil injection to "Black Fly" mode!! Wonder if the 500cc Wankel smoked much? That was a "different" kind of bike.................I preferred the Honda 1000/6 cylinder. That was 4K back in the day, but what a smooth rig. Hot air scorched your legs, but...................

Should be cleaned out every shutdown (or at least once a year). COuld have been coated with Rustoleum or something to help keep it from rusting.

Mine is about 3 years old. No rust at all. I burn all year.

My Kaa2 iss 3 years old and the hopper is in "as received "condition.My hopper inside has that gentle scrubbed look that only about 12 tons of coal can leave behind as it bumbles thru.There is something simple we are missing here that can make hopper replacement necessary in such a short amount of time.Moisture is the element but when and how are the real questions.Answer those and you'll have it solved. Good Luck. Mike

I burn year round. I burn blaschak coal a little wet not to bad.I have burned about 12 tons through it. As for the motorcycles I have a 1975gt750,1972 kawasaki s2a,1973 yamaha rd350 and a 1973 honda cb100. My friend has a suzuki re5 and Hercules w2000

1975gt750 wrote:I burn year round. I burn blaschak coal a little wet not to bad.I have burned about 12 tons through it.

When I burn wet coal (Blaschak or Kimmels), I fill the hopper to the top (350lbs) and then let it empty out to about 50lbs.....I keep pushing the coal to the front everyday. By that time whatever is left is usually dry and I fill it up again. I've burned approx 15 ton without any problems. The inside of the hopper is scratched up but not rusted at all.

My dealer mentioned another client had his hopper rust out in just a couple years also. He never cleaned it and left coal in it year round (I believe it was only running during the winter). So, due to poor maintenance, Keystoker wouldn't warranty the hopper and replace it (and rightfully so).

Along with the preceding suggestions, my dealer also suggested hitting the inside of it with WD-40 a couple times during the heating season after letting the coal run down to almost empty.

WNYRob wrote:my dealer also suggested hitting the inside of it with WD-40 a couple times during the heating season after letting the coal run down to almost empty.

That's a great idea! I'll have to do that.

Different stove, but same problem.

Not What You Want to See ...

This year I pulled the hopper off, cleaned it out, and am storing it in the attic with the stovepipe and the ashpan.

sterling40man wrote:When I burn wet coal (Blaschak or Kimmels), I fill the hopper to the top (350lbs) and then let it empty out to about 50lbs.....I keep pushing the coal to the front everyday. By that time whatever is left is usually dry and I fill it up again. I've burned approx 15 ton without any problems. The inside of the hopper is scratched up but not rusted at all.

Well, was I wrong!!! The lower half of my hopper was pretty rusted.....not to the point that I could push my finger through though. Today I took the wire wheel to it.....nasty.....my dust mask was very brown when I was done. I wiped the inside clean with paint thinner.....bought 2 cans of undercoat and coated the inside of it. Came out very nice. That should do the trick!

1975gt750 wrote:As for the motorcycles I have a 1975gt750,1972 kawasaki s2a,1973 yamaha rd350 and a 1973 honda cb100. My friend has a suzuki re5 and Hercules w2000

Nice collection!

I have the same problem with my Keystoker Koker (installed summer of '07). I've burned Blaschak bagged rice through 4 winters. The bin is completely rotted and needs to be replaced. The steel they used on my hopper was paper thin.

I know Bagged Blaschak is usually pretty Wet. If you coal is wet or damp, OR you have an air leak around your grates, you could get condensation in the hopper which in turn would cause the rust/rot....