New (to me) Axeman 260

There was no evidence of the fan contacting anything, it had a nice undisturbed coat of fly ash on the fan and housing. The lower lip had a nice square edge to it, I would have to say like new (another good reason to keep the fire on the thin side). As far as the fan blades, I would say that Axemans tend to have a rather "crude" appearance to their fit and finish and that is normal. I would make no attempt to straighten or otherwise adjust the blades as the assembly is balanced. I would also recommend that when changing the hub bolts that it first be clamped securely so that it cannot move on the shaft and replace the bolts one at a time to avoid disturbing the balance. Also, if you ever remove the large weight that hangs on the end of the shaft or the aluminum spinner between the bearing box and fan housing, these too are balanced and must be returned in the same location. There is a flat spot at the end of the shaft to keep you oriented. Other than the DHW coil and a slather of oil, I thought the monster was ready to rock.

hi steve the groove im talkin about wason the boiler side not the fan housing cover ,,,but just insidewhere the fan is,,,,if you put your finger in there yuoll feel the groove,, i could see mine, was worn so hard that where the fan gaket fits to the boiler it was thin,,, i dont know about the fan,,, being curved if that matters or not,, i do know people talk of them,, the vanes, getting cracks or pieces breakin off then they need to be replaced,,, the girl at axeman, her name is Amie,she could tell you better, if she dont know she will get pete on the phone or ask him and let you know,, i made a lot of calls up there, they wre ALWAYS pleasant and helpfull,, sounds like you got a decent boiler, mine was made in 62, and i dont think it had a lot of real care,,, but they are fixable ,,bessie is purrin along as we speak, theres a fiber gaket in the transfer head inside after you take the 3 nuts off and the cover it goes around the coal tube, you remove 3 screws and a metal ring called the removable gland ring ,then there is a fiber ring ,that keeps the fines off the brass bearing,,, also axeman told me you can reverse the the brass ring if not worn to thin,,,also never turn the antrastat knob, always use an allen key to adjust it ,,you will throw it out of wack if you turn just the knob by hand,, the whole set up looks complicatd at first but as you work on it you will see it really is a very simple design,, good luck with steamy ,, if you go back a few pages on this thread i have pics of bessie when i got her,, soon to post completed pics, ask lots of questions, take care Tommy oh dont forget to never sieze you nuts and bolts , for when repairs become necassary....

Thanks Tommy for the advice. I have been speaking to Aime and Pete as well and you are correct, very pleasant people. I ordered all the things you mentioned and Aime does seem to know what she is doing over there. I should have the parts by Friday.

You're right, it does seem more straight forward once you get involved in the process. Here is Steamy in her new, but temporary, digs.

Been moving right along on things. Disasembled the unit and wire brushed nearly everything for new paint. Went to have the motor tested and when it was turned on a 2 inch flame shot out of the side panel. Not a good sign. So I bought a new motor and instead of staying with the original 1/2 horsepower I opted for a 1 horsepower motor. Got an AO Smith.

Wanted to change the original watercoil from being monted directly to the unit to the newer style where it extends away from the boiler and mounts on a flange. Had an 'R' stamp certified welder move it 3/4 inch higher as per Axeman recomendation.

Make sure the aquastat can handle the startup load of that 1hp motor.

What is the amp rating on each motor?

I used a 'farm duty' motor from Grainger. A 'farm cycle' motor has higher startup torque available at the same HP rating. I had a new 1/2 hp motor that would NOT start the fan and gearbox moving. But the farm duty motor works great. Still 1/2 hp. It's only the start up torque that is needed, it still will work fine with 1/2 hp.

I'll try to get the make and model number and post it tomorrow.

Greg L.

Rob, I'm not certain how to check for start up load values or how that comes into play. Can you explain and does it have to do with amp ratings? I was under the impression that the increase in hp would be of assistance in helping to run smoothly under load. Can I damage the aquastat?

Ian, the original GE 1/2 hp motor was 9.2 amps at 115v. The 1hp is 14 at 115v.

Greg, I checked Grainger and they have some 56 frame motors that will fit and will save me money if I return the one I have. Is the 'farm duty' a rating of some kind?

Do I need a TEFC motor? Original was not.

Would a cradle support motor be more advantageous than a ridgid support? Especially under the start up torque with the belts it would seem reasonable the bearings would last longer with the cushioning of the cradle mount.

Townsend wrote:Greg, I checked Grainger and they have some 56 frame motors that will fit and will save me money if I return the one I have. Is the 'farm duty' a rating of some kind?

Do I need a TEFC motor? Original was not.

The "Farm Duty" term is applied to motors that have a higher than normal starting torque. Usually better or more than one starting capacitor and better bearings (side load specs). Just what you want in this application. The TEFC, (Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled) is desirable because the coal dust can't get inside the motor. The other desirable spec is SF = 1.15 This means the motor HP is 1.15 greater than the name plate. Marginally desirable in this application. If the only motor you can find is SF = 1.0 don't worry. The 1.15 factor implies other things that if the motor load is really 1.15 times the nameplate HP the lifetime will be shortened.

The aquastat burner output is rated @ 7.4 full load amps and it can pull 44 amps with a locked rotor, I'd say you have a bit too much motor with that 1 HP. You will be on the edge when running the big one even though the aquastat can easily handle the startup load. I would take the 1 HP back and get the 1/2 HP and pocket the difference.

Townsend wrote:Do I need a TEFC motor?

No, if it needed TEFC it would be there already.

Motor size is an interesting topic. I replaced the original twice within 3 years on my 130 with the same 1/4hp size. I had a cracked frame on one and both eventually lost the starting windings. Too much effort required to start up. I then went with a Magnetek 1/3 hp sealed motor, which has worked fine for about 6 years.

1 hp might be a bit much. A good quality 1/2 should be fine.

If you are having motor failures you have not specified the correct motor. Motor use on a boiler is a somewhat hostile environment. Hot, dirty, frequent starting, long hot soak times without motor fan cooling, depending on mounting possible side loading on the bearings, etc. Talk to a motor engineer at a motor manufacturer. Don't settle for a stock clerk at a distributor. A real engineer, that knows about winding insulation temperature grades, capacitor ratings, bearing grades and seal options, etc. Buy the motor specified for the job and you will only buy it once.

Yanche wrote:If you are having motor failures you have not specified the correct motor. Motor use on a boiler is a somewhat hostile environment. Hot, dirty, frequent starting, long hot soak times without motor fan cooling, depending on mounting possible side loading on the bearings, etc. Talk to a motor engineer at a motor manufacturer. Don't settle for a stock clerk at a distributor. A real engineer, that knows about winding insulation temperature grades, capacitor ratings, bearing grades and seal options, etc. Buy the motor specified for the job and you will only buy it once.

I agree. The problem is that I took the stock axeman supplied motor with me.

Here is the motor I found that works perfectly:

This part number may be discontinued, but I've seen many of them on Ebay.

When installing the motor and adjusting the belts do NOT make the belts tight, the 'fan box' is a bushing bearing that
won't like the constant pressure from a tight belt.. a slight 'squawk' from the belt when the motor starts is about right.
The twisted belt can't be too tight either, or it will rub against itself.

Greg L

Thanks guys for all the responses!