New (to Me) Axeman 260

Please see the previous page for more info.

Here is that accursed coal in the first pic. What size would this be?

Second is the Blaschak pea coal I just loaded.

I have good news.

1. The learning curve will soon begin to level out.
2. The coal you bought is indeed buckwheat size.
3. The buck will feed & burn fine once it dries.

I just happen to have a picture of buck & a penny.



The buck looks like it might be from the "bottom of the bin" and have more fines than normal; the fact that it is wet is making the fines sticky and causing feed problems. Wet coal by itself may or may not cause problems, but moisture + fines is sure to cause issues. Once that pile dries out go ahead it burn it.

Hi Steve yep that's Buck, maybe a little on the small size, but I don't think it's rice.

The problem is the moisture, the AA will burn Buck just fine.

Think about a dumptruck load of gravel, it can be soaking wet, yet the gravel will pour out of the truck when the bed is lifted up,
Now, think about a dumptruck load of sand, soaking wet, you might never get the sand to slide out of the truck bed, and have to poke prod and partially shovel it till it
decides to slide out of the dump bed.

The buck coal is just small enough that the pieces get stuck together by the water, causing it to bind together, If the coal has a fair amount of fines it will bind together
easier.

A similar experience with my pea coal, with a shovel full of damp fines congealed at the entrance to the auger, caused a near out-fire about two months ago.

Here's what I do, I have a long length of rebar, with a bit of a 'twist of steel' on the end, I remove the plate over the transfer head, and slide the rebar 'screw' down the
center of the auger, and use the screw to start the coal feeding again. usually just stirring up the compacted damp coal will get it sliding and feeding again.

Do you have room to feed an auger length piece of pipe or rebar down the auger?

That coal will burn just fine once it dries. Just stir it around occasionally and scoop the dry top layer into the hopper, soon it will all be burnt up.

Greg L

Thanks guys, makes me feel much better that I can burn it someday. It does seem to have a lot of fines in it.

Hey, I know! Maybe I need to spend yet more money and get one of those attachments from Axeman that is driven off the asher gearing and basically extends into the bin adjacent to the auger and twists around to loosen the compacted coal up.

If things don't work out with that buck I've got a nice bin you could dump it in to get rid of it.

Mike

Steve, the buck will burn just fine, but it l looks wet. I have used the agitator attachment on a couple boilers.....I just made a rod with an auger bit on the end of it (welded) and a 1/2" diameter shaft. I will agree that the clogged auger mouth is a finesissues, and the agitator is helpful, but try my rig first. Not taking the bin level down to install makes mine a MUCH easier solution AND you see results instantly. The bit will draw fines to the auger mouth and up, up, and into the chamber. If you insist on the factory remedy, I suggest summertime! Hey, did that boiler come out the Brattleboro/Keene valley? It looked familiar. A PM is fine if you want to go 'dark'.

Wet fines and augers don't mix. Especially the Axeman style auger.

I would not bother with the AA agitator attachment, after this experience you WON"T fill the hopper with damp coal EVER AGAIN.

Enjoy your 'Motrin Morning'..

I think you could have got that buck to feed, with a little help from a long screw/rod like I have.

Do you have holes in the bottom of he oil drum to let water leak out??

A large piece of wood, like an index finger or a large flat piece of coal can block the entrance to the AA's auger, You can use a good flashlight and
look down the center of the auger and see that it's obstructed.
I have concrete blocks surrounding my coal shed, and I sometimes get flakes of concrete in my coal as I load my 5-gallon pails. I've had a piece about
1/2 the size of a pack of cigarettes block the auger. I used a piece of pipe to shatter the piece into smaller pieces and they fed to the top.

Greg L

Whistle, yes indeed, the boiler came from that area.

Greg, I did drill holes in the floor of the bin for draining. It's pretty warm and dry down there so the coal does dry out pretty fast usually. But like you said, it wasn't just wet coal pieces but the gritty fines that likely were the culprits.

The pea is feeding just nicely now.

Even though it was only a day or so running it with the buck, it seemed to me that the buck coal burned less efficient/not as hot. I really had it going a couple times and I would not see the stack temperature get over 400 degrees. With the pea I'm averaging 450 and sometimes when its really cold and a good wind I saw it around 475. Even though today was cold I did not see the temp get above 395 to 400 for the buck.

All other things being equal, a lower stack temperature is usually a sign of less "excess combustion air" and good efficiency. The 260 might not be as responsive with buck, but it will certainly keep you warm.

It might idle at a lower temperature with buck.

Rob R. wrote: It might idle at a lower temperature with buck.

Rob -

Nice pick-up. The question would be how effectively it makes steam with buck. Steve, did it run hot enough on buck that you still filled all of your radiators, or would you need to try it again when it's drier to know?

Mike

Mike, it seemed that the rads did not heat all the way or as quickly with the buck but I would probably need more time with it.

You do have the dog house attached to the fuel oil tank ? If I have trouble getting wet coal /fines to feed, I use a steel rod with a small hook on the end and shovel out below the auger threw the doghouse, the plate with the hole where the auger enters the bin is an inch or two above the floor and allows for this. And as mentioned before, take the plate off the transfer head ,using a long rod (I use a 1/2" electric contuet pipe) and give it an ennima. (laxative) If you do build a bin, shovel some dry coal over the auger before filling with wet coal.

Good stuff here about working on and around the auger area. I do have room to work a long pipe down the auger through the transfer head. And yes AA130, I have the doghouse attached to tank and I know the open space underneath it you mention. I actually tried workng some coal under there with a pipe but I had no hook on the end which would have helped. Nor did I have a rod long enough to reach down the auger via the transfer head. I'll fabricate those two items and keep 'em in my boiler room for any future assistance.

Thank you guys!

Pacowy wrote:If things don't work out with that buck I've got a nice bin you could dump it in to get rid of it.

Mike

That is one hell of a bin Mike!

Rob R. wrote:
It might idle at a lower temperature with buck.

Maybe buck will be my summertime domestic water coal!