EFM Stoker Problem

I have a question about efm stoker,I installed a rebuilt efm 350 about 2 months ago, I am running buck,at 3 clicks on the stoker and air about 3.25 air,all was well until today. I pulled the ash tub out on tuesday and put a empty one in,usually I have been getting about 1.5 tubs of ash per week, today I pulled out the tub when I checked the boiler and found it to be full to the point of over flowing with mostly unburned coal, so I cleaned out all of the ashes and put a empty ash tub in and went to shower, ,the boiler water was at about 140 degF. I don't use the domestic coil because I have a hot water maker. When I was done showering I checked the stoker again only to find the fire to be very low and lazy. I opened the air shutter a bit furthur to liven up the fire but don't understand what happened in the last day or two to cause these radical changes in the way this stoker is acting. until now this baby has been humming along with me just pulling the coal fines lever each day. Any input would be appreciated. thanks in advance Carl

Sorry to bother you good folks,I found my problem,the linkage from the fine cleanout lever lost its bolt and coal was falling out of the holes for the fines to fall out of, and coal was not getting to the pot and the air was being lost to the pot as well. In the future I will look at things first before bothering other people. Thanks again . Carl

Running with the clean-out open would definitely give you a large air leak and produce unburned coal in the pot, but there shouldn't be full-size piece of coal falling out when you open the clean-out...just fines.

...and someone forgot to torque that special sleeved bolt when they did the install.....hmmmmmm! Just' perhaps', others of us have had a similar issue over the years....part of the learning curve.

While it may not be "Rocket Science" to burn coal, surely there were a few EXTREMELY CAPABLE minds involved in the process.

You get 5 'Atta-Boy's and go to the "Stoker Troubleshooting Training Seminar" all expenses paid!!!
Have you ever stayed at a Holiday Inn?......LOL Did anyone ever leave a light on for you?
Did her husband get you on film running the back of the property.....wait, that is another forum.....
The former "Stoker Scott" WROTE THAT book I've been told!(and starred in the movie...Dirk Diggler was his character or something like that)

(Take that Scotty!!!!!) In case you don't know Scott, he has a great sense of humor....and I will pay dearly when he reads this!

Hopefully he will be outside trying to "Fire-UP" the 'Anthracite Dust-Fired Dirigible' for a trip down to Macy's to show them what a REAL balloon looks like....A Van Wert C 4800 stoker...2 million btu's.....Tare weight 1,230,000 at lift-off....

If you can't have fun in life once in a while, what's the point in living!

its the water......must be the Frackin water...... NH must have thc tainted frackin water....... shhhhhhhhhhhhh

Leaving the cleanout cover open would produce your lazy fire, but a hole in the burner plate would allow coal to fall through and so would a hole in the coal pipe where it enters the pot, inside the base. A hole in the burner plate would result in a dark area of the pot and a hole in the coal pipe would not.

DANG!!!!!! I need some of what what that Dougie smokes. Holy molies! Gene's right, he's gotta be frackin crazy Too much time on your hands up there Doug? Old lady send you out to the doghouse?

It makes sense that if the cleanout lever was unhooked and the cleanout was open that most of the coal didn't get burned fully.