EFM 520 SULFUR SMELL

They are at the house as we speak.

There are several vent holes in the end of the auger pipe. When the pipe is fitted into the pot the holes should be facing upwards.

I have a relatively short run to the bin, the auger pipe plus about 2 additional feet of bin auger at the most. I have burned buck, buck/rice mix, and rice and have not had a problem with odor. There may be draft issues or other problems. A thorough inspection is a good idea.

Could be a chimney restriction. Superior coal makes lots of ash and fly ash. Do you have vertical vent runs from the boiler to the chimney? Flyash accumulates in those sections. I just cleaned mine after nearly running 3 months. It was more than I expected. I've got a manometer and regularly monitor the draft. When I see a slight degrading of the draft on the manometer and the weather is not a factor, that's a sure sign I should have already cleaned the vent pipe. If you use T's instead of elbows, you can clean it in about 30 seconds and not have to shut down. You do suck a little flue gas out of the vent with the shop vac but it's a quick thing and so only a small amount.

You said a 30' chimney. Metal or terra cotta?

Also as others have already made a point to stress, CO detectors are essential. Also please check to make sure your CO detectors are not too old. Some have 5 year and some have 7 year sensors. After that they can be unreliable.

Ok….They said the sulfur smell was occurring because there was a seal on the tube that was missing or not on properly. My aquastat was also defective, which explains the heat problem. It will take a a day or 2 to get the part.

Any plumbing supply house should have a triple aquastat in stock.

Your not going to get any better advice than these guys on the forum. If you can't figure it out call me at 570-640-9156 (Matt) I only live 20 min away. I can do the work if you still need someone http://www.anthracitecoalstokers.com/

Matt,
Thanks for the info. I may contact you in the near future if they can’t get it right. They left and my wife says the sulfur smell is back and still no heat in our downstairs radiators. They have it hooked up to just continuously run and heat but there is nothing running through the pipes. I’ll take a closer look once I return home

Circulator or air in the system or auto fill isn't keeping the lines filled.

The barrel setup isn't recommend. Put a trash bag over the top of the drum and tape it. You'll see it blow up like a balloon. Putting a lid over the barrel with a foam seal between the lid and barrel will usually stop the problem. Just put a rock on top for weight.

How about letting everyone know who installed it so they don't end up with the same problems. Lot's of "experts" out there. Be careful. You'll get good advice here and Matt D is more than capable of getting you straightened out.

stoker-man wrote:Circulator or air in the system or auto fill isn't keeping the lines filled.

The barrel setup isn't recommend. Put a trash bag over the top of the drum and tape it. You'll see it blow up like a balloon. Putting a lid over the barrel with a foam seal between the lid and barrel will usually stop the problem. Just put a rock on top for weight.

This is what I did to get rid of the smell until I got my bin finished.

I didn't see the posting about the missing rope gasket or silicone around the pipe. That is very important too. But the drum method is still iffy unless it's sealed at the top.

I used a drum last year, and ran into the same issues. But I did manage to get around them. I found plastic barrel with a top. It would hold 8 40# bags, and burn about 6 before need to be refilled. When it was full, I would not get any smell. But about half way down, it would start up again. So I would keep the barrel sealed and that took care of the problem.

Air was a critical setting. Anything of 4 would force fumes down the pipe. I have excellent draft, but it made no difference.

I still have the barrel, but took it out of service this year. The bin has been a much better setup. You are welcome to the barrel if you want to make the trip.

Hi Guys. I’d rather not name names publicly. Here is an update. They still have not returned, or at least I don’t know if they did or not. They sometimes would come and do work without saying anything. Currently my blower is set on 4.5. I have it set for about 4 clicks. I found an old kids play carpet and I draped that over the barrel and that seems to have corrected most if not all of the fume problems. Heat seems to be working fine. I did acquire the manometer you guys recommended. I just need to know how it should be installed to get a proper draft reading.

Another thing. I do have an addition on the house that was never insulated properly. There is no basement under it, rather the previous owner decided to build that part of the house on footers. That section of the house is extremely drafty. I burned 4 tons already this year and well on my way to burning tons 5 and 6. Any suggestions?

Anthracitemight wrote:That section of the house is extremely drafty. I burned 4 tons already this year and well on my way to burning tons 5 and 6. Any suggestions?

Two suggestions.

1. Call Matt D. to have him check out your stoker. It doesn't sound like your other service guys are very well versed in what is important.

2. Seal up the drafts in that addition. Spray foam, caulk, etc. On average 50% of a home's heat loss is from infiltration (air leaks).

Anthracitemight wrote:That section of the house is extremely drafty. I burned 4 tons already this year and well on my way to burning tons 5 and 6. Any suggestions?

Two suggestions.

1. Call Matt D. to have him check out your stoker. It doesn't sound like your other service guys are very well versed in what is important.

2. Seal up the drafts in that addition. Spray foam, caulk, etc. On average 50% of a home's heat loss is from infiltration (air leaks).