Ash Removal Idea

KLook wrote:I have the same boiler as coalkirk. I also used a bag in the drum. I used a piece of 2 inch energy shield insulation. very heat resistant. We put the insulation between the barrel and the back where the hot gases have to go down and out the stovepipe. I have had some problems with melting with thin bags and black bags. The best bags I had were real thick clear plastic. I got them at Mardens once upon a time and have never found them again. Last winter I used drum liners that were the thickest I could get and clear. They worked ok and I had to cut them at least in half so they were not to long.

Kevin

For those not from Maine, Mardens is a bargain hunters paradise.

Im not sure how much they are but the best plastic bags ive used are those ones made for asbestos removal (I grab bunches anytime I have a listing requiring such things)... next time I come across some ill grab extra's for ya (great for burying all your assault weapons through out the yard when the "Man" comes to take em' too LOL)

I wont be burying anything of mine. I am surrounded by tens of thousands of like minded individuals down here. The man will not go door to door here, it would require the military.

Kevin

so my paper thin bags wont work? lol. ill hunt down some of those thick clear bags. I was suprised how the bag was melted, just the way the flue gasses flow around the ash pan to the flue really is all that melted it, 3/4 of the bag was perfectly fine after a good 16-18 hr period. ill get it just some more trial and error. anything beats emptying those ashes by hand.

AHS S130 Installation by Maccoon

This guy has a nice setup for removing his ash. This is something I was thinking about.

331camaro wrote:i tried the garbage bag in the ash pan idea and the back side of the bag melted. I duno if the side of the boiler near the stack has more heat than the stoker side was a little suprised about that. do you have pictures on your method coalkirk?

Here's a pic of my ash pan. Notice the piece of fiberflas insulation between the pan and the side of the boiler where the flueway is.

awesome! thanks for the great picture and link very helpful!!

KLook wrote:I wont be burying anything of mine. I am surrounded by tens of thousands of like minded individuals down here. The man will not go door to door here, it would require the military.

Kevin

AMEN.

As I continue to search for parts for this system I think I may have scored! I cane across a farmer that want to sell 20' of grain auger for about $50. He thinks it is 3".
I may go get it tomorrow.

Too much hot stuff comes off the burner head of an under-fed stoker to make use of a cost-effective liner or bag, I think. But I had this great idea of hinging the door on the ash pan - open door to reveal a handle - pull on handle which is connected by a small shaft to a scraping plate at the back of the ash pan - scraping plate moves ashes out of the hinged ash pan door and into the.. uh the uh... ummm. Still working on it.

bags are still melting on flue side. considering looking for an ashpan that dosent conduct as much heat, like fiberglass maybe, or maybe a thick plastic tote, if it warped a drooped who cares it don't think it would see enough heat to actually turn into a puddle lol. and considering doing that coalvac conversion but for ashes, cant think of anything else other than the automatic auger set up.

I run two EFM stokers -- an EFM520 that produces about 5 bushels of ash per week in the winter, and an EFM900 that produces about 12 #3 cans of ash per week. The combined coal consumption is about 38 tons per year.

Because we're in the middle of town, an auger system to the building exteriors would be impractical. So I'm stuck changing ash cans every day. Until recently, my biggest problem with ash can removal was the 8 steps from the basement to street level. Of course, this was for the larger unit that produces more ash.

MY solution came when I saw an ad for a stair chair from the family of a woman who passed. Bought it for $300, replaced the chair seat with a platform, and installed it on the basement steps. 4 cycles of 3 cans each, and my ashes are outside for pick-up (my town picks them up for non-skid on the streets in the winter)

What the hell are you heating to burn 38 tons per week???

coalkirk wrote:What the hell are you heating to burn 38 tons per week???

It's 38 tons per YEAR not per week. Must be the super bowl effect. Still an awful lot of coal. Oh my aching back.

funeraldut wrote:I run two EFM stokers -- an EFM520 that produces about 5 bushels of ash per week in the winter, and an EFM900 that produces about 12 #3 cans of ash per week. The combined coal consumption is about 38 tons per year.

Because we're in the middle of town, an auger system to the building exteriors would be impractical. So I'm stuck changing ash cans every day. Until recently, my biggest problem with ash can removal was the 8 steps from the basement to street level. Of course, this was for the larger unit that produces more ash.

MY solution came when I saw an ad for a stair chair from the family of a woman who passed. Bought it for $300, replaced the chair seat with a platform, and installed it on the basement steps. 4 cycles of 3 cans each, and my ashes are outside for pick-up (my town picks them up for non-skid on the streets in the winter)

Based on your user name, I assume you are heating a funeral home? Great idea on the stair chair.