Fixing Play Between Inline Grates

Today I did a shut down/clean out and thought it would be the perfect time to try and fix the play between the grates. The grates don't fit snuggly together so what happens is that during shake down the front half of the coal bed gets ash cleared good but the back half not quite so good.. I read where another member on here put in screws to help this issue.. So what I did here is I got a 1/4 inch drill and tap and threaded set screws into the grate where they come together. I even dimpled the intersecting grate in hopes that they won't slip... I put two on top and two on bottom. It solved the slop problem... Question is, will it stay tight.. I hope so

Neat looking work! Keep us informed as to how it works out.

The question to me is not will it stay tight but, will it come apart when you want it to?

Short Bus wrote:The question to me is not will it stay tight but, will it come apart when you want it to?

Actually, I don't see me needing them to come apart UNLESS I brake the grate post again
Other than that those suckers can become one as far as I'm concerned

Good good good.

Short Bus wrote:Good good good.

lsayre wrote:Neat looking work! Keep us informed as to how it works out.

I will post some results in the next few days after a few shakes
Thanks for the kind words

Are they back in the stove yet? How are they holding up?

I'm On Fire wrote:Are they back in the stove yet? How are they holding up?

Yes sir!! Fired her up last night. Did a shake this morning. So far, so good

The set screws are still holding strong this evening. I gotta tell ya though I was really worried when I fired the furnace back up.. I should have put a layer of ash on top the grates before I lighted the new fire. I was really worried it would melt the set screws since I didn't consider how much heat they could handle.. By the time I had a decent fire established, the grates and the grate frames were glowing bright orange. This is the only time I see the grates get that hot, and its because there is nothing insulating the grates from the searing heat of the new coal fire. Even after the first day, the grates don't glow like that anymore since there is a layer of ash across the top of them. Hopefully, I didn't harm the set screws ability to hold the grates together

I did a similar set up on my USSC 24A, only I placed the set screws on the bottom of the grate.
Once I broke a post on the front shaker the set screws in the rear did not want to release so just drilled them out.
I only tap the female portion.

xaos wrote:I did a similar set up on my USSC 24A, only I placed the set screws on the bottom of the grate.
Once I broke a post on the front shaker the set screws in the rear did not want to release so just drilled them out.
I only tap the female portion.

So, I take it the screws worked good for you? Any problems with them melting? I put two on top and two on the bottom and dimpled the intersecting grate with the tip of the drill bit for the set screw to settle into.. Hoping they will do the trick

use short tapered 10/32 tap screws (these will bite as they are screwed), they do make a heat resistent thread lock (locktight) but its BS and it does not work.

dcrane wrote:use short tapered 10/32 tap screws (these will bite as they are screwed), they do make a heat resistent thread lock (locktight) but its BS and it does not work.

Tapered... I didn't know there was such a thing... If these loosen up I'll seek the tapered screws! Thanks man

lsayre wrote:Neat looking work! Keep us informed as to how it works out.

I pulled the grates yesterday during my spring clean out. Checked for play between them where they intersect in the middle and discovered there is absolutely none! The set screws are a success so far. They survived 4 months of heating since January

Lightning wrote:

lsayre wrote:Neat looking work! Keep us informed as to how it works out.

I pulled the grates yesterday during my spring clean out. Checked for play between them where they intersect in the middle and discovered there is absolutely none! The set screws are a success so far. They survived 4 months of heating since January