EFM Stoker Shut From April Till Oct

Rob R. wrote: I have seen over a dozen boilers that needed serious repairs because the tankless coil gasket was allowed to leak,

The older EFM's and the Van Werts have the same design and same leak corrosion problem. That's one of the few design changes made to the EFM's over the decades. When I was down EFM I saw parts they had for retrofitting them with the new flange.

There is an extended flange and it can be welded to a repair plate. Look through these pictures.

Pictorial: DF520 Domestic Water Coils W/Part Numbers

X 6
Keep it burning!
What is cheaper then coal for DHW?

Lots of good advice. I certainly can't dispute any of it.

All that said I do shut my stoker off a few months per year. And I have been doing that since I first bought my unit 6 years ago.

I usually run mine til early june depending on weather. Basically when I have no heating demand at all even the nightime when it might run once or twice per day.

I Start it again in Oct. The last few years right around Oct 10th.

Maybe I'm not as hardcore as most of these guys but I don't mind not tending it for a few months... I'm not adicted to that facet of it Even if tending it is 5 minutes a day I can find something else to do outside those 5 minutes all summer long and enjoy it! Probably when i'm retired some day I won't feel that way and I'll be looking for things to keep my busy but for now... nah.

I do all the things mentioned. remove pipe to chimney, Clean it very GOOD within 1 or 2 days of shutting it down. (agree with statement about cleaning it when unit is still warm which is usually 1 day after shutdown) Tubes, walls, etc. Then I put in a 40 to 60 watt light bulb til I get ready to turn it back on. usually check it once a week to be sure the bulb is still on etc. you'd be surprized as just how warm that little bulb will keep your unit. Certainly enough to keep away the moisture issues.

My Coil has a bypass that goes into the hot water tank so I throw two valves there. done.

I can't dispute that this may or may not be the best advice but I also think if you do it right you won't have a problem. My .02

I think it's good advice. When I had the Alaska stoker in the cellar (pre-EFM) I had shut it down as is for about a month or so, I was surprised how much corrosion there was. That said, the Harman hand fed on the first floor burns throughout the winter then sits idle for many months, most of the time I forget to empty the firebox let alone do anything to protect it, and it has held up well...go figure.

Mark (PA) wrote:Even if tending it is 5 minutes a day I can find something else to do outside those 5 minutes all summer long and enjoy it!

When we used an EFM 900 to make DHW during the summer I checked it once every 3 weeks. The time commitment should be minimal.

Mike

The Time it takes to service the unit is really dependent on how you have it setup though also.

I have my unit into a 50 gallon drum for coal supply so there is no way I can go 3 weeks without filling it... Even in the summer after 1.5 week or so it would be empty of coal. or close.

even in the summer I don't think anyone with a 520 would be going 3 weeks without emptying the ashes either.. Maybe 1.5 or 2.

Although again. I still agree the time commitement would be minimal 520 or 900. I simply choose not to do it, and if the unit is sealed up in a good environment with items mentioned above... shouldn't have any issues.

I agree that if you use a 55-gallon drum you're not likely to get 3 weeks. I used a bigger feed bin that could go longer. On the ash side, if you leave the ash pan out the base can hold a lot. With a little practice you can shovel it without making a big mess (though that's not needed if you're limited on the feed side). In any case, it's not a daily chore in the summer, but you're certainly free to take the whole summer off if you prefer.

Mike