260 Adventure

Since spending most of the fall, winter and so called spring probing plumbers, putting out feelers and watching the used adds I finally found a Axeman-Anderson 260 in a basement that was destined to follow me home. I would have prefered a 130 but did not hesitate to hook a chain to the 260 . I have documented most of the adventure with photos and will let them tell the story. I am hoping for a happy ending to this adventure but as you will see in the photos I have reason for concern.

Did it make its way home with you...

More pics

Hi Capecoaler, yep she made the trip home and got the dust blown off her.

Here are a few pics of the area under the hot water coil after I pressure washed for awhile. I have read many of post on here about 260 renovations but have not seen mention of rusting and pitting like this. Anyone encountered one this bad before?

That boiler is in fine shape, mine when I brought it home makes yours look like it's on the showroom floor at Axeman Andersen.

For the rust under the rubber gasket for the hot water coil mounting plate, just grind it as smooth as possible around the studs, and apply a very thin layer of Permatex Ultra Black RTV on the steel boiler surface, on the rubber gasket on both sides and a thin layer on the coil mounting plate. The important word here is THIN.. you just want to 'paint' the surface with the RTV sealant. then instal the gasket and coil. do not over tighten Just apply enough torque to see the gasket start to compress and you can see the gasket bulge a LITTLE, around the edge.
This is the procedure I used 5+ years ago on my VERY rusty AA 260, and I don't have any hint of leaks.

The inside of the boiler looks very good, Don't be concerned about the shallow groove worn in the gasket lip where the fan throws the fly ash, my gasket lip was worn at least twice as much as yours.

Lube up the grate rollers, replace if they have flat spots, replace the brass bushing on the ashing crank shaft and just clean her up..

Make sure you complelty seal the outside upper ring of the ash funnel to the ash cyclone tube, it must be SEALED to the tube, I used rope gasket and furnace cement. My cyclone tube was worn with a groove from years of fly ash being blown around the funnel..

If you decide to pressure test the boiler fill it with water and apply air over the water to pressurize, or use house water pressure. I doubt very much if it has any issues..

Here is my long ago thread on my AA260 rebuild : Axeman-Anderson Anthratube 260M Disection
Good buy, you'll really like the AA!

Greg L

Hi Greg, I have read your thread many times. I didn't understand a lot of it until I actually had a 260 torn down and scattered around the shop floor. It sounds like you have yours ironed out and working well. Yes two of my ashpan rollers were seized and had flat spots on them. I had quite a time getting the domestic coil out. I used the fire wrench, lots of pb blaster and worked gently on it for three days before I started driving wedges and using a bigger hammer. I ended up cracking the domestic plate. I don't plan to use it so I will either get a block off plate or go with the extension. I was able to get out all of the studs but it took a lot of torch work to do so. I think I lost the threads in a couple of holes. I seem to have more projects than time but plan to keep blasting it with the pressure washer in attempt to get as much of the crap out of the boiler as I can before pressure testing it. Thanks for the reply, advice and the great thread.

I think you found a decent boiler. The tankless coil area actually looks pretty good compared to many of them. The pitting inside the boiler is why many people shy away from steam boilers...if the steam system requires a lot of make-up water or the water chemistry is poor, you get corrosion on the interior surfaces. What is odd about your boiler is that the pitting seems to be mainly on that "ledge" just below the water line. Perhaps the metal flakes and debris collect there over the years. In any case, you are doing a fine job getting it cleaned up. There is lots of metal left, and if you plan to use this with a hot water system it should last another lifetime.

I agree with Greg, that boiler is in great shape.
I hope you have some other plan to make DHW with
the boiler. DHW is one of the blessings of having a
coal boiler.
We all love arm chair adventures and pictures.
Nice job with the rigging. Good luck with the plumbing.

A 30 or 40 plate, water-to-water heat exchanger works very well to make domestic hot water, The plate exchangers cost less than a hot water coil. Especially this time of year, the Outdoor Wood Boiler people are selling off their winter inventory..
I use these plate exchangers in my system, with no problems at all..

If you have the skills, and want to consider future resale I'd weld in the extension then cap it. this way you can always buy and add a coil. Or if you sell it, the future owner has it ready to go. Now is the time to do whatever work you are going to do. Once the boiler is installed you won't want to drain it and tear it apart again.

Are you leaving the boiler in steam mode or converting it to heat water for your use ??

Greg L.

LsFarm wrote:A 30 or 40 plate, water-to-water heat exchanger works very well to make domestic hot water, The plate exchangers cost less than a hot water coil.

True. A side-arm heat exchanger can also be a cost effective means to product domestic hot water...but none of them (coil, plate x, side arm) can handle hard water or sediment.

http://www.outdoorfurnacesupply.com/side-arm-heat ... sweat.html

I am quite tickled with your responses and glad to hear that there is hope for the ol girl. I am currently running a memco wood/coal boiler that is tied into my oil boiler which has a boiler mate so I will be replacing the memco with the 260. I think I will go for the extension on the 260 and block it off for now but if my boiler mate craps out I will put in the domestic coil. I was reluctant to spend the money on the extension not knowing if the boiler will hold pressure or not. Axeman sent me all of the parts lists etc so I will have to get an order into them before I can go much further. The worst of the pitting does seem to be limited to the the shelf under the coils. I borrowed a probe camera from my daughters boyfriend which I bought him for Christmas (always thinking ahead) and tried to get a look into the places that I can't see through the ports. That is where I left off. I am trying to finish up some other projects that I had going on and get my shop cleared out so that I can focus more on the boiler. Thanks again for your help. You have made my day.

Don't worry about the camera, as long as it holds pressure when you have it together that is all that matters. Flush it out the best you can, and remove all existing plugs/bushings from the boiler. Steam systems run at a much lower pressure than hot water systems, and there is nothing more frustrating than firing up a new install and watching water drip from a 30 year old fitting.

Good find! I called that seller quickly, but you already had it in your possession. It is in good shape and will serve you well.
I'd clean up the coil area; weld in the stud holes, grind it down and add a 5/16 or 3/8" plate....and the solution is much cheaper than buying the extension flange, and a brand new coil, IMO, or a blank plate and gasket.

The grate rollers are always the biggest issue in the base, along with the ashing arm ratcheting mechanism. PB Blaster was on sale this month at NAPA, so a case or two should get you 'rotating again'.
While you are there, I'd get some silver anti-seize, also. If folks would just lube the things once a month it would never bother again.
Don't forget to replace the fly ash cone in the discharge tube, and to seal it well with RTV or some other sealant. That can be a source of monoxide leakage if ignored. AA has a SS cone available, so don't be afraid to spend a few bucks.
Also, there is a cork gasket at the top of the auger tube that probably will be worn out, so order one of them. I think it is CB128 on the parts sheet. That keeps the discharge head area much cleaner. If you have not removed the oil wick yet, I'd do so and see if the Auger head wick is OK and while you are there, remove the brass split rings and clean out the auger contact hole. I've seen dozens that were packed solid with fines, rendering the wick useless.
Careful with the wick/cup assembly, it costs over $32, now. The screws on the brass retainers can be tough, but if you are lucky, and lubed when reassembled, you will never have an issue again. While you are playing aroun, free up the rubber mount nuts and especially the isolation mount on the bottom that contacts the floor to support the fan and motor bracket. You will need to adjust it when you set up the boiler for final assembly.....PPPPPPP....Murphy's Law

If you really want a 130 and would consider a trade, let me know. If you have a place to scrub off some heat, the 260 will be fine, but in the summer, it will take more than just domestic hot water to keep it happy.
A dump zone is in your future if you don't already have one. Feel free to PM me anytime.

If your water is OK, you could take a chance, but check with your local supply house.
The other guys did mention running a tap in the openings you are using, and I concur. Take no chances.....it is easier before it is assembled to make it right.
I think the boiler was still hooked up when you got it, so a pressure test in not a big deal now.

If you have been running a Memco and are going to this 260, it is like going from a Yugo to a diesel truck. It may well be much more then you need. Whistlnuts offer sounds reasonable, unless you are building on a gym.

Kevin