Wondering About a Coal Boiler!!

lzaharis · Post by **lzaharis** » Sat. Jan. 03, 2015 11:43 am

CNY Farmer wrote:
Getting closer to having the boiler hooked up..I'm excited and nervous
My basement isn't sealed really tight with it being an old farm house..
I'm wondering if I will have trouble with draft??

Should I try and plug every little hole that we find???
I'm going to get a manometer and install it in the door
and leave it hooked up all the time..

From the pictures I've seen just need a small piece of copper pipe over the hose??

==================================================================================================

You can use the manomometer occasionally if desired
rather than leaving the probe pipe in the door all the time, its up to you.

As long as you have a good manomometer and the air shutter is properly
adjusted you will be fine.

Just be sure to shut the Keystoker down at least twice per year to clean
coal dust from under the stoker bed and the flue elbows(if you use them rather than stove pipe T's
which allows you to simply remove the cap/plug and let the fly ash fall out and you
can either brush or vacuum out the stove pipe to the chimney)

You will need to brush and vacuum the water to metal heat surfaces of the interior
of the boiler and leave a work light lit in the boiler if you are not using the the boiler
the year round.

The basement will get draftier for you when you start burning. You may want to bring
in combustion air in 2 inch PVC pipe and place the exit of the pipe near the coal stoker
but up and away from the forced draft fans used for the stoker.

Many folks put a screen over the outside down facing elbow to keep out rain, bugs/vermin, etc.

Be sure to use a dehumidifier to keep the moisture level down in the basement as well.

you will have a forced draft feeding combustion air into
the bottom of the coal grates of your Keystoker.

Just be sure the grate assembly is sealed with gasket cement or at least be sure the
screws holding the side plates and stoker bed plate the are tight.

pipeline · Post by **pipeline** » Sun. Jan. 04, 2015 6:25 pm

hey farmer its your neighbor we finished up my boiler . cant wait to fire up in approx 2 weeks wood pile should be gone and hook chain on the wood monster and drag it out

the plumber said he will get yours this week! pipeline

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Sun. Jan. 04, 2015 8:37 pm

Well, imagine that, two outdoor wood boiler guys have seen the light (coal) in the same single thread here.

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Sun. Jan. 04, 2015 9:06 pm

Yes ,but the despair of all those yrs of hard labor drove them to look for light at the end of the tunnel.

pipeline · Post by **pipeline** » Mon. Jan. 05, 2015 5:31 am

yes I have to admit this seams to be my new addiction

never thought there would be the day of not burning wood it is or was FREE just had to cut wood all the time! only person who will lose is my bone crusher

after reading all the info on here I cant understand why anybody would buy heat and not use coal!!!!!!! no brainer or lack of education

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Mon. Jan. 05, 2015 8:13 am

Would like to see a Youtube video of your OWB being chained and drug.

CNY Farmer · Post by **CNY Farmer** » Mon. Jan. 05, 2015 8:48 am

pipeline wrote:hey farmer its your neighbor we finished up my boiler . cant wait to fire up in approx 2 weeks wood pile should be gone and hook chain on the wood monster and drag it out the plumber said he will get yours this week! pipeline

Nice

Hopefully I can find the rest of the fittings in the next day or two.. Need to find a 9" tee

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Mon. Jan. 05, 2015 9:01 am

CNY Farmer wrote:
pipeline wrote:hey farmer its your neighbor we finished up my boiler . cant wait to fire up in approx 2 weeks wood pile should be gone and hook chain on the wood monster and drag it out the plumber said he will get yours this week! pipeline
Nice Hopefully I can find the rest of the fittings in the next day or two.. Need to find a 9" tee

Best go to a heating and plumbing supply house...not a hardware store.

CNY Farmer · Post by **CNY Farmer** » Wed. Jan. 07, 2015 4:45 pm

McGiever wrote:[quote="

Nice Hopefully I can find the rest of the fittings in the next day or two.. Need to find a 9" tee

Best go to a heating and plumbing supply house...not a hardware store.[/quote]

Yes thats what I did.The tee will go off the back of the boiler...then put the pipe to the chimney if we put the baro in the unused sectionof the tee will that work ???

Also today we got the boiler leveled up and the insulated jacket put on..Also installed the stoker.which I wasn't very impressed with the way it mounts..We had to get some bigger washers because the ones that came with it would almost pull thru the slot..and we couldn't get the hopper as tight to the back of the boiler that would think it should be..Can't turn the little studs any tighter.. Maybe we put the washers in the wrong spot??we put one on the back of hopper and the other on the inside...

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Wed. Jan. 07, 2015 5:15 pm

No, best to use a second tee for the barometric damper, and add a cap for cleaning out at the first tee.

CNY Farmer · Post by **CNY Farmer** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 5:17 pm

We got it going on Sunday

I emptied the ashes today and it seems like there is some unburned coal in them? When we started it we set it where keystoker recommended for coal feed.After checked ashes today we thought maybe the feed was to high? so we turned it back 2 turns.or could it be more to do with air from secondary blower? We are getting good draft.The house has been nice and warm and the water is hot..When is Scottscoaled going to Otselic for lunch again?

I know pictures would probably help but I need to figure out how to post from my phone..

windyhill4.2 · Post by **windyhill4.2** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 8:06 pm

Thanks for the update,good to hear that you are burning coal. Now all you might need to do yet is some fine tuning adjustments & remove ash,add coal. Enjoy !!

Scottscoaled · Post by **Scottscoaled** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 3:11 am

CNY Farmer wrote:We got it going on Sunday I emptied the ashes today and it seems like there is some unburned coal in them? When we started it we set it where keystoker recommended for coal feed.After checked ashes today we thought maybe the feed was to high? so we turned it back 2 turns.or could it be more to do with air from secondary blower? We are getting good draft.The house has been nice and warm and the water is hot..When is Scottscoaled going to Otselic for lunch again? I know pictures would probably help but I need to figure out how to post from my phone..

Ahhhhh! Good to hear you are all hooked up. Just in time too. We still got the other half of winter to get thru yet. I guess the new saying is, " Welcome to easy street!". I'm due to go to see the boys out that way. You up for joining us old coal burners for lunch in Cincinattus? You will be the first Keystoker guy in the crowd.

Post by **Rob R.** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 5:20 am

You will get some unburned coal in the ash, do not try and eliminated it by using extra air. Set the feed and air as Keystoker recommends, and when the boiler is working hard and running for at least 30 minutes (if it never runs this long perhaps you do need to reduce the feed) at a time, look for about 2" of ash at the end of the grate.

blrman07 · Post by **blrman07** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 7:13 am

With a stoker your ash will ALMOST always look like granola with raisins. That's the nature of that beast.

Sounds like your right on the money.