Jim D.'S Stoker Boiler Install Thread

 
crazy4coal
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Post by crazy4coal » Wed. Oct. 23, 2013 7:02 pm

Smitty, Black pipe size is inside dia. Brass is the same as black size. Copper is outside dia. Most home boilers are 1 1/4, 11/2 2" I'am working in a 1940's house now that is steam and the header is 21/2, The new boiler is 2" and the returns are 11/4. A couple of weeks ago I was welding 3" black pipe together. Don't let it beat you up!


 
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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Wed. Oct. 23, 2013 7:04 pm

Jesus,Smit's...When the hell was the last time you can remember being bored ? :fear:

 
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wilder11354
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Post by wilder11354 » Wed. Oct. 23, 2013 7:24 pm

Not sure how far they are from you....but they will have anything you need in stock pretty much up to 2" copper, pipe, fittings. And brass fittings.

 
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Carbon12
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Post by Carbon12 » Wed. Oct. 23, 2013 7:28 pm

Smitty, don't feel bad,....I have box of copper fitting, a box of PVC fittings and a box of black pipe fittings,...All the wrong size collected over the years from various projects. Every once in a while, something come in handy. I now physically take a fitting or piece of pipe TO the hardware store to make sure things fit before I buy. I bought my KA6 second hand and relied on online manuals for installation. One Keystoker manual said the take offs are 1 1/4 another said 1 1/2. 1 1/4 turned out to be correct,.....not leaking, anyway!

 
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Post by SMITTY » Thu. Oct. 24, 2013 12:02 am

Ahh I'll be alright .... today just was one of THOSE days. Went to the bank .. friggin closed. WTF .. banker's hours ... So started working on a chainsaw that's been as much of a project as this boiler install ... and broke the plastic nipple off the external primer bulb ... :mad: :mad: More money down the toilet. Whatever's left in my wallet will be going to property taxes! Yaay! :|
rberq wrote:
SMITTY wrote:To top it all off I just wasted half the day driving around for supplies. NOBODY has ANY part of them. Not one damn thing!! No 1.5" copper .... no temp sensor ... nothing! This is the #1 reason I buy everything online.
Which is the #1 reason we can't find anything locally. First WalMart drove most of the local guys out of business, then Amazon finished the job. I know, I know -- I do the same thing. The well-stocked places around here are for the trade only, and usually won't sell to you unless you are licensed. I suppose that's so they don't get into hours of explaining to people like me what size pipe fittings I need. Only way I could do most plumbing, is if I could put the stuff together with duct tape. ...
Actually the #1 reason is highlighted above in bold in your quote. Places only cater to tradesmen ... so do you think us working class poor are going to hire a plumber at $300/hr? If so, I'm going to paint the Blazer pink and sell it to you as a new Bentley. Makes about as much sense. ;) The other part of it is dealing with miserable people on the road, at the store, at the register ... nobody understands wtf your trying to accomplish, and offer suggestions such as, THAT WON'T WORK ... or ... YOU CAN'T DO THAT ... or my favorite ... WHO IS INSTALLING THIS AGAIN?? May have been years since I've encountered this, but I never forget an unpleasant transaction.

The thing with me is, I'm sure I could find the stuff locally if I absolutely had to .. but at what cost to my mental health? Drive 90 minutes one way to go 25 miles, burn up $30 is gas, risk getting pulled over and triple-taxed just for being on the road, get my blood boiling from mindless dolts that have no business behind the wheel ..... all to find out the place, A: Doesn't sell to people who aren't contractors, or, B: Has nothing in stock, requiring another $30 in gas to pick the crap up. NO THANKS!! FedEx will come here and pick up my screwup ... and UPS will drop off a new box of correct parts. I don't have to venture out on the road and get myself all pissed off - I can stay here, on my property, in PEACE, listening to squirrels chatter to each other, all while making money. Why the hell would I leave? ;)

 
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Post by Carbon12 » Thu. Oct. 24, 2013 8:03 am

I once had a problem with a local HVAC place giving me a hard time about selling parts to the general public. I waited until the next week and called them to try and set up an account, which they gladly did. Never had a problem getting supplies after that. Something you might try. Hint: When you go to get stuff, make sure your hands are already dirty, part of the required secret handshake, apparently! Lol!

 
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Post by SMITTY » Thu. Oct. 24, 2013 8:59 am

It's all good - the internet's a win for me. Don't have to go anywhere, and no sales tax ... at least this week anyway ... :roll:

4 pages and I've got NOTHING accomplished .... aside from blowing off some steam. Jim would be proud ... toothy or at the very least, entertained. ;) :cheers:

Might actually start soldering things tomorrow. We'll see ....


 
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Post by Sting » Thu. Oct. 24, 2013 9:05 am

SMITTY wrote: :roll:

4 pages and I've got NOTHING accomplished
sort of like one of my threads of BS
Image

 
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Post by SMITTY » Thu. Oct. 24, 2013 9:06 am

As they say .... *censored* Happens. :lol:

 
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Post by whistlenut » Thu. Oct. 24, 2013 10:32 am

Is that rig fired yet????? 26 here at 6 am......

 
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Post by SMITTY » Mon. Oct. 28, 2013 12:32 pm

Looks like I'll need an idle control unit. Just plugged in the idle control thing, and it ran full tilt. Turned the knob ... still ran full tilt ... swapped plugs .. yep you guessed it. :roll:

Looks like it came off a Reading ...

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Post by SMITTY » Mon. Oct. 28, 2013 12:41 pm

whistlenut wrote:Is that rig fired yet????? 26 here at 6 am......
Of course not! That would be too easy! :lol:

Spent entire day yesterday doing plumbing ... and fixing damn leaks. Fought for at least an hour with the plug on the bottom of the Flo-Chek. Heated it red hot, pounded on it with a 4lb sledge, and put a 5' cheater bar on my wrench!! STILL wouldn't budge. Hammered on the hex with an air chisel - still nothing. Only after non-stop abuse for about a half hour straight with the air chisel did it FINALLY come off. *censored*!! :shock:

Then came the leaks .... Christ almighty ... anything that could leak, did. Of course, the minute I lit a wood fire and got those coils red hot, one blew out and hosed me down with scalding water .... and the piss stream went right on the wood pile! Just can't write this stuff - just another day in my life! :bang: Was so pissed I just went to bed, and left it boiling and spitting everywhere. I wrapped a rag around the big leaker and put a 5 gallon bucket underneath. Woke up 6 hours later to the thing still boiling, so I removed that heater hose & drained both coils, and let them steam off. Loaded the last of the wood in the basement then. Got the house up to 67° so that's an improvement, at least.

Now I *THINK* I've got all the leaks taken care of for the time being ... but looks like that damn idle feed control box isn't working right ... or I just don't understand how it's supposed to work. Plug it in, blower & stoker run full tilt. Turn it all the way down, no change. All the way up, no change. :roll: But then wtf controls idle???

This thing is kicking my ass ... and we're friggin cold!! :mad:

Pics are all out of order. Gotta get back down there if I want heat before New Years .... of '15!

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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Oct. 28, 2013 12:42 pm

Smitty, you can use a regular repeat-cycle timer on your stoker to keep the fire alive. Just like everyone does with their Keystoker, EFM, etc.

 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Mon. Oct. 28, 2013 12:52 pm

You'll have to show me a pic -no idea what that is ... :oops:

Forgot my pic of the abused Flo-Check -- that air chisel was melting thru the cast iron!

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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Oct. 28, 2013 1:01 pm

Intermatic C8835 is one example, do a web search for a picture. You can set it to run the stoker for 1 minute every 10 minutes, etc. That is all that Reading box does, it just happens to have a knob for adjustment and a relay to tie in a thermostat.


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