Keystoker Too Cold

LiftedAWDAstro wrote:In the pic of the burning coal, you see the plate in the back on top of the coal? Mine sits about level with the top of the side pieces to allow full flow of coal. Your problem is definitely the amount of coal being pushed.



You will need to watch the feed motor and nylon cam. It is a 1 RPM feed rate while the motor is running. If you are not up to temp, the feed motor should be running constantly. Watch it and see. It should be very easy to see it moving back and forth consistently.

Do you mean the gear motor should move back and forth? It always has, but we wondered if maybe it wasn't supposed to.

The motor itself should not move at all. The nylon cam should rotate and move the carpet back and forth to feed the coal.

LiftedAWDAstro wrote:The motor itself should not move at all. The nylon cam should rotate and move the carpet back and forth to feed the coal.

Nylon cam does rotate and pushes the pusher plate, but the entire gear assembly under the silver box has always pivoted up and down.

It should not. Make sure the 4 screws holding the gearmotor to the mount plate are tight as well as the mount plate to the stoker frame.

WOW! Clean them holes in the stoker bed. You may also want to sand the grates some what smooth using a emery cloth. Flat gasket on stoker flange is a good move. That's what I used from day one (Flat Gasket). Keystoker's directions say to use furnace cement. Flat gasket is better in my opinion. While you have the stoker out, now is the time to make sure the furnace cement below, and in-between the grates is good. In other words; The grates are seated in furnace cement around the edges, and also where the grates overlap each other. You don't want air coming up around, or in-between the grates.

So Mark (husband) took gear motor assembly, pusher plate out, cleaned, tightened...no rocking, plate is moving in farther, so far, so good! Didn't even put new gear motor on. Lets hope that's it. Will post new pics soon if it works. Combined with clearing out some stuff in hopper, stove has been running full bore, it's getting warmer,PTL! Thank you all for your great suggestions. It was most helpful! Stove has been running for about two hours now, just in time for frigid temps!

http://imgur.com/a/MbMvW

So glad you were able to resolve you lack of enough heat problem...and just in time.

There is some more heat to be had though. Heat transfer in your furnace is badly hindered.
A good bit of heat is not being captured before it leaves up the chimney.
A good cleaning is a must...and the most important areas that need cleaned are the areas hidden from plain view.

McGiever wrote:So glad you were able to resolve you lack of enough heat problem...and just in time.

There is some more heat to be had though. Heat transfer in your furnace is badly hindered.
A good bit of heat is not being captured before it leaves up the chimney.
A good cleaning is a must...and the most important areas that need cleaned are the areas hidden from plain view.

To add to what McGiever said; Did you sand stoker bed? Did you clean out holes? Fire looks crooked..........

Glad you got it working better.

Also keep in mind with the kokers, all firebox walls except the front act as heat exchangers, the convection blower blows air across the sides and back wall (including the exhaust tubes). A build up of ash on the inside of the stove (and exhaust tubes) will help insulate the metal, slowing the heat transfer to the convection air.

Along with running a 3" dryer vent brush down the exhaust tubes every couple weeks, I have gotten into the habit of vacuuming out the walls when I change out the ash pan. Only takes a minute or so with a 90 degree brush attachment on my shop vac hose. It probably doesn't make too big a difference doing it every pan exchange, but at least it keeps the stove innards looking nice, and will simplify the final clean out in the spring.
And, keeping the exhaust tubes clean along with the bottom exhaust holes, ensures uninterrupted draft flow out of the stove (as long as your chimney is also free of build up).

I tap the sides of my stove every few days with a rubber mallet. You can watch thru the window and see the ash fall.

EarthWindandFire wrote:I tap the sides of my stove every few days with a rubber mallet. You can watch thru the window and see the ash fall.

great idea, thanks!

WNYRob wrote:Also keep in mind with the kokers, all firebox walls except the front act as heat exchangers, the convection blower blows air across the sides and back wall (including the exhaust tubes). A build up of ash on the inside of the stove (and exhaust tubes) will help insulate the metal, slowing the heat transfer to the convection air.

Along with running a 3" dryer vent brush down the exhaust tubes every couple weeks, I have gotten into the habit of vacuuming out the walls when I change out the ash pan. Only takes a minute or so with a 90 degree brush attachment on my shop vac hose. It probably doesn't make too big a difference doing it every pan exchange, but at least it keeps the stove innards looking nice, and will simplify the final clean out in the spring.
And, keeping the exhaust tubes clean along with the bottom exhaust holes, ensures uninterrupted draft flow out of the stove (as long as your chimney is also free of build up).

Great points and suggestions, got the husband to read the entire thread, so it's not as likely to fall on deaf ears:) Just not sure what/where are the exhaust tubes?

Excellent news. Seems like we are on the road to a happy ending here!

oliver power wrote:

McGiever wrote:So glad you were able to resolve you lack of enough heat problem...and just in time.

There is some more heat to be had though. Heat transfer in your furnace is badly hindered.
A good bit of heat is not being captured before it leaves up the chimney.
A good cleaning is a must...and the most important areas that need cleaned are the areas hidden from plain view.

To add to what McGiever said; Did you sand stoker bed? Did you clean out holes? Fire looks crooked..........

No--didn't want to kill the fire at all considering the temp right now. Yes it is crooked on the one end, so must be a hole(s) is blocked. I assume anyway that that's the only way to do it--remove fire to clean over stoker bed. It's -12 right now.