Supercharged My Alaska 140 Stoker.

Well I have been running on one feed on my dual stocker 140 and it has been doing great but I wanted see if I could more out of it within keeping the same amount of feed going...Trying to make it as effecient as possible I guess.

I had read that the small round fan needs to be cleaned of dust which of course makes sense in helping it catch more air...

I took a can of air and while blowing into the caged area of the fan while it was running I noticed my stove temp climb about 40-50 degrees. At this point the lightbulb lit and I was off looking for a fan for an experiment.

I used the other fan I have from the stoker and stood it up to blow directly into the opening of the fixed combustion fan and it brought the temp up as thought....Nice golden glow from the coals and increased temp in the fire box using the same amount of coal...

Now this would lead me to believe that the factory fans are too small in the CFM department. I'm thinking of getting a larger more reliable fan/induction system that can be regulated for flow into each of the stoker feeds with the abilitiy to vary the amount of airflow to each.

I have a JC T Stat on it now regulating my hot air temp....Turns the external fan on at 98 and off at 101.

This will be an ongoing scenario!!

ps...wife says I tinker too much with the stove btw....

Be careful that you don't push more air into the firebox than can be exhausted out.

You need to watch your manometer readings to make sure you don't pressurize the firebox. If you do pressurize it then the exhaust will find its way out other openings and into your living space.

Check your CO monitors to make sure they are less than 5 yo and operating.

If you increase the air being fed to the fire, the fresh coal coming down the grate will be burned to ash sooner, and you'll need to increase feed to keep the fire in an efficient position (1" or so of ash at the end of the grate). Increasing the air might be useful if you're having trouble getting a good burn at higher feed rates, but otherwise it's not going to give you a big increase in output for the same amount of coal.

Mike

Pac,

Exactly....I have it running on 5 with the cold weather....more than enough coal going through it to burn....and nothing hot is falling off the grate.

No signs of overpressure or gases escaping....and all CO2 monitors are working correctly.

The fans that are stock on this stove are a weak link....I found bearings that fit for about 15 bucks rather than the 70 bucks for a new motor.

I have the opposite problem - I have to place certain sized slices of paper over the combustion fan intake grate to keep CO from pouring out the hopper. My stoker has an Alaska paddle feed setup.

It's been MUCH better though since the cleaning I did 3 days ago. Running alot more air now, with alot less draft. Lower stack temps too, which is always good.

I'm waiting for the warm spell this weekend so I can shut it down for a mid season cleaning....

I also want to switch to the back feeder.....I think the stove will be more effecient using that lone feeder than the one near the door...

I use my back burner only for single feed operation, Interested in how your setup holds up with the extra air added, may try it on mine and see what happens.

What temps did you see comparing the back versus the front burner??

If I gun the duct its about 40 degree diference from front of the pipe to the rear....This is on top of the stove and the collar of the stove....

Im thinking the rear feeder will allow the stove to heat up evenly.

Leadslingingdaddy wrote:ps...wife says I tinker too much with the stove btw....

This is not uncommon when you burn coal. You need to set aside some time to tinker with her a little too.

I try to when she isnt out spending money!! lol

Never really checked the temps, exhaust is usually cool to the touch but not overly hot,I use a baro, I found that by using the rear burner the air passing over the fire box gets warmed as it enters all the way till it leaves. front burner doesn't really warm the rear panel as the back burner does. I have a temp pen I'll check it out and report back.

Leadslingingdaddy wrote:ps...wife says I tinker too much with the stove btw....

Anything you do that keeps you from watching sad talk-talk-talk French movies with her is too much ....

Randy,
When I first installed my 140 I tracked my coal consumption daily over a few weeks alternating the front and rear burners.

I noted the daytime and nighttime temps and wind speeds and cloud cover and found the rear burner slightly more efficient. My unscientific guess was 5% less coal used on comparable days

The other advantage of running the rear is when needed it makes the front burner easier to light .

I just tweeted my domestic hot water system and added a tempering tank . During this cold spell running both burners my dhw ended up 180 degrees. I just added a thermostat and another Aquastat and zone valves to maintain 140 degrees in my water heater and divert the excess into the tempering tank. Last night my tempering tank got up to 120. I'll start another thread on that mod and post some pics.

Did you head up north for bulk coal yet ?

Paul

Hey Paul,

With computing in gas and time I make out pretty much even picking up my bagged coal from the local feed store HC Summer in Jefferson.. Time these days is a big factor along with less mess and storage issues...

Maybe next year when I have more reaction time I can figure out that aspect of it....I do know I will be tearing the stove down for a rebuild...Along wiht redioing some ductwork to get it to the 3rd level...

Any idea what CFM these stock combustion fans are rated at?

Thanks

Randy,
I don't know the cfm but when we get back from Michigan I'll test one and let you know. We are removing some equipment there and will be back home in a few weeks.

Paul