Which Is Better on K6 Shut Down / Keep Running in Summer

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for information on whether it is better to let my K6 run through the summer or shut it down for the summer. I also need to get a new ash door for my ole K6 can someone provide me a good site to purchase one? Thanks in advance for all the great advice and information that I know will surely be heading my way. It always does on the GREAT Site !!

It is always better for the machine to keep it running.

What happened to your ash door? You can get one right from Keystoker, call them.

Can you please explain why for me. On my ash door it has rust on the bottom flange and the seal is tearing in several places. I would just feel better if I replace it.

It won't rust if it is running.

Is your boiler up on blocks or sitting on the floor...or worse yet, sitting on dirt? Condensation in a damp basement is all thats required for major rust issues. Proper service work would require you to remove the doors, sand and repaint any areas where rust has occurred, and oil the hinges often. Most idiots NEVER lube the access doors and the oxidation of aluminium and cast makes for a frozen control handle later. Use you pimple and keep it serviced, and in good repair. The hopper is the part that takes it the hardest...if you had some wet coal left inside and you did not remove it, guess what, it may be time to call Don and order up another,

Short answer -- Coal fly ash has sulphur compounds in it. When you shut it down, moisture is allowed to react with these compounds and form sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid will then eat at the metals that the boiler is made of and also act as a catalyst for further corrosion.. while the boiler is operating, moisture can't condense and cause a problem.

So.. if you choose to shut it down, you can.. but its imperative that its cleaned and a coating of some kind is applied and/or a 100 watt light bulb is kept inside the firebox thru the summer to keep moisture levels low.

If you are using the boiler to heat domestic hot water, it may be in your best interest overall to continue running it thru the summer..

Wow such great info this site is awesome. Im going to change gears a little here and ask If I do let it run ( I think I am ) is there any thing I should do maintenance wise during this time. Also how much coal should I be using > I think I am using around 15-20lbs per day. Thanks everyone

Now is a good time to take apart the flue pipe and vacuum out fly ash that may have accumulated in any horizontal runs of pipe. Also, check at the bottom of any vertical places along the flue gas path such as where your chimney turns upward. Those places tend to collect fly ash and can eventually choke off..

I'd also like to add that having a manometer is a big help to see how your chimney is drafting especially thru the summer. (Not sure if you have one or what you have for a chimney.) Warm weather burning can be challenging to keep draft in the chimney going the right way. A manometer will show you if the draft is trending weak so you can react to it before you smell sulfur from coal exhaust or have ringing carbon monoxide alarms.. Some people don't have problems with drafting in the summer, some do.. Every set up is a little different.

Been running mine 24-7 and looks like day one. Clean and inspect boiler twice a year.

I always took my boiler down for cleaning twice a year. The first time was over the 4th of July weekend with the second time being over Thanksgiving weekend. I took the piping apart, cleaned and vacuumed the boiler passages good, pulled the grates and punched the air holes and wirebrushed off any deposits. Put all the screws and bolts back in with a coating of high temp anti-seize on them.

Once a month I pulled the cap on the T connection on the flue pipe at the boiler breaching and made sure there was no accumulation of fly ash. Each session took me about an hour. Two hours tops if I found something I needed to replace or repair.

Invest a little bit of time so you don't have to go nuts on a big repair.

Rev. Larry
New Beginning Church
Ashland Pa.