From OWB to EFM520 Installed in Truck Box

I have been adding 240# each day for the last 3 days & took out a very full tub of ash each day.
Really liking this Gale coal with the low ash
240# is our high for this season, so far.

I have the EFM still set at 7 teeth /7 air, it has handled the job just fine thru the 2* nites & the days with high temp of 16* & crazy wind + no sunshine.
No glitch even this past Saturday when the high temp of 16* was driven into us by 45+mph winds,even tho the shop heat exchangers were running very frequently .

I know this has been asked and answered before. I have tried for improvement before but to no avail my system runs great but I always have unburned black pieces thats ok? I remember when I grew up some neighbors used to grate their ashes to retrieve the black bits to be reborn thats a lot of work

I think if you were to look real closely at those black pieces,you would likely find that they are more "burnt" than a quick look tells.
Try breaking those black pieces apart & see if they still look like unburnt coal. I think there may be some bits of non-burnable rocks in the mix too.

So far I have not spent any time worrying about the unburnt stuff as long as I know that the fire looks good with a proper ash ring.
Whatever escapes the fire after that, can just be grit when we spread the ashes on the ice for traction.

Like W.H. said, If you check those black pieces closely, you very well may see that they are partly burnt and not worth saving. They most likely won't burn anyway. The main thing to worry about is how much ash ring you have on a long constant run.

-Don

Today I added more coal to my boiler box bin. I got the same farmer,same truck,same tractor ,all of these same things were pictured last fall. I now have another 10.23 tons of Gale Mining rice coal in the bin @ $145/ton + trucking & tractor rental = final per ton @ $166.50
This should last thru this yr,but the bin should be low enough in mid December to get it refilled with 8-10 tons again.
After burning 10 tons of the Gale rice,i was confident in buying more from them.

Thanks to forum member fifthg who is the owner of Gale Mining Co., for providing a good quality,consistent coal at a very good price.
A very good experience thru the whole process again.

This is my very busy time of yr., & without my wife it is an excruciatingly busy time for me,not just taking care of my business but also doing house work b4 & after business hrs.,therefore I did not get pics.,you can look back a few pages to see the same pics.

Good to hear from you Windy Dave. Been wondering how you are gettin on. Nothing takes so much time as getting over loss....
Keep at it sir

Well,after 8 pm I go to tend the boiler as I do every day,found the water temp down at 100*. Started looking around to see what happened & found the motor thermal protector was tripped. Pushed it in & just got humming,no rotation.Looks like it is time to install the brand new motor that Scottscoaled included with the boiler when I bought it from him.Yes, I did turn the shaft by hand to make sure that nothing was tight. Now I have to do some studying to figure out how to get the old motor off & the new one on...... & not break anything. It would happen during this hot spell,but I guess that is better than if it was 30* below zero outside.

I hope the repair goes easily for you. Be sure to let us know.

Hi there WH,

Your motor may still have some life left in it, don't toss it too quick.

Capacitor or windings have failed. Check capacitor and windings (see below).

http://www.beckettcorp.com/support/tech-bulletins/an-introduction-to-psc-motors/

I guess I won't throw the old motor away yet,but I will install the new one meantime to get the boiler operating again. I will likely clean the fly ash out while it is shut down,last I did that was in December. Stuff like this has not been in my priority zone this year at all.

Though the particular circumstances are not good, it's good hearing from you on the forum again windyhill4.2.

Good to see a post from you Dave, even if it does involve a faulty motor. Good to have a spare on hand!

Hi Dave it's great to hear from you again. Get the motor replaced and back up and running. I was cutting and stacking some wood we were given for the shoulder time. Last year I lit off on free wood on Sept 19.

I sat and figured it out yesterday that is only 9 weekends away!!!

Swapping the motor is pretty straightforward, just be careful with the fan. If the fan hub is seized on the motor shaft, a little heat and a light tap on the end of the motor shaft should loosen it up.

Great to hear from you Windy Hill Dave.
Hope the motor repair / replacement goes smooth.
Before too long...mid September, I will be firing up my
Van Wert 600 for another season.
Hope it will be a 1 match season !
Take Care
Ken
Quakertown, PA