Newbie With a Simplex Multitherm Boiler

Good evening Lightning,

Just off-hand, what is the dump zone? What should I do to avoid over-heating? I believe that's what happened.

Thank you again (as always)!

Artemus

A dump zone is a place where extra heat is sent when the boiler is producing more heat than your house needs. It's possible that a circulation loop in the house is a dump zone. But if that's the case, your house would have gotten warmer than wanted when the coal burned up too fast.

Thank you and thank you from my wife,

Showed her how to light it and couldn't believe it was that easy. The house didn't get TOO warm last night so I don't think the dump zone was involved. I do think I didn't have the bed deep enough...I did tonight so stay tuned and we'll see what happens. Since I got this load going about 5pm, I'll check, shake and add before bed so it should go till a normal time for a Saturday morning. Thank you so much for your help. I'll let you know!

Thanks again,

Artemus

Very good Art, don't be afraid. Fill that sucker to the top of the fire bricks 8-10 inches deep. Could take over a 100 pounds to fill it properly. Coal needs a deep bed to burn properly and it must cover the entire grate area. Good luck and I wish you success with your coal adventure.

Hey Lightning,

Just went down to check it and it's blazing fine! I DID notice that the "Sampson damper" (damper on the chain) was almost closed and the water temp is 160ºF. I've seen on the forum that folks say it should be set for 180ºF. The actual Samson valve is set on the 180ºF mark. Is this all correct or am I comparing apples and oranges? I assume as the damper closes, the fire cools some and opens again as it cools. Would this, also, help "slow" the fire and extend the burn?

I really do appreciate all your help! I really do!

Have a wonderful weekend and, if I don't talk to you before then, Happy Thanksgiving and "see" you online!

Thank you again,

Artemus

BTW Lightning,

I see that you're from Olean, NY. Please tell me that you're not where the tons of snow are. Just curious.

Artemus

artbar56 wrote:I've seen on the forum that folks say it should be set for 180ºF. The actual Samson valve is set on the 180ºF mark. Is this all correct or am I comparing apples and oranges?

I believe that is correct, the desirable high limit is 180 degrees. If the Samson valve is calibrated properly, I believe the water temp should be able to get up to 180 degrees unless you are having a period of high heat demand.

Being that I'm a hand fed furnace guy, I can confidently help you with the coal burning part. As for the automatic combustion air intake (Samson Valve) I'm repeating things I've learned here and I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction. Could one of the members that have expertise with the Samson valve please comment on this?

artbar56 wrote:I assume as the damper closes, the fire cools some and opens again as it cools. Would this, also, help "slow" the fire and extend the burn?

Yes, I believe the Samson valve is controlling the burn rate. During periods of warm weather you will get longer burn times. It's normal to get 24 hour burn cycles during the shoulder months (spring and fall).

artbar56 wrote:I see that you're from Olean, NY. Please tell me that you're not where the tons of snow are. Just curious.

Thanks for being concerned. We live just outside of the snow belt area so we only sustained a few inches of snow here. 40 miles north of me the snow starts to get deeper and then about 70 miles north of me is where they have 6 feet of snow!

I DID notice that the "Sampson damper" (damper on the chain) was almost closed and the water temp is 160ºF. I've seen on the forum that folks say it should be set for 180ºF. The actual Samson valve is set on the 180ºF mark.

The Samson valve is similar to a thermostat in an automotive cooling system. There is wax inside that expands contracts with temperature, and that is what moves the arm connected to the chain. With no load on the boiler, it should reach the setpoint of 180, and at that time the damper should be almost closed.

You may need to shorten the chain by one link.

Thank you Lightning and Rob R.!

I really do appreciate all the info you guys and everyone on this board has and my incessant questions answered! Anyway, got the boiler running right and the house is 78ºF. I must have done good...the Ice Princess (my daughter, whose body core temp is probably around 80º) is wearing a tank-top for the first time in winter. I checked the water temp (180ºF) and the "Samson damper" is completely closed. The house was never this warm on oil, always felt like a few cold spots in the house. Not anymore. Once again, thank you all and, Lightning, thank you for being my sounding board! Seriously, thank you all for the help!

Artemus

Hey All,

I think I may have a situation. The Samson valve damper is closed and the chain is barely loose but the damper door is open a fraction of an inch. I checked with a lighter and the flame was sucked in the damper. Water temp is 210º.

My question is, is this damper supposed to be completely closed tight? Or will there always be a little gap (probably 1/8").

With the water temp this high, am I facing any problems? If so, how do I remedy this? thank you!

Art,

If you had a dump zone, this is where it would come into play. You would dump the extra heat into the dump zone. If you do not have a dump zone, Run the hot water, take a shower or a bath, do a load of laundry, ect...

I don't think this is a real problem. It's likely just an over shoot form the last big heat call. Run the hot water and monitor it, The boiler temp will go down. If this continues, you may have to do some door sealing???

-Don

Also, make sure your load door and ashpan door air valves are completly shut. This will allow the sampson valve to control the fire.

-Don

Hey Stoker Don,

I do appreciate the info! The "Samson Damper", even when the temp goes to 180ºF and above, the damper is still open about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. I held a lighter up to the opening and it sucked the flame in the damper door. Does this mean that I need to file, wire brush or sand the mating surfaces until it closes completely? I do appreciate the help!

Thank you,

Artemus

If it is not closing because the chain is holding it open, un-hook the chain so the door closes, reconnect the chain so that the door is still closed. This will be your new "HI" set point.

If it is not closing because the door doesn't fit, then you need to figure out why it doesn't fit and fix it.

I don't run a handfired boiler but, I would think that samson damper should let a little air in even when fully closed. I am thinking that if this continues to be a problem, you need to first make sure the load door and the ashpan door have good door seals. If air is leaking around the door seals, it will let air in when the samson damper is trying to shut things down.

-Don

Good Afternoon All,

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I have finally solved our overfiring problem. I had the chain between the Samson valve arm and the bottom damper set too short. I found this out by an error in communications. My daughter (30 y.o.) wanted to try her hand at starting the coal fire. I was at work and texting her with the "how-to's". When she had it going by the Lightning method (thank you Lightning!) I asked her if she had the chain connected to the Samson valve arm on the fourth link. She told me yes. The chain is a "figure-eight" type link (two loops for one link). She actually had it on the fourth LOOP, not the fourth link. Needless to say, it would close the lower damper door at about 150ºF. Coal would still be burning but at a much slower rate and a more even temperature. Since this, we have left the chain on the fourth loop (second link) and the fire has been going perfectly. Since the furnace, also, has the potable water tubing, I've had the electric water heater off and we've had plenty of hot water for showers, dishes, laundry, etc. No more overfiring and using a LOT less coal to keep it going.

I want to thank each and every one of you for the advice and words of encouragement! Our Simplex Multitherm is no longer this big scary thing that lives in the basement with a mind of its own. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! Thank you very much!

Artemus