Letting Fire in EFM 350 Burn Out.

Hello to all. I just joined this forum and it has been a wealth of information while I was restoring an old EFM 350. I periodically have to travel for work and I am wondering what the best way to let the fire burn out is. Do you just switch off the stoker and let the fire burn down, or is there a better way. My main concern is I don't want it to burn down into the feed auger and cause problems. The first night I lit the boiler, I forgot to put the keep alive timer back in auto and the fire was still lit 8 hours later with no calls for heat! The boiler is remotely controlled and monitored, so I would like to shut it down 2 days after I leave so the ash can does not overflow but I don't want to create an unsafe condition while I am away. Draft is not an issue as even stone cold it will pull the Baro open to keep the draft in spec.

Thanks for your help
Duncan

If you want the fire to go out quickly, open the ash door to break the draft.

I assume you have another way of heating the house while you are away? Why not just let the stoker idle?

Thanks Rob.
I had not thought about letting it idle. It would probably be better for the boiler to keep it warm anyway. I have a couple of thermocouples that monitor the overfire and flue outlet temps so I should be able to see if the timer settings are not keeping up. I am currently running 1 min on every hour, but the timer seldom fires as it is held off by a call for heat or hot water. Yes I have backup heat. The system will fall back to oil if the coal boiler fails, or can't keep up with demand.

1 minute per hour is pretty "light" for the timer. 2 minutes every half hour is recommended for a reliable fire.