Trouble With Alaska Stoker Stove II

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 7:05 pm

I was able to take apart the stove last night. I took some pictures today so everyone can see the conditions of the gaskets and let me know your thoughts on anything that doesn't look right. Thanks.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 7:10 pm

Bottom of the feeder.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 7:16 pm

Back of stove. I used Kroil a penetrating oil on the bolts but ended up breaking off every head. So, now I have some extra work to do.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 7:21 pm

This is what I was talking about in my original post. The squirrel cage came off one evening while it was running. My father said probably from vibration over time. So, I threaded the shaft and put a nut on it. I did have to shim the cage out so it wouldn't rub on the motor housing and not rub the cage against the bottom half of the combustion housing. It seems to work well no noise.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 7:29 pm

Bottom of the hopper.

Doby · Post by **Doby** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 9:28 pm

In your first pic the gasket that goes between the feeder housing and the main body of the stove looks intact and should not have been a problem. Also in pic #1 I see what looks like whats left of the strong back gasket sitting in front of the feeder housing, when you pulled the grate did this look to be in the correct position? Wedged between the grate and where the coal enters from the hopper? I suspect this to be the culprit

I don't see the gaskets that are suppose to be under the grate between it and the feeder housing, did you discard these?

I

Doby · Post by **Doby** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 9:50 pm

Strong back goes here and the grate pushes up against it

Doby · Post by **Doby** » Tue. Jan. 20, 2015 9:55 pm

Grate gaskets go here and grate pinches it to the feeder housing

CoalisCoolxWarm · Post by **CoalisCoolxWarm** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 10:09 am

Nice pics. They should be very helpful.

This is where someone with direct knowledge of your specific stove to assess your gaskets and maintenance/sealing will be invaluable.

In the meantime, these comments may be helpful, or maybe aid in your understanding of what is (or should) be happening

It may help you find any problems.

What is that sealing material around the seals?

Did you or PO (previous owner) have problems and tried to seal it, or was this done instead of changing the gaskets?

It seems likely that either

1) Chimney + draft is not drawing combustion gases out fast enough or
2) Forced combustion air is getting backed up or misdirected back out the stoker or hopper

For the first one, it can be draft; blockage of chimney, pipe, furnace exit pipe (you did reach in and vacuum it from the stove pipe side with it off?), bad baro setting (pivots, weights in proper place and move freely, checked with manometer), makeup air (other things in the house or the house itself).

For the second one, the air that is forced through the stoker section and up through the grates.

On my Keystoker KA-6, there is an open area (plenum) that goes from the rear (outside) at the blower motors to the front (inside edge where ashes drop off), underneath the feed area and hot coal bed area (scroll), and then goes up through the holes in the bed to provide forced air to burn the coal.

On mine this entire area is enclosed. It looks from your pics that this area is sealed by the gaskets and the gaskets have irregular markings along them that often indicate worn areas or leaks.

If this forced air is too much, misaligned, too turbulent, not directed properly, it can back up and out one of the openings (fan intake or seals, or somewhere in the stoker or hopper). If there are blockages, such as a buildup of dust or other debris, in this area, it can affect the operation as well.

I can remove the continuous combustion fan and use a piece of small pipe or tubing on the end of shop vac to reach in and vacuum this area. I tried this on the bench before inserting the stoker into the boiler a few weeks ago.

How can you tell? Manometer measurements, gasket and component inspection, and good maintenance.

Best of luck finding and fixing this problem quickly. Kudos for taking it offline to tear down and fix. It is "good" to heat with affordable and effective heat, but nothing trumps "Safe" heat.

If it ain't Safe, it stays off until it is safe. Words to Live by

CoalisCoolxWarm · Post by **CoalisCoolxWarm** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 10:17 am

Hey, here's a dumb question.

Can you put together the fan you repaired by itself? If so, run it and cover the outflow opening and see if and how easily air comes out the rest of the housing.

A long shot, but if this fan had failed and the housing is dislodged (you said you had to shim the fan, right?), it is remotely possible the fan draw and output are messed up. Under certain conditions, the fan could actually be pulling air from the plenum instead of pushing it.

A squirrel cage needs a plenum to channel air from intake to output. It will push air to the area with the least resistance- normally the output hole.

It seems likely, though, this would have to be coupled with another problem, such as blocked holes, seals, etc.

Good luck, hope you find it soon!

mariohotshot · Post by **mariohotshot** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 2:56 pm

Instead of using that black silicone around the hopper, use high heat resistant foiled tape. It's less messy and seals it nicely.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 7:58 pm

Doby wrote:In your first pic the gasket that goes between the feeder housing and the main body of the stove looks intact and should not have been a problem. Also in pic #1 I see what looks like whats left of the strong back gasket sitting in front of the feeder housing, when you pulled the grate did this look to be in the correct position? Wedged between the grate and where the coal enters from the hopper? I suspect this to be the culprit

I don't see the gaskets that are suppose to be under the grate between it and the feeder housing, did you discard these?

I

Rick,
Everything in the picture is what was there when I took it apart. I went to the local hearth dealer and bought all new gaskets for the entire stove. They went over with me which gasket goes where. When I pulled the feeder off of the housing there was a gasket that was crumbling and the strong back gasket was intact. It was missing some on the right hand side. It was between the grate and where the coal enters.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 8:15 pm

CoalisCoolxWarm wrote:Nice pics. They should be very helpful.

This is where someone with direct knowledge of your specific stove to assess your gaskets and maintenance/sealing will be invaluable.

In the meantime, these comments may be helpful, or maybe aid in your understanding of what is (or should) be happening It may help you find any problems.

What is that sealing material around the seals? It is the Rutland black silicone sealant. I put it there.

Did you or PO (previous owner) have problems and tried to seal it, or was this done instead of changing the gaskets?
Originally I was putting it every where I thought it had a leak. I didn't confirm the leak I just thought here is a possible leak. The gasket that goes between the feeder housing and the back of the stove looked it was possibly deteriorated so instead of replacing it I just kept adding the black sealant. What a mess!

It seems likely that either

1) Chimney + draft is not drawing combustion gases out fast enough or
2) Forced combustion air is getting backed up or misdirected back out the stoker or hopper

For the first one, it can be draft; blockage of chimney, pipe, furnace exit pipe (you did reach in and vacuum it from the stove pipe side with it off?), bad baro setting (pivots, weights in proper place and move freely, checked with manometer), makeup air (other things in the house or the house itself).
I never set the barometer. I didn't know you need a manometer to do so? I just left it at the factory settings. Of course they could be for anything?

For the second one, the air that is forced through the stoker section and up through the grates.

On my Keystoker KA-6, there is an open area (plenum) that goes from the rear (outside) at the blower motors to the front (inside edge where ashes drop off), underneath the feed area and hot coal bed area (scroll), and then goes up through the holes in the bed to provide forced air to burn the coal.

On mine this entire area is enclosed. It looks from your pics that this area is sealed by the gaskets and the gaskets have irregular markings along them that often indicate worn areas or leaks.
This is the first time I took the stove apart so I have no idea what a good or bad gasket looks like? I can say all of the gaskets were dry and brittle. Thanks for pointing out the irregular markings. I appreciate the information.

If this forced air is too much, misaligned, too turbulent, not directed properly, it can back up and out one of the openings (fan intake or seals, or somewhere in the stoker or hopper). If there are blockages, such as a buildup of dust or other debris, in this area, it can affect the operation as well.
I still question whether I have the combustion fan cage in the right place? I remember that it was pretty well in the middle but is it exactly like the factory?

I can remove the continuous combustion fan and use a piece of small pipe or tubing on the end of shop vac to reach in and vacuum this area. I tried this on the bench before inserting the stoker into the boiler a few weeks ago.

How can you tell? Manometer measurements, gasket and component inspection, and good maintenance.

Best of luck finding and fixing this problem quickly. Kudos for taking it offline to tear down and fix. It is "good" to heat with affordable and effective heat, but nothing trumps "Safe" heat.

If it ain't Safe, it stays off until it is safe. Words to Live by

Great Quote! Thanks for the information.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 8:19 pm

mariohotshot wrote:Instead of using that black silicone around the hopper, use high heat resistant foiled tape. It's less messy and seals it nicely.

Amen to that. I had to remove all of the black silicone when I replaced all of the gaskets. What a terrible job! I went way overboard with the silicone and it made a lot of extra work for me.

Rhino1000 · Post by **Rhino1000** » Wed. Jan. 21, 2015 8:30 pm

To bring everyone up to speed. I went yesterday and bought new gaskets for the entire stove minus the door gaskets. I replaced those a few weeks back. I started working on it last evening and finished it this evening. The previous owner had told me that he replaced the glass gasket when I originally purchased the house. The position of the barometric damper is where the previous owner had installed it. When I replaced the stove pipe last year including the barometric damper I put everything where he had it. That being said I don't think he replaced any other gaskets on this stove. They are all replaced now. I still don't have a manometer but I do plan on getting one soon. I fired the stove tonight and I do have the CO detector plugged in and ready to go. So far I can smell the gaskets stinking a little but I'm hopeful the complete new gaskets will help? If not I will try opening a window like we have discussed in previous posts to see what happens? Thanks for all of the information everyone. I really appreciate your time and help. I'll keep you posted on what happens.

Trouble With Alaska Stoker Stove II

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