I have had an issue with the auger on my A&A 130 stops feeding coal. This has only maifested itself lately and I am concerned why. The auger is turning but for some reason it fails, on occasion, to pick up & feed coal. I am feeding pea coal from a 55 gallon drum with the auger inserted into a hole I cut into the side of the drum until I get a proper coal bin built. The auger extends into the drum only a inch or two. has anyone experenced this problem or have any suggested solutions.
Thanks
A&A 130 Auger Feed
- whistlenut
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We need to know more about the coal you are using. Have you received a new shipment? Smaller size than before? ....and most importantly, moisture in the coal and are fines present?????.......
I have seen a few cases where mice have built a 'Condo' for themselves in the auger tube, but your issue is due to dampness or fines and a combo of the two. It is possible that the auger's penetration into the barrel is another issue, particularly with damp fines around the coal and bridging that situation could cause. This is a tough time of the year to make the coal flow like warmer weather, and that itself is only one issue . It affects all stokers, and wet coal with fines present in NOT a good thing. My advice is to keep the coal lower in the barrel and have the ability to probe the end of the auger instantly until you resolve the issue. Is the barrel affected by outside temps? Is the coal stored outside the 'conditioned space'? If you have the ability to run a few loops of pex around the barrel and keep it warmer will sure help.
If you have a 9' piece of 3/4" pex handy, you can install a 1" bit to it and slide it into the hole in the tube and rotate it by hand or with a drill(after you add some means of fitting to the chuck, and gently auger it yourself to see if anything is 'caking' near the bottom of the auger. If you have clearance, you could use a rigid pipe, but most places don't have the clearance to do so, and that is the reason for the pex 'shaft'.
I have seen a few cases where mice have built a 'Condo' for themselves in the auger tube, but your issue is due to dampness or fines and a combo of the two. It is possible that the auger's penetration into the barrel is another issue, particularly with damp fines around the coal and bridging that situation could cause. This is a tough time of the year to make the coal flow like warmer weather, and that itself is only one issue . It affects all stokers, and wet coal with fines present in NOT a good thing. My advice is to keep the coal lower in the barrel and have the ability to probe the end of the auger instantly until you resolve the issue. Is the barrel affected by outside temps? Is the coal stored outside the 'conditioned space'? If you have the ability to run a few loops of pex around the barrel and keep it warmer will sure help.
If you have a 9' piece of 3/4" pex handy, you can install a 1" bit to it and slide it into the hole in the tube and rotate it by hand or with a drill(after you add some means of fitting to the chuck, and gently auger it yourself to see if anything is 'caking' near the bottom of the auger. If you have clearance, you could use a rigid pipe, but most places don't have the clearance to do so, and that is the reason for the pex 'shaft'.
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Thanks for the information.
I store the bulk of my coal outside covered before bring in a quanity to fill the barrel. Even so I have noticed it is sometimes a little damp unlike earlier in the season. This could be my problem. The "coal bin barell " is in the garage which I keep heated to around 40* with a Modine unit. I imagine it is below freezing on the concrete garage floor on which the barell sits so the coal may be freezing up and cavitating. Thanks for the tips. I believe you have correctly diagnosed my problem. Thanks
I store the bulk of my coal outside covered before bring in a quanity to fill the barrel. Even so I have noticed it is sometimes a little damp unlike earlier in the season. This could be my problem. The "coal bin barell " is in the garage which I keep heated to around 40* with a Modine unit. I imagine it is below freezing on the concrete garage floor on which the barell sits so the coal may be freezing up and cavitating. Thanks for the tips. I believe you have correctly diagnosed my problem. Thanks
- coaledsweat
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I have run range coal (a mix of nut and pea) through my Axeman 260 with great success. However, this year on pea I had an issue with keeping the firetube full. As it turns out, my adventure with the range left four or five chunks of nut jammed in the auger tube's screw. Had to run a piece of conduit with a tab on the end like a flag to get the little buggers out. Have seen pieces of wood do the same in the past. It will pick up the coal ok but when it gets to the obstruction it just rolls back downhill.
- Vampiro
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Damp or wet coal will have a problem feeding sometimes. If you don't have the coal agitator, you can use a trick that I tried that worked for me.
I took a piece of threaded rod I had lying around, and put it in the hole that is reserved for the coal agitator. I pushed and pulled back and forth and it freed up the coal. The coal fed better immediately after that, and the rod stays in its spot, so all I have to do is move it back and forth if I need, and it doesn't move around and interfere with the auger. My coal gets delivered wet, which sucks when you have a winter delivery lol.
I have a temporary bin for the AA260, so I haul each bucket in, and dump it on the floor to dry out. I then shovel it into the temporary bin and that's all.
I took a piece of threaded rod I had lying around, and put it in the hole that is reserved for the coal agitator. I pushed and pulled back and forth and it freed up the coal. The coal fed better immediately after that, and the rod stays in its spot, so all I have to do is move it back and forth if I need, and it doesn't move around and interfere with the auger. My coal gets delivered wet, which sucks when you have a winter delivery lol.
I have a temporary bin for the AA260, so I haul each bucket in, and dump it on the floor to dry out. I then shovel it into the temporary bin and that's all.
- coaledsweat
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I use a 55 gal drum. What I did was use a bunch of those solid concrete blocks to raise it make a U shaped box and stick the doghouse into it. Gives you another 100#+ capacity.