EFM 520 Outfire Problems

 
waldo lemieux
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Post by waldo lemieux » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 1:50 pm

Here are the particulars

Honeywell L7224

HL> 200
LL> 145
LLdiff> 10

4feed (rice)
4,5 air
Wilburt Timer is set at max once per hour......... I think
.02 draft with full burn and baro pretty much wide open

Air holes were cleaned out before firing this season

All parts on stoker were new 3 seasons ago. When there is a sustained call for heat I would say the fire and ash ring are exemplary. I had no outfire the first season till like April or so then It happened once and I tweaked it (timer I think) second season it happened some more and more tweaking :oops: This season Ive started it twice and it has gone out on the first overnight. I went to tweak some more and the thing growled and me and whispered "call for help" . Could anyone shed some light on my wrongdoings here? Ill vote Republican if you can help me relsove this :woot:
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 2:02 pm

Have you verified that the timer is starting the stoker as intended? Assuming it is, I would switch to the 1/2 hour cycle and set it for 2 minutes. Verify the run time.
waldo lemieux wrote:.02 draft with full burn and baro pretty much wide open
I assume that is the over-fire draft and not the draft at the breech. It is possible that all the coal in the pot is getting burned due to your extended timer frequency, and the strong draft.

 
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Post by waldo lemieux » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 2:19 pm

Rob ,
Draft is just below the baro. Over fire is at the little hole in the door,no? Ive never checked that. Will do after I restart and update.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 2:22 pm

The draft at the breech should be -0.05", at the hole in the door it should be about -0.02". Check it after the unit has been running for a while and the chimney is warm.

 
waldo lemieux
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Post by waldo lemieux » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 5:51 pm

Adjusted the draft to -05. changed the timer to 2min twice per hr and verified operation. Probably wont have any difinitive proof till at least tomorrow am. and further till we have a slight warmup. Were it to continue to go out during warmups , what would be the next measure? Increase timer?
Rob R. wrote: It is possible that all the coal in the pot is getting burned due to your extended timer frequency, and the strong draft.
How is it that you could loose the fire out the bottom with too much timer? The draft does drop right off when the stoker quits......

thanx for the help

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 5:58 pm

You should be all set. Steps 2 and 3 would be a slight increase in timer, and increasing low limit to 160.

Now that I know your draft was on the light side, I don't suspect the coal was getting consumed between timer cycles. I have had that happen before when burning some coal that burned easier than normal and it was really windy (causing strong draft)...but that isn't your situation.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 6:07 pm

Something else to check if you continue to have problems is to look for an obstruction at the end of the auger. I battled outfires for weeks with my brother's EFM. The problem turned out to be two pieces of nut coal by the auger pipe. They were worn smooth and didn't catch enough to shear a pin, but caused intermittent feed problems.

I have NEVER had a 520 go out that was in proper working order using EFM's recommended settings.


 
waldo lemieux
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Post by waldo lemieux » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 6:19 pm

Rob ,

I did a search for efm's recommended settings and damned if I could find it. Where is that info hidden? In plain sight no doubt......... :oops:

 
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 6:21 pm

Aquastat: 160/200. Diff. 10.

Stoker: adjust as needed to accommodate load, but 4 teeth and 4 air is perfect for many homes and idling for domestic water. Air setting may vary a bit depending on the coal.

Timer: 2 minutes every half hour.

 
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Post by waldo lemieux » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 8:00 pm

Thanks Rob,

Efm is now Idling draft at .03 baro closed w/ 6" hotspot in center of pot. I think I lowered the low limit from 160 to 145 ,thinking that it would allow the timer to run the stoker under less restrictive guidelines . Was this thinking correct?

 
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Post by Rob R. » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 8:13 pm

The lower setting gives you more headroom for timer cycles, but a higher setting causes the stoker to occasionally run to maintain boiler temperature...and the entire time it is at a higher temperature the draft should be better. I guess my answer is "it depends". :D

If your boiler is well insulated it will probably not get below 160 anyway (with the 2/30 timer cycle).

 
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Post by waldo lemieux » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 8:18 pm

ok, I think I under-ma-stand. Now if I can just resist fiddling with the thing after cocktail hour...... :shots:

 
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Post by Scottscoaled » Sun. Oct. 25, 2015 9:23 pm

I had several out fire issues that were hard to explain. The culprit finally showed itself one day. The barometric was "sticking" open. Breaking draft and letting the fire go out. Check to see if your baro is sticking.

 
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Post by waldo lemieux » Mon. Oct. 26, 2015 10:37 am

Funny you should mention that Scott. In my misguided effort to reduce my draft to -.02 I had to set the weight in as far as it would go, in fact I thought I was going to install a second baro . Well I would frequently find the thing stuck open as the counter weight would catch the bottom of the opening. Now that Ive adjusted the baro to -.05 the flapper doesnt go near that far open. I think between you and Rob we mave have resolved the mystery....... stand by

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Oct. 26, 2015 12:54 pm

A self tapping screw makes an easy stop for the Baro flap.


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