Coal Gun S130 Timer Setting Advice

First I would like to thank everyone for their help on my last post I am hoping to get everything finished up tomorrow and try to get a fire going I have an old eshland coal gun 130 I haven't got everything yet to upgrade it yet so I was going to give the timer a try does anyone know what a good starting point is for the timer and the best way to start a fire if you don't have any ashes from previous year Thanks

rfry wrote:First I would like to thank everyone for their help on my last post I am hoping to get everything finished up tomorrow and try to get a fire going I have an old eshland coal gun 130 I haven't got everything yet to upgrade it yet so I was going to give the timer a try does anyone know what a good starting point is for the timer and the best way to start a fire if you don't have any ashes from previous year Thanks

For those who are wondering, Eshland was the original company that made what is now the AHS Coal Gun. I think they got their start somewhere around 1976.

I assume you are talking about the ashing timer that was employed before the thermal ash grate temperature monitoring system came about to control ashing. Of all of us with Coal Gun's here on the forum, I'm only aware of moderator 'Yanche' having this same setup. It will prove valuable to you to PM him.

I can only offer you start up instructions for an AHS with thermal ash grate monitoring, which may not be the proper way for your timer based ashing set-up, so the best and safest thing for you to do is to call AHS (or contact Yanche) for guidance here. That said, I've done it both ways (ash bed and no ash bed) and my procedure is identical for both. I fill the hopper, and then I jam about 10 to 12 chunks of charcoal into the coal through the flapper covered entrance port and then start the fan and then light the charcoal with a Burns-O-Matic type torch. Leave the ashing switch turned off during start-up. Give it a good load during start up so it takes a good while (1-1/2 to 2 hours, give or take) to reach the internal temperature that cuts off the fan. Since I have a DHW coil I accomplish this load by running hot water wide open in the kitchen sink. Turn the ashing switch on about 3-4 hours after fan cut-off (after the boiler water reaches your set-point temperature). Do not forget to turn on the ashing switch at some juncture (best guided for your timer based system by an AHS Technician).

A starting point for a timer would be one minute per hour.

can't help with timer. I don't bother with saving ashes. fill with coal turn on fan, open flapper door, stick turbo torch in. in 2-3 minutes you should have a glow going, pull out torch close door. I wait a hour or so turn on ashing motor let it make a stroke turn off come back every 1/2 hour and repeat till ash temp is up to set point. you do want a good load on boiler so that the fire gets established. good luck and enjoy the heat!

Fill the firetube half way with ash or expect some grief.

yes I just have a timer for ash cycle planning on upgrading it but right now I thought I would give the timer a try

rfry wrote:yes I just have a timer for ash cycle planning on upgrading it but right now I thought I would give the timer a try

Freddy provided a likely very good starting point. Begin at one minute of ashing per hour, and if the fire rises too high, increase the ashing intervals (or duration), or if the fire goes to low (and as a consequence you get occasional puff-backs) decrease the ashing intervals (or duration).