Sulfur Smell in House

MarkG wrote:Draft measurement is after the baro.

You should be measuring draft between the exhaust port and the baro, not between the baro and the chimney.

Has anyone here explained to him how most everyone here hooks their manometer up 'backwards' ?

As mentioned above, draft should be measured between baro and boiler.

The mention of wood smoke makes me wonder if you have some kind of obstruction in the auger. Have you ever cleaned the coal out of the barrel and verified that the end of the auger tube is clear? If there is an obstruction it will create loosely packed coal in the pipe and allow gasses to blow back.

I still think that worn auger is part of your problem, but I know a cold weeknight isn't the time to get into that project.

yes...a couple pages back....he had it the other way and the fluid was disappearing on the short side of the scale....switched the hoses around and was able to see the level.

titleist1 wrote:yes...a couple pages back....he had it the other way and the fluid was disappearing on the short side of the scale....switched the hoses around and was able to see the level.

Sorry bout that, I must have been thinking about a different thread. Or had a brain fart

titleist1 wrote:

MarkG wrote:Draft measurement is after the baro.

You should be measuring draft between the exhaust port and the baro, not between the baro and the chimney.

Ok, I did this and readings are now correct.

Rob R. wrote:As mentioned above, draft should be measured between baro and boiler.

The mention of wood smoke makes me wonder if you have some kind of obstruction in the auger. Have you ever cleaned the coal out of the barrel and verified that the end of the auger tube is clear? If there is an obstruction it will create loosely packed coal in the pipe and allow gasses to blow back.

I still think that worn auger is part of your problem, but I know a cold weeknight isn't the time to get into that project.

I checked the reading there and it's matching the baro. At least one problem has been solved.

I've never cleaned the coal out to check the end of the tube but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet tomorrow and do it. I need to get this problem solved. Even if I have to change the auger when the weather is the way it is.

Worst case, I'll remove the baro and replace the flue pipe until the weekend. I'd rather deal with the sulfur smell than smoke.

Mark, if your house is warm when you shut the boiler down, you should have at least a few hours to work before anyone needs a sweatshirt. No need to remove the baro if you want to revert back to the stronger draft, just cover the baro opening with aluminum foil.

What is your Carbon Monoxide detector reading? Do you have one that has a digital readout near the boiler?

You should, with this problem

CoalisCoolxWarm wrote:What is your Carbon Monoxide detector reading? Do you have one that has a digital readout near the boiler?

You should, with this problem

I do, and it reads 0. I had it with me while I was working on the stoker and read 0 the entire time.

Ok, good news. I think, fingers crossed and not getting ahead of myself, the problem is solved. After work, I emptied the hopper to check for obstructions. None found. Instead of wasting the effort, I figured I would pull the auger pipe off completely just to check everything.

After reading numerous threads on here, and rereading this one, I kept circling back to the auger pipe being positively pressurized. If it was, it's less likely that this problem would be occurring. After pulling off the fire box access panel and removing the set screws, I pulled the cap off that the bypass tube went into for positive pressurization. I pulled the auger pipe out and guess what I found:
I cleaned out all of the holes and reassembled everything, sealing seams with furnace paste so air couldn't escape where it shouldn't. After cleaning:
I fired up the stoker and hoped and prayed. I became concerned when the auger pipe became very warm for the first 10 inches after the furnace so I marked it to determine if it was traveling. Once the coal filled the tube, it became completely cool again. I let the stoker run for 30 minutes and no smoke, no smell. Draft is set to -0.05" and I have opened up the combustion fan with no smoke or smell. Fire is burning evenly and the fire box is very hot, unlike before.

I'm still a bit nervous, but I think we've resolved the problem. I also found that the auger is not worn in the tube, but is in the pot. Do I by chance have a two piece worm? It is very pitted for the first foot or so but the blades aren't worn sharp. Pics below. Is this something to be concerned about right now?

I don't know how I didn't pay a little more attention to the positive pressurization aspect of the stoker. It's as if it was screaming at me the entire time. I blew compressed air into the housing over the holes but it wasn't close to enough to clear those holes. They were clogged solid. Live and learn.

Thank you all for the suggestions, assistance, explanations, and prompt responses. A stoker is a different animal than the Heatrola I grew up with. Hopefully this thread helps anyone else who may be experiencing something similar.

Auger:

I am glad to see that there is a happy ending, and thanks for sharing the solution with us. The holes in the auger pipe will cause the same problem on an EFM if they get plugged with fines. In hindsight, I probably should been more clear about checking the holes in the pipe instead of saying to make sure the air from the tube wasn't blocked.

MarkG wrote:I blew compressed air into the housing over the holes but it wasn't close to enough to clear those holes. They were clogged solid. Live and learn.

Here is another picture of a Wagner to help others see what you are referring to.
The auger is worn on the last few flights, but it will probably run for quite a while. Since you have a spare, I would plan on replacing it in the off season and then see if you can get the old one repaired or replaced. The worm might be two piece, but the pictures I have seen of other Wagners show a single piece worm.
For future reference, please upload your pictures directly to the forum. This prevents the links getting broken later. Imagine someone having the same problem as you, finding this thread, and having all the pictures gone. If you need help, let me know. I will fix the ones above.

Thanks Rob! I was doing this all from mobile and was unable to select the pictures right from my phone and didn't want to type out a long post without pictures for reference. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Great pics of the wagner assembly. I love this stoker. It's been in the house since 1956 and up until last weekend, ran for nearly 30 years non stop. Incredible piece of history I'm lucky to own.