KAA-2 KA2 Keystoker Feed Adjustment With Pics! Direct Vent

 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sat. Jan. 07, 2017 9:50 am

Working on a buddy's KAA-2 and found issues with the feed adjustment and maintenance. Thought the pics might be helpful to others.

I posted some of this in another thread, but then decided it would be better to make a separate thread with pics.

Here is the KAA2, but other models may use the same stoker mechanism(?)
IMAG7570.jpg
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A tip to watch out for on the feed mechanism is the bits of gasket material that fit on either side of the sliding bar/bracket, just ahead of the nylon bolt heads.

Right side is stoker. The recessed part of the feed mechanism (right side of pic) is where the coal falls into as the piece is retracted (left in this pic) under the slot in the bottom of the hopper, then as the cam rotates, the slide move towards the stoker (right in this pic) and pushes the coal into the firebox.
IMAG7564.jpg
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In a recent tear down, I found the feed slide (pic above) was a bit stiff, not moving freely enough inside the stoker bed housing. Upon further disassembly, found the little pieces of flat gasket material had only been installed with a type of double stick tape and had come loose on one side, causing it to bind. It also collects fines in that mechanism, further inhibiting free movement.
IMAG7562_1.jpg
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Here is a pic of the blower fan hole with the fan removed. You can see the underside of the grates. Stick the tube through here to vacuum. Don't force or jam anything, you don't want to make any damage.
IMAG7568.jpg
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A judicious use of a shop vac, dropping the combustion motor completely, and then removing the slide bar to reinstall the gasket material by removing the countersunk screw under that gasket and putting it THROUGH the gasket to hold it all in place, then reassembling and sliding by hand a couple of times without the motor, freed it all up.

Another thing to note is that style of stoker gets LOTS OF FINES below the grate, and even clear back into the motor (!)

I used a shop vac and held a short piece of 1/2" copper pipe over the end of the vacuum hose to vacuum the inside of the area below the grates- where the blower normally attaches.

There also seems to be a common confusion on the feed adjustment on these.

1. With the feed motor disconnected, you will see the threaded "long bolt" It should be turned all the way so the gap between the bar UNDER the slide is the SMALLEST on the side CLOSEST to the fire. It will stop when it hits the end cap nut. That is maximum "slop" in the arm, which is the LOWEST feed rate. IIRC, this is completely counter-clockwise.

Bottom of the sliding feed mechanism. Adjustment bar is seen through the hole. The feed motor's plastic cam fits up into this hole when everything is assembled and mounted on the stoker.
IMAG7566.jpg
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This entire mechanism slides on top/inside of the stoker's tray that extends from inside the firebox to outside the stoker. Right side of the pic is the firebox side.
IMAG7567.jpg
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2. The little rectangular "nut" (more like a washer, not threaded) at the far outside end of that threaded rod should be held in solid position by jamming between the outside cap nut and the regular nut on the rod. This is just an indicator so you know when you've made a complete turn.

You can see it in this pic. Unlike the KA6 and other Keystokers, the nut does NOT contact anything or actually "do" anything. It is just an indicator.
IMAG7573.jpg
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(I'm not "Handy Side" that is the vendor who sold this stove a few years ago)

If your "manual" refers to a red nut, it's the WRONG manual.

3. Turning the threaded rod clockwise will force that little bar under the slide towards the outside of the stoker, making the area where the cam rotates smaller/tighter, which INCREASES the feed rate.

Here's a pic of the blower fan. The cage above is the feed motor attached to the bottom of the stoker feed bed.
IMAG7574.jpg
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Here's a closeup of the direct vent
IMAG7575.jpg
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And the direct vent tube cleanout. Loosen the screws and that entire curved steel section slides off for cleanout/inspection
IMAG7576.jpg
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Edited to adjust pics so Right side is stoker side and Up is up LOL. Clarified some wording. Added pic


 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 10:43 am

Which other models use the same/similar stoker unit?

 
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Post by titleist1 » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 10:56 am

Nice write up and the pics make it especially good! This is sure to be useful to other newer KAA-2 owners.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 11:03 am

The KAA-4, KAA-4-1, KFL-6 all use the same Pocono Flat 3 grate wide stoker mechanism.

 
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Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 11:51 am

Thanks for the kind words. I didn't see a thread like this when preparing to work on this model, so figured we needed one ;)
lzaharis wrote:The KAA-4, KAA-4-1, KFL-6 all use the same Pocono Flat 3 grate wide stoker mechanism.
Thanks for that. Any other models?

Is that the name of this stoker style, with the plastic and nylon cam and screws and such?

I know it works quite differently than my KA-6 and I couldn't quite picture it in my head when some folks were writing the descriptions of the feed mechanisms and such. Hopefully the pics help others make that connection.

 
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Post by lzaharis » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 7:40 pm

CoalisCoolxWarm wrote:Thanks for the kind words. I didn't see a thread like this when preparing to work on this model, so figured we needed one ;)
lzaharis wrote:The KAA-4, KAA-4-1, KFL-6 all use the same Pocono Flat 3 grate wide stoker mechanism.
Thanks for that. Any other models?

Is that the name of this stoker style, with the plastic and nylon cam and screws and such?

I know it works quite differently than my KA-6 and I couldn't quite picture it in my head when some folks were writing the descriptions of the feed mechanisms and such. Hopefully the pics help others make that connection.
===========================================================================

Those are the only three Keystone Mfg. units that I know of that use the three bed flat grate stokers.

The KAA-2 runs differently than our boilers from what I remember as the timer/burner cycles runs opposite to how the K4 and K-6 units operates. The Intermatic 30 Minute Timer shuts down the stoker for a set amount of time rather than operate a hold fire due to the smaller steam chest as it runs all the time otherwise from what I remember that Oliver Power told me with how his runs.

 
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Post by WNY » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 8:00 pm

Very similar to my Keystoker 90K with the slider pusher block, just mine is smaller, but works very similar with the cam and adjustment block. Nylon screws on the slider, etc....mine also has a direct vent.


 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 9:01 pm

WNY wrote:Very similar to my Keystoker 90K with the slider pusher block, just mine is smaller, but works very similar with the cam and adjustment block. Nylon screws on the slider, etc....mine also has a direct vent.
Ahh.. thanks for adding to the list. I *thought* that was the case, but haven't had my hands on one yet ;)

 
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Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 9:02 pm

lzaharis wrote:The KAA-2 runs differently than our boilers from what I remember as the timer/burner cycles runs opposite to how the K4 and K-6 units operates. The Intermatic 30 Minute Timer shuts down the stoker for a set amount of time rather than operate a hold fire due to the smaller steam chest as it runs all the time otherwise from what I remember that Oliver Power told me with how his runs.
I believe my timer has NO and NC terminals? I'd have to look at it, but that would be a simple change, if so.

 
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 9:03 pm

lzaharis wrote:
The KAA-2 runs differently than our boilers from what I remember as the timer/burner cycles runs opposite to how the K4 and K-6 units operates. The Intermatic 30 Minute Timer shuts down the stoker for a set amount of time rather than operate a hold fire due to the smaller steam chest as it runs all the time otherwise from what I remember that Oliver Power told me with how his runs.
There just may be some misunderstanding of the Intermatic timer's operation. :gee:

 
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 9:52 pm

McGiever wrote:There just may be some misunderstanding of the Intermatic timer's operation.
Here's my timer on my KA6. Not sure if it is "Intermatic"
Timer.jpg
.JPG | 106.4KB | Timer.jpg
Note the Normally Open and the Normally Closed terminals. Switching wires to the other should reverse the switch, right?

Got a pic of yours Leon?

 
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 10:24 pm

All the timers for stokers function the same as to "keep the fire alive". And they use the N/O contact w/adjustable repeat cycle.

 
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Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Mon. Jan. 09, 2017 10:31 pm

McGiever wrote:All the timers for stokers function the same as to "keep the fire alive". And they use the N/O contact w/adjustable repeat cycle.
Makes sense to me. Wiring to the N/C contact and filling all the pins, leaving out the ones for the times you want to fire should act the same way.

I'm thinking it's possible to be wired and pinned/used backwards, not that the timers are inverted by design. Maybe?

 
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Post by lzaharis » Tue. Jan. 10, 2017 12:50 am

CoalisCoolxWarm wrote:
McGiever wrote:There just may be some misunderstanding of the Intermatic timer's operation.
Here's my timer on my KA6. Not sure if it is "Intermatic"
Timer.jpg
Note the Normally Open and the Normally Closed terminals. Switching wires to the other should reverse the switch, right?

Got a pic of yours Leon?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The picture you have posted of yours shows it is an Intermatic 30 minute timer like mine.
Same yellow Dial, same grey box, same grey mounting plate for the timer wheel. The timer motors are breeze to change.

I have to take some new pictures with my new wiring, the new low water cut off, the new Marshalltown gauge, the new horizontal triple aquatstat and the new wiring runs.
I will take pictures of my beautiful heat call fire my beautiful hold fire and the nice grey/brown ash coming off the grate too; but I wont be taking a picture of the spare parts stash buried in the back yard ;)

 
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Post by WNY » Tue. Jan. 10, 2017 7:24 pm

My standard 90K stove has the Intermatic 30 min timer also for the Idle fire, I think 3-4 pins every 10 mins.


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