1st day with AA130 on line.... then... BOOM!

He was just stress testing the stove pipes and the chimney he built.

Freddy,
As you know, I just started using my new AA130 about 1 month ago. I'm also using Superior pea coal. When I fist started it up I built the fire with a little coal and mostly Matchlight charcoal. Then I slowly added coal and only allowed ashing after several hours. For the first couple days just idling and keeping the series loop hot, the fire chamber never filled up so there was lots of time for ash to build up. I've never had any kind of puff back - not yet. I think you're correct in that after you have more ash built up and the fire chamber is more sealed, your puff backs will stop.
BG

Freddy,

I just started a customers AA-130 for the first time today. I had to get some ash from the KA-2 running at my store, and I also used 3 coal mice. Filled the burn chamber half way with the ash, disabled the shaker. I then removed the cover on the feed system and made a funnel out of cardboard to be able to dump some (about 3 quarts) coal into the burn chamber. With the ash in, I lit off 3 mice, dropped them on top of the ash and then dumped the coal on top. I quickly replaced the cover for the feed and turned the unit on. Ten minutes later, I had a good fire going. No problems. I will now include a bag of ash with every AA unit I sell,

Mike

Fred: Glad to hear you have everything working. We would love some pics when you have time. Oh yeah if you do have another puff back remember to lay on the floor and make some weird noises. You could milk it for a few days and maybe even get breakfast in bed. I'm glad you weren't hurt.

Good morning,

No outfire, nice & warm in the house. I'm sure glad we have heat this morning. It's 37* and steady rain. Blahhhh

It looks like it went all night with no explosions. Dat's good! It is now pushing real coal ash into the ash pan (I even have my very first little clinker, he's so cute) Ultimately it only pushed 4 or 5 cups of unburnt coal out so it must have burned down fairly deep yesterday. I can see nice solid ash all the way across the bottom on the burn chamber.

Devil505 wrote:She only had time to run in the house & quickly grab your life insurance policy, right Freddy?

*smile* Years back my Dad fell off a boat into the ocean. My Mom was on the beach screaming. After all was well one of the neighbors commented "Peg was ankle deep in water screaming: "Where's the life insurance policy?!"

Razzler wrote:He was just stress testing the stove pipes and the chimney he built.

You got that right! Four screws in each joint. I haven't looked up the chimney but if it blew tiles apart I think draft might change. I suppose I will take a look today.

Complete Heat wrote:I will now include a bag of ash with every AA unit I sell,

The reason I even knew to add any ash was a AA dealer told me he always loads ash into a new install. I was pleased with how clean fast & easy Mapp gas worked. I didn't run that torch more than 3 minutes and had a 2 1/2" round puddle of burning coal. The blower took it from there.

Hi Freddy
Thank for posting the information.
I am just a few day away from first fire myself.
I was planning to fill my AA 260 half way full of coal and light it off.

Now I have a better Idear of how dangerour that would have been.
Congradulation on your first fire and Boom.
I guess Ill get some a big pile of ash in that 19 combustion pot before I add the coal.

Thanks again Glad your safe
BDD

Congrats, Freddy! What a project! Nice job. Is the clinker paper-weight-sized? Maybe you could make the wife a pair of earrings if you get another one? Consolation prize for not being able to cash in the policy...

I just spoke with Pete. He's thinking the big boom was a one time thing. I did tell him that one other time I had a tiny *woof* and he said (not quite a quote) " Well, if it woofed at all that shows your coal has the potential for a larger one, remove the welch plug". So, I did remove it. He did say the puff back problem is an extreme rarity on the 260's. It's unknown why, but the 130's seem to do it, the 260's rarely do.

Clinker ear rings. Cool idea, but my wife doesn't wear jewlry.

I mentioned in another post that I have discovered three ways to fill my ash pan with cold coal in causing out-fires! This means that I have started fires with a firebox full of fresh coal. At Greg's suggestion (LSFARM), I started the fires from below with some good old oak. Once I got the oak burning hot, I threw the switch and let the blower suck the flames up through the fresh coal. Again, I started the fire on the ash grate... there is only about a 4" long X the width of the ash grate free from coal to do so. I had to keep adding wood until the coal caught, and have thrown a couple charcoal briquettes on top to add consistency to the small blaze. About 20 minutes later I hear the coal crack'n and I have a fire that started a the bottom and works its way up and around. Burning Summit coal for about three months now - no puffies here!

Freddy... the fear and 'second-guessing' yourself will subside! The CO I had in the house multiple times has bent the better part of me away from coal (my wife)... the benefit to my situation and experience is the respect I have gained from burning coal... kind of like the beauty of the ocean, but full aware of it's tremendous might and ability to cause damage.

I sounds like the ashing and the fire burning down to the grate was the problem... I hope it is - sure makes sense.

Take care Freddy... I wish you the best in this adventure!

Pret

Pret... I like that idea of starting the fire at the very bottom. Cool idea! It is a learning experience. Yesterday morning I'd never burned coal in my life. Today I'm well on my way to expert! LOL

Freddy,
Of all the coal I've burned Superior has the most volatiles.This is the only coal that I burn that I have to leave a little flame burning so as to not get a BOOM.This happened to me a LOT last year,so much that my wife calls it boom coal.I think it's kinda like using nito methanol in the family car.But it also makes more heat with less air than any other coal I ever burned.It is'nt just a little hotter(in my hand fed) It's in a class by itself.
DON

Freddy wrote: She was 100 feet away in the back yard & thought I'd blown myself up somehow.

I'm sure that did wonders for her thoughts on the massive pile of coal in the back yard. Don't feel bad, my brother put a hand fired stove in and his wife was very skeptical. About the second day he opened the door to add some coal and forgot to open the hand damper. POOF! insta eyebrow remover.

She came around after a few weeks.

Freddy

Congrats on the coal fire....welcome to the world of coal addicts anonymous.

On the big puff..... I havent ever had a furnace blow back on me.... but I have made a few minor explosions over the years and ive managed to get pretty good at setting things on fire by accident

Sounds like ya have it down pat now though

Kindof amazing though.... the wife.... every time she hears a boom or a bang in the garage she comes running out right away to make sure im not laying out in the driveway

Got her trained well

Take care and have fun
Tyler

charlie wrote:Congrats, Freddy! What a project! Nice job. Is the clinker paper-weight-sized? Maybe you could make the wife a pair of earrings if you get another one? Consolation prize for not being able to cash in the policy...

Freddy, I hope he means another clinker and not another wife!
Anyhow I have a stove, not a boiler, for the first time this year. I was stressing how it would work versus oil this year. I spent timeless hours on this site trying to make a good decision for my heating dilemma.
My wife gave me nothing short of the best feeling of me working tirelessly to help our family through a crisis this winter.
I'm glad you worked out your issues. I can only imagine your stress knowing you have 48 tons of coal and maybe this isn't working . Believe me, When I first started this season there was a CO detector 2' from the stove and everywhere else. My family always comes first! I am keeping a record of usage, time, temp, and anything else I can think of for next year. I truly didn't know what to expect. I trusted this forum. Good thing I did!
So far to keep my family at 74deg it costs me $4 a day! I know it's early but my oil in the dead of winter was $21 a day to keep it at 67deg LAST year, when oil was cheaper, and only in the living room area! The bedrooms were 60deg in the day time!
Good luck Freddy and I hope your coal goes a very long way! You really did make a great decision!

well, here it is 36 hours since the big boom & it's working just fine. I got it going just in time....snow flakes in the air as we speak!

Scott, $4 a day for heat... so cheap! You live under a palm tree? *smile* I wasn't stressed, never for a second did I think it was a serious problem. Now, if it happened each time it shut off, LOL, that'd be another story! Man, that thing does genreate some heat when it's asked to do so. It doesn't take long at all to go from 140 to 180. The house is nice & toasty warm. The poor oil boiler... it looks so sad, all cold, lonely, no one pays it any attention now.