new yorker wc-90 add on boiler

Hello just joined looking for tips on firing a new yorker wc-90 add on boiler, lost the fire twice in the first week over night, could it be the depth of the ash? how about draft over fire? Jack

I just got my new (used) WC90 running last week. So far i have learned to use the over fire draft only after loading. I need to shake down and load every 9 hrs I have been building the coal bed up to mound up in the middle a little higher than the bottom of the loading door. I use pea coal that i got a deal on, but nut coal may go longer before shaking down. I had to close the air on the blower to less than the manual says. I had to set my temp to 160 so it doesn't over shoot. I had a hard time getting it to idle when there was no call for heat from the house.

Usually the reason for losing a fire is:
The coal fire was not deep enough,, load the coal to the top of the firebrick, control the heat output and burn rate with the combustion air control in the ashpan door.

The coal ash is clogging the air passageways in the grates, blocking air to the fire, it starves for air, and and goes out..

The coal fire burns cooler as the fire matures, the chimney flue temps drop, which causes the chimney draft [vacuum] to drop, there is less combustion air pulled through the coal fire, making the fire burn cooler, the cycle continues, and the fire goes out for lack of air..

Do a search on the site for New Yorker and wc-90, you should find some other info on your unit.

Greg L

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Just got mine online and running with coal. Today, the fire died out and didn't want to go. Shake, poke, whatever. Nothing mattered. So I left the blower on and had to go. Temperature outside had climbed to 45 degrees, almost 50. Think it just got too warm for coal fire. When I returned home, the temperature had dropped to 30, fire was coming up onto step and stack temperature was 275 and climbing. Took right off when I added some more coal and burning hot and bright now.

During between times, when the temperature is less than 40 degrees but not cold enough to generate a real load for a wood fire, I think the coal is easier to deal with. But if the temperature climbs much over 40, I don't think the coal will burn due to lack of draft. Just a guess, new to burning the stuff...

Ok thanks, I didnt fire mine for about a week I was gone hunting, should have stayed home fired the boiler, ( no deer). Once this deer thing is over and I fire back up I will keep you posted to how it goes. JRW

Try not to poke the coal. Build the coal bed up a little above the bottom of the door,mound it. I found the air adj. on the combustion fan needs to be less than the 1/2" the manual states for my set up. Do you have a baro. damper installed ? Between the damper the air adj. on the fan and the aquastat i have my running good. PM me if you need help. I am happy with the wc-90 at this point. Ed

1. Burn times on wood much shorter than with coal. Coal seems like it comes up to temp with the fan, goes to idle and doesn't move.
2. Much cleaner with coal, although the weather has been mild for wood burning lately. Tonight it is supposed to be 9 degrees here. I just closed up after loading this afternoon.


Heating a three unit, 3,500 sq foot apartment building with the WC90. Ten zones, indirect hot water heater, and Burnham V8-4 boiler fired at 130K for "back-up" in winter. New heating system.... just installed this summer. Replaced ancient steam system and Weil McLean boiler that was put in in the early 90's as close as I can figure. 1,300 feet of copper tubing... WC90 is connected with 1 and 1/4 inch iron, circulator aquastat set at 140 degrees, 5-6 interrupt on oil burner set at 140. Once the WC90 comes up to 140 degrees, the circulator starts and disconnects the 5-6 power from the oil burner.

Here's some pictures... like showing it off anyway. Cost as much as a decent brand new 4 wheel drive truck, but I am not burning any oil. Now I'd like to get all I can out of it as far as heat and low consumption of coal and wood. The wood could season a few more weeks to a month to be perfect.

WOW!!! NOW THAT'S A SET UP!!! GREAT JOB!!! WELL DONE!!!

That is sweet.

very neat and impressing set up, I think I have my baro. set correct now it is burning much better. the house is calling for heat more often outside temp. 18 oil didnt run for 2 days. think i am on to something thanks guys. JRW

That's almost crossed the line from "heating system" to "art"

Very nice install.

Had the oil system torn out and replaced while working in Homer, AK, for the summer. It was up and running for a month before I saw it. Dad's a retired oil burner man/master plumber. Has Parkinsons and can't handle a huge job like that now. He did go check it out when it was done. Mom said he walked into the basement and his jaw dropped. Stunned, was what he was. Said he would have done it the same way, wanted to know who the piper was, who laid it out.

Going to make a plug, because fair is fair. Webster Heating in Farmington, the town I live in.

Wondering what other people are getting for burn times on coal, and wood if they're using it. Have set high limit to 180-185, with 20 degree differential. Have slightly higher stack temperatures with wood that way and it seems to draft better. I like the circulator between the boilers set at 140 degrees, with the check valve once it shuts down no water change between the two boilers occurs. If the WC90 goes out, the fan keeps running... not sure I like that.

Didn't put the barometric damper in. I know, I know. Contractor fears them with burning wood, and my cousin who sells and installs fireplaces, chimneys, woodstoves, and is getting into boilers and furnaces isn't keen about them. If there is a chimney fire, and I do not see how there cannot be without cleaning biweekly with the reduced stack temperatures, it's going to be a bad one. Unrestricted airflow through a chimney fire could resemble Chernobyl within a short time.

LeonMSPT wrote:Had the oil system torn out and replaced while working in Homer, AK, for the summer. It was up and running for a month before I saw it. Dad's a retired oil burner man/master plumber. Has Parkinsons and can't handle a huge job like that now. He did go check it out when it was done. Mom said he walked into the basement and his jaw dropped. Stunned, was what he was. Said he would have done it the same way, wanted to know who the piper was, who laid it out.

Going to make a plug, because fair is fair. Webster Heating in Farmington, the town I live in.

Wondering what other people are getting for burn times on coal, and wood if they're using it. Have set high limit to 180-185, with 20 degree differential. Have slightly higher stack temperatures with wood that way and it seems to draft better. I like the circulator between the boilers set at 140 degrees, with the check valve once it shuts down no water change between the two boilers occurs. If the WC90 goes out, the fan keeps running... not sure I like that.

Didn't put the barometric damper in. I know, I know. Contractor fears them with burning wood, and my cousin who sells and installs fireplaces, chimneys, woodstoves, and is getting into boilers and furnaces isn't keen about them. If there is a chimney fire, and I do not see how there cannot be without cleaning biweekly with the reduced stack temperatures, it's going to be a bad one. Unrestricted airflow through a chimney fire could resemble Chernobyl within a short time.

Chimney fire with coal are only possiable if it would ignite old wood creosote otherwise you can't have a chimney fire with coal.

Checked chimney with mirror today. Burned wood for a week, coal for two days because it got warm out. Clean as a whistle... no worries right now. Heck of a draft.

I got a draft gauge today, draft over fire with baro, wide open was .04, with baro. closed .07. The weather got warmer here today over 40. Fire still burning good but dump zone is coming on too often so I backed the aquastat back to 170 from 180, it started to overshoot. Now my question is how much coal should I be burning a day. In the teens outside the last couple days I used almost 120 lbs. per day, with very little ash, but a nice warm house. JRW