Oh Crap I Broke It... Hot Blast 1500

 
wnyjim
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Post by wnyjim » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 12:05 pm

Damn and things were going so well.

My furnace has been doing well since I figured out I have to really get the ash cleaned out if I want it to burn and heat properly.

I was shaking it and it locked up on an unburned piece of coal so I pushed harder. Next thing I knew snap and the square shaft off the shaker grate was laying on the floor and I was thinking how stupid I am.

Ordered a new front grate and plan on fixing the broken one as a back up. Looks like it was welded once before.

What do you do when you get a piece lodged in the grate? Wait for it to burn?

I know some have modified the grates in there Hot blast's to shake better. How's that workin for ya?

Got pictures of how you modified your grates? If I have to take mine apart I might as well get the grinder out.

Any help is much appreaciated!


 
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Devil505
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Post by Devil505 » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 1:09 pm

wnyjim wrote:What do you do when you get a piece lodged in the grate? Wait for it to burn?
I had some bad coal last year that used to jam my shaker grates all the time.(some pieces will never burn but just jam the mechanism) Rather than risk breaking the grates by forcing the lever, I shut the stove down, cleaned it out & relit.......a major pain!! :mad:

What coal are you using? (the problem I had last year was with Reading Coal.......Blaschak is fine)

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 1:25 pm

Let it burn and try shaking it later. If it's piece of coal you should be able to burn it up. If it's a rock you'll have to do as Devil did and clean it out. when you shake a stove you should be using fast chopping motions.

 
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North Candlewood
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Post by North Candlewood » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 1:51 pm

Read the Revamping shaker grates in this thread by Mudman

 
wnyjim
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Post by wnyjim » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 1:52 pm

I think I'll wait and see if it will burn next time. I just hate to shovel it out and start over.The piece was nice and solid (yet to be burned) and I think it just got worked down and caught in the grate when I was shaking.
Shaking on this furnace seems to be an art just like everything else to do with coal burning.
Im workin on it and I really do enjoy it.

The only coal I have found availible to me in my area is Reading. I have been having good luck with it so far.

Word to the wise & note to self. Dont be like me... Read what Richard S said above and use only fast chopping strokes when shaking.

I thought I had it figured out and shook it good and when it stuck I smacked the lever with an open hand. Thats all it took to put me back to burning wood till my parts come in.

Brute force and ignorance lead to frustration and regret :shock:

 
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Devil505
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Post by Devil505 » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 2:00 pm

wnyjim wrote:he only coal I have found availible to me in my area is Reading. I have been having good luck with it so far.
Based on my experience last year with "Mystery Coal" that turned out to be Reading Coal (according to the dealer who sold it to me) This will keep happening to you all winter. Try Blaschak Coal. (Reading burns fine but regularly jams shaker grates with impurities no matter how you shake it down)

Here's the thread from last year: That's It- Stick With Blaschak!

 
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Post by LsFarm » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 2:22 pm

If you make a strong poker with an 'L' bent on the end, you may be able to 'rake' under the coals and get enough ash down through the grates to keep burning coal untill the new parts get there..

My 'L' poker is made of 1/2" steel, the overall length is roughly 3 feet, the 'L' is about 4-5" long, bent at a 90* angle.. with my hand fed boiler, I'd slide the 'L' under the coal and rake it back and forth to agitate the ash on top of the grate [ my grate was a slider, not a rocker grate, not very effective]. This may be enough 'shaking' action to keep your coal fire alive till the parts arrive.

When you assemble your new parts, try to take as much slop out of the connections for the shaker mechanism as you can..

I recommend watching the grates with a clean firebox, move the shaker lever back and forth, noting how far you can move the handle before opening a gap large enough to have a piece of coal to fall into the gap and jam the grates.. Mark on the side of the stove with chalk or tape or even with some small paint marks, the limits of how far to move the shaker lever.. these visual 'limits' will help learn your shaking technique..

Hope this helps..

Greg L

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wnyjim
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Post by wnyjim » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 2:46 pm

I got a ton of Reading to go through. I just emailed Blaschak to see if there is a dealer nearby.

I will try the poker method tonight. Thanks for the tips on running with a broken grate shaker. I really miss my coal fire heat.

I also poke up through the grates from the ash door after I shake to make sure my grate holes are open. Has helped a great deal at times.

 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 6:22 pm

You might, just maybe have been able to see the chunk of coal jamming the grates through the ashpan door, and using the poker dislodged it.. next time pull the ashpan out and see if you can remove the piece of coal or rock from below...

Good luck with the poker.. were you given an expected delivery date on the new grate??

Greg L

 
wnyjim
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Post by wnyjim » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 6:38 pm

7 to 10 days on the grate from us stove. As luck would have it a pipeline welder will be at my work tomorrow welding cast iron. :)
I cleaned out & tore down the furnace and got the grate out to see if he can fix it for me until I get my grate. I should be good to go after tomorrow till I get the replacement grate. I will from now on use a poker to dislodge stuck coal from below my grate.

 
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Devil505
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Post by Devil505 » Wed. Dec. 03, 2008 9:07 pm

LsFarm wrote:My 'L' poker is made of 1/2" steel, the overall length is roughly 3 feet, the 'L' is about 4-5" long, bent at a 90* angle.. with my hand fed boiler, I'd slide the 'L' under the coal and rake it back and forth to agitate the ash on top of the grate [ my grate was a slider, not a rocker grate, not very effective]. This may be enough 'shaking' action to keep your coal fire alive till the parts arrive.
I ran my first coal stove ( a Better N 'Bens) for 5 winters like that after my shaker grates seized up on me....Worked just fine! :lol:

 
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Post by lincolnmania » Thu. Dec. 04, 2008 1:59 am

we used to have an old hand fed furnace with a big hunk of the shaker grate petrified and broke off........used to have to shake and poke very gently or it would jam and we would lose the load........ran that stove couple yrs till I got the efm together

 
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Post by wnyjim » Thu. Dec. 04, 2008 5:14 pm

Got it all welded up good as new today. Welder used 3/32 cast to steel nickel rod and peaned as he welded. Also wraped it up good after so it would cool slow.
What a good guy for helpin me out. I will have to do some wiring for him sometime.
As long as I had the furnace torn down I drilled and tapped and added allen screws to connect the grates together and did some grinding on the grates to help them shake and hopefully breathe better.
Still got the new grate coming but might just leave this one in for now and see how it works.
Just starting it up again tonight.
Thanks for all the help and advise.

 
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Post by gitrdonecoal » Thu. Dec. 04, 2008 7:07 pm

WOW! a lot of people have had problems with their cast hot blast shaker grates. seems to me it might be a bad design. I too ordered a new one from united states stove today. the front square peg sheared off the first time, and this time the one that connects the 2 together broke, cant win. a friend of mine also is a welder and we are going to fabricate a new one out of plate steel.................. sometime. now before we build a new one, have some of you built new ones with different designs? what else is there really that us hot blast people could do? what are some of the things you guys have worked around? and as always, thanks for all your help.

john

 
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Post by clueless » Fri. Dec. 05, 2008 2:29 pm

got a ashley model 24 with the basic same crate design.mine broke in the front where the handle went into it.i just took them apart since mine went together in the middle and drilled a hole down through them,and put a nut and bolt down through them to hold them together.tried the welding thing,didnt hold to good.i got a new grate through usstove cheaper than my dealer got one,the grate was $70 shipped,dealer wanted $135 for one.

i found the problem with mine breaking was the slop between them put too much stress on the front lug.


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