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mof1964
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Post by mof1964 » Sun. Dec. 28, 2008 5:08 pm

hello,

I'm new to coal, actually just getting started checking it out. A friend of mine is big into coal stoker installs and uses EFM as his main brand.

He told me to put in a coal boiler instead of a new oil boiler. I am very interested in doing this.

I have located a used emf520 sale. It is about 25 years old, but appears to be in excellent shape.

Is this something that I should consider?


 
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tsb
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Post by tsb » Sun. Dec. 28, 2008 7:04 pm

Having a " friend" in the stoker business is a good start. At least you can
blame him if anything goes wrong. The thing I like about coal is that I
fill the bin during the summer and I'm done and paid for. I don't have to
play the oil futures market. Coal goes up almost every year, but not more
than inflation.

Good luck,

TSB

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Sun. Dec. 28, 2008 7:09 pm

mof1964 wrote:I have located a used emf520 sale. It is about 25 years old, but appears to be in excellent shape.

Is this something that I should consider?
If you want to save money and be warmer, do it. There are many board members that own 520s, they are stout boilers. May I inquire about the price of the EFM?

I'm moving this thread to the boiler forum where it belongs.

 
mof1964
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Post by mof1964 » Sun. Dec. 28, 2008 7:41 pm

coaledsweat,

The used 520 is $3000.

I have talked to my stoker friend and he said sounds fair depending on the shape.

I am also considering just going for a new one so that I know what I have and can proceed without worry.

 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Sun. Dec. 28, 2008 11:25 pm

An EFM that was built in the '80's is a fairly young boiler.. if it appears in good shape, the base is not rusty from sitting in a flooded or wet basement, the area around the domestic hot water coil is not corroded, the doors open and close, the stoker works correctly.. then it's a good buy... a new EFM costs around $8600-9000.00 so $3K is not a bad price if it has been taken care of..

All the stoker parts, pieces, motor, seals bushings, augers, grates etc are available.. As long as the boiler and base are not a lump of rust, then it is rebuildable.

Do a search for 'used EFM' or go to the 'items for sale' forum and look for a seller 'scrapper jr' he rebuilds EFMs..

Best of luck.

Greg L

.

 
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JB Sparks
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Post by JB Sparks » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 5:09 am

Morning folks,

Mof1964, If you could take some pic's of that used 520, these guys could advise you better.

Considering the costs of this unit, Could you guys that own AA130 and AHS130 let us know what those units go for new as a comparison and also what is the noise level of each unit and coal usage (lbs. per day) at idle of each unit.

 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 5:30 am

The AA's and AHS 130's are around $7,000, but some dealers ask quite a bit more. The AA comes with an auger that auto feeds the coal and that makes a certain level of noise. I wouldn't want one right beneath my bedroom. The AHS has a tall hopper that eats 50 pound bags of coal. The only sound is the fan and it's very quiet.


 
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JB Sparks
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Post by JB Sparks » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 5:37 am

Yeah Freddy, I listen to an AA130 last week it wasn't very loud, but your right, if its very quite in the house you diffinately will hear it. I kind of thought the AHS would be quieter just because of the hopper feed. I suppose the same thing would true for the EFM 520 as well.

Of the three which one do think would use the least coal at idle? Been reading a lot of post here, can't quite get a handle on that aspect.

Ah, my coffee cup is empty, be right back.

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 9:13 am

JB Sparks wrote:Of the three which one do think would use the least coal at idle? Been reading a lot of post here, can't quite get a handle on that aspect.
All three will run about the same amount of coal. The A-A and AHS have a theoretical advantage as the firepot is totally surrounded by water and they run almost free of flyash, in practice it may not amount to enough to worry about. Any one of these units can and do run in the mid 80s for % efficiency.

 
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JB Sparks
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Post by JB Sparks » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 1:13 pm

Hi coaledsweat,

Thanks for the info, guess you can't complain at 80% efficiecy. I've been running about 50# a day in my SF160, which on a day like today ( 40*) my boiler spends most of the time just idling along. i'm very pleased with it, but i'm thinking down the road when the newness wares off and tending every 12 hours gets old, I might start thinking about a stoker. I've seen a AA130 in action, very impressive, but I kind of like the idea of the hopper on the AHS130.

 
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Flyer5
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Post by Flyer5 » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 9:19 pm

Freddy wrote:The AA's and AHS 130's are around $7,000, but some dealers ask quite a bit more. The AA comes with an auger that auto feeds the coal and that makes a certain level of noise. I wouldn't want one right beneath my bedroom. The AHS has a tall hopper that eats 50 pound bags of coal. The only sound is the fan and it's very quiet.
Mine is right below my bedroom . If I insulated the floor I don't think I would even hear it . I love the sound even my wife said she falls asleep easier with it running . Its kind of like having a larger fan running and some tink,tink ,tink noises . I have heard forced hot air systems that are louder of coarse no tink ,tink noises. I love the AA130 great boiler . I only feed it once a year and clean up its poop a few times a week .

The EFMs are excellent boilers as well . How big is your house ?

 
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JB Sparks
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Post by JB Sparks » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 9:32 pm

Flyer5,
My house is about 1900 sqft. and over the years I've gotten it pretty tight. My Harman spends most of the day just idling if it's around 35* and up.

 
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Post by Complete Heat » Mon. Dec. 29, 2008 9:41 pm

The EFMs are very quiet, nearly silent. Parts are available for them as well. Provided the boiler is in good condition, I would go for it. The AAs are real nice too, just a bit noisier than the EFMs and Keystokers, but with the induced draft, it is wonderful. I can hear mine running, but it is not loud, and I equate the noise to the sound of saving money. I have a 2800 pound hopper on mine, and I empty the ash once a week.

Mike

 
mof1964
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Post by mof1964 » Tue. Dec. 30, 2008 5:46 pm

I checked out the 520 with my friend who works on stokers and he thought I could get one that is newer and in better shape for a little more than what that one was asked for.
I trust his judgement, so the search continues. I want to make sure that when I do this that I don't run into any problems or I will never hear the end of it from the wife. She's not really in favor of doing this, but I told her that when the house is toasty warm and we're saving money doing it, she can thank me then.

I need to be able to heat my 3400ft house -- this includes the basement. I curently have oil hot water baseboard and a pellet stove. I like the baseboard heat the best, but didn't like the price of the oil in hte past.

I hope I'm looking into doing the right thing.

 
mof1964
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Post by mof1964 » Fri. Jan. 02, 2009 6:21 pm

coaledsweat,

I have been checking out the keystoker products and was wondering if you or anyone know off any available.
I talked with a local stove company today and they told me that I could order a stoker/boiler and wouldn't be able to get it till next fall.

Has anyone else come across the same thing? Are the keystokers good products?
My friend told me that he thinks the EFM products are the best. The EFM seems to be quiet a bit more than the keystoker.
Is this because it's an inferior product.

Any help you guys out there can give is well appreciated.

Mitch


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