Energy King Wood Coal Boiler

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joeblack5
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Post by joeblack5 » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 4:44 pm

Three years ago I installed an energy king wood / coal boiler 35 EKB 140000btu in my garage and pipe the hot water underground to the house.( 3500sgft)
The size of the boiler is to small for the old ( 1920) house and when it is cold I have to reload every 6 hours.
After two days the crate will fill up with clinkers. I have since learned on this site that I am over firing this boiler.
Wish I had found this site earlier.

My plan is to change the setup and only use it for medium cold days and use the gas boiler inside the house as required with very cold weather.
Another issue that I encountered was a failing circulator pump. The boiler was full of fire and the pressure safety valve blew the water and steam. I found it the next morning after I woke up with cold water pipes.
It is kind of scary that all the energy in a fully loaded boiler has to burn of if something goes wrong and you don't realize it.
A stoker would be more easily to stop when an over temp or low water problem occurs.

Did any of this occur to you and how likely is it to damage a boiler . how to prevent
After three years of walking to the garage and manual loading up and the above problems I feel that I should try a stoker.

The firebox is 30Hx17Wx30D
What stoker module would you advise?
How difficult is it to get a stoker module only?

Thank you for your thoughts

J

 
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WNY
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Joined: Mon. Nov. 14, 2005 8:40 am
Location: Cuba, NY
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Keystoker 90K, Leisure Line Hyfire I
Coal Size/Type: Rice
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Post by WNY » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 4:50 pm

Check out this thread from a member...pretty impressive setup
Clayton Furnace With Dual Reading Stokers

 
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LsFarm
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Posts: 7383
Joined: Sun. Nov. 20, 2005 8:02 pm
Location: Michigan
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Self-built 'Big Bertha' SS Boiler
Baseburners & Antiques: Keystone 11, Art Garland

Post by LsFarm » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 4:57 pm

Study the manufacturer's sites and the detail drawings of the various stoker boilers and stoves.. It will be difficult to adapt a stoker to your boiler.

You would need to rig up a support for the stoker and the coal hopper to insert it into the existing loading door opening, but leaving access to the ashpan door and ashpan. You would need to be able to roll the stoker/hopper assembly out of the boiler to light the stoker, then roll it back in and secure it. Stoker boilers have an addtional access door for lighting the fire, inspecting the fire that your boiler doesn't have.. It can be done, but not easily.

My self-designed 'Big Bertha' boiler has a huge loading door opening, 22"x 18" I was able to find an antique Iron Fireman underfeed stoker that did not take up the whole loading door opening,, I still had to install it on wheels for servicing .

I think you will be better off selling the current hand feed boiler, and installing a stoker boiler, keep an eye on the papers, this site's for sale forum. YOu wil find a stoker boiler.

Greg L
stokerashpan.jpg
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coaledsweat
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Location: Guilford, Connecticut
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
Coal Size/Type: Pea

Post by coaledsweat » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 5:58 pm

I have a similar boiler and had a similar problem, small boiler, leaky house. Yes, you want to upgrade to a bigger stoker someday, a converted hand fed is not a great option and carries considerable risk. For now, just load that puppy up to the gills with coal. I have mine mounded up in the middle and against the wet walls of the boiler 4-6" over the door bottom, I have trouble sometimes getting the shovel back out of the firebox. My grate has about 8 broken fingers and is jammed 90* out of whack by a broken firebrick. I haven't been able to get more than a couple of degrees of shake out of it in two weeks. You know what? No clinkers, it keeps up no matter how low the temps go, and the fire is happy as a clam. No more outfires or nursing it back, that thing purrs like a fat cat. Coal is a social fuel, throw a party!

 
joeblack5
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Post by joeblack5 » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 6:58 pm

Wow that is a nice set up. WNY thank you for the thread link. $ 400-500 for a new feeder unit sounds acceptable.

LS Farm ,Greg I like the way you have your unit setup.The underfeed iron fireman could probably work even below my loading door. There is some space to make holes.
What diameter is the auger tube ?
How deep is the fire pot? curious where the top would end up relative to the ceiling of the fire box
Are these units around, motor and fans are no problem but the basic assembly, pot, inserts and tubes?

Coaledsweat.

I can see that, Would love to have a A-A , and probably will, marvelous piece of tehnology. I have limited space and it would be difficult to have separate units. In some sort of emergency I could disassemble the stoker and burn wood or manual coal for a while. something hard to do in a A-A or any other stoker. Also even if not perfect I hope a stoker module would be cheaper then a whole boiler.

Couple of days ago I tried rice coal in a an englander 25 pellet stove. Last year I have modified this stove with DC motors to better regulate the feed rate at the low end, about a factor 2 lower then with the original setup ( nice in spring and fall). It also safes a lot of electricity since these brushed DC motors are a lot more efficient. Still have to do that for the blowers.
needed to use an extra blower to burn the coal and bring the feed rate way down. The stack temp went up from 170 Celcius with pellets ( highest feed) to 220 with rice coal ( lowest feed). Obvious the burn pot is not perfect. I will make one from a 4" cast iron elbow and see if that works

Thanks
Later Johan

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