Takin`the plunge

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:37 am

I`m going to do as much of the install as I can. More than likely will have to tap a few"brains" here for advice.I will be posting a few pics of my current oil boiler to give you guys an idea of what I`m hooking up to.
Looked at valves and other piping at my local hardware and I will be trying to get a list together to order from Pex Supply.Prices are about double at the local hardware! I`m probably going to spend a lot of time in the basement this coming winter just watching and enjoying the extra coffee money I`m saving.

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:41 pm

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Just a few pics of the current setup.Not exactly the order I wanted, but you get the idea. :idea:

Sorry that the pictures are a little low quality,I`ll try to get better as the process goes on...

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:21 am

One step closer to being oil free.....

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:32 pm

Almost ready...Hopefully my plumber will be finishing up sometime this week....

Wiz · By: **Wiz** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:44 pm

Looking good, your going to enjoy savings with using coal. Best investment that I've done in awhile was installing keystoker boiler this year. Congrats.

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:50 pm

Very anxious to get her running. A bit intimidated about dialing it in though. How long have you had yours fired up? Was it difficult to set as far as feed rate?

Wiz · By: **Wiz** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:19 pm

mope#2 wrote:Very anxious to get her running. A bit intimidated about dialing it in though. How long have you had yours fired up? Was it difficult to set as far as feed rate?

Here check my journey Keystoker Ka-6 Journey begins

Really not that bad dialing it in, I've been messing around since I got it to tweak to best performance. Mine has a 30min timer and I just change pins again last night. Now I'm seeing if shorting idle time will help with unburnt coal. 2 pins every 5 mins which gives a total of 2 1/2 mins of run time every 30 mins. Stove has been running about 2 months. Go by what keystoker recommends on feed/time then make small adjustments to get your set up.

Rob R. · By: **Rob R.** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:01 pm

Wiz wrote:Go by what keystoker recommends on feed/time then make small adjustments to get your set up.

Yes.

coalkirk · By: **coalkirk** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:57 pm

mope#2 wrote:Very anxious to get her running. A bit intimidated about dialing it in though. How long have you had yours fired up? Was it difficult to set as far as feed rate?

I don't have a Keystoker although I am familiar with them. It's a great boiler. If you are like most of us, you will never be 100% satisfied with the "dial in" although I'm always happy with it. Like you've been advised, start out with the stock settings and observe. Very important to remember that making changes in coal burning controls should be done methodically and done with great patience as it takes some time for the changes to take effect. Not like burning wood where changes take immediate effect. Once you get the feel of how the boiler operates, you will be able to work on dialing it in.

I've had a harman stoker boiler for 10 years and I've changed something about the way its "dialed in" every year. Presently I am very happy with the way it is operating. The point is don't worry, it will burn fine. But it can always burn "finer." There is a wealth of experience and knowledge here for the k-6.

tikigeorge · By: **tikigeorge** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:32 pm

What is going to supply your domestic hot water? the KAA-2 holds 24 gals and the KA-6 55 gal.this large amount of water keeps the hot water flowing. I have a KA-6, <2000 sq ft two-story in New Jersey. This boiler, KA-6 is working very well for me. The hopper size on the kaa-2 holds 100# of coal and the ka-6 holds 375 #, a big difference too. Have you called Keystoker and asked them about your pick?

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:58 pm

Not going to do domestic right now as I am fine with our on demand rannai hotwater heater. Maybe down the road I will give it a try. I am confident that the k2 will work out well in our small ranch, just have to get her going! I will be on the phone tomorrow if my plumber doesn`t show up in the a.m. :mad3:

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:16 pm

Day 4 with coal and I can`t believe how nice this is!! Wish I`d done this years ago......Feel free to take a look at pics and let me know if something looks astray..
There are a few things that I wish my plumber would have done differently and still don`t have the override zone hooked up. Kinda toying with the idea of zoning with circulators instead of the taco valves and using a 4 zone taco relay.
Still have some wiring issues also, but the main zones are operating and heat is coming.SWEET...

Rob R. · By: **Rob R.** On: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:16 pm

Nice! The piping looks very good, and I like to see a cleanout on the bottom of the stack. Don't try to outsmart everyone and get the boiler to idle on 2 lbs per day...set the feed and timer by the book and see how it runs like that.

Replace the zone valves with circulators? Why? Zone valves work perfectly fine as long as the system is setup properly.

mope#2 wrote:Still have some wiring issues also,

Please explain.

mope#2 · By: **mope#2** On: Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:44 am

Thanks Rob...Fired it up just the way Keystoker had the controls set and everything seems to run well. I do have the triple aquastat set a little low because of the warmer weather,,150/170...
I did want to have my override going to my Modine heater in the basement but that isn`t done yet. The guy doing the install just fed a loop from the coal boiler to my main zone with a honeywell zone valve inline for the override.. :!:

He also installed a taco 501 relay for something, not sure yet,and this is where things get odd.
When you shut the switch off on my oil boiler the relay just keeps opening and closing, turn both boilers off and it`s fine. He left late that night and hasn`t been back yet, so that loop is still closed.
Really thought I could take the signal from my 4006b and get it to operate the Modine heater and life would be good,but I really suck at this type of thing :hammer:

As far as the taco valves go, I just have 2. They just seem so slow to open and they look like a rats nest of wires along with the old leaky gatevalves next to them.
See what I mean by a few issues :lol:

Rob R. · By: **Rob R.** On: Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:11 am

If the Taco zone valves are the 570 series, it is normal that they take a few minutes to open. They are a tried and true design, and they never cause the pipes to "bang" by suddenly closing. Are the gate valves leaking around the packing? Try giving the packing nut a slight turn...just enough to snug it.

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