Summer Preparation for Hand Fed Appliances

Today I got my furnace ready for her summer slumber. My furnace lives in the basement where it is cool and damp all summer long. This type of environment can be detrimental to the appliance. Coal ash and moisture will create sulfuric acid which is highly corrosive to metals.

I dismantled the firebox components, pulled out the grates, baffles and the front and rear liners. I also removed the firebricks. I wire brushed and vacuumed thoroughly. Next I brushed everything down with motor oil. I paid special attention to cleaning and oiling of the water coils.

Finally, I will pull off the flue pipe and seal the firebox breach with plastic and a rubber band. I will also furnish it with a 100 watt light to drive down relative humidity inside the firebox.

Shortly I'll order my 6 tons of coal for next year. In the meantime "Ashley" will get rested up for next season's heating.. Everyone please feel free to post pictures and detail your summer prep work..

Cleaned up Nicole this evening. Gave her hell with vacuum, scraper, and wire brush. Fluid Film sprayed on all burn surfaces, rinsed stove pipe out, dried on gas grill, and spray with Fluid Film as well on the inside. The wild colors inside are the POR manifold paint I coated the inside when new. It is finally scraping off to steel, what a bad idea

I will also furnish it with a 100 watt light

Might consider this, a bit cheaper to run....

http://www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/models_spec ... ations.htm

Yeah, thanks to our Government, that 100 watt light bulb is going to be a collector's item soon !

Put it on eBay and get some money for coal !

Paul

Love the new avatar Lightning...any way my old man would hang burlap with a couple pounds of epson salt on various pipes in the basement and he would place a coffee can on the floor beneath and water would drip into the cans from the sacks of salt above. I am curious if a sack of epson salt sitting on top of a can in a stove would absorb the moister as well? my .02 cents or sense

2001Sierra wrote:Cleaned up Nicole this evening. Gave her hell with vacuum, scraper, and wire brush. Fluid Film sprayed on all burn surfaces, rinsed stove pipe out, dried on gas grill, and spray with Fluid Film as well on the inside.

Looks good! She'll be happy you took such good care of her..
Nicole -- love that. Buddy of mine named his furnace Burnice..

michaelanthony wrote:Love the new avatar Lightning...any way my old man would hang burlap with a couple pounds of epson salt on various pipes in the basement and he would place a coffee can on the floor beneath and water would drip into the cans from the sacks of salt above. I am curious if a sack of epson salt sitting on top of a can in a stove would absorb the moister as well? my .02 cents or sense

Thanks Mike! That's interesting about the salt. I would wonder if its in the stove if it would evaporate out of the can and condense on the salt again in a cycle

Grumpy and Paul, that's good information!