Keystoker A-150 With Combustion Gas Leakage

Just moved and installed an A-150. I am getting CO alarm and sulfur smell in the house. All I can tell is that the heat exchanger may have an issue.

Does the gasket between the heat exchanger crack or get old? Do the heat exchangers on these units typically go bad? Can you buy a new heat exchanger?

Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forum!! Sorry to hear about your problems but lets try some things first. You said you just moved in and just installed the a150? We will need some more information. I don't have an A150 but people on here do. Sit tight more will chime in soonish.

Please post some photo's of the installation as that will help immensely in the troubleshooting process.

Again welcome to the forum and the world of burning black rocks.

While waiting to discover the cause of your problem, shut it down. No one wants CO in their home.

Just moved in and just installed...has the chimney been inspected...birds and debris can restrict and even block gases.

To clarify, I am posting on behalf of the man who just installed the A-150 in his new home. For this reason, I can't post photos of it right now. The unit was in my home and worked great for us. We never had any issues with carbon monoxide or even a slight flue gas smell. It burned clean for the last three winters and was connected to the duct work. I know it is connected to a ducted system in his house with a new chimney and a main fan that came with his A/C unit. In his home it has set off his CO detector as he fired it up and now he has it shut down.

I'm trying to help him trouble shoot it. He thinks there must be a crack on the heat exchanger. I'm wondering if the rope gasket where the heat exchanger bolts on could have been compromised while moving it.

Gaskets compromised...possible, yes.

It can take some time to establish a good strong draft in a cold chimney during start up.
I am familiar with the construction of the A-150 and its HX, I'm surprised you chose to move it w/o separating the HX from the furnace.

Another possibility is that while moving the unit out of one house and into the other house plus the transport, that the debris that had accumulated in the HX in the course of burning many tons of coal, was knocked around and loosened and ended up in such a position that it is hindering the exhaust path. A shop vac and wire brush can take care of that.

Hope the CO detector was not setting above the unit, cause it will just about always alarm when starting a new fire in a cold chimney.

Wellcome to the forum.

In reading this thread I was wondering why you suspect the HX? That is not the first place to look on a coal stoker that is setting off CO detectors. But McGiever has a good point, the connection to the HX OR the burn barrle could have been damaged IF the unit was moved while assembled. The heat exchanger OR the chimney may be full of fly ash? Normaly, when a coal stoker sets off CO detectors and smells of sulfer, it is because the chimney is not drafting enough, fly ash, birds, opposims, ect...

If moved with the HX connected to the barrle, there is nothing supporting the HX. This, I think, would put a lot of stress on the barrle where the flange is welded to it.
The flange can be sealed with Hi Temp Silicone.
This is an A125, same furnnace they just changed the name at one point.

The A150 is a current model. I am sure you can by a new HX if needed. Keystoker 570-385-3873

-Don

Here's what the A-150 HX looks like.
They are hard to clean inside and it is best done when disassembled.

It is still fairly warm so draft may be a little weak. I would try opening a window and see what the response is. We get lots of threads like this early in the season.

x2.

I agree with Don that if the unit was damaged in moving the combustion chamber might be a more likely location than the HX. However, I think when Keystoker went from the A125 to the A150 they "shrank" a few things to make the unit more compact, er, less huge. You should check with Keystoker to make sure any new A150 components will fit an A125.

Mike