The Bairmatic - Van Wert Project

 
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StokerDon
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Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Apr. 17, 2016 7:40 pm

Meter reading today, 2037.8 - 2018.8 = 19.0 hours x 12.5 = 237.5 pounds for the past 7 days, 33.9 pounds per day. It's been a bit warm for most of the week.
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Filled the barrel up again.
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I got a new camera and a new laptop, still getting used to them. The video files from the camera are a bit larger than my old one. I posted a BairMatic/Van Wert update on youtube. The 4 minute video took over 90 minutes to upload!!! Anyway, here it is.



I need to figure out how to make videos that are smaller files.

-Don


 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Wed. Apr. 20, 2016 7:18 pm

Here is how the fines clean out works.

Open the ash pan door, slide the ash pan out part way, reach in under the pot and open the clean out door.
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Push the ash pan back in, close the ash pan door. The run the stoker for a few minutes, shut the stoker off, open the ash pan door, pull the ash pan part way out and here's what ya get.
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Not much in there. Then ya close it all back up. That was one and a half weeks worth of fines. I wish I could teach my EFM to do that!
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I checked the draft while the fines clean out was open and the stoker running. It went positive alright, about +.01 inches of water column.
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This BairMatic / Van Wert has exceeded my original expectations completely. There have been no ashing problems and no fines problems. It heats everything I can through at it with ease. Since we switched the aquastat to LO 140, HI 160 and added the two radiators, it has turned into a real fuel miser using very little coal. I find it hard to believe that even during all this warm weather, I am still running the timer at 1 minute every hour and I have never even come close to an out fire.

-Don

 
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Rob R.
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Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Apr. 20, 2016 7:30 pm

Do you intend to remove the fines slide-gate and reinstall the factory parts? Looks like a once per season blow out is all it needs.

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Thu. Apr. 21, 2016 7:59 pm

Rob R. wrote:Do you intend to remove the fines slide-gate and reinstall the factory parts? Looks like a once per season blow out is all it needs.
No factory parts were removed, I added the fines clean out trap door on the bottom of the pot. If I actually finished it, it would have had a rod attached to it the could be operated from out side the boiler. But, we didn't get that far yet.

I did this because of my fear of rice coal and fines clogging up the lower rings in the pot. The Van Wert is designed to burn Buckwheat coal, not rice. It turned out not to be a problem and your right, it could be a once or twice a season cleaning.

I still wonder what happens to all the fines? Maybe they burn up?

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Apr. 24, 2016 7:30 pm

Meter reading today, 2052.3 - 2037.8 = 14.5 hours x 12.5 = 181.25 pounds for the past 7 days, 25.9 pounds per day. It's been warm all week.
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The barrel is a little more than half full so I am going to leave it until next weekend.
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I emptied the ash pan twice this week, it was pretty light.

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. May. 01, 2016 6:21 pm

Meter reading today, 2068.3 - 2052.3 = 16.0 hours x 12.5 = 200.0 pounds for the past 7 days, 28.6 pounds per day. It's been cool most of this week.
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At the other end, the barrel is about empty. Last night I through some coal on top just so it wouldn't run out. It's been 14 days since I filled it last. Amazing how much fines build up around the auger mouth!
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Filled it up.
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If a barrel lasts 12 or 13 days, I should make it to June! Not much left in there.
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That's a week worth of ashes. I can get used to this! Fill it up every 2 weeks, empty ashes once a week. This don't suck to bad, does it!
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No problems in there. It might be time for a cleaning though.
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That's it for this week!

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. May. 08, 2016 7:17 pm

Meter reading today, 2084.9 - 2068.3 = 16.6 hours x 12.5 = 207.5 pounds for the past 7 days, 29.6 pounds per day. It's been cool and rainy most of this week.
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The barrel is about half full again. We will see how many more days it will go.
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Temps should be in the 60's and 70's for highs in the coming week. It's not going to be much dryer though.

-Don


 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. May. 15, 2016 6:17 pm

Meter reading today, 2098.1 - 2084.9 = 13.2 hours x 12.5 = 165.0 pounds for the past 7 days, 23.6 pounds per day. It's been a little cooler than normal and rainy most of this week.
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Dumped the ashes today.
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Again I had to dump a little coal in it yesterday. So that's 13 days , can't quite make it to that 2 week refill. This should take us to May 27th or 28th. There is still a little left in the bin, not a whole barrel full though.
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-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. May. 22, 2016 6:11 pm

Meter reading today, 2112.6 - 2098.1 = 14.5 hours x 12.5 = 181.25 pounds for the past 7 days, 25.9 pounds per day. It's been a little cooler than normal.
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i caught it on a rare heat call.
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A couple "up the skirt" photos.
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Here's a weeks worth of ash.
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More than half a barrel left after a week since filling it. We'll see it it makes it all the way til next Sunday. Temps are heading into the 80's later this week. Other than the occasional DHW call, there won't be many heat calls.
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-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. May. 29, 2016 7:58 pm

Meter reading today, 2125.0 - 2112.6 = 12.4 hours x 12.5 = 155.0 pounds for the past 7 days, 22.1 pounds per day. The first week it was a little cooler than normal. The second week was HOT! No heat calls. Today is the fourth day of a heat wave (90 degrees or more).
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I filled the barrel with all I could shovel up of the Blaschak, that got it a little over half full. Two weeks ago I emptied the last six 50 pound bags of the Leihigh rice coal that I had left into the bin to dry out. I used some of that to get the barrel full. We did get 14 days out of the last barrel full, YAY!
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This bagged Leihigh has a LOT of fines in it. There were several of these "rice cakes" in it, these are lumps of fines and rice coal dried together. At first I thought I had a few chunks of stove or chestnut in there!
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So, I finally got a photo of the rear boiler plate. I had planned on doing this when everything was clean and shiny but, oh well. There are 4 plates in this boiler, 3 short ones right above the fire, 1 long one in back of the firebox and 1 medium sized one at the back. None of these plates goes to the top, the rear plate comes very close to but doesn't quite reach the top.
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I'm guessing this is why the flue gas temp goes up over 500 degrees, nothing to force the gasses down to release there heat. It doesn't seem to hurt it though, it goes easy on the coal. This may actually help draft, and could be why even though it's 90 degrees outside. I still have a draft and my timer runs 1 minute every hour with no sign of an outfire.
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Still go'in strong for DHW!

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Wed. Jun. 01, 2016 7:10 pm

Just for kicks, I changed the aquastat settings to HI 140 and LO 120. They were, Hi 160, LO 140.

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
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Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Fri. Jun. 03, 2016 8:38 am

Well, I don't know what the heck is going on here but my fire has suddenly changed, a lot. The flames are very big and very orange, they were smaller and blue.
No blue flames in there.
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This is the flame 5 days ago. Lots of blue flames.
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More photos of the new crazy flame.
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The only things that have changed in the past week are:

1) Changed the aquastat from, LO 140, HI 160 to LO 120, HI 140. That should have nothing to do with the flame.

2) Shoveled out the bottom of the bin into the barrel. Then finished filling the barrel with bagged Lehigh. Lots of fines in both.

Could it be just the fines doing this?

Is the Lehigh that much different then the Blaschak I was burning?

I hope something hasn't gone wrong with the Van Wert. I played with the air setting to see if it helped, but it didn't.

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Fri. Jun. 03, 2016 10:54 am

I posted a video of these crazy orange flames.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ3loa15ugU&feature=youtu.be

I also put in a fresh ash pan and opened the fines clean out. There were fines in there, but I don't think it was enough to cause a problem.
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The flame might have changed a little bit, but not much if at all.
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-Don

 
Olllotj
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Post by Olllotj » Fri. Jun. 03, 2016 11:08 am

My first thought is bottom of the barrel rice, the size of the coal would be smaller, changing the fire.

What's the temperature of the basement this time of year?

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Fri. Jun. 03, 2016 11:16 am

Olllotj wrote:My first thought is bottom of the barrel rice, the size of the coal would be smaller, changing the fire.

What's the temperature of the basement this time of year?
That's what I'm hoping, just bottom of the bin crappy coal.

The basement temps have been 72 to 78 degrees. This is measured with a thermometer mounted to the center beam of the house, up near the floor joists, the hottest part of the basement. With the un-insulated boiler, that is very reasonable. It has been in the 90's down here a lot over the past week, mid 70's in the basement is fine with me.

-Don


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