Eko 40 help
- Thread starter Thecornguy
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Yep almost forgot to tell you. It was loose I found a nut last year in my stove pipe clean out and was wondering where it came from. Must be a jam nut for the flapper. A few weeks ago I noticed smoke coming from the stack in gasification. When I investigated I noticed I had to slam the flapper home to get a better seal I've been diligent about closing it better ever since. That thing is not going to be fun cleaning. Tons of creosote around it. I'll try to burn a hot fire in the top box before I go to work on it. I have some creosote remover spray I used to use when I first started out burning. I was nervous about all the creosote in the top box until I read on this forum about not being able to ever keep it clean.
I'm guessing rust. Or Indian corn I was burning last season. When I pulled the fire bricks out of the bottom there was orange stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Come to think of it when I over load the thing and it goes into idle for a long time the creosote in the upper box is orangeish. wonder if it could be the heavy iron soil we have here absorbing into the trees as they grow. There is tons of iron stone starting down about
Three feet below the surface.
The flap is supposed to be loose in order to conform to the rim of the opening. That's why they use a jam nut. It needs to wobble to make a good seal. That area never needed cleaning until that incident where it wasn't sealing. The blow by caused some creosote to accumulate. I scraped it with a large file
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I'll get a file in there tomorrow and put the jam nut back on. A little bit loose or a lotta bit loose? There wasn't enough threads to get the second nut on.
Just loose enough to wobble so that it seals flat on the rim of the opening. Actuate it a few times until you feel that it's sealing good.
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BoiledOver
Minister of Fire
Holy shmolly! This is the first cleaning in over a year and a half?
Mine gets emptied and wire brush about every ten to fourteen days. The bypass compartment, exchange tubes and lower combustion get that attention. The upper combustion box is perpetually covered in creosote, a scraping to knock the hard crust off at the same time as the other maintenance. The heat is transferred through any surface that has water on the other side including; lower chamber walls and bulkhead, upper chamber walls, and transfer tubes. Keeping the ash from building up on those surface will allow optimum heat transfer.
This cleaning sounds like a big chore but regular dust-offs will go much faster. Cripes, you will probably save a half cord through spring due to your labors at the maintenance chores.
Wow that's a lot of tear down! Every two weeks? I'm assuming you did the hanging chains upgrade? This cleaning took me and a buddy at least 12 man hours to do. Most of that was pulling the turbulators out and putting them back in. And of course scrubbing the black stain out of the shower ha. I didn't shower with my buddy so don't ask. Not that there would be something wrong with that. Anyway I wish I would have known about brushing the tubes before the install I definitely would have re designed the layout to allow more room on top. Just started the fire and it seems to be better. Fingers are crossed. The tank did drop to 100 degrees so I'm not sure if raising temps is faster when it's colder water. Shouldn't be. But thanks to all for the help
Hey Fred all back together and it seems to be doing better it's still early in the burn to get a real idea. Thanks so much for your help!
NateB
Feeling the Heat
Good to hear keep us posted. I don't clean mine enough, but I did modify the turbs so I only have to pull out the handle to clean it.
So how'd the first fire go?
I was scrolling down the page and got reminded that you had burned corn in your unit. Being the corn guy you probably already know this, but the sugar in the corn can make a mess of the surfaces of the boiler. Some corns have more sugar than others but you know what burned sugar looks like. It's like coating the boiler walls with peanut brittle without the peanuts. Wood has sugars to a varying degree depending on the species.
I was scrolling down the page and got reminded that you had burned corn in your unit. Being the corn guy you probably already know this, but the sugar in the corn can make a mess of the surfaces of the boiler. Some corns have more sugar than others but you know what burned sugar looks like. It's like coating the boiler walls with peanut brittle without the peanuts. Wood has sugars to a varying degree depending on the species.
Went great. Tank went from 101 degrees to 180 in less than six hours. It was 60 degrees outside but even still that's a whole lot better. I opened the sliders inside a bit and achieved that steady rocket. Blue flame under the nozzle and orange and yellow filling the rest of the box. It seemed a little harder to get a gasification initially I'm wondering if there is too much air going to the lower box. As far as the corn I grow it to sell as deer bait and fall decorations. Last season I had a lot left over so I was burning about a bushel a day. This season I didn't have as much left so I only burned it on the real cold days. About 15 days total. The corn leaves a concrete like substance on the upper fire block. The first time I went to move the cold charcoal I saw this stuff and panicked. I thought the blocks were crumbling. It actually heals the block by filling in any cracks or chips and fills in the nozzle so I gently scrape in there to keep it open. I didn't think it would go up the exchanger. I haven't burned corn in over a month.
BoiledOver
Minister of Fire
Glad to hear of your improved efficiency.
After a good cleaning with a bare upper chamber, this Eko25 takes longer to get the gasification going. With an ash bed and some remaining unburned coals in the box, things go much better. It is good to cut the fire while some coals still remain for the next firing, if at all possible.
After a good cleaning with a bare upper chamber, this Eko25 takes longer to get the gasification going. With an ash bed and some remaining unburned coals in the box, things go much better. It is good to cut the fire while some coals still remain for the next firing, if at all possible.
Burned sugar probably makes a good coating for the refractory but it's a bit*h to remove from the tubes as you well know.
It usually is harder to get gasification after a long shutdown like you just experienced due to the cooling of the refractory.
Anyhow ----
HORRAY
It usually is harder to get gasification after a long shutdown like you just experienced due to the cooling of the refractory.
Anyhow ----
HORRAYThanks to all of you couldn't have done it without you. It's 70 degrees outside now and talk of a blizzard tonight. One big crapshoot on getting coals left in the box. What do you guys think about turning down the air to the lower box?
The amount of air doesn't dictate the amount of coals left in the box. If you are batch burning just load enough wood to get your storage up to whatever temperature you desire and shut the unit down when the wood has burned down to coals. Tomorrow you should have enough coal to distribute over the nozzle for your next fire.
As for the air. You said you liked the flame produced from yesterday's burn. On the next burn start dialing down the air a little at a time while watching the flame. When it starts looking like a flame you are not happy with stop there. Take your time. No two loads of wood burn the same.
As for the air. You said you liked the flame produced from yesterday's burn. On the next burn start dialing down the air a little at a time while watching the flame. When it starts looking like a flame you are not happy with stop there. Take your time. No two loads of wood burn the same.
While I have everyone's attention. What's your thoughts on mixing a little anthracite coal with the wood. I was thinking a couple small scoops evenly with the wood. My buddy has a two ton bin of nut coal in his chicken coupe he will give me
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