FAQ for the Flame King Furnaces & Boilers
Hi,
Ray R. Collins
Q: How does a coal
boiler work?
A: The way the boiler works is to auger the coal from the bin or hopper up onto a flat plate with air slots cut into it. There is a blower that blows air through the slots and the coal burns very hot. When there is no call for heat (ie the water in the boiler is hot) the auger and blower shut off. The fire will continue to burn, just very slowly. When there is a call for heat (ie the water in the boiler has cooled off) the auger and blower turn on, delivering more coal to the fire. This arrangement works real well and is completely automatic (though it does need to be checked regularly).
Q. How
messy is coal heat?
A. If you build an out-building to keep the dust away from your dwelling there isn't any.
Q. Does
it smell?
A. Coal smoke has a distinctive smell. Some people don't like it, but if correctly situated away from your dwelling it shouldn't be a problem. If you don't keep it functioning correctly and wind up with burn-back (where the fire works its way down the auger toward the coal bin) it does get very smelly, but this is a pretty rare occurrence from what I've been told.
Q. How
do you dispose of the ash?
A. Many people spread it on their driveway during the winter to provide traction. Other possibilities are to take it to the dump; it makes an excellent base (partly in place of sand) for concrete, anywhere you need fill dirt, etc.
Q. How
much ash does it produce?
A. 7-10% of the coal volume is ash. So if you use 10 cubic yards (this is about 6 tons) of coal you'll wind up with about a cubic yard of ash.
Q. How heavy is
the ash?
A. It is pretty light in my experience.
Q: What types of
things do I need to check the Flame King boiler for and how often?
A: Coal fires need a lot of attention. They develop clinkers on the burner head which need to be cleared for efficient burning (preferably daily). The tubes tend to ash up and so need to be swept (preferably once a month, more often during heavy use)--if they aren't the efficiency drops off pretty fast. Bits of rock and other debris in the coal can jam the auger and if this happens it will sheer a pin in the auger that will need to be replaced, and if reversing the motor fails to clear the jam, you may have to shovel all the coal out of the coal bin (or if your bin is equipped, shut off the coal feed) to get at whatever is jamming it. The chimney should be brushed out every year, the motors should be oiled every year (and checked more often). Belts should be changed every 4 years.
Q: Should I keep
my oil furnace/boiler as backup?
A: Though not required, it would be a good idea.
With the
potential problems with coal (especially a jammed auger), it isn't safe
to
leave a house heated with coal any longer than it would take it to
freeze,
which ties you down pretty bad during the winter unless you keep your
oil unit
for backup—or if someone can keep an eye on it ever day or so. Coal & Heat Inc will be offering a full
service and maintenance agreement for
Q: What is the
equivalent between coal and heating oil?
A: 1 ton of coal is very roughly equal to 100 gallons of heating oil. So if you were to use the 400 pound hopper, it would run about as long as an oil fired unit would on 20 gallons of heating oil. To be more exact, a ton of Usibeli coal usually has 15,000,000 BTU (100 gallons of oil has about 12,000,000 BTU). With 80% efficiency in oil and 70% efficiency in coal, 100 gallons of oil equals 0.91 tons of coal. Of course the cost of coal per ton is far, far less than oil.
Q: What type of
foundation should I set my Flame King boiler on?
A: These furnaces are very heavy; 1,400 pounds for the Model 125 and 1,600 pounds for the Model 220. I recommend a concrete pad to set it on, and if not then whatever it is on needs to be fireproof.
Q: What
do I hold the coal in?
A: You can use either a coal bin or a hopper to hold the coal. The coal bin will be more expensive to set up, but you can build it large enough so you'll only need 2-4 deliveries a year and you won't need to shovel coal (usually the dump truck can just dump it right in). The hopper would probably be cheaper and easier to clear if it jams. Some people go with both systems, using an auger/conveyor to transfer coal between the bin and the hopper.
Q: If I use a coal
bin, where does the bottom of the bin need to be in relation to the
furnace?
A: The bottom of the coal bin needs to be only slightly higher than the bottom of the furnace. I would suggest building either on a hillside so the coal can be loaded above the boiler or have the boiler room below grade.
Q: Can I just put the new Flame King coal boiler where my furnace is now?
A: While it probably is possible to install the Flame King where your furnace is now, it is a better idea to build a small outbuilding away from your main building. This way, in the unlikely event of a fire in either the furnace or coal, damage would be limited to the outbuilding and won't burn down your main building. For this reason, insurance rates are lower if the new Flame King boiler is in an outbuilding. Plus, any dust would be contained in a separate building. However, the outbuilding can get expensive.
Q: What are the
fire hazards associated with coal boilers?
A: If there is no call for heat for prolonged periods, or if the auger jams, there is the possibility the fire will burn down the auger tube into the coal hopper/bin. This is, of course, a considerable fire hazard; though I haven't found anyone who has had a serious fire as a result (even should the fire reach the hopper it still won't burn very fast because it won't get enough oxygen). Still, I strongly recommend against having the outbuilding near any other structures if at all possible.
Q: How much copper
pipe do I need and what will it cost?
A: Copper pipe is expensive, especially in larger sizes (1.5" is about $5/foot as of January 2006). You will need twice the distance between the boiler and where it will tie into the existing heat system. One for the supply line and one for the return. The diameter you will need depends on the heat load.
Q: Should I use
anti-freeze (glycol) in the pipes?
A: Yes. Anti-freeze protected system should be used in case the coal boiler is down long enough for the plumbing to freeze between it and your main building(s). With older installations this may cause problems with the existing plumbing (antifreeze may cause it to leak), so an alternative is to put heat tape on the plumbing.
Q: I burn about
1000 gallons of heating oil a year. Is it cost effective to switch to
coal?
A: I am not sure that burning 1,000 gallons of
heating oil a
year would justify the cost of installing a coal boiler.
Even if you do all the work yourself it is
still a very expensive proposition. Here
in
Q: When should I
order a Flame King coal boiler?
A: There is a considerable lead time to build a
boiler. As
each boiler is individually made, it takes the factory about a month to
put one
together. Delivery then takes 2-3 weeks.
The factory can get very backed up and you should plan at least
3 months
in advance, occasionally a lot longer.
Eventually I hope to stock a few in
Q. What is
considered non-combusitble?
A. 5/8 sheetrock over wood studs is acceptable. Some installations use all metal construction; others use metal over studs, with the metal spaced out 1.5" to provide the fire barrier.
Q. How
much air does the burner need?
A. 114-148 cubic feet per minute (CFM).
Q. How
much does the boiler weigh?
A. Ship weight for the Model 220 boiler is 1,600 pounds. The base is about 200, and other parts around 100-300 pounds (depending on setup). The boiler weighs about 1,100 pounds [need to verify this].
Q. What
angles are needed inside the coal bin?
A. 45º angles will usually allow all the coal to slide down to the auger.
Q. Will
it hurt furnace cement to freeze?
A. Probably.
Q. What
factors determine whether the hold-fire timer
needs to be adjusted up or down?
A. If it goes out, increase it. If the boiler gets too hot, decrease it. You have it right when the fire stays lit without running the boiler temperature up. Note: the hold-fire timer turns on the auger briefly every half hour, to keep the fire going and prevent the fire from burning back down the auger tube.
Q. How
long is to long to leave it unattended?
A. 2-3 days, depending on heating demand (more frequently if more heat is used; longer times if less heat is needed).
Q. It
is recommended to add a little oil to the
coal (1 gallon/ton); what happens if you don't?
A. Oil helps the coal burn and also provides lubrication as it goes through the auger. If you don't oil it you boiler may not work quite as designed, though many people do not oil the Healy coal, which is very soft, without incurring problems. If you do want to oil your coal you can just dump oil over it, or add an injector over the auger tube. 1-2 gallons/ton is best.
Q. How
do you service the burner head, and how
often should it be done?
A. You clean the tuyers (slots) with a hacksaw blade. When the boiler is used lightly you can clean it annually, if heavily used you may have to shut it down mid-winter for an extra cleaning or two to maintain peak efficiency.
Q. How
often do you lubricate all motors &
oil points?
A. Annually. Use non-detergent 20-30 weight oil.
Q. Is
there a pin made that will send an
electric signal when it sheers?
A. Yes, but it is not currently available.
Q. How
do you reverse the direction of the
stoker motor?
A. Switch the red and black wires on the motor.
Q. What
are Tuyeres?
A. Slots the air comes through in the burner head.
Q. How
often does burn-back occur?
A. Very seldom.
Q. Most
of the coal bins I've seen have a lot of
wood in them--ie they'd burn. Is this a
problem?
A. No. The factory does not know of any coal bins that have burnt down from burn-back. The possibility exists though, so the coal bin should be located away from other structures.
Q. Would
thermal shock be a problem with a Flame
King boiler?
A. Very unlikely (it is not nearly as susceptible as cast iron), but a mixing valve would be a good idea where long runs of pipe could get very cold.
Q. When
you have a wide range of firing
conditions (eg -60º F to 50º F) should you re-adjust the air
supply?
A. It is unlikely you would need to do this.
Q. With
the hold-fire is there ever any problem
with too much heat?
A. No; if water gets too hot the aqua stat turns it off.
Q. Do
you need to condition combustion air?
A. It should not be too cold; ie do not pipe it straight in from outside.
Q. What
is the normal chimney temperature?
A. Model 220: 300-350º F. If it is over 350º then you are over-firing the boiler.
Q. Are
ash augers included in the boiler price?
A. No.
Q. Is
there a (summer) minimum heat demand
needed by domestic hot water?
A. No minimum, the hold-fire will usually keep the fire going all summer if that is desired. Of course if it is running all summer you'll need to maintain it all summer too.
Q. Can
I get my domestic hot water from the
boiler?
A. Yes
Q. What
is the warranty and can I get an
extended warranty?
A. 1 year. Currently we do not have an extended warranty available, but we hope to have one by the end of 2006 that will extend out as long as 5 years from purchase date.
Q. How
long do coal augers last?
A. 4-20 years, depending on firing rate and coal quality.
Q. How
long do ash augers last?
A. They almost never wear out.
Q. How
many of these furnaces have been built?
A. When King Coal was building them (starting in the 1980's), they built over 3,000. There was a bit of a hiatus, but A-Z Manufacturing has geared up to full production starting with their first boiler in 2001.
Q. Is there CO
output?
A. As with all fires burning fossil fuels, there is a chance of CO, and it should be guarded against by assuring proper installation of the chimney. If installed within a living area we strongly recommend a CO alarm.
Q. How
high does the chimney need to be?
A. This varies with installation; it needs to be well above the ridge-line (see instruction manual) to assure it will draft correctly during inversion conditions.
Q. What
size electrical breaker should I use?
A. 15 amp fuse should be used.
Q. What
spares do you recommend?
A. Coal & Heat in
Q. Are
there EPA regulations I need to follow?
A. No, not in
Q. Is
the Flame King UL rated?
A. It is built to ASTM standards, but is not UL rated.
Q. Is
there a web site with more information?
A. The factory has a web site at: http://flameking.net/
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