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[JDfarmer]

I just followed Scott7m's advice with the differential. I went to see my Amish friend who sells boilers, he said the exact same thing. Keep the diff at 3-5 a most.
Thanks Scott!!
I'm new to these boiler. I used coal stoves for many years. I must say, boilers are WAY WAY WAY more complicated than stoves. A stove you load, shake, load, shake. Empty sometimes. Than you load, shake, load, shake...you don't set anything other than the air vent and damper.
There are so many variables with these boilers. I must say, you kind of have to pay attention much closed than a stove.
Anyway, I love mine now.

[woodedacres]

okay checked stove at 4:30 am. been 14 hrs. reason I checked was that I noticed house blower running a long time between cycles( 25 minutes) went out to boiler and the stove was down to 124° and coal was down to the 1st row of fire brick . seemed like plenty of coal still in there. barely burning though just a little bit way in the back.  was barely enough to light the wood I had to add. wife will be up soon for work and will be upset to wake to a cold house since she was against ant experiment again.

[JDfarmer]

okay checked stove at 4:30 am. been 14 hrs. reason I checked was that I noticed house blower running a long time between cycles( 25 minutes) went out to boiler and the stove was down to 124° and coal was down to the 1st row of fire brick . seemed like plenty of coal still in there. barely burning though just a little bit way in the back.  was barely enough to light the wood I had to add. wife will be up soon for work and will be upset to wake to a cold house since she was against ant experiment again.

So,

a/ did it keep you house warm for 12hrs, and than cooled down,

 or

b/ did it just gradually cool down.

if a/ start over - see below

if b/ I'd have the boiler looked at, there might be an issues with it. You said that it burns wood ok, and you heated your house with wood before, so I doubt that there is any problems with your boiler.

I would start again, and follow what I do;

I HAD SOME BAGGED ANTHROCITE, IT IS VERY WET, AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BURN. Don't use it unless you can dry it.

I use dumped anthrocite mixed with bit coal and 2 logs. I had the exact same result with bagged anthracite. Doesn't burn well, and goes out in some areas, some ares keep burning low than go out.

I would try what I wrote before, and below here.
If your boiler burns wood ok, than there is not problem with it. You are only changing the fuel type. As I said, you are having the exact same problems as I did. With some minor changes I got mine working in a week, and it's been running awesome since. I was ready to send it back before.


So start again with the way I described it intermix two or three logs with the anthracite or mix some bit coal with anthracite.
Then check it every 10 to 12 hours just to begin with if you need to add coal just add a couple shovels.
Maybe change the differential to five and see what happens.

If you cannot get it to work just call NCB. 
As I said anthracite coal is very difficult to burn A lot of times mine doesn't burn evenly either. That's why I have to mix some bit cool or wood.
Start over with some wood mixed with the anthracite or bit coal mixed with the anthsite and put a couple logs on top

[woodedacres]

ati53, i want to thank you for trying to aid in my trying anthracite coal again. i have to give up with it for now and go back to a combo of bituminous coal and wood. it worked fairly well last season. i was just so impressed with your burn times i had to try it. i may revisit anthracite when the weather breaks just a little. and i agree with you that  scott7m is a godsend for info on these boilers. he has advised me on more than one  occasion with everything him telling me being exactly the case. happy holidays everyone

[JDfarmer]

Have you checked your stack?
Is it blocked!!!!

now something may be wrong. I am having trouble keeping a fire with a proven combo wood/bit. took the blower off and inspected the draft opening for blockage. negative wide open. did notice the rubber flap is cracked but would give the opposite effect. only other thing I did was hoe A LOT of ash build up around the stack. I have a bit and ant coal combination since 5:30 am and when I did it the fire was growing strong as I shut the door. at 9am fire is/was almost out and the fire box is almost full to the fire bricks still. stove down to 129°.   

[JDfarmer]

The main reasons the fire would die out to me;

1. if there is no oxygen coming in, - blower.
2. no fuel, not enough fuel.
3. blocked stack!!!!!!!! Smoke can't escape. - make sure to look at this.
4. too much time in the differential before the fan comes on, so, the fire dies out between cycles.

In your case;
1- you said that the fan is working. Is it working properly?
2. There is fuel.
3. Check stack
4. you should be good at diff of 3-5.

I'd look, if the fan actually works. Does it lift up? May be the cracked flapper doesn't lift up and no oxygen in going in.
Also, check the stack.

Also, check to make sure the draft opening is not blocked by wood or coal ash.

can't think of anything else right now.

[woodedacres]

winner winner chicken dinner. i believe the draft opening being plugged was the culprit. pleasure speaking with you ati53. when you mentioned the ash door blowing ashes all over the place when opened while the blower was running got me to thinking. i haven't had it blast ashes in a loooong time. went out and checked after speaking with you and it does now. Scott7m i called you and left a message. need to order some things

[woodedacres]

natures comfort ncb250 coal. this is getting to be like a boat for me. two best days owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. the latter of the two is fast approaching for me

[rick n kristi]

Are you doing any better? Where are you located?

[woodedacres]

marginal success. lost fire sometime this morning. stove was 147° when i went out at 9am. fire pretty much out except for an area 10inches by inches. threw some slabwood in to hopefully reignite the coal. burning lehigh anthracite nut coal. draft at 2 1/2 notches from closed 175/3 aquastat settings. cast iron shaker grates...i also increased the demand in house by raising stat so hopefully it helps for the long idle times. i am in ashtabula county ohio...

[JDfarmer]

Well, I think we tried everything remotely. Next thing would be to have someone look at your boiler.
I have the same NCB 250 coal, with the difference of stainless steal shaker grates I guess.
Mine works awesome as long as I use good coal; Blackshack anthrocite. (when I was using crappy bit. coal, I was ready to return the boiler. It was awful. Fire dies out in 8-10 hrs, lot of nasty smoke, lot of ash, etc.)
There is like no smoke at all with the anthrocite. No ash either. Just a very fine powered.
I much much much prefer burning anthracite over wood.

As soon as I switched to this Blackshack anthrocite coal, and I changed my settings all my problems went away ;

new settings 10/2013 to resolve the issues;

172/5/100-80% draft open/
house at 72F,
and I load the coal in the middle,
shake it once a day gently,
load at 9pm 6 shovels +1-2 logs at most,
top off with 4 shovels of coal at 7am, all is good. I can go 20-28 hrs with coal.

I had all the same issues as you, before this. I have not touched any of the setting for 2+ months, because all is good now.
There has to be something with the boiler.

All it needs is fuel, and air for the coal to burn.
I wonder if your draft opening keeps getting clogged since it was clogged before.
Don't load the coal or wood all the way in the back.
Have you taken the blower off since last time you de-clogged it? It would be interesting to see if it is clogged again.
I would open the draft all the way. The only reason a coal fire would go out, if;
#1 out of air,
#2 out of fuel/coal

It almost seems to me that it is out of air, that's why it goes out so quickly.
With your settings at 175/3 that blower is coming on pretty ofter even when it's warm outside.
Mine is at 172/5 and it never goes out. I have heat and water hooked up at the house.
When I had my differential higher 180/12 my fire did go out. It was because, coal over shoots the high temp.
So it would start at 168F, get a very hot fire, shot off at 180, but the hot coal would heat the water to 188-190+, than it would idle till water drops to 168F, which is 20F difference, that could take a long time to drop to.
I have a termometer set up that is 0.5F accurate, and now with 172/5 setting; I get 170-165, sometimes if I open the load door 161F.
My house is at 72-74, and all the hot water.
So, I think your settings are good.
I'd look at the draft again, open it more, and check if it is clogged (take blower off, and stick the broom stick in to see like last time). May be shop vacuum it out from both side, ash pan, and blower unmounted.
After that, new boiler…

 
 

[woodedacres]

don't know what to say. fire went out again. house freezing. boiler at 113°. plenty of material. i will take blower back off once it quits snowing and i have daylight. opened draft all the way and it will barely burn. cleaned draft opening a week ago. fill up with ash in a week? when i empty it daily? i don't know but i will check. out of ideas

[JDfarmer]

Has to be a bad boiler.
Unless the shaker grates do not allow enough air trough. Why would the fire constantly die out, if there is plenty of fuel, and the blower is running.
Have you tried burning wood lately?
Can you burn wood and maintain temperature without the fire going out?
You said you could heat the house last year ok, but could never burn coal. I wonder what happened since? Bad shaker grates?!
Man, this is very strange.

don't know what to say. fire went out again. house freezing. boiler at 113°. plenty of material. i will take blower back off once it quits snowing and i have daylight. opened draft all the way and it will barely burn. cleaned draft opening a week ago. fill up with ash in a week? when i empty it daily? i don't know but i will check. out of ideas

[allis48]

Mine isn't a coal unit, but I had a problem where it wouldn't build any heat then die. I found that the ash falls from ash pan and plugs blower opening in the bottom, so I made a rake to rake it out every once in a while

[JDfarmer]

I'm so glad that you posted this. I thought for a while that wood acres having that very problem. He's was clogged before and when he de clogged it with the broom stick it was working for a while.
I think it keeps getting clogged with ash for him.
I really can't see why else he would keep loosing fire.
I burn my coal wood only in the middle and front and never had any issues.
Thanks for the post.

Mine isn't a coal unit, but I had a problem where it wouldn't build any heat then die. I found that the ash falls from ash pan and plugs blower opening in the bottom, so I made a rake to rake it out every once in a while