Externally adjusted primary control modifiaction on new EKO40 resulted in best burn yet !!!!

[Northwoodsman]

I am in my 2nd month of heating with my EKO40 system and yesterday had the best burn I've head yet (with several inches of nice red coals towards the end of the 7 hour burn that I have never seen before).

The settings I used were: 60% on fan controller, 50% on air intake louver on fan itself, 4 turns on secondary adjusters and 6mm gap on primary adjusters (I actually opened these wide open to get the intital fire going and then throttled them back to 6mm).

A few days ago I spent an hour and was able to add simple, externally adjustable primary controls on my EKO40 and thus have been experimenting extensively since then in order to get the burn described above.

Here's what I did:

1.) Cut 2" x 1/8" steel flat stock into 2" lengths (2 pcs).

2.) Drill a 3/8" hole on the centerline (1" in from edge) and at a distance of 1-3/4" from the edge of the 2" x 2" plates.

3.) Weld the 2" plates to the exisiting primary slide plates at a distance of approx. 1/4" from the end of the slot in the exisitng primary slide pates.

4.) Install these new primary plates to the EKO using a washer/spring/washer combo and 8mm x1.25" locknut (I replaced the exisitng nuts with a locknut as I did not want these coming loose). I applied high temp anti-sieze between the back side of the slide plates and boiler surface to ensure long term, smooth movement. Tighten the 8mm locknuts until the slide plate is tight but will still slide.

5.) Drill a 1/4" hole thru the EKO side plate (L & R) at approx. 1-3/4" off of the primary adjuster plates (I made a center punch mark on the c-channel that is used to support the gasket material and drilled these holes from the inside out).

6.) Install a 1/4" stovebolt through the 1/4" drilled hole (from the outside) and screw a nut onto the end of the stovebolt. Screw the nut far enough so that the stovebolt sticks out past the nut approx. 1/2".

7.) Align the end of the stovebolt with the hole in the 2" plate and insert bolt into hole in plate. Making sure that
the stove bolt is horizontal/aligned properly, tack weld the nut to the 2" plate.

8.) Install a second nut onto the 1/4" stove bolt (on the other side of the plate) and tighten the nut so that the stove bolt is securely fastened to the plate.

Obviously you must take the blower plate with the 12 screws out to get to these primary slide adjusters.

Now you can sit back and reap the rewards of a much more efficient system ! Good luck with your experimenting !

BC

 

[Dave T]

Looks good, and I like the new design behind the blower panel that has less space for the blower air to bounce around..Dave

 

[Duetech]

It looks like the primary air controllers for "new" 40 are placed high like in the 60 model!

 

[leaddog]

I like the way you did this. Now to go one step futher and make it very easy to adj. Weld a heavy nut on the outside where the bolt comes thru, and put double nuts on the plate locked down so the bolt will turn in the plate. now you can just turn the bolt and the plate will move. calibrate it so you know how many turns is a mm and you have a fast and easy way to adj the primary's just like the secondary's. (three turns- 6mm, four-7mm etc)
I just changed mine yesterday. wish you would have posted this before I did it. Now I'm going to have to redo it. thanks
leaddog

 

[Eric Johnson]

Very nice. It's on my list of things to do.

Somewhat along those lines, I've been playing around with the fan speed settings recently, and I wish they could be changed with a dial on the controller panel, instead of having to go through the menu. That's because I like to change the settings according to where I'm at in the burn. I usually start with 100%, and then throttle it back to something between 50 and 100%, depending. Last night it was cold and I ran at 50%--woke up to a nice warm house and a good bed of coals in the firebox.

With all these new control options, I think that over time, we'll get a pretty good handle on the optimum settings for various weather conditions, plus condition and species of wood as well. That's pretty exciting, really.

 

[Sizzler]

Looks good Northwoodsman. I fixed mine up yesterday and am very pleased with how much more control I have over my burns. Now I can see exactly what effect the primary air has during all stages of the burn. Well worth the time for anyone who is considering this mod. I still need to cut my threaded rod and add some handles to them for a nice finished look. So far, the threads seem to hold the rod in place throughout the burn without any type of locking device.

 

[Sizzler]

It is good to use locktight or a jamb nut to keep the plate held snug against the boiler and prevent unwanted movement due to vibration.

 

[Duetech]

Very nice. It's on my list of things to do.

Somewhat along those lines, I've been playing around with the fan speed settings recently, and I wish they could be changed with a dial on the controller panel, instead of having to go through the menu. That's because I like to change the settings according to where I'm at in the burn. I usually start with 100%, and then throttle it back to something between 50 and 100%, depending. Last night it was cold and I ran at 50%--woke up to a nice warm house and a good bed of coals in the firebox.

With all these new control options, I think that over time, we'll get a pretty good handle on the optimum settings for various weather conditions, plus condition and species of wood as well. That's pretty exciting, really.

Dial type speed control? What about a ceiling fan speed control switch? Thanks for the idea Eric. If it weren't for the extra heat settings for the new controller I might for go the controller for the fan switch. I still might. Time to delve a little more.

 

[Northwoodsman]

I forgot to mention another modification I had to make to the cover that has the 12 screws in it.

There are (2) reinforcement ribs on the back side of this cover that actually rub against the stove bolt when the cover is installed and prevent the slide from being moved.

Thus, I had to grind a "v" notch in each one of these ribs so that there was clearance between these ribs and the stove bolt. I just screwed the cover in place and used the witness marks where the reinforcement rib hit the bolts, removed the cover and ground the notch in the ribs.

BC

 

[stee6043]

Any issues with leaking at your penetrations through the sidewall? Looks pretty sweet....but I'm betting this pretty well destroys your warranty???

 

[Northwoodsman]

I'm assuming that since I did not modify the boiler waterjacket itself (I only drilled a hole in the non critical flange that protrudes from the boiler) that it should not effect the warranty.

Additionally, I did not modify anything that would alter the original design intent of the boiler or primary air adjustment, rather I only made it much more convienient to adjust the primary air slides so that I could get the most efficient combustion possible. After all, isn't that why we all purchased this type of wood boiler?

BC

 

[Northwoodsman]

I forgot to mention that I've had no issues with the blower air escaping through the (2) 1/4" holes that the stove bolt goes through.

Another reason I used the anti-sieze compound was to provides a good seal in this area.

BC

 

[Dave T]

ORLAN,
TAKE NOTES WE'LL SHOW YOU THE WAYALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS INCORPERATE THIS INFO TO YOUR NEW PRODUCT LINE...Dave

 

[Kipstr]

That looks like the best fix. Good Job. I wil be adding as soon as I make pair.