Fireman_dcb
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2002
- Messages
- 63
- Tractor
- John Deere 790
Not sure if this is the place to post but here goes....
we bought a pellet stove last year, worked like a champ we saved about 500 bucks when comparing cost of pellets to oil. 4 more years and the stove will have paid for itself.
But, I have to give the heat exhangers a good cleaning every year using two pull rods that scrape off any fly ash from off the outside of the tubes in the heat exchange box. Side A on the right side works fine, Side B on the left side will pull out about 1/2 way then stop. Seems to be an issue with some serious fly ash build up. I needed to take out the right side cast iron plate then remove the top cast iron plate in order to access the tubes.
Here comes the p.i.t.a. I was using a 5/32" hex head on a 1/4" drive with a 6" extension to remove the bolt that holds the plate in place.... I got about 1/4 turn on the socket when the blasted hole stripped out. Made a trip to Sears to buy a "back out" kit that I saw advertised on TV. I drilled the hole as the instructions stated, inserted the backout device and began to exert pressure; obviously more then the backout device could handle 'cuz my brand spanking new Sears Craftsman backout device snapped like a dry twig - of course it broke off flush with the head of the bolt that I was trying to get out.
I spent the next 30 minutes trying various methods to remove said broken backout device from the stripped out bolt; from vice grips to redrilling the broken backout device (of course its hardened steel that will snap but its not easy to drill).
I'm thinking that my next step should be welding a nut to the head of the bold and try to get it out that way - which would entail me A.) buying a welder (which would move the break even price of the stove back a few years), B.) trying to remember the welding lessons I learned 25 years ago from my highschool ag teacher (I'm sure whatever I do will look like bird crap), C.) trying not to set fire to the living room and D.) not to mention having the pleasure of listening to my CEO remind me about this incident for years to come .... any other suggestions on how to remove the bolt?
we bought a pellet stove last year, worked like a champ we saved about 500 bucks when comparing cost of pellets to oil. 4 more years and the stove will have paid for itself.
But, I have to give the heat exhangers a good cleaning every year using two pull rods that scrape off any fly ash from off the outside of the tubes in the heat exchange box. Side A on the right side works fine, Side B on the left side will pull out about 1/2 way then stop. Seems to be an issue with some serious fly ash build up. I needed to take out the right side cast iron plate then remove the top cast iron plate in order to access the tubes.
Here comes the p.i.t.a. I was using a 5/32" hex head on a 1/4" drive with a 6" extension to remove the bolt that holds the plate in place.... I got about 1/4 turn on the socket when the blasted hole stripped out. Made a trip to Sears to buy a "back out" kit that I saw advertised on TV. I drilled the hole as the instructions stated, inserted the backout device and began to exert pressure; obviously more then the backout device could handle 'cuz my brand spanking new Sears Craftsman backout device snapped like a dry twig - of course it broke off flush with the head of the bolt that I was trying to get out.
I spent the next 30 minutes trying various methods to remove said broken backout device from the stripped out bolt; from vice grips to redrilling the broken backout device (of course its hardened steel that will snap but its not easy to drill).
I'm thinking that my next step should be welding a nut to the head of the bold and try to get it out that way - which would entail me A.) buying a welder (which would move the break even price of the stove back a few years), B.) trying to remember the welding lessons I learned 25 years ago from my highschool ag teacher (I'm sure whatever I do will look like bird crap), C.) trying not to set fire to the living room and D.) not to mention having the pleasure of listening to my CEO remind me about this incident for years to come .... any other suggestions on how to remove the bolt?