Looking to Install a Boiler

Post by **Rob R.** » Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 11:14 am

Greg A. wrote: ↑
Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 9:34 am
Ok. Thanks. I'll adjust my diff.

If you have large cast iron radiators in the system you may find that a differential of 15 works best. No harm in experimenting.

anthony7812 · Post by **anthony7812** » Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 3:42 pm

StokerDon wrote: ↑
Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 9:14 am

1) There is a pressure/temperature relief valve on the tank. This will vent water out of the tank if the temp gets to 155 degrees.

I took attention to that. Someone prior mentioned the relief valve and temperature setting. If you noticed I pulled it out and installed it into a tee where the sidearm returns domestic back into the tank. I’ve spent years calibrating and testing relief valves and unless I missed something it’s only a spring pressure valve. It had zero mechanism for temperature. It’s only maybe 4 years old off the shelf of a lowes store. Dunno but it should have popped by now, I was reading 160~161 earlier.

Greg A. · Post by **Greg A.** » Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 3:48 pm

You will like your electric bill now that your heating your dhw with the boiler. Mine dropped between $75 and $100 a month. You will wish you did it years ago.

anthony7812 · Post by **anthony7812** » Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 3:52 pm

Thanks Greg !

SD, did a quick check of the metal tag. It does have wording of 210F max. Now I’m not sure how that would set off without any type of mechanism to overcome spring pressure.

Greg A. · Post by **Greg A.** » Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 7:36 pm

I have heated my dhw since 2008 and my family loves it. I don't have a mixing valve on mine but my kids grew up with common sense. My son was 4 years old my daughter was 1 year old so they grew up with it. Not saying it's right just telling it like it is...

Post by **StokerDon** » Sun. Dec. 19, 2021 9:37 am

anthony7812 wrote: ↑
Sat. Dec. 18, 2021 3:52 pm
SD, did a quick check of the metal tag. It does have wording of 210F max. Now I’m not sure how that would set off without any type of mechanism to overcome spring pressure.

Your right! I had remembered that they are 155 degrees, but I remembered wrong. All of the temperature/pressure relief valves that I have are rated to open at 210 degrees like you said.

The temperature/pressure relief valves have a temperature probe. This expands as the temp rises and opens the valve at the 210 degree set point.

-Don

anthony7812 · Post by **anthony7812** » Tue. Dec. 21, 2021 5:35 am

So I’m placing some money on this electric water heater being my heaviest source of electrical usage. Wow has my coal consumption dramatically increased. I don’t take much of a notice of runtime increases with outside temp swings unless we get down to single digits. Since tossing this heat exchanger on, holy smokes I’m chewin some coal. I’ve had my breaker off since Saturday morning and this sidearm has kept up. My bin not so much haha. Never been excited to see my next electric bill before.

Post by **StokerDon** » Tue. Dec. 21, 2021 7:01 pm

anthony7812 wrote: ↑
Tue. Dec. 21, 2021 5:35 am
Since tossing this heat exchanger on, holy smokes I’m chewin some coal. I’ve had my breaker off since Saturday morning and this sidearm has kept up. My bin not so much haha.

That's OK, it's fun to burn coal!

Ya can't really say that about watching an electric water heater.

-Don

Post by **Lightning** » Tue. Dec. 21, 2021 7:40 pm

Here's a clip from the Metering DHW thread...

Today's end will mark 3 full days of DHW metering.. we're looking at about 75 gallons per day so far. Although, It's not a fair representation yet.

That would translate into about $16 per month (136 pounds) for coal OR a whopping $78 per month for electric.

Based on running the Axe 10 months that'd be 1360 pounds

I should also note that a net of $620 was saved over that 10 month period.

Metering Domestic Hot Water Usage

My point being that even for an average of 75 gallons per day of DHW usage, it only added about 4.5 pounds of coal to my daily coal usage.

BunkerdCaddis · Post by **BunkerdCaddis** » Tue. Dec. 21, 2021 10:30 pm

StokerDon wrote: ↑
Tue. Dec. 21, 2021 7:01 pm
Ya can't really say that about watching an electric water heater.
-Don

Come now Don, we may be a little off kilter

, we may be a little... ahem, how shall I saw this... a bit odd

But bored we are not

, at least not that bored.

oliver power · Post by **oliver power** » Wed. Dec. 22, 2021 6:10 am

anthony7812 wrote: ↑
Tue. Dec. 10, 2013 1:12 pm
I'm not sure why copper fin baseboard wouldn't cut it? Sized properly I don't know why it wouldn't work, first I personally heard of this. Some citing would be nice, I'm far from an expert on hot water space heating.

I used copper finned baseboard in my install. It is very comfortable. And my temp difference from one end of house, to the other is exactly the same. Only during the deep
freeze does that change by one or two degree according to thermostats. I don't think I were feeling that. I do monitor all three thermostats. My place is 65' long, and the little Kaa-2 boiler is at one end due to chimney. I am completely happy with my set-up. The hot water traveling from boiler to finned baseboard keeps my floors warm as well.

Post by **Rob R.** » Thu. Dec. 23, 2021 8:47 am

anthony7812 wrote: ↑
Tue. Dec. 21, 2021 5:35 am
So I’m placing some money on this electric water heater being my heaviest source of electrical usage. Wow has my coal consumption dramatically increased. I don’t take much of a notice of runtime increases with outside temp swings unless we get down to single digits. Since tossing this heat exchanger on, holy smokes I’m chewin some coal. I’ve had my breaker off since Saturday morning and this sidearm has kept up. My bin not so much haha. Never been excited to see my next electric bill before.

Yes sir - domestic hot water can really consume some energy. How many people live in your house?

anthony7812 · Post by **anthony7812** » Thu. Dec. 23, 2021 8:58 am

4 of us. 3 ladies who like to make a daily sauna each if not 2 haha. Then figure daily dishwasher run and laundry at warm setting. Still no electrical power going to water heater and it's keeping up just fine. Today is day 6 and we can say it's able to keep up better than just the electric.

anthony7812 · Post by **anthony7812** » Thu. Dec. 23, 2021 9:02 am

Side note, with house at 71ish and the water heater load I'm using about 2 ~ 2.5 , 5 gallon pails of rice coal per day. Average outiside temp is about 30-33 with decent wind here. Super precise measurents lol. Still half of what the hand-fired needed to heat this house and thats without heating hot water.

anthony7812 · Post by **anthony7812** » Thu. Jan. 27, 2022 12:51 pm

Update: mid November to mid December electric bill @300$.
December to Jan———-208.13$
I’m able to see my usage trend per day. Jan 1st (50 degrees outside) I was about 30kw. last weekend with that negative 8 we had, I hit about 58kw. My electric usage definitely follows outside temperature now. Prior weeks I can tell laundry days and must have been sauna showers. We haven’t seen anything above 60kw usage per day since prior to install. We found a couple 75-80kw days looking back. Whew. This exchanger will pay for itself in this heating season alone. Highly recommend that tube in shell unit. Dragon brand 38 inch sidearm. Super easy install.