KA6 best triple aquastat?

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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Wed. Nov. 15, 2017 8:42 pm

I might be in the market for a new aquastat. The turn knobs on this one are feeling a bit unhappy and I know the one is off by 10*

I read about Coaltrol coming with the new models. There are different makes out there.

I may want to tweak blower, feed, etc to better match demand and conserve fuel in the near future.

I'd like to hear any knowledge or experience you might have about retrofitting to a different aquastat and why it is better/best?

Thanks in advance

 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Wed. Nov. 15, 2017 9:01 pm

I have been running a Hydrostat for a little over a month on my EFM and so far I am well pleased. There are a few features that are saving me some coal too. I like that it will often purge enough hot water from the boiler to satisfy a thermostat call without firing the stoker. Somehow it keeps track of how often the heating calls are coming and it establishes a target temperature that keeps the boiler from running upon the high limit all the time.

I don’t want to start the mechanical vs. electronic war again, everyone has their preferences. I have nothing bad to say about mechanical aquastats, I have several still in service around here. With that being said I can see some would be apprehensive about relying on an aquastat with a circuit board and I was at first too...but I have also had the mechanicals fail on me as well.

Just my thoughts. :)

 
lzaharis
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Post by lzaharis » Wed. Nov. 15, 2017 9:41 pm

You will not make a mistake with the Honeywell L8124L1011 horizontal triple aquaststat plus the Mcdonnel & Miller RB-122-E low water cut off wired first to cut off all power in the event of a low water condition. Its very satisfying knowing the RB-122-E has the green light on. The folks at Patriot Supply are top notch and they can have a new Honeywell L8124L1011 triple Aquastat for you in two weeks or so when ordered.

The Mcdonnel & Miller low water cut off can be ordered from any B+G reseller as its under the xylem brand just like the B+G products.

The OEM hydrostat 3250 plus that came with my KAA-4-1 failed and did not shut the boiler down due to the low water condition.

I installed the second one and ran it on oil to test it and as I stood there the computer turned off the low water cut off function which I programmed into the system and the second junk chinese gauge also did not work properly. I replaced that one with a Marshalltown triple aquastat with the altitude gauge.

The honeywell triple aquastat that controlled my wood and coal boiler and the oil boiler were flawless from 1988 until I had the stoker installed in 2015 by those so called plumbers I hired.

I sleep much better now knowing I have controls that work. Still ticks me off that they would not exchange my three bed stoker for a smaller single bed stoker and the $900.00 price for the single bed stoker and the new attachment plate for it was hard to stomach.
Last edited by lzaharis on Thu. Nov. 16, 2017 12:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.


 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Wed. Nov. 15, 2017 10:03 pm

Thanks for the details.

It seems I asked a similar question a while back: Hydrostat 3250 Opinions- Will I Save Money? Pro and Cons?

But I can't seem to sort the details... :(

Maybe I'll be thinking clearer in a bit.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Nov. 16, 2017 7:37 am

"Best" is different for everyone.

Some people might think the aquastat with the most features is best, others might think the most rugged/reliable aquastat is best. In no particular order...

The Hydrolevel brand units probably have the most features, but they also seem to be the most likely to have issues. I started using them 5 years ago, and have had a few hiccups with mine. The other 4 I have installed are working fine. I have heard that these aquastats have been improved a lot in the last few years, but I am vague on the details. From my experience I can tell you that the "smart" aquastats DO save fuel in an application where the boiler would otherwise run up to the high limit on a regular basis.

Honeywell makes a electronic triple aquastat that also supports outdoor reset, but I do not know much about their reliability.

The Honeywell L8124 units are probably the most tried and true triple aquastats out there. If you want to use a triple, and don't need any other features built in, it is probably the way to go.

Beckett makes an "Aquasmart" that I do not know much about.

Lastly, depending on how your system is setup, you may not need a triple aquastat at all. Keystokers are big and slow to respond, so in some cases holding them at a setpoint with a single aquastat like a Honeywell L4006A might make the most sense.

 
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CoalisCoolxWarm
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Posts: 2323
Joined: Wed. Jan. 19, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Western PA
Stoker Coal Boiler: Keystoker KA-6
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: old Sears rebuilt, bituminous- offline as of winter 2014
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite Buckwheat
Other Heating: Oil Boiler

Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Thu. Nov. 16, 2017 10:25 am

Thanks, Rob.

I have the 8124A ("A" not "M") and there is much room for improvement, especially during these shoulder months.

1. The turn knob adjustments are likely going to be issues soon. The low setpoint is off by 10*, since I installed it, from the top gauge. Could be a factor of install/location/etc. It was used and had wear on it when I got it with the system.

2. My boiler is always 185F, even though I have the high aquastat set at 170F. Probably a factor of the amount of pins on my timer, but on a call for heat from a zone the stoker runs. A purge that utilizes the stored heat in the boiler would be amazing in these low load times.

3. The boiler standby seems to always be about 185F. I know my heating system would be well served to move that heat out of the boiler to the house. Heck, I'd be good dumping it into the basement radiators instead of in the boiler. After all, the goal is to heat the house, not the boiler ;)

4. Setpoints....weather it is based on outdoor temps (pun!) or indoor loads, or manually adjusting setpoints for the season, I do change them a few times a year. I *might* be looking at smart thermostats, thought I haven't found any that do what I want. Might be a design project in the near future now that I'm feeling better. A few things ahead of it in line, unfortunately.

5. Constant blower fan and timer cycles...Mine are high and I know it. I would like to adjust those at some point, but I am not confident in the precise adjustment and functions of the triple aquastat and don't want an out-fire. An ash bin full of coal and an empty hopper is NOT a pleasant greeting. If I can get good tuning abilities (maybe with a flame sensor tied in), I can tweak that- should lead to a 20% savings, maybe?

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