Time for Spring Boiler Setting

 
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vermontday
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Post by vermontday » Wed. Apr. 12, 2023 7:53 pm

Noticed my boiler was starting to take heat shedding dumps to my dump zone (family room) during a warm day last week, so knew it was time to lower the boiler LL temp from my winter 190 F setting to my spring 160 F setting.

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Fluffing the fire because of few natural heat calls.

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Day Dump count, where the boiler couldn't fluff the fire because it had reached high temp boiler limit and had to dump btu's.

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Day after lowering boiler temp LL.

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Day after lowering boiler temp LL.

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Day after lowering boiler temp LL.



 
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vermontday
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Post by vermontday » Wed. Apr. 12, 2023 8:06 pm

Just noticed posting the above that I hadn't set my outfire timer down from 60 min winter setting to 30 min summer setting and my dump from 70 min winter setting to 40 min summer setting. So I just did that. I am getting old!

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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Apr. 12, 2023 8:39 pm

vermontday wrote:
Wed. Apr. 12, 2023 7:53 pm
Noticed my boiler was starting to take heat shedding dumps to my dump zone (family room) during a warm day last week, so knew it was time to lower the boiler LL temp from my winter 190 F setting to my spring 160 F setting.
Does the boiler maintain 190F during the heating season? Or is that the high limit it will reach on a long heat call?

I run mine at 160 with a 10 degree differential for most of the heating season.

 
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vermontday
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Post by vermontday » Wed. Apr. 12, 2023 9:27 pm

I usually set the LL for 180 F for most of the winter. However with that bitter cold we had I set the LL to 190 F. I had forgotten to lower it after the weather warmed.

I leave the HL at 210 F and the differential at 10.

The reason I go with a shorter out fire time in the spring is the warm weather reduces the chimney draft.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Apr. 13, 2023 7:34 am

vermontday wrote:
Wed. Apr. 12, 2023 9:27 pm
I usually set the LL for 180 F for most of the winter. However with that bitter cold we had I set the LL to 190 F. I had forgotten to lower it after the weather warmed.

I leave the HL at 210 F and the differential at 10.

The reason I go with a shorter out fire time in the spring is the warm weather reduces the chimney draft.
Next winter try leaving it at 160 and see how far you can make it. I would expect it will heat your house fine on all but a few days. For every 4 degrees you reduce the operating temperate you should see about a 1% reduction in fuel consumption, and the heat calls will be longer with less variability in room temperature.

I run a 30 minute timer cycle in warm weather also. Not only does it maintain the draft better, the fire responds faster on heavy DHW usage.

 
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Post by vermontday » Thu. Apr. 13, 2023 10:24 am

Good to know Rob.

I will try leaving it longer at 160 F next fall.

Thanks

 
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Post by StokerDon » Fri. Apr. 14, 2023 7:47 am

Thanks for the reminder!!!

It's been in the 80's for the past few days down here and the garage has been in the 90's. :o
I totally forgot about lowering the boiler temp from 175 to 155 for Summer running.
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The Inkbird's that I am using work a little differently than an Aquastat as far as differential goes. With a setpoint of 155 degrees and Hysteresis of 5 degrees the boiler will fire at 150 degrees and stop at 160.
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I have been seeing overshoots to about 210 degrees this week. :what:

Again, thanks for the reminder!
-Don


 
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Post by mozz » Fri. Apr. 14, 2023 3:16 pm

"For every 4 degrees you reduce the operating temperate you should see about a 1% reduction in fuel consumption"

Not all are happy with a constant temp in all the rooms, i like to know when the heat is on. More btu's from higher temps. Coal likes to burn hot. I can bet the year to year winter temp difference is way more than 1% so i doubt there will be any savings you can actually see.

 
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Post by vermontday » Fri. Apr. 14, 2023 3:20 pm

That's quite a system you have there StokerDon!

We are in the 80's here now. I lowered the boiler to 150F and have had one dump so far today as it walks its way up to 210F.

When I installed the boiler, I insulated inside and outside the base and all the pipes are insulated, so this isn't bad for a super insulated heat generator. Tuff to make an air conditioner out of it!

I will run it for another week or so and then switch over to oil for my domestic hot water.

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Post by vermontday » Fri. Apr. 14, 2023 3:47 pm

I just signed a contract this morning to have 43 PV solar panels installed on my garage roof.

Next week I will be signing a contract for a heat pump for our family room to suck up the extra electricity.

Then I can watch the heat pump air condition the family room when the EFM uses it as a dump zone.

American ingenuity at its finest!

 
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Post by Rob R. » Fri. Apr. 14, 2023 6:38 pm

vermontday wrote:
Fri. Apr. 14, 2023 3:20 pm

We are in the 80's here now. I lowered the boiler to 150F and have had one dump so far today as it walks its way up to 210F.

When I installed the boiler, I insulated inside and outside the base and all the pipes are insulated
You must be running 5 or 6 teeth of feed? Even with it well insulated you should be able to avoid the dump zone cycle.

Mine has no dump zone at all, just a second high limit control set at 210. Boiler and piping is insulated also, I have not caught it over 180F.

 
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Post by vermontday » Sat. Apr. 15, 2023 9:44 am

4 teeth...

 
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Apr. 15, 2023 10:35 am

vermontday wrote:
Sat. Apr. 15, 2023 9:44 am
4 teeth...
I guess you really do have it insulated like a thermos!

 
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Post by SMITTY » Sat. Apr. 15, 2023 12:54 pm

I lowered my temp to ZERO. :D
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Post by davidmcbeth3 » Sat. Apr. 15, 2023 1:20 pm

vermontday wrote:
Fri. Apr. 14, 2023 3:47 pm
I just signed a contract this morning to have 43 PV solar panels installed on my garage roof.

Next week I will be signing a contract for a heat pump for our family room to suck up the extra electricity.

Then I can watch the heat pump air condition the family room when the EFM uses it as a dump zone.

American ingenuity at its finest!
Start a thread on your PV system...keep track and post KW produced by them.


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