iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Central Boiler Edge 750 Titanium

Started by Logging logginglogging, June 18, 2017, 09:55:46 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Logging logginglogging

So My new boiler is on the way, I am pretty excited and will install it over the summer. I have never really done step by step update post but I think I will give it a try, I am very excited to get it installed and have heard really great things about it. I will take pictures and do the best I can to tell everyone about it.
It will be at my dealer around Thursday, but unfortunately I will be out of town so I will not be able to take delivery until the following week.

Roger2561

logging, etc...  I'll be following this thread.  I just finished my 6th season heating my home with an E-Classic 1400 and DHW and I know nothing lasts forever.  I hope to get another 3 or 4 years out it before I have to replace it.  Heck, I have a professional welder/metal fabricator making a new air channel for the 1400 due to it coming part at the welds and cracking in many areas.  I had to make a trip to my dealer for a new test kit and looked over the Edge 750; very impressive and looks to be much easier to maintain and clean.  Roger     
Roger

DDW_OR

"let the machines do the work"

Logging logginglogging

Well!! My new boiler was delivered today, I promptly went to the web address on the sticker on it and registered for my warranty . It was awesome that i could register this easy, but the date of purchase field on the page did have a bug. It says it takes a date in this format dd\mm\yy but will actually only accept a date in this format dd\mm\yyyy. Took a few tries to figure that out. The boiler seems really well made. If a 750 edge has recently been shipped, and you find the bypass lever a bit hard to use, make sure that the cleaning mechanism (accessed through the rear Chimney Tee) is pulled all the way back Toward the back of the boiler, they can slide forward into cleaning position during shipping and cause the bypass lever to bind. No big deal! I am now reading all the great documentation that has come with the boiler. Hopefully I can begin installation soon. Really liking the way it looks, smaller footprint than my previous boiler and with a really modern attractive design..

DDW_OR

"let the machines do the work"

boilerman101

Logging - I really like the look of the new CB Edge from what I've seen. Some nice updates over my 2010 model Eclassic 2400. I look forward to hearing your comments on it after running the older 2300 which had less features than mine. Should be quite an upgrade. Are you putting the XP wifi on it? I wouldn't be without it after having it. $200 well spent in my opinion.

Logging logginglogging

I will eventually put the XP on it I just don't have the money now after this purchase. I was going to use my current ThermoPEX location going into the back of the boiler and "make it work" by routing it around the inside base of the new boiler, however It's brand new boiler that I plan to have for years to come so i decided to "make it right" and dig up and reroute my ThermoPEX to the correct side of boiler entrance location. Since I didn't want to damage my ThermoPEX, and the power wire buried with it I had to do all the digging with a shovel being very very careful. I had it buried about 4 feet deep and I also had built a wood shed over it so I had to tunnel under my wood shed as well. This was quite a bit of work, but I believe worth it. I have now run the pipe as needed but have yet to hook everything up and finish back filling.
Also, I believe the next thing I will invest in is a domestic water heating side arm. Since the whole system will be drained to allow for fresh water and fresh treatment for the new boiler it is the best time to do it.


DDW_OR

Quote from: Logging logginglogging on July 11, 2017, 08:40:31 AM
...........so i decided to "make it right" and dig up and reroute my ThermoPEX to the correct side of boiler entrance location. .........but have yet to hook everything up and finish back filling.............

add a 1.5 inch empty plastic pipe for future use, comes in a 300 foot role
"let the machines do the work"

Logging logginglogging

Well I  installed my new side arm, also changed the aluminum / magnesium anode rod in the water heater while i was at it, since this is a sacrificial metal rod that protects the water heater tank from corrosion. (I guess its a good idea to replace it every 5 or so years)
Any way, I did not have a port on my hot water heater like the central boiler manual diagram shows, but after some research online I found that you can actually do the following if you do NOT have a side arm port:
(This is all after shutting down cooling and draining the tank)
1. Remove the Temperature /  pressure valve off the hot water heater
2. Install a "T" in its place
3. Position the T so the side arm top line can run into the T
4. Purchase and extended Temperature /  pressure valve that allows the temp sensor to go down through the T and still be within the top 6 inches of water in the tank "no deeper than 6 inches".
This allows for the valve to work as it should and the side arm to have a reentry port.

Next part of the project I will install my circular on the new boiler and fill her up according the the manual.  Being stainless it is required to use the Central boiler "mollyboost" product in conjunction with the rust inhibitor. The After testing the water I will send my first water sample off to central boiler.

Logging logginglogging

Well I just went to buy the chemicals,
3 x gallons of the inhibitor plus (2 required, one for backup if i need a bit more) at 48 bucks a jug
2 x 32 oz of the mollyboost. at 40 bucks a jug.

when i was finished with tax I spent just about 200.00 on chemicals.

Here is the annoying part:
I am fine with adding the additional protection of mollyboost at 40 bucks a jug, what I am not impressed with is that they do not state actual ounces on the jug it comes in. upon some research, I found that the jugs are 32oz a piece. I am annoyed that my boiler requires 33 ounces, so essentially I just paid 40 bucks for one ounce of this stuff. I am not sure if you are suppose to add it later on for maintenance or not yet, or if it's just at the first fill. I hope that it is something i can use later and i didn't just completely waste my money.

I also Still need to do a bit more research and see if i need to use Ashtrol in the stainless steel boiler as well. I read something in the manual that sounded like i might not need to but I want to make sure.


Logging logginglogging

 I filled up the boiler and ran it for the first 24hrs circulating the water, per the manual.  First thing in the AM I conducted my water test I was extremely impressed with the efficiency and was beginning to gain confidence in the new install. Before heading into the house for the evening I thought I would check the water temperature and the reaction chamber temperature and found the information panel on the "Fire Star II" to be completely off with no lights on. Upon inspection I found that the circulator was still running, indicating that the outside boiler still indeed had power supplied to it. Finally after some investigation I found that the boiler's internal breaker (above where you plug in the circulator ) was tripping itself when power was applied by flipping the power switch on that beaker to the on position. I turned off the main power breaker to the boiler and turned it back on (in an attempt to reboot the system) to no avail. Finally I turned off everything and I am now dead in the water. I am going to contact my dealer today, and hopefully get this sorted out. Man what a bummer, whatever is wrong with it after that part is replaced, I am goi ng to buy a spare one that's for sure.

DDW_OR

I have never had any problems with my 750, electric nor mechanical.
"let the machines do the work"

Logging logginglogging

Wow, Talk about a fast response. CB got back to me and I was able to talk to someone to help me troubleshoot the problem. It is believed it could just be a bad solenoid. I will check it out tonight.
I will say though when it was running it was amazingly more efficient than my older boiler. So far I am quite happy with the unit, once I get through these first hiccups I think it will be great.

Logging logginglogging

it was the solenoid,  after unplugging it worked great. I got a new one today and found the old one was much harder to actuate by hand as well.

old one was at .4ohms new one is at 20ohms.
anything lower than 14 is a bad one.

Logging logginglogging

Well this thing seems to eat up solenoids every 24hrs. At first the company seemed quite helpful, calling and returning emails. There was even talk of sending me some solenoids since I am now forced to buy spares out of pocket for a brand new boiler that is under warranty. In fact I just bought a spare yesterday at $37.00. After doing tests and measurements  and sending the results they seemed to have run out of ideas. and stopped replying to emails. When getting a measurement for them I discovered the problem and have a couple of fixes that i even suggested to them but got no reply. It appears that there is a slight film of creosote that coats the solenoid air intake plate plate when this happens and the plate closes for an extended period of time (such as in between burn cycles) the film hardens and "glues" the plate down to the top of the air intake cup. When the solenoid attempts to lift the plate at the beginning of the next burn cycle it seems to just make a humming /  welding /  melting /  cooking sound and can not lift the plate. If you are lucky and catch this you can tap the plate sideways to break it free so it will lift. After doing this i felt the solenoid was hot to the touch in just seconds. (this does not happen on the other air intake because the lid is not lifted straight up due to double stage solenoids).

Proposed fixes:
1. The intake gets a surrated edge cut into the top rim with teeth all the way around it to lessen the seal-able contact area. (The downside is it would let more air in depending on tooth cut side)

2. Three tiny 1/16" or so high teeth could be added to each side of the top rim of the intake lessening the plate d contact area as well. (this would also let in some air but the space would be very small)

3.The fix i actually did to "rig this thing":  With the plate lifted, I use some very small stainless steel (piano string sized) wire. wrapping it over the intake entrance under the plate and twisting it together down under the intake elbow where the plate spring goes to keep it in place. This ensures the plate has a very small gap like the above ideas and stops the plate from making a complete seal and getting stuck. So far this has worked.

I should not have to re engineer a brand new boiler but at that point this is what i need to do as they have stopped replying and I have cold weather season on the way. I am hoping i can get through this winter with this thing without minimal down time. I am hoping to undo my fix this weekend and take a video of it malfunctioning without any intervention (let it burn up the solenoid) so that people can see the problem and better understand whats wrong with this thing. possibly i can post it here or YouTube.



DDW_OR

this is what mine looked like when new
going outside to take photos of what it looks like now

 

 
"let the machines do the work"

DDW_OR

"let the machines do the work"

DDW_OR

I wonder what could be put on the bare metal to prevent creosote from sticking to the air intake plate.

I thought of High temp grease rated for 1200°F, like Brake caliper Grease
"let the machines do the work"

Roger2561

With your "fix", won't it allow for air to enter the fire box during idle time perhaps even causing the water temp to creep a bit?  What's the purpose of the spring on the primary solenoid?  I have an E-Classic 1400 with a similar style of air intake set up but there is no spring to hold it down on the solenoid opening only it's weight does it.  I'm wondering what would happen if the spring was to be removed, if it were to make any difference in operation, essentially taking some of the load off the solenoid thus lessen the chance of it "sticking" to the elbow?  Just some thoughts.   Roger
Roger

Logging logginglogging

Thanks for the replies,
@DDW_OR, mine has not had much run time so its a bit cleaner than that now, but its good to see others are operating in a similar fashion. You know i really like the high temp grease idea. In fact I think ill take my fix out and try just that tonight.

@Roger2561 Yes, a slight amount of air goes in. I literally check ever 1.5 hrs the first whole night and found it made no temp creep. Also when i had a failure and told them about when i had done "originally with a nail" to get through the night they didn't not seem concerned in the least and said "do what you need to do to get by" for the night. I also see that the other Intake has a small hole drilled in it anyway to allow a small amount of air.

superwd6

If you try to take spring off make sure plate balances flat when solenoid is open or they can close crooked ,not seal and boil the water. Mine done that so I just glued nut to plate so it stayed straight for proper close.quite a few 2300 users done the paper clip to hold plate up ,give it air and keep coal bed hot but I didn't need to.

superwd6

Make sure that solenoid is getting proper voltage it's rated for as low voltage could burn them to

Logging logginglogging

Hey Super, yeah, i tested voltage and all was good. The old 2300 paperclip mod is what originally gave me the wire idea. But anyway.... It ran all last night with the grease and i left it to run all day today so we will see.

Roger2561

Logging - It's been a few days since you last posted, I'm wondering how your Edge 750 is behaving itself these days?  Anymore trouble with solenoids burning out?  Roger
Roger

overclocking

Quote from: Roger2561 on October 26, 2017, 01:48:51 PM
With your "fix", won't it allow for air to enter the fire box during idle time perhaps even causing the water temp to creep a bit?  What's the purpose of the spring on the primary solenoid?  I have an E-Classic 1400 with a similar style of air intake set up but there is no spring to hold it down on the solenoid opening only it's weight does it.  I'm wondering what would happen if the spring was to be removed, if it were to make any difference in operation, essentially taking some of the load off the solenoid thus lessen the chance of it "sticking" to the elbow?  Just some thoughts.   Roger

Not to side track, but in response to your comment Roger I actually added those springs to my 1400. Its interesting that now the new models have them. I thought I was just "rigging" mine to stop it from eating up solenoids, turns out there must have been some need for it. On mine the spring I added is actually what saves them from melting when in the up position too long.

Also, even when my solenoids burned out they always got stuck open and the boiler never overheated. It did consume much more wood however and the temp did idle higher.

Logging logginglogging

Hi Guys,
after using some grease to prevent sticking in warmer weather conditions all was well. I did speak to CB and was told to remove the spring all together, and if it works they would send a longer spring. I asked about warrentee and was told i was safe to do this. I removed the spring and ran a few weeks successfully I then reached out to CB and told them of the successful run time. They said that's good and I actually do not need the spring at all. I have not had any solenoid issues since and have been happy with the boiler. My side arm install did not go that great due to the short hot water heater i have i will need to re-plumb the side arm this spring to be at more of an angle so water can circulate properly by convection. currently the side arm is a little too tall for this. I cleaned the boiler again and tested the water this last weekend and am very happy how easy it is to clean. It did go out that night from a lack of a sufficient cole bed, i re-lit it in the AM and have once again built a proper cole bed and all has been well this week.

1. cleaning tip i learned so far. Inside the reaction chamber there is a plate that just hangs toward the back and is hard to reach and remove and reinstall. If you look it has a 6-8 inch tab off the front of it with a slot. this slot fits the CB provided cleaning hoe perfectly and allows easy removal and install with the hoe. I am sure they intended this (possibly i missed that in the manual).

Logging logginglogging

@Roger2561..... no posts for a while... due to hunting season. i am back..

DDW_OR

Quote from: Logging logginglogging on December 22, 2017, 07:36:03 AM
@Roger2561..... no posts for a while... due to hunting season. i am back..

the real question is, did you have any luck?
"let the machines do the work"

Logging logginglogging

only in bow season....
all rifle and freeloader i was coughing and hacking ....

now its like real winter here... plowing and burning wood..

Roger2561

Logging - I'm happy to hear that your 750 is operating flawlessly now.  Who would of have thought that a simple spring would cause such a headache.  Now that real winter whether has approached us, how is it doing with keeping up with the demand?  We had -8 F this morning in my area of NH and it's supposed to get colder as the week moves along.  Roger
Roger

Logging logginglogging

we have had -20  the last 2 days or so... and its doing just as good as the old boiler did. It seems to burn less wood than the old one as well.

Logging logginglogging

Well so far so good this winter! I haven't had any more solenoid problems since removing the spring on the cover. Its burning well and burning efficiently. It is much easier to clean them my old boiler. Though in the spring i plan to remove air channel covers and such and truly inspect and clean everything. We have had some really cold stretches this winter and its been great. It certainly has now gained all the confidence i had in my old boiler.

747mopar

I'll be following along as I've got one coming too. After some researching I learned that all new models (HD's) come with stepper motors vs solenoids, come standard with stainless fireboxes and WiFi and have a rear door for accessing the heat exchanger so that's what I ordered (750 Edge Titanium HD). Hope it works out for you.

DDW_OR

Quote from: 747mopar on February 12, 2018, 11:51:40 PM
I'll be following along as I've got one coming too. After some researching I learned that all new models (HD's) come with stepper motors vs solenoids, come standard with stainless fireboxes and WiFi and have a rear door for accessing the heat exchanger so that's what I ordered (750 Edge Titanium HD). Hope it works out for you.

I LIKE THOSE UPGRADES

wish i had them, especially the "rear door for accessing the heat exchanger"
"let the machines do the work"

Logging logginglogging

But you have the plate for accessing the heat exchange. and you really should only have to do that once a year anyway at shutdown. As for motors you can convert to those, but you can still have the same problem with them as the solenoid, if the plate sticks down the inrush current can be to much and pop the breaker and possibly burn out the motor if its really stuck down. I can say that the motor would be more expensive to replace than a solenoid.

DDW_OR

Quote from: Logging logginglogging on February 21, 2018, 03:07:45 PM
But you have the plate for accessing the heat exchange. and you really should only have to do that once a year anyway at shutdown. As for motors you can convert to those, but you can still have the same problem with them as the solenoid, if the plate sticks down the inrush current can be to much and pop the breaker and possibly burn out the motor if its really stuck down. I can say that the motor would be more expensive to replace than a solenoid.
my plates are inside and about 30 inches from the front
"let the machines do the work"

Logging logginglogging

So the winter was going pretty good. Got home last night my wife come running out saying "look at the boiler" So i do and its over boiling and steaming....
I turned on all my zones full blast and checked out the boiler. Turns out that solenoid that I was told could be run without the spring was stuck up in the open position. Since I new expect this thing to brake down all the time I have spare parts on hand so i replaced the solenoid AGAIN, like the 4th or 5th one this season. I then waited for the thing to cool down so i could run it normally. So not only am I spending money out of pocket for parts I now have to go buy more of their *DanG expensive chemicals that go in the water since they boiled and steamed out with the water. This has gotten really old. I went with this company because my old boiler by them was trouble free as well as the old one by them that my father has. I guess they don't make them like they used to. Imagine when could have happened if i didn't return yesterday, just last week we left for 24hrs.


747mopar

I haven't started using mine yet so forgive me if I'm not understanding this correctly. This damper door your having trouble with regulates the intake air correct? If it's an intake then this buildup means the draft is traveling the wrong direction? Is it windy where your located? I also see you don't have a chimney cap or at least doesn't look like it? I'm just curious if your getting gust of wind occasionally forcing the exhaust the wrong direction?

My line of thinking is if there's a lot of people out there using these and very few having this issue then you need to start looking at what might be different in your case. Just thinking

DDW_OR

747mopar brings up a good point

is the door for the solenoid kept closed?
is the blower working?

mine does not show black soot on the insulation

"let the machines do the work"

Roger2561

My thought on this is; even it were open, with the cap down air should not be getting into the firebox.  On my 1400 I have a squirrel cage blower attached to the solenoid box.  When the fire star indicates the need for a fire, it turns on the blower and opens the solenoid to allow air into the firebox.  I'm thinking (and I usually get trouble when I do) that even if the door to the solenoid box is closed, as long as the cap on the elbow is open it's allowing passive air to enter the solenoid box through the blower opening.  Granted it'll take longer for the fire to get going but once it starts there's no stopping it as long as the air is allowed to enter the solenoid box.  That's my $0.02.  Roger
Roger

Logging logginglogging

Roger you are correct that's exactly what was happening. Passive air can flow through even without the squirrel cage spinning.

holder73

Did you ever find a fix for this issue or the breaker tripping.  I have had the exact same problem with a 2012 Eclassic 1400.  As soon as firestar controller powers on the breaker trips, I unplugged solenoids one at a time, turning power back on each time til I found the problem to be the secondary high solenoid on my unit.  As long as that solenoid is unplugged everything works.  I tried replacing the solenoid with a spare I had on hand and same thing happened, tripped the breaker on the unit.  I consulted with my dealer and they seemed to think it was the firestar control panel gone bad (it had been through 6 seasons.  So I bought a new firestar II control panel from them, hooked it up, exact same thing happened, breaker tripped as long as that solenoid was connected.  I should also mention that when my problem first began that solenoid was chattering, opening and closing so fast that it was like a rattle, so the lid wasn't stuck with cresote.  On a positive note, I have had the unit running with that solenoid disconnected for 2 weeks and everything is functioning fine, normal burn times, reaction chamber is hitting 1200 degrees, etc.

panolo

Quote from: Logging logginglogging on March 08, 2018, 12:07:20 PM





I used a graphite lube on the arm after I cleaned it with a brake clean and it helped mine. The lube dries so it doesn't collect dust or debris. It also looks like you are getting a bunch of moisture in your burns with the liquid marks on the elbow. I get some buildup on the inside lip but is minor and has never caused a boil over.  Have you checked that elbow for buildup and do you have a bunch of creosote in it? I changed my burn splits to 192-172, 20 degree diff and it cut creosote to almost nil. I have not had my solenoid stick since then. In watching my firestar graphs if I am not getting at least 1150 degrees I know there is an issue. Wetter wood, solenoid not operating, plugged elbow, etc. 

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

panolo


boilerman101

Holder are you confident the replacement solenoid you installed was new and that it is a good solenoid? Could you ohm in out with a multimeter?

Logging logginglogging

Well I am back, i have been gone a long time due to illness. In the end i solved my solenoid issue but applying WD-40 to the armatures each time i clean the stove. I did have the little bolt to the plate linkage corrode and broke off, i thought this was strange  but it must be the bolt is no stainless. Anyway I actually was able to weld the linkage to the plate thus no bolt is needed so it will never happen again.

I did this fix last year and forgot, its (bolts) , yes two of them
here are the two bolts i replaced.




Thank You Sponsors!