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Central Boiler 6048 installation.

Started by Dave Shepard, December 23, 2013, 07:30:24 PM

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MNBobcat

Holmes,

Thanks.  I had a few challenges.  The boiler loop ended up being about 550 feet round trip.  I was really concerned about flow rate at that distance.  But I wanted the boiler located between my house and the pole building as I ran heat to both.

The other is my house is 7,000 square feet.  I was worried about getting enough btus to heat it.  So far the system has worked well but when its -20F out like it has been much of this winter, I've found its best not to turn the thermostat down at night.  Seems it can hold the temperature easier than bring it up.  One problem is when they built the house they didn't size the main heat plenum big enough.  At some point I'm going to rip it out and up-size it.

Holmes

 It takes a lot of btu's to replace the ones you did not put into the house all night long . Leaving the t stat set a normal temp is the better thing to do.

Dave How big is the Modine? Sometimes $implicity  works out well. :)
Think like a farmer.

Dave Shepard

The core must be 20" square, maybe bigger. Garage is a typical two car. Should be big enough.  :D
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dave Shepard

My heat exchanger is used, and huge, but free, and has 2" pipe fittings. I thought I was going to have to buy 2" to 1" reducing bushing and then use 90° pex fittings to pipe it where it needs to go. I was digging around in the shed and found four 2" to 1" elbows today. That's four fittings I don't need to buy. 8)

Like I said, the exchanger is huge, but free. 8) Oh, and this was the smaller plate exchanger I was offered. :D

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MNBobcat

Dave,

When you install that its a good idea to install the valves with a hose bib so that you can put them in bypass mode and pump a cleaner through that plate exchanger to clean it from time to time.

LittleJohn

Also, remember to have some kind of union connection.  For ease of maintenance or replacement in the future. 

That heat exchanger will definately be able to keep up with the boiler, even if running snowmelt!!! :o

Dave Shepard

So I finally got my new door today. Well, I got everything but the door. ::) All the tin, damper insulation and a couple of strangely shaped pieces of plate steel. But no cast iron door. >:( Of course it was too late to call and see what the story was. You would think that having the model number, date of manufacture and serial number would get you the right parts.
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Dave Shepard

Still no door. I guess it's a good thing this wasn't my only source of heat. I did, however, burn about $3,000 worth of fuel oil while I was waiting for it. Might have it next month was the answer I got on Monday. ::)
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beenthere

Dave, did you buy it knowing it didn't have a door? Or what happened to the door?

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Gary_C

Quote from: MNBobcat on January 31, 2014, 11:01:02 PM

I also installed my heat exchanger in the furnace upside down.  The hot water enters the hx at the top and the cooler water comes out the bottom.  That's backwards from the recommended method.  But think about it....if your hot water enters the bottom of the HX that's where the cold return air first touches the hx and begin's to warm.   That air begins to warm and when it exits it the top of the HX its being exposed to cooler temperatures because your outlet water is always cooler than the inlet water.    In my system, the cooler temps are at the bottom of the hx and the air begins to warm and just as it leaves the HX its exposed to the hottest temperature because that's the inlet for my hot water.  So you get more efficiency out of the HX by installing it the way I did.  The reason they recommend the inlet on the bottom is to eliminate air pockets in the HX.  Not because its more efficient.

In order to get maximum efficiency from a water to air heat exchanger like you have, you must put the coldest air up against the highest temperature water. In other words you want to have the maximum temperature difference from the incoming water side of the exchanger to the incoming air side. That requires the water inlet to be on the incoming air side of the exchanger or down in an upflow furnace.

Plus there is nothing that will kill the efficiency of that heat exchanger more than having air trapped on the water side of the exchanger.

So I am sorry, but putting that exchanger in up side down will hurt rather than help efficiency. You can relieve some of the air trapped problem by adding an air eliminator at the top of that exchanger but sometimes those air eliminators do not work well all the time.

Also the size of the water line has more to do with the maximum head capacity of those pumps than it does with the heat transfer ability of the system. So your line size will depend on length of line, number of elbows, restrictions in the system, height of the heat exchanger above the boiler, etc. The BTU's you need is determined more by the heat exchangers you put in line.

So you always size your line by the amount of resistance called head or back pressure in your system to avoid overloading the pump capacity. Then you size your heat exchangers for the amount of BTU's you need. 
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Dave Shepard

The other part of my door came in last week. They want another $104 shipping. I was supposed to get one complete door, shipped, for $500 in February. Now, I have an erector set and double shipping charges.  ::) I think I'm up to about $4,000 worth of oil burned waiting for the door. :-\
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Dave Shepard

I finally got the last parts to my door. Central Boiler parts diagrams suck! I managed to get all the pieces of the erector set together, despite the paperwork. Just waiting on running the power to try it out. As I mentioned before, I was told that one complete, assembled door was $500 shipped to the dealer, that they were in stock, and would be in in one week. I got all of the crucial parts, eventually, but did not have any of the hardware, and some of the parts were not the same as in the diagrams that came with the new parts. ::)



 
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Dave Shepard

We have lift off! Well, hopefully no lift off, but we have smoke. :D I had to guess at the location of the draft door solenoid, but it looks like I got it pretty close, as the draft door opens the allotted 1". I've got a small fire going in it now, and will let it warm up all afternoon and see if it cycles properly.



 
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Dave Shepard

Temp came up to 185° and the door snapped shut.  8) I'm amazed at how well insulated the boiler is. I don't have a load on it right now, so the fire went out over night, but I started it again this morning to continue the testing. I shut the boiler off this afternoon, and it was at 187°, and a few minutes ago it hadn't lost any temp at all. I realize that my temp differential isn't as great now, only about 110°, but I kind of expected it to drop faster.

On another positive note, I talked to a friend today that has the same boiler and quizzed him on burning pine slabs. He said that they are his favorite fuel, period. His fire has been burning continuously for over a year, and he has less than 4" of ash in the bottom, and he never takes any out. In the summer he stuffs the boiler at 10 PM, and in the winter he does 10 PM, and 7 AM. That makes me happy, as I now know where this pile is going this winter:



 
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WmFritz

It's going to feel good watching the fuel oil truck driving by your place this winter.

Did you get your lines buried yet Dave?
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

Dave Shepard

No, that is the next step. I have the Pex pipe already. I have to poke a couple of holes in the foundation of my garage. Going to work my way from the boiler to the oil furnace in the basement of the house. I have the heat exchanger and a big hanging Modine for the garage. Biggest pain will be breaking into the oil furnace to add another circulator. Since the end of Jan, I've burned about $4,000 in oil, and that wasn't keeping the garage warm, or the house too toasty, either. It takes about eight gallons a week right now for domestic hot water.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

WmFritz

 Ouch...  about $100.00 a month for dhw?
Better get yourself a sidearm built for your hot water needs. Or is that what that plate exchanger you picked up is getting used for?
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

Dave Shepard

There is going to be a circulator running from the oil side to the exchanger all the time. This will keep the oil burner hot, and I will use my current heating zones in the house. The oil will not run unless there is a breakdown with the wood boiler. I plan on running the OWB all year.
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thecfarm

You won't get many ashes from the pine slabs. I have burned pine for just about 2 years through the winter months.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Dave Shepard

I have 6' of insulated chimney on my boiler now. I was wondering if adding anymore would be beneficial on a 6048? It's in a open spot now, so no need to go any higher, unless it will help the draft.
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thecfarm

I doubt the higher stack would help out my Heatmor. Probably the same with yours,forced draft by a fan?
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Dave Shepard

No, the Classic boilers are natural draft. I asked the dealer about a fan, and he said if it was supposed to have one, it would. I have also read many accounts of people building their own fans, and every one of them took it off. Apparently, a fan is only necessary if you burn nasty, wet, rotten garbage. I have nice dry slabs. :)
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thecfarm

No fan does change my theory. As long as it will smother the fire out,with no boil overs, is all that matters.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

WmFritz

That good you've got dry slabs stockpiled, Dave. It wastes a lot of btu's to burn wet wood.
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

Dave Shepard

I've been working away at my installation. It's almost all scrounging, but I've done pretty well so far. :D I've got one circulator and most of my fittings. Going to have to break down and buy another 009 and some more PEX for in the basement. Picked up about 80' of PEX with a bunch of the fittings tonight. My plumber friend is coming this week to do whatever he deems necessary to attach my PEX and circulator to my oil burner. I've got about 8 days of firewood for the wood stove in the house left in the pile, so the race is on. :D
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

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