Well,
I finally have my burn pretty fine tuned and BTU output from the EKO40 is great
!
However, I have discovered that I am unable to heat up my (2) 500 gallon storage tanks if my Taco 007 pump (seconday loop feeding house) is operating.
Currently, I have been operating this seconday pump 24/7 so that the house radiant and baseboard pumps always have a good supply of hot water when needed.
Up until a few nights ago I have never seen my storage tanks above 155/160 F. However, I was "tweaking things" in the wee hours of the morning and accidently turned off the secondary pump and when I looked at the tanks in the morning they were both at 180 F.
This lead me to re-evaluate my plumbing layout to which I discovered the following:
1.) When the sencondary pump is operating and the water temp is less than 160 F, my Danfoss valve is closed/only partial opened. Thus, this causes my secondary loop to travel in a counter clockwise direction (UP through the tanks) at the same time my primary loop is traveling in a clockwise direction (DOWN through the tanks). Being as these 2 pumps are both 007's and the piping is all 1-1/4" copper, the 2 flows collide and thus I cannot heat my tanks to 180F.
2.) I originally plumbed the system as shown so that when the fire ran out in the EKO40 (after charging the tanks to 180 F and supplying the house with heat) and the circ pump on the EKO turns off (at 170/168 F), the secondary house loop would flow in a counter clockwise direction (UP through the tanks) as it was heating the house.
3.) In the meantime I have purchased an electric plug in timer that has 3 sets of programmable on/offs. I have plugged my secondary 007 pump into this timer and during the nightime burns (when we are sleeping and don't feel the slight temperature differences due to the pump being on and off) I turn the pump on for 1 hour and off for one hour 3 times (which takes me through a complete 5-6 hour EKO 40 burn). With this setup I have been able to get my tanks up to a much higher temperature than before. However, I'm not sure that this is the best way to do this (although it was very simple and inexpensive to install the timer).
4.) I have thought about turning my secondary pump on/off at the same time my radiant or baseboard pumps in the house itself are calling for heat but have run into a few problems/concerns if I do this:
* My baseboard system is controlled by normal 24V thermostats and Honeywell zone valves controlling 4 different zones.
* My radiant floor heat is controlled by a Heat Link brand 6 zone control module with an injection control system that keeps the incomming water temp that supplies the 4 different radiant (slow reacting) zone valves at a constant target temperature which is calculated by the controller and changes as the outside temperature changes.
* Thus, I am unsure of how to control the secondary 007 so that it will be on when either the baseboard or floor zones are calling for heat given that there are several different 110V and 24 V signals being outputted. I just received a copy of the injection controller manual and will study this to see if it can be used in conjunction with the 24V honey well zone valve signal to turn the 007 pump on as needed.
Thus, I am looking for suggestions on the best plumbing layout that would supply heat to the house while also putting the extra BTU's that the house does not use efficiently into the 1,000 gallon storage.
Any suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated.
NWM
I finally have my burn pretty fine tuned and BTU output from the EKO40 is great
![shock !!! !!!](/talk/styles/default/xenforo/smileys/shock.gif)
However, I have discovered that I am unable to heat up my (2) 500 gallon storage tanks if my Taco 007 pump (seconday loop feeding house) is operating.
Currently, I have been operating this seconday pump 24/7 so that the house radiant and baseboard pumps always have a good supply of hot water when needed.
Up until a few nights ago I have never seen my storage tanks above 155/160 F. However, I was "tweaking things" in the wee hours of the morning and accidently turned off the secondary pump and when I looked at the tanks in the morning they were both at 180 F.
This lead me to re-evaluate my plumbing layout to which I discovered the following:
1.) When the sencondary pump is operating and the water temp is less than 160 F, my Danfoss valve is closed/only partial opened. Thus, this causes my secondary loop to travel in a counter clockwise direction (UP through the tanks) at the same time my primary loop is traveling in a clockwise direction (DOWN through the tanks). Being as these 2 pumps are both 007's and the piping is all 1-1/4" copper, the 2 flows collide and thus I cannot heat my tanks to 180F.
2.) I originally plumbed the system as shown so that when the fire ran out in the EKO40 (after charging the tanks to 180 F and supplying the house with heat) and the circ pump on the EKO turns off (at 170/168 F), the secondary house loop would flow in a counter clockwise direction (UP through the tanks) as it was heating the house.
3.) In the meantime I have purchased an electric plug in timer that has 3 sets of programmable on/offs. I have plugged my secondary 007 pump into this timer and during the nightime burns (when we are sleeping and don't feel the slight temperature differences due to the pump being on and off) I turn the pump on for 1 hour and off for one hour 3 times (which takes me through a complete 5-6 hour EKO 40 burn). With this setup I have been able to get my tanks up to a much higher temperature than before. However, I'm not sure that this is the best way to do this (although it was very simple and inexpensive to install the timer).
4.) I have thought about turning my secondary pump on/off at the same time my radiant or baseboard pumps in the house itself are calling for heat but have run into a few problems/concerns if I do this:
* My baseboard system is controlled by normal 24V thermostats and Honeywell zone valves controlling 4 different zones.
* My radiant floor heat is controlled by a Heat Link brand 6 zone control module with an injection control system that keeps the incomming water temp that supplies the 4 different radiant (slow reacting) zone valves at a constant target temperature which is calculated by the controller and changes as the outside temperature changes.
* Thus, I am unsure of how to control the secondary 007 so that it will be on when either the baseboard or floor zones are calling for heat given that there are several different 110V and 24 V signals being outputted. I just received a copy of the injection controller manual and will study this to see if it can be used in conjunction with the 24V honey well zone valve signal to turn the 007 pump on as needed.
Thus, I am looking for suggestions on the best plumbing layout that would supply heat to the house while also putting the extra BTU's that the house does not use efficiently into the 1,000 gallon storage.
Any suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated.
NWM