Need a boiler,after fire shutdown

[salecker]

Hi All
Once again i am looking to see if anyone has an idea on a issue i would like to change on my system.
With storage in my system the boiler shutdown takes to long after the fire is out, which then allows the fan to keep running which cools the boiler.
Having a shutdown for the fan once the fire is out would allow me to build a fire before i leave to go away for the day.Which would then give me more storage for being away till the evening.
Thanks for any ideas.
Thomas

 

[brenndatomu]

Thermocouple in the stovepipe, Auber temp controller programmed to shut off fan at whatever temp you deem appropriate...not expensive, or complicated to set up...I've used this arrangement as a "coals saver" it works well.
There are cheaper temp controllers out there, but spend another $20 and be done with it... Auber has good tech assistance too.
They have quite a few options, but this seems like a good one.

1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (For Relay) [SYL-2342] - $40.89 : Auber Instruments, Inc., Temperature control solutions for home and industry

Auber Instruments, Inc. 1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (For Relay) [SYL-2342] - Holiday sale ends on 12/1/2024!Product Updates: The Wi-Fi-enabled version is now available! Check AW-SYL-2342 for details. This is a dual display 1/16 DIN size (1.89x1.89" or 48 x 48 mm) temperature/process...

www.auberins.com

 

[airlina]

Thomas, I have used 2 of the above mentioned PID controllers for several years with thermocouples in the flue pipe . One controls the boiler fan and the other controls the boiler to storage pump. I am retired and most of the time I am around during my daily burn so usually i monitor and manually shut down the boiler when all the fuel is burned, but the PID's will shut off these functions if I'm not around. There is a catch to using these temp controllers however: you must make sure that they are set to a flue temp that is low enough (mine are set at 130 deg) so they won't shut down your blower during an idle period of the burn. When this happens with fuel left in the burn chamber the fan will not come back on and my pump stays off which will cause a boiler overheat. When I do a manual shutoff, I verify all the fuel is burned and can shutoff the boiler at 170 deg flue temp or below. As i said above , with the PID's I set them to 130 deg to make absolutely sure the fuel is totally burned before shutdown. Your results may vary so if you go this route , you will have to experiment with your boiler to find a sweet spot for shutdown. If you recall I'm running the Econoburn 100 with 500 gals of storage. Bruce

 

[salecker]

Hi Bruce
Thanks i have the 200 with 1000 gal storage, so it should be close to the same.
All i want to shut down is the fan after the wood is gone. My thought is the pump can continue to run till the original shutdown is triggered to shut the boiler off,then pump to storage shuts down.That way the BTU's in the hot boiler can get transferred into storage.

 

[salecker]

Thermocouple in the stovepipe, Auber temp controller programmed to shut off fan at whatever temp you deem appropriate...not expensive, or complicated to set up...I've used this arrangement as a "coals saver" it works well.
There are cheaper temp controllers out there, but spend another $20 and be done with it... Auber has good tech assistance too.
They have quite a few options, but this seems like a good one.

1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (For Relay) [SYL-2342] - $40.89 : Auber Instruments, Inc., Temperature control solutions for home and industry

Auber Instruments, Inc. 1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (For Relay) [SYL-2342] - Holiday sale ends on 12/1/2024!Product Updates: The Wi-Fi-enabled version is now available! Check AW-SYL-2342 for details. This is a dual display 1/16 DIN size (1.89x1.89" or 48 x 48 mm) temperature/process...

www.auberins.com

Thanks for that link, are they fairly reliable? Should a person get a backup one to have on hand?

 

[brenndatomu]

Thanks for that link, are they fairly reliable? Should a person get a backup one to have on hand?

Yes, they are pretty reliable, but since you are a lil more in the boonies, maybe have a backup (or maybe not, since you are not planning on using it as a critical feature.
As for the above mentioned shutoff point...I believe you could get a model controller that would allow a "reset" if the boiler was just on an idle period (although that doesn't apply to you) or possibly could wire a relay that would allow it too...would have to think about that a bit...

 

[Tonty]

Thermocouple in the stovepipe, Auber temp controller programmed to shut off fan at whatever temp you deem appropriate...not expensive, or complicated to set up...I've used this arrangement as a "coals saver" it works well.
There are cheaper temp controllers out there, but spend another $20 and be done with it... Auber has good tech assistance too.
They have quite a few options, but this seems like a good one.

1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (For Relay) [SYL-2342] - $40.89 : Auber Instruments, Inc., Temperature control solutions for home and industry

Auber Instruments, Inc. 1/16 DIN PID Temperature Controller (For Relay) [SYL-2342] - Holiday sale ends on 12/1/2024!Product Updates: The Wi-Fi-enabled version is now available! Check AW-SYL-2342 for details. This is a dual display 1/16 DIN size (1.89x1.89" or 48 x 48 mm) temperature/process...

www.auberins.com

This is similar to how my Switzer is controlled. There isn’t any really an idle portion of burn on a Switzer, so it’s set to shut off when flue temps get down to 210. Usually that is perfect, all usable wood is gone. There’s a manual override timer that you set (actually I just put mine on a switch) that’s kept on until flue temps reach 220, after that is closed or off there are two controllers that run the dampers (actually the dampers are controlled even while the override is on), and also shut it down when either the flue temp high limit or low limit is reached.

 

[cumminstinkerer]

Thomas, Bruce's setup is basically what I had on the Econoburn, I still have all of it, it is the last piece I want to add to the polar as well, just in case I let her run out of wood, don't need the draft fan running cooling the water down, I plan to set it up to shut fan and boiler to storage pump off when flue temp drops below set point

 

[sloeffle]

In my basement, I setup a panel with a couple Auber instruments PID controllers. I have a low temperature water alarm setup so it will alert me if the water is below 140F. I bought a pex T and added a short piece because of the probe length. If you want some pics, let me know. The best thing about my water alarm is when it wakes you up at 4AM.

My G4000 will shut the boiler fan down if the water temperatures are below whatever set point you desire. It won't shut the pumps off though.

 

[salecker]

Pictures are always great...
Now i have to wait till our postal strike is over and get some goodies ordered and see what i can rig up.