Monitor FCX

Unknown

Thanks for all the info and feedback so far guys! Keep it coming!

Unknown

Anyone using this yet?

Hey all,

well, I bought a home this past fall... and my skin crawls every time the boiler w/DHW coil fires to maintain temperature. I have some other reno to do (insulation improvements, it's an old farmhouse) first, but on my "short list" of "must do" renos is to gut the current baseboard system and this horrible powervented oil boiler w/coil, and go radiant (of course) with a more modern system.

I could go gas, but I'm already set up for oil. Plus, I am interested in trying out the Monitor mod-con oil boiler offerrings... I figure if anyone is going to experiment, it should be me, if for no other reason than simply so when my clients tell me they are heating with oil the mod-con option isn't just thrown out.

However, I don't know of *anyone* who has used it, and the local Monitor dealer doesn't either. Much as I'd like to experiment, I'm not in a financial place yet where I can just throw down that kind of money on something that is not going to work at all. Also I'd like to know of any pitfalls with the units or maintenance issues I need to be aware of.

So... has anyone actually used one of these Monitor oil-fired modcons yet? How has it been working out? How is the venting? Lots of questions...

Thanks!

clammy

I think

Rob i though those units should only be fires woth a low sulfur content fuel ,but i'm probaly wrong .I do know i had priced there wall hung oil fired unit 2 years ago and not only was i shocked the the HO to it was quite alot of coin and it's output was not that large i believe about 78000 btu but it does fit into the picture of no floor space ,bad chimmies ,combustion air and good eff.I also would like to install one but you know nobody wants to deal with any issues a few years later after you've shelled out all that coin but they have been used for many years in europe .peace and good luck clammy

Brad White_27

I have not seen one installed

but the Brookhaven National Labs study on condensing boilers and fin-tube radiation (BNL-73314-2004-IR; Dr. Thomas A. Butcher), used a Monitor FCX to test their oil-fired side of the experiments. Part of it was in a lab, the other in a test house on Long Island I believe. You might ask them for a status report over the time in service. I imagine it still is in-place.

Constantin

According to Mr. Caruso,

... the FCX can handle plain #2 laced with up to 1,700 PPM of sulfur. The only serious fouling they (MPI) allegedly have seen in the field is when sub-standard (i.e. high-sulfur) fuel was used. Then, like all boilers, the FCX tends to clog up.

Clammy also correctly noted that the FCX only comes in one size, presumably the Geminox folk have other sizes over in Euro-land that they're not exporting.

My impression from seeing the unit in Brookhaven is that it's well-built. I seriously considered getting one until the many participants at OTT started delving into their experiences with condensing oil appliances.

My biggest concern with the FCX is finding someone locally who is conversant in setting up and maintaining the unit. If you run it with B5, it should purr like a kitten, but someone first has to get it into its comfort zone.

Brad White_27

Higher Sulphur Fuel Oil

The highest sulphur content fuel oil tends to come from Venezuela, averaging up to 2% and I think that is in their crude. Not sure how that fractions out in lighter distillates. Thanks to our delightful dealings with Mr. Chavez, .. stinking oil? We don't need none of your stinking oil....

Most other crude oils have 1% or less I understand.

Weezbo

Rob ,my buddy J.D. has a dealership for them.

i asked him to see about arranging to get one for me another guy has asked me all kinds of stuff and put one in for his home i been meaning to go out and check it out...it is quite the hyke deep in country. Buh Now I have an electric camera maybe i can find that J.D. and you can speak with him. and or go out and get the other guys personal opinion on his. i think it is a viable solution depending on your heat loss and auxillary heat sources in deep winter.

Ray M

FCX

We installed one back in the fall and i must say that i am very impressed with the whole package. The pioneer burner is super quiet and very easy to set-up. The system is composed of wall mounted fan forced convectors. The customer loves the savings.

Thanks Ray M

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jp_8

huge savings

i have bunch installed in alsaka. customer wanted to save money on rental property. he went from using 6 gal a day to 2.6 gal a day. HUGE SAVINGS!!! and of course they love it

jp_8

fuel

we have some of the worst fuel oil in Alaska. no problems at all. we were told that we must use a 10 micron garber filter. other than that she purrrrs like akitten.

Joe Grosso

Monitor

There was some Guy on here last year from Pa. who said he put in quite a few.

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Cosmo_3

Looky here

I was just surfin on Viessmann's Website in Germany and I see that they have a condensing heat exchanger that fits on the back of a Vitola, supposedly this will handle the high sulfur fuel that the Vitoplus 300 (wall mounted oil Mod/Con) won't like.

Hey Constantin, maybe this is someting that can be added as an upgrade at some point to your Vitola! That is if they ever bring over the ocean.........

Here's the link; http://www.viessmann.de/web/germany/com_publish.nsf/Content/Oel_Brennwert_Wandgeraete

Enjoy,

Cosmo Valavanis

Dependable P.H.C. Inc.

Constantin

I mentioned it to a VP (?) at Viessmann

... when I met him at ISH NA in 2004, and he didn't seem to think that there was a market demand for it. From time to time, I rib Jim McCarthy and the rest of the kind folk at Viessmann about doing a "grey import" of the HX and the requisite electronics to turn my Vitola into a VitolaPlus... he he he.

Would be neat indeed, though a DV setup would likely be preferable over a long chimney like we have even if you're running low-sulfur fuel.

Ken_29

One B-U-T-Full unit!

We are in the middle of building a new home in northern VT, about a seven iron away from the Canadian border. 30 below is not uncommon.

Although not finished yet, the heart of the heating system is the FCX. A combination of HWBB, radiant and D/H/W, I have it jury-rigged to heat just two radiant zones now - while we tape, spackle and paint.

Although the technical issues of a well designed installation manual is somewhat "loose" and the paperwork supplied with theboiler light on details that most would consider "essential," That's agood thing. I'm semi-retired and have been taking lots of high quality photos of the insides and the install hoping to provide a real technical manual for the folks who market here in North America.

I have verified the manufacturer's claims. The unit does run at 94% S.S. efficiency with 130 degree water being supplied to the "blended" output supply. The staright supply would be as much as 20 degrees higher I suspect. I'll know more after I tie in the HWBB zone(s).

Hope all is well. It's been a while since I posted. Between the move from NJ to VT, retirement from/selling Palmer Heating to son Scotty, building a new home, selling the old one and all that entails, I've been busier than ever.

Hope this helps.

Dan Foley

Ken

Good to hear from you again, stranger. I hope all is well. -DF

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