Beckett Heatmanager vs. Tekmar

realolman

you mind 'splainin' that a little bit.

I always was curious to know what it was doing?

Rocky_3

Heatmanager basically a differential control?

Anyone have any experience with the Beckett Heatmanager? Are they basically just a differential control, where it spreads out the boiler differential so that more heat is used up out of the boiler before it lets it fire? If so, could you not do the same thing by just spreading your differential on your aquastat? Trying to compare them to the Tekmar 260 to see which one has the best value for what they do.

Any info would be appreciated,
Rocky

harry home owner

how about a taco pc700-2?

CC.Rob_6

like my 260

Very happy with my 260 doing full ODR with indoor feedback, and running an indirect on priority. It runs the show. Excellent bang for the buck. Spent the first year without the indoor sensor, then added it. Night and day difference in comfort (and fuel savings, too). The indoor sensor really makes this control.

Heatmanager and a 260 aren't really comparable, in my opinion. The 260 is a fairly smart, multi-function control. The Heatmanager isn't. Choice would depend on what you want to accomplish.

Rocky_3

Reason I'm asking

is basically I have installed literally hundreds of Tekmars, and recently have added the Taco line of outdoor reset controls. Another company in town is marketing the Heat Manager quite extensively, and many of my customers are asking about them as the other company is installing them for about $650, and my tekmar 260 installs are usually about $1000. I know all about the 260 functions and benefits, but just not real familiar with the heatmanager, so I can not intelligently speak about them to my customers. Just want to understand how they work and what they do. From the literature I've read, they just basically keep the boiler from firing if there is a residual amount of heat left in the boiler. If that is all they do, then I can easily defend the tekmar or Taco OAR controls.
Thanks,
Rocky

Unknown

heat manager

This is what beckett provides for explanation http://www.becketthm.com/pdf/HeatManager_Tech_Bulletin.pdf

It's my understanding that some boilers are designed for cold start and others are not. Would there be issues with this type of control for boilers that were designed to maintain a minimum standby temperature?

This is a similar approach: http://www.heatinghelp.com/newsletter.cfm?Id=252 although it seems to be more about supply temperature than differential. I wonder what the effect the becket has on room temperature "saw tooth". A small loss of comfort may have a bit to do with the reported savings.

With the becket what happens when an indirect is connected? seems like there is a potential to mess with recovery if the control can not distinguish a DHW demand from a heating demand.

The tekmar is a lot more control. But who knows maybe this simple device is all thats realy required, Perhaps this becket logic has an ability to achieve steady state efficiencies that is actually superior.

Doesn't tekmar make some of taco's control products?

amunro

heat manager vs +

I've been told by a local heating co. that I would save at least 10% fuel by and install a Beckett Heat Manager at a cost of approximately $450- $500. I have a 19 year old Weil-McLain oilburner with 4 gal. cap. tankless waterheater. I keep it at Hi--140F, Lo--120F with Diff. of 25F. Can someone advise me on what to do? I'm also thinking of installing a Monitor heater running it in our living room. Should I be installing both? amunro,SE Alaska

Tim Gardner

Heat Manager/Intellicon vs Tekmar

The Intellicon HW and its less sophisticated sibling the Heat Manager adjusts the burner run pattern to match the system’s “heat load.” Its action is similar to the industry-accepted method of “outdoor-air temperature reset control,” the tekmar 260, but does not require an outdoor-air temperature sensor or the need to profile the building in order to adjust the “reset” controller properly. IntelliCon-HW+ determines the “heat load” by using a temperature sensor that monitors the boiler’s out-flow water temperature and the rate that this temperature is changing. Since the Intellicon HW+ can be installed by most do it your selfers and does not require any tuning after installation its payback is significantly shorter then the tekmar since the tekmar usally requires professional installtion at $1000 as opposed to the Intellicon which can be purchased on-line for less then a quarter of the price....

realolman

I have

a beckett heat manager on my boiler.

It definately enlarges the differential much more than it can be set on the aquastat...resulting in longer run times.

If it does in fact calculate this based on the return water temp, I would say that indirectly, it is based on the outdoor air temperature.

It has provisions for DHW if you get the right one.

Installing the model like I have with no DHW for 650 bucks sounds like pretty sweet business to me.

[Deleted User]

I think the Heat Manager is a great cost-effective way to save money. I've installed a couple and they are really easy to hook up. The only thing that I question is having a do-it-yourselfer hook it up as you can accidentally by- pass the aquastat high limit if you're not careful. The cost to have a professional safely install it would most likely be paid for in 1 - 2 years in fuel savings.

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Robert O'Brien

realoilman

It works on the rate of change of the supply temp,which is a function of load.

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matt laforest

beckett heat manager

Ive installed several of these controls on different systems. To me, they make sense for what they cost. Basically it senses the outgoing water temperature from your heating plant. It then calculates the time and temperature drop of the zones call for heat. By that number, it then holds off the burner until the outgoing temperature falls below the controls set paramater. Also, with the use of a indirect fired tank, the control senses a greater call for heat than a conventional heat zone. You have to also remember that a typical indirect tank gives you multiple gallons of storage as a head start. My conclusion: the heat manager is a great add on control for the cost. I would install either a taco pc 700, or a similar tekmar outdoor control on a new system.

michael siena

heat manager

go to beckett's web site and view the training videos. I install this product for $350 and i link it to the boiler cleanout it works out to about a $500 call for about two hours of work. Simply the device learns the demand and recovery for the boiler and then lags the low fire this is where the savings comes from. when you turn on the hot domestic water the high limit takes over and the boiler works normaly. If you turn on the hot water to wash your hands the unit will learn the pattern of calls and recovery and it will lag the firing of the boiler. I have not had one complaint just praise for saving money. I you guys can't make money with this product then hang it up. It is the gravy on EVERY SERVICE CALL.

Rocky

Mike

any data on actual savings, or at least gut feelings? They claim 20% savings. I would find that highly doubtful, but how about 10%? What are your findings.

Thanks,
Rocky