outdoor reset aquastat on regular boiler

naivehomeowner

tech came when oil boiler went cold recent frigid day.  said aquastat was broken and replaced it with Residio ‘outdoor reset ready’ unit pictured.  is this ok for regular non-modcon boiler?  thanks

pedmec

As long as he sets the minimum low water temperature above 140. I'm not familiar with that particular control and you didn't give a model # but you generally can set the lowest operating set point on a reset control to prevent it from going below the condensing point of the flue gas. Recommended water temperature for a cast iron boiler is not lower than 140.

Big Ed_4

yes

hot_rod

What type of heat emitters do you have? High temperature systems benefit the most from reset controls.

naivehomeowner

emitters are a dozen or so cast iron radiators and one hydrocoil for air handler 

naivehomeowner

boiler also heats indirect hot water tank

hot_rod

A properly adjusted ODR can give you both some fuel savings and better comfort.
Comfort comes from long run cycles with the supply temperature being adjusted. This takes any wide temperature swings out of the heat emitters. I’ve run cast rads down to 120 SWT. The hydrocoil will probably limit how low you could set the SWT, before it blows too cold. You may need to adjust as the heating season progresses and gets colder.

Read the manual and see if you are comfortable making adjustments changes. The installer would expect to get paid to make multiple trips to fine tune the control.

SuperTech

That aquastat requires additional controls to be installed for the outdoor reset to work. That's a L7224U universal replacement aquastat.  It's a nice improvement over your original aquastat, even without the outdoor reset controls it has several features that can help improve system efficiency. 

HVACNUT

Yes, it's fine. There's no Outdoor Reset connected, but the control is capable. 

I'd be more concerned with the primary control (reset button). It's an obsolete 45 second safety and doesn't allow for pre purge even though there's an oil delay valve. You might need to pay for the upgrade, but it's worth it. 

STEVEusaPA

I wouldn't put an ODR on that boiler without some boiler protection and a buffer tank. Otherwise it's going to short cycle and cost you money.

hot_rod

If only someone made a modulating boiler 😉

STEVEusaPA

hot_rod said:

If only someone made a modulating boiler 😉

in America, for oil.

naivehomeowner

Thanks everyone, I take it that the Residio aquastat works fine for my WM boiler.

HVACNut:  Thanks for the comment: “I'd be more concerned with the primary control (reset button). It's an obsolete 45 second safety and doesn't allow for pre purge even though there's an oil delay valve. You might need to pay for the upgrade, but it's worth it.”

Do you mean the Honeywell control on my boiler?  What would the upgrade be and what advantages?  Thanks

EBEBRATT-Ed

The new control says "outdoor reset ready."

It works as a normal relay if the outdoor control is not hooked up. I don't see an outdoor air sensor wire.

It is probably what he had on his truck.

SuperTech

The Resideo R7284U would give you a 15 second safety lockout, interuppted ignition and a digital display for easy diagnostics. Also you can use your solenoid valve for pre and post purge. Anytime I see those older controls I recommend replacing them with either the R7284U or the digital Carlin primary control.  

naivehomeowner

Thanks everyone 

To clarify an earlier comment, does the pictured Honeywell unit need to be replaced/updated?

Also, how would I know if the Resideo aquastat is set up correctly to realize some performance benefit over the old Aquastat? What would any benefit be, as comprehensible for a layperson such as me?

Thanks

SuperTech

The L7224U aquastat and the R7284U primary control are universal replacement parts. They have to be setup for the boiler/furnace once they are installed to work properly.  The installation manuals are very helpful for this. If you have any questions on the setings I'm sure I can answer them.

naivehomeowner

Thanks for all the comments.

To clarify, do I need to replace the Honeywell control as a prior comment stated?  What advantage would that provide?

Is there any way I can ascertain as a layperson if the Resideo aquastat is set up to provide the noted benefits as compared to the old unit and what are those benefits in layperson terms?

Thanks much

SuperTech

You really should replace the burner control. It will give you safer  and more reliable operation of the oil burner.  And it will save wear and tear on the ignition components and potentially keep you from losing heat in the future. Those older controls keep the ignition components constantly energized the entire time the burner is running,  the new control shuts off the ignition components once the flame is established. 

The aquastat is capable of doing a thermal purge of the boiler at the end of each burner cycle.  This will ensure that heat made by the burner is circulated to the house rather than the boiler just shutting off and cooling down.  The L7224U aquastat is also more reliable than the old mechanical aquastats. 

I could install and setup both of those components in less than a hour. Why don't you hire a technician to install them and set them up for you? 

naivehomeowner

Thanks for all the comments and recommendations 
I think I am stuck with the pictured Resideo aquastat and Honeywell control as these both were purchased and installed in the last year, both during separate off hours no heat calls. 
Having gotten the bill for the aquastat, i think it was a good deal more expensive than a simpler non-OR aquastat would have been, so it would be nice if there were some performance advantage.

would there be an advantage to having a tech visit to make sure that settings as between this aquastat and controller are optima, along the lines of what is stated above?  and/or can a know nothing like me take a look at anything to confirm the set up is ok?