How Low Should I Go?

Constantin

I think your friend is on the right track... there are a number of things you could do: As a low-cost measure, if the boiler can take the lower return temperatures, you could install a aquastat with a wider range of temperatures.

A step up in comfort and economy could be the retrofit of an outdoor reset controller like the ones Tekmar makes. However, in order to reap the benefits of OR, your boiler will need to be piped primary-secondary. Only then can the primary loop water be significantly cooler than the boiler needs to be on the inside to be happy.

If your boiler is already properly piped for OR control (i.e. pri-sec) then retrofitting an OR controller would seem like a no-brainer to me. Have a contractor come out and review the system and then compare the payoffs vs. the costs of getting the system modified. Given that your house has high-temp emitters, it may not pay off.

T. J.

Wrong aquastat or wrong advice?

I just moved into an 88 year old house with a hydronic baseboard and fan/coil heating system. The boiler is a fairly new New Yorker CGA. Currently my aquastat is set to 180* and I had a friend who works on heating systems feel the temp of my return-side circulator and tell me that my water temp should be lower, around 140* - 150*. The only problem is my Honeywell L8148 aquastat only goes down to 180*. I thought the aquastat came with the boiler (it looks new, too). Do I have the wrong aquastat? The wrong friend?

T. J.

Lower return temps on a New Yorker CG-A

As far as the lower cost option, how do I know how low my boiler can go? I tried to look for literature on the CG-A from the New Yorker website, but they don't seem to have any info on discontinued boilers. The closest model they have is the CG-B, but they do not list lowest allowable return temps on any of the literature for the B.

Is anyone familiar with the CG-A?

Ron Schroeder

telmark

Here is a white paper on saving with lower temperature settings. Condensation is a serious issue.
http://homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/95/950909.html

Constantin

Sorry, I'm but a mere homeowner myself...

I'd consider giving the folk at New Yorker a call. Their listed number is 215-855-8055. Perhaps they can fax you the old I&O Manual and opine on the lower return water limits of this boiler.