Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Need steam + HW controller

Yea Mark, that's exactly what I'm looking for, except the circulators would run, just not the fire, until it dropped below 180. I could pipe in a bypass with a mixing valve to avoid pulling water over 180 which would be temporary until I repiped, but the circuitry would remain permanent in some way.

If you send me what you're thinking it will at the very least give me an idea of how the electronics work, even if I decide it's too nightmarish.

thanks...

jim

Comments

  • Jim Franklin_2
    Jim Franklin_2 Member Posts: 70
    Steam + HW controller?

    Can someone point me to a controller that will prevent my steam boiler from exceeding 180 when either the DHW storage tank or a FHW zone calls for heat? Now that the heat's on frequently I'm getting steam flashing on the low pressure side of the circulators (bad piping that will be addressed in the spring).

    thanks,
    jim
  • carol_5
    carol_5 Member Posts: 3


    Can anyone help on this one?
  • Kevin_37
    Kevin_37 Member Posts: 5
    Steam and Hot water control

    > Can anyone help on this one?



    I found a company called Paxton Corporation by luck a couple of years ago while trying to find an affordable Heat Timer type of control for a 300k btu boiler in a small apartment building. I bought two, one for each building. The instructions were a little cryptic but the support was great. Saved half . . . yes HALF! of my gas bill once set up properly. Ask for Lief (pernounceed life) when you call.
    www.paxtoncorp.com/index.php is the site. Goodluck! Kev.
  • bob_50
    bob_50 Member Posts: 306
    Flash

    Jim, how are you controlling it now?
  • Jim Franklin_2
    Jim Franklin_2 Member Posts: 70
    Uncontrolled

    Right now there is no control. The thermostat calls for house steam heat, and the SuperStor aquastat calls for hot water. If the two coincide, I get steam in the loop feeding the SuperStor. I'd rather add a control that I'll reuse

    I read here:
    http://www.heatinghelp.com/heating_howcome6.cfm

    about using an aquastat and a relay, but the wiring theory is sparse. I'd really appreciate a pointer to how to wire up things so that the boiler doesn't make steam during a DHW or FHW call. Or if these instructions come with the aquastat, confirmation of such would be great.

    jim
  • oil-2-4-6-gas
    oil-2-4-6-gas Member Posts: 641
    .

    what kind of controls do you have now on the boiler --?"
  • Jim Franklin_2
    Jim Franklin_2 Member Posts: 70


    Only a Pressuretrol...

    jim
  • superMARKet
    superMARKet Member Posts: 87
    Aquastat and relay

    Even if you add the aquastat and relay that Dan talks about on that page, you'll still risk steam in the water loops if there's a call for steam while the pumps are running. Gotta repipe.

    It sounds like you're looking for a way to have hot water preempt the steam, or the other way around. I can think of a way to do it right, avoiding running the circulators when the water's too hot, but it would take a couple of aquastats and a handful of relays. It would also probably be more of a nightmare than you're looking for.
  • superMARKet
    superMARKet Member Posts: 87


    Are you sure you need priority control if you've got a temporary mixing valve?

    This control layout gives DHW and FHW priority over steam. Water temperature will be higher than 180º if DHW/FHW interrupts a steam call - you say you're OK with that.

    Red is always hot, orange is sometimes hot, green is 24V, blue is neutral, and the important obscure oranges are labeled. This diagram shows a 120V primary, you'd need to make some changes for a 24V primary.
  • oil-2-4-6-gas
    oil-2-4-6-gas Member Posts: 641
    .

    you will need an On-Delay relay --so if its cycling for steam you can delay your domestic pump --you will need an aqaustat for water temp --dpdt relay --when heating you will be on the pressuretrol and t-stat --when domestic calls --the On delay gets powered --and you run on the aquastat --------so all you need is
    #1 ON-Delay relay
    #2 aquastat
    #3DpDt relay
    #4 wires-and knowledge of how to run the system for both steam ands hot-water while still using the feeder & lwco
  • Jim Franklin_2
    Jim Franklin_2 Member Posts: 70
    Diagram

    Thanks for that diagram, it explains a lot!

    jim
This discussion has been closed.