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System 2000 been sitting

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Dave_144
Dave_144 Member Posts: 28
in THE MAIN WALL
A good friend has a System 2000 EK-1 he's offered that's been sitting in his unheated garage for about 5 years. I don't think it was winterized or prepped in any way when it was taken out, but was working OK at the time. Is there any way to tel if it's still any good? Pulled up the on line manual and it says the Energy Converter can't be drained completely of water due to it's spiral design and can rust if not prepped properly for winterization. Thanks!

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  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,835
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    Do you know why it was taken out?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,835
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    If the boiler was in good operating condition when it was removed then the only issue I see could be damage to the Manager due to high humidity in the warmer months. Otherwise that's a pretty good score. Lucky dog. I dont have my Tech manual handy. Anyone? I know EK offers an inhibitor. The boiler does drain. What goes up must come down, spinning wheel...
    Obviously there will be moisture in the passages though.
  • Jim Hankinson
    Jim Hankinson Member Posts: 99
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    Pressure test it.
    Manager is probably still good. Even if not and nothing leaks thats a cheap fix.
  • brnrman1
    brnrman1 Member Posts: 32
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    Jim gave you good advice to add to that if we get the serial # we can tell you the age of the unit and advise how to precede. Depending on the age of the unit you can open the front or back door and inspect the boiler vessel. When or if the unit has frozen the steel will bulge and it is going to show when inspected. You can also check out the combustion chamber make sure it is in good shape. The good part is you can get all the parts needed to refurbish the unit they are readily available.

    "Mitch"
    "Mitch"
    Roger Mitchell
    Senior Technical Representative
    Energy Kinetics
  • Dave_144
    Dave_144 Member Posts: 28
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    Thanks for the replies, appreciate it.

    Serial number is F 10504051825 Model EK-1F

    What would a reasonable test pressure be?

    Yes, they seem to have a trade in program for the Energy Manager and the price seems very reasonable if there's an issue with that.

    This is from the manual I found on line:


  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
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    I would be more concerned about the combustion chamber liner. If the unit was jostled too much, the liner could collapse because it is very fragile after it has been in service for a while. Either way, it is also replaceable, and I would definitely take it!
    Rick
  • Alan Welch
    Alan Welch Member Posts: 267
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    In normal operation the boiler should never see more than 30 lbs of pressure, anything higher should open the relief valve, so if it can hold that pressure for a while you are probably ok. More than likely the circulator will be seized. How many years was it in operation before it was removed?
  • Jim Hankinson
    Jim Hankinson Member Posts: 99
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    According to the serial number that boiler is 14 years old Do you know why it was taken out?
  • Dave_144
    Dave_144 Member Posts: 28
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    Yes he had problems with the boiler intermittently turning off. Could go months or the better part of a year without it happening and then could happen twice in a month or two. So his heating company, who installed this unit new for him, convinced him to go with a new Buderus boiler. Wasn't long before that started doing the same thing, so I don't think it had anything to do with the boiler. They've tried a number of things since, vents in the walls of the utility room, etc but it happened to him once last winter so I don't think they've solved it yet.

    He had it running propane so we'd need to convert it to oil, but I think these are fairly modular in that regard? Our boiler is well over 30 years old and we were told last visit by our service company that it's on it's last legs. So would be great to be able to use this unit. I can imagine the increase in efficiency will be very significant.
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,835
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    Well isn't that terrific. Now that's some grade A troubleshoot right there.
  • Jim Hankinson
    Jim Hankinson Member Posts: 99
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    It's pretty simple to convert back to oil. EK has a burner that would make it a direct changeout. Call Customer Service for details.
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506
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    Congrats, converting to oil...where's the thumbs up emoji?
    steve
    Solid_Fuel_Man

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