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Old oil boiler controls

mnessen
mnessen Member Posts: 14

My daughters old house has an old oil fired boiler with hot water coil. Using a Honeywell L8124A Aquastat…..but is not using a Protectorelay on the oil burner, although it looks like it did at one point. Can a Honeywell 8184G be used in conjunction with the Aquastat? Her simple thermostat is wired to TT on the Aquastat…..would that stay the same? What would connect to the TT terminals on the Protectorelay? Hoping to get guidance here before calling Resideo.

Comments

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,680

    This sounds VERY wrong. Can you post a pic?

    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    Robert_Hmattmia2EdTheHeaterMan
  • Robert_H
    Robert_H Member Posts: 189

    yes, pictures please. It sounds like there is no primary control on the burner, is there something attached to the smoke pipe?

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 17,483

    Do you have a stack relay in the smoke pipe?

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,676

    Stack relay?

  • Robert_H
    Robert_H Member Posts: 189

    It sounds like someone retrofitted a more up to date burner on a boiler with a stack relay, and removed the burner primary control leaving job that to the stack relay

  • mnessen
    mnessen Member Posts: 14

    OK, Ill have to take some new pictures (thought I had them). From From what I remember, the thermostat is wired directly to the internal coil Aquastat…..the oil burner has no primary control on it and the Aquastat burner terminals are wired directly to the burner. It has a Cad cell in place but not being used (terminals hanging). No stack connection that I can see. At this point the boiler doesn't run much as money for oil is very tight, she keeps the house running 52, with electric radiators for individual room comfort, Maintaining water coil temp is about all it does at present.

    It is a very old Peerless boiler, without water makeup for the boiler and I think there might be a slow leak in the casting since when you manually allow water pressure up to 12 psi on the tridicator, in about a day it goes to zero.

    Before he passed, her husband wrangled a relatively new Burnham V83 to replace the Peerless, but never got around to doing the swap.

    I"ll get pics of the hookup and get back.

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 12,200

    Removing 100 gallons of oil from the basement will be much more costly than a primary control.

    bburd
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 10,335
    edited March 19

    Sounds like the deceased husband was clueless and has left this very dangerous condition.    If anyone of the people that replied to this so far were to come across this on a service call, that burner would be shut off and the wiring removed so it was inoperable.  

    A 20 minute call for heat with no ignition, would be a disaster if that transformer decided to spark at the last minute.   

    BOOM!

    If you are going to put a new primary on that burner, try the Carlin 70200 Pro X. It is less expensive than the R8184G, & It has more features with diagnostics.

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    bburdSuperTech
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 17,483

    @mnessen

    Please, Please don't let that burner run without a primary control.

    That is a time bomb waiting to happen.

    Don't let it run even for only hot water.

    Pick up a cheap electric water heater and have it hooked up.

    Shut the boiler off and disable it.

    THIS IS SERIOUS. Loss of life or the building is real.

    mattmia2EdTheHeaterManSuperTech
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 12,200

    or a primary control. the former is harder but cheaper in the long run, the latter is easier

  • mnessen
    mnessen Member Posts: 14

    How about an answer then. I have a primary control. 8184G.

    How do I wire it?

    Does the termostat TT go directly to the primary control? Or does the B1 B2 wiring from the Aquastat go to the TT on the primary control? I can wire it easily, with some direction, please.

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 17,483

    B1 & B2 on aqustat go to black and white on the primary. Orange on the primary to the burner motor and transformer

    Thermostat wires to the aqustat. T & T on primary jumped. See attached

  • mnessen
    mnessen Member Posts: 14

    That makes sense. Will wire it this evening.

  • mnessen
    mnessen Member Posts: 14

    EBEBRATT-Ed - Thanks so much for the simple directions. Primary installed and all is working well.

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 17,483

    @mnessen

    Should check it to make sure it will go off on safety. Take a cad cell wire off while it is running it should lock out.

    We will all sleep better tonight.

    EdTheHeaterMan
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,676
  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,564

    The situation in this thread is about the only one where I am ok with someone installing a crappy R8184

    mattmia2
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,680

    @mnessen , @SuperTech makes a good point. The R8184 no longer meets Code, unless the trial-for-ignition period is 15 seconds. The usual version was 45 seconds, and such a long trial for ignition is unsafe.

    Picture this: The burner starts but the flame doesn't ignite. So it continues to spray oil into the firebox. At 37 seconds, it finally ignites- and there is a "Major Disturbance in the Force" better known as a backfire or puffback, that belches soot all over the place, and possibly sets the basement on fire.

    If we find a primary control with a longer trial for ignition, we replace it with a 15-second one. You should too. Beckett, Carlin and Honeywell make suitable controls.

    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    mattmia2SuperTech
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 17,483

    Maybe but just a little bit better than no control at all.

    Robert_HSuperTech