Aquastat Question

I have a few questions on the aquastat I am hoping someone can answer. I am trying to understand the operation a bit better.

When there is a call for heat from a thermostat. Does that call then fire the boiler/turn on the blower?

Does the aquastat automatically keep the boiler between 160 - 200 or whatever you have it set at as the low and high limit?

In other words will the boiler always start the blower at 160 deg?

Does the stoker stoke continously no matter what the call for heat is to maintain these temps?

I guess generally speaking I am just trying to understand how the aquastat runs the boiler in some detail.
I am attempting to hook up a Taco 503 Zone controller that will run my 3 seperate zones. I just am trying to make sure I am doing this correctly! It works very well with the oil burner aquastat so I am hoping it will also work well with this one. I am going to use an L6006C out fire control and a wilburt mercury timer.

Thanks for any general info!

I have a few questions on the aquastat I am hoping someone can answer. I am trying to understand the operation a bit better.

On a call for heat, the circulator starts first. When the water temp drops, the blower and auger start and keep running until the thermostat is satisfied or the high limit is reached. The circulator will shut down if the water temp drops 10 degrees below the low limit setting to preserve the hot water for the coil.

Does the aquastat keep the boiler between 160 - 200 or whatever you have it set at as the low and high limit?
automatically

The aquastat maintains the boiler at the low limit setting, plus any override after the blower shuts off.

Does the stoker stoke continously no matter what the call for heat is to maintain these temps?

No, it will either maintain the low limit setting or stoke as described above.

I am going to use an L6006C out fire control and a wilburt mercury timer.

Hang on to the mercury timer. They were excellent devices.

Generally the aquastat will start to fan/stoke on a drop to the minimum setpoint and will run to the max setpoint. Once it falls below the max setpoint it will fan/stoke on a call for heat to zones or DHW if zoned and stop when the call for heat drops out. It will start the cycle over when it falls to the low setpoint again. The purpose of this is to prevent a long call for heat to get ahead of its ability to keep up and maintain the set operating temps. Otherwise you would be dipping into the no-zone for zoned heat as described in the previous post relating to the domestic hot water.

Thanks Guys! I appreciate this!

So Mark are you making heat yet?

Hey Bill

not quite yet!!! We are getting there though. I have a few items to cover.

1. I got that darn pop off valve plug out! I was much better at it this time. Only took about 1.5 or 2 hours! heh. Still need to find a valve locally noone has one. Don't know why.
2. I have to wire my zone pumps, aquastat etc. (using that Taco Controller, Not sure EXACTLY how it'll all go YET)
3. I have to install my flue piping
4. the system is mostly full of water again but I have one 90 elbow that is just NOT cooporating so I need to take it out and replace it. hopefully then I can fill the system 100% again.
5. get my ash barrel ready. and auger hooked up.

thats about it really. So I'm not NEARLY as far away as I was. It takes time. I plan to knock out Number 2 tomorrow night or most of it, with luck. then this weekend get my flue pipe. I'd say i'm 2 weeks away yet.

luckily I still have my corn stove which I heated my house with 100% the last 2 years. So i'm ok as far as that goes. I was hoping to start the boiler end of October. so I think i'm on pace for that!!!

How about you? are you making heat?

How about you Billw?

I got the Engine Hoist to the basement today, and I closed the pool for the winter.

Not much done for my day off.

I got the water hooked up to the system a couple of hours after you left. I filled the system. There was one nipple that was a dripper. I spun it a little and the problem went away. I got the zone controller hooked up and the overtemp aquastat. I should finish the wiring by Wed. I noticed tonight a drip on one of the zone drains. The 3/4" black iron fitting is dripping at the seam so I need to change it. Dam 1.50 part and it's going to cost me a night's worth of work. Dam Chinese junk. I was hoping to light this on Thursday but I think I'll wait until Saturday so I can spend the day learning how to run it. It's supposed to get cool Thursday and Friday. I guess we'll have to turn on the oven to stay warm. The oil unit is still apart. I'm expecting to catch a lot of sh#t over this one. Oh well, another day in the dog house, nothing new.

BIll I hear ya on the China Junk.

its amazing cutting out those old plugs in the boiler they are double the thickness of anything I can get today. but you work with what you have I suppose. its pathetic though!

What kind of Zone Controller are you using? Or are you coming right off the aquastat?

And by Overtemp Aquastat? what are you doing with that one? A dump zone? Should I need something like this?

Thanks!

Carnage... Your days off sound like mine sometimes. all these intentions and at the end of the day you think... dang what the heck did I do all day? or where did the time go.

I remember my wife helping me get the engine hoist to the basement. fun fun! I'm glad that part is over. and the plumbing is mostly over. we'll see how I do tonight on the zone wiring.

I'm using my old controller. It's a B & G that I installed in 1995. It's a three zone system. Nothing fancy, turns the pump on and off and that's it. When I first started this project I was convinced I wanted to add all that fancy stuff, post purge, outdoor reset etc. but the budget got blown out of the water so I'm using what I've got.

The overtemp aquastat is for a dump zone. I'm using a 4006b connected to my basement zone. If the unit ever gets to hot it dumps the heat in my basement. I don't think it's necessary because the PRV valve should prevent a catastrophe but I thought as long as I'm doing all of this work I'd add it now. The basement has 16 feet of wall hung cast iron radiators so it should shed heat quickly.

Good luck with the wiring. You're lucky, you still have a stove to keep the house warm.

I do feel your pain because I can ONLY imagine how happy my wife would be without heat! heh.

I have a friend who built a home (and still is....) last year and had NO heat even into December. He eventually got some electric baseboard and put up in some of his rooms. but He told me there were many COLD mornings. I think he said the worst was about 42 degrees... yea inside that is!!! No thanks...

I also wanted an outdoor reset and then I bought my first 10' piece of 1 1/4" copper. no thanks on that reset... maybe someday (which turns into never as we all know!!!)

Keep us updated!

He told me there were many COLD mornings. I think he said the worst was about 42 degrees... yea inside that is!!!

My father keeps his bedroom windows open fully ALL day long and ALL year round. The heat to the second floor is turned off. We were talking about the old days last night about how the snow would sit on the window sill upstairs when we were kids and he said the coldest he ever got in the bedroom was 36 degrees.

I remember those old days, they weren't that long ago when I was buying propane on working man's pay. That means I couldn't afford 70 degrees, I could afford 50 degrees. Sweaters and heavy blankets made it so we didn't get sick but it wasn't really that good. The water on the sink would freeze sometimes.

I have been amazed at how the costs have added up, even installing it myself. My credit card for HD just keeps going and going, and that does not include the costs at the plumbing store and the chimney costs. I hate to think what it would have cost if I had to pay for the chimney and plumbing install as well.

If the economy doesn't turn around and fuel prices continue to slide, it's going to take a while longer to pay this baby off.

This slide is temporary IMO. Payback time may get extended a year or so but it's well worth it. Heating oil is still around 3.80. I screamed last summer when I had to pay 2.39. This summer coal was 170/ton delivered here. That's a hell of a price difference. I can only imagine the price of having a contractor do all of the work.