ups backup

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

nrcrash

Member
Apr 17, 2012
165
MA
I am going to be installing a ups back up for my new vigas boiler, but can someone explain to me why I need one? Is it only to get rid of the heat that is in the boiler at the time the power goes out to prevent damage from occuring? Since the fan isn't running any more and drawing the gasses out of the boiler does it have to run until that burn is completed?
 
When you loose power your boiler automatically enters the idle state. However, with no power the pump cannot run which is required to remove the residual heat that the boiler holds. Without the ability to disperse this heat the boiler is likely to over heat. It is not nessessary to keep the boiler running for a long time. Just long enough to remove the residual heat.

I don't use power backup. Instead I have a 50 gallon tank that will thermo siphon in the event of a power fail. It will pull off between 40 - 50 kbtus which is enough to cool the boiler adequately. I have tested this and it does the job.
 
I don't use power backup. Instead I have a 50 gallon tank that will thermo siphon in the event of a power fail. It will pull off between 40 - 50 kbtus which is enough to cool the boiler adequately. I have tested this and it does the job.
Is this in a pressurized system?
 
Interested in doing the same but not sure how to plumb it into a pressurized system.
Any pics of your setup?
 
Interested in doing the same but not sure how to plumb it into a pressurized system.
Any pics of your setup?

I just plumbed in a parallel loop to the boiler containing the 50 gallon tank (reclaimed electric dhw tank). This loop has no other restrictions other than a normally open zone valve. During a power fail the zone valve will open and the loop will thermal syphon.
 
When you loose power your boiler automatically enters the idle state. However, with no power the pump cannot run which is required to remove the residual heat that the boiler holds. Without the ability to disperse this heat the boiler is likely to over heat. It is not nessessary to keep the boiler running for a long time. Just long enough to remove the residual heat.

I don't use power backup. Instead I have a 50 gallon tank that will thermo siphon in the event of a power fail. It will pull off between 40 - 50 kbtus which is enough to cool the boiler adequately. I have tested this and it does the job.

To pull 50k btu with 50 gallons of water you'd be raising the temp by roughly 120 degrees.

How have you tested it? Full burn, full temp? Seems like you'd be riding the edge of overheat with only 50 gallons. But if it works, it works.
 
To pull 50k btu with 50 gallons of water you'd be raising the temp by roughly 120 degrees.

How have you tested it? Full burn, full temp? Seems like you'd be riding the edge of overheat with only 50 gallons. But if it works, it works.


I brought the boiler up to top operating temperature, then shut off the power. The EKO manual suggested this method and indicated that a 40 gallon reservoir was sufficient to keep the temperature under control. I am confident that this works because over the past 4 years I have experienced several power outages and my pressure relief has never activated because of an overheat condition. The 50 gallon tank has increased it's temp by 120 degrees though.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.