anybody have any updates regarding the outdoor version of the econoburn? usage, performance, repairs, etc
thanks
thanks
Personally I would not go for the drain down solution as it will cause more corrosion than you ever need to have in a closed loop system. Glycol and a plate exchanger would require an extra pump and is expensive. It depends on how much time you'll be gone in the winter.... I'd opt for a small taco 007 or simmilar to circulate water through the underground pex and boiler when your gone. There are piping diagrams on here that have been suggested before for doing this. It would "waste" some oil keeping the EB warm though so that is a consideration. Also some electric baseboad in the boiler shed set on 40 can give peace of mind. If you are going to be useing oil quite a bit in the winter and not be around then the glycol may work out to be less expensive, but it comes at the cost of another pump's watts whenever you have a fire and 4-5 year replacement of the glycol. Just my thoughts.
Also series piping of and oil boiler will draft a suprising amount of heat up the chimney, parellel with an aquastat somewhere in the system to keep the oil off works out better IMHO.
Taylor
just to be clear it sounds like either option you suggest needs an extra pump, not that its a problem either way, just want to keep it clear in my head.
option 1: extra pump to handle the supply side of a glycol to water heat exchanger (does the 4-5 year repalcement include the "boiler" type of glycol?)
option 2: extra pump to circulate the supply and return, without any heat exchanger.
I dont have a problem with wasting oil heating the outdoor unit if its going to be "easier" then a glycol/heat exchanger, especially since I dont really ever travel during winter. Apart from a weekend or 2, I'm always home during the winter.
thanks for the help
Yes you are correct. W/O the heat exchanger though the second pump is small and is only used when the boiler temp falls below a certain point, say 55 meaning almost never if you are home burning. With a heat exchanger and glycol, both pumps are larger and are run whenever there is a fire in the boiler, costing you more wattage. Woodmaster has a good point though, if your area is prone to power outages, you would want to invest in a battery backup or a small generator, a good idea for all wood boiler users. No power = no circulation = freezing or boiling over. The only way around this is a gravity dump zone which has to be above the boiler on a normally closed type zone valve.
Taylor
You mean normally open?
Yes, sorry backwards........
Pump away from the expansion tank wherever thats located in the system. I would go with glycol + HX before I'd go draindown in either case. You don't want to be draining gallons of water out of a closed loop system only to be replacing it with fresh oxygenated water on a regular basis, even annually. Plus there is always the risk of water laying somewhere and still freezing.
All this being said I am not familiar with the EB outdoor unit, only the indoor unit.
Taylor
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