Wiring an EKO with Heat Exchangers in Hot Air furnace

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rickh1001

New Member
Jun 4, 2008
126
upstate NY
I have pretty much completed all the plumbing on ouHere is my lar new EKO 60, and finished the new chimney install (27' of 8" metalbestos through the house). Now, for the wiring. The EKO manual is a little sparse (!) to say the least. The EKO has a 500 gallon storage tank (due for expansion next spring to 1000 gal), along with an internal heat exchanger coil, so I can feed solar into it next spring when I get to phase 2 of the project. I am hoping to make sure I am not screwing up, and hopefully get some tips on doing it right.

There is a Taco 0010 circ on the 1 1-2" primary loop, and 3 Taco 007's on each of the 3 zones, with each zone feeding a heat exchanger in the plenum of an oil furnace in two homes. I will have two thermostats at each house location - the existing ones for each oil furnace, plus a second new one for each to control the 3 circulators feeding the heat exchangers.

For the 3 furnaces, I have an aquastat clamped to each exchanger, that will turn the blowers on and off at temperature. There is a Taco 4 position relay box (one extra position for expansion), that will turn on/off each of the three 007 circs when a thermostat calls for heat. I have some questions on the primary however.

I have the older analog EKO controller. I assume that I wire the 0010 circ through the relay box to the EKO, so that it will control the primary loop? I also have a low water cutoff. Where does that fit into the wiring? Should I use that to break one of the wires going to the relay box for the 0010 control? Also, if a thermostat calls for heat, and the furnace if out of fuel, the primary circ pump will turn on, and pump cooler water through the primary. Eventually, the oil furnaces will kick in, as they will be set to some lower temp. Is it a problem that they will run cooler water through the exchangers, even when the oil burners kick in (say, if I am away from the house for a day or two)? Can I, or should I, wire something so none of the circulators will function if the EKO runs out of wood, to prevent the furnaces from trying to heat the water storage tank?

Lots of questions, I know. But the whole wiring scheme of this thing is a bit of a black box to me.

thanks.
 
boilerman said:
I have the older analog EKO controller. I assume that I wire the 0010 circ through the relay box to the EKO, so that it will control the primary loop?

Without a plumbing diagram, I'm working in the dark a bit. If the primary loop has more than one heat source (EKO and storage) then the EKO can't control the primary circulator. It can only control its own circulator, and the primary has to run whenever any load is getting heat from the primary loop.

I also have a low water cutoff. Where does that fit into the wiring? Should I use that to break one of the wires going to the relay box for the 0010 control?

Good question. I guess you'd want to kill the EKO altogether if you had low water.

Also, if a thermostat calls for heat, and the furnace if out of fuel, the primary circ pump will turn on, and pump cooler water through the primary. Eventually, the oil furnaces will kick in, as they will be set to some lower temp. Is it a problem that they will run cooler water through the exchangers, even when the oil burners kick in (say, if I am away from the house for a day or two)?

Sounds like a problem to me.

Can I, or should I, wire something so none of the circulators will function if the EKO runs out of wood, to prevent the furnaces from trying to heat the water storage tank?

Lots of questions, I know. But the whole wiring scheme of this thing is a bit of a black box to me.

thanks.

The house circulators need to be disabled when the oil is running, but not if you're heating from either the EKO or storage.

Hope this helps. Hope I'm not totally confused.
 
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