Biomass NextGen 40 Combo parts

[hoyt144]

Good evening, I'm looking to get some help from other Biomass users. With no more support I'm growing a little concerned and looking to get some heads together to figure out how to keep these running. Overall I've been very pleased after the inevitable growing pains of new boiler operations. My primary concerns are with controllers and refractory parts. Is there any boilers using similar nozzles/secondary burn chamber parts?

The only other parts I've needed to replace was blower fan and motor. Zenon was able hook me up with a fan motor available from Grainger which helped but I don't have a source for the blower wheel itself. Any help would be awesome.

There has to be others kinda freaking out like I am!

Thanks in advance

Mike

 

[salecker]

With some ingenuity everything can be solved.
There was a member that made molds for making the refractory parts that his boiler needed.
Controls can be made form aqua-states and relays.

 

[ExxWhy]

I share your concerns. Love the boiler, but it will need parts eventually. I have a set of refractory parts I bought as spares a couple years ago. Been using firebricks in the chamber to protect the nozzle since new, so it's holding up decently after 6 seasons. I wanted a spare fan, but no such luck. Happen to have a link for the fan you got? I worry about the controller all the time, if/when it fails I suspect it won't be summer.

 

[hoyt144]

Man I wish I'd bought a refractory set just for this reason. I wonder if there is a way we could make a mold from your new parts and cast some copies. Here is the link to the fan motor I got. https://ebay.us/m/5XQNXX, it's a Dayton 71626875M Hvac Motor. I also started putting firebrick over the nozzle when I noticed a little erosion. A source for the controller is also high on my list of priorities. Like Salecker said I'm sure someone smarter than me could make a controller with basic parts but I have no idea where to even begin.

 

[ExxWhy]

Thanks for the link. If you find someone who can make a mold, I am open to trying to make it happen.

In some other thread, I ran across this company. Been mean to email them about the controller and what it would take to make it work.

https://www.ahona.com/prod-ahak010-controller.html

 

[salecker]

I have storage...
When my first controller went on warranty, it was a 2 week wait to get it.
For those 2 weeks i ran the fan from an extension cord trough the high limit aqua-state.
When the temps got that high it would shut off the boiler

 

[ExxWhy]

I have storage...
When my first controller went on warranty, it was a 2 week wait to get it.
For those 2 weeks i ran the fan from an extension cord trough the high limit aqua-state.
When the temps got that high it would shut off the boiler

I also have storage and on a typical winter day, I am burning 10-12 hours per day. So it gets a luke warm start everyday. Did you just run the water pump all the time when you had the fan going? Do you know how it does the variable fan speeds, just lowers the voltage?

 

[salecker]

I also have storage and on a typical winter day, I am burning 10-12 hours per day. So it gets a luke warm start everyday. Did you just run the water pump all the time when you had the fan going? Do you know how it does the variable fan speeds, just lowers the voltage?

Last night i burned 4 hours at -40C /40 below F i will burn 10-12 hours
My storage is usually around 115 F when i start a fire, last night it was at 130 when i started the fire.
Yes the main circ pump that feeds storage is on whenever the boiler is on, if the boiler fan shuts off due to the boiler reaching high temp the pump still runs
No variable fan on my Econoburn

 

[ExxWhy]

Ahhh, right it's not the same. The controller on the biomass has a setting to keep the pump off until it reaches a set temp when it turns on and then turn it off below a different set temp. Helps to warm up the boiler faster, once it gets warmed up it stays running.. It also allows you to change the fan speeds in 10% increments. I normally run mine at 80%. Your house must be very well insulated, of course it needs to be if you expect -40!

 

[salecker]

I have a near boiler pump that takes care of the warm up instead of a mixing valve
The near boiler pump circulates the water in the boiler till it reaches the set point then the pump to storage takes over til the temp drops when the near boiler pump will circulate again till the boiler is producing enough BTU's that the storage pump is activated again.