Econoburn 200 issues

[taylorfarms]

First off I will say I love this boiler, but it is not without issues, maybe some here can chime in. also we bought this boiler used, it is a 2008 model and we are on our 2nd season with it, no storage hooked up yet, but I do have 2 1000 gal NH3 tanks.

First issue is the controller, it seems that the temperature on the display is never right almost always 5-15 degrees high. (I put another port in the supply next to the overtemp aquastat to verify) even though I know it is not right I do not like having to have the boiler set at 195 (was idling at 204 when i got home the other night) to keep enough heat to the fin tubed parts of the house when it is -20. is there a way I can make a temperature sender in the port in the supply line talk to the controller I.e. what values would the temp probe need to have to work with the controller? And I see in the wiring diagrams there is a place to land a thermocouple, I think to shut the fan down with low EGT's, anyone done this?

Might just be the nature of the beast, but seems to blow lots of junk into the chimney (going to change the elbow to a cleanout T, did not have one handy when I put it in), this morning I had to pull the baro damper out and vac all the stuff out of the elbow. a lot of it makes it up and out which does not really bother me, as the cornfield over there does not care what the shed looks like.

and to add insult to injury I replaced the nozzle this fall, and could only get 3 of the 4 holes to line up in the refractory (and yes I did provide the serial #), does not really affect operability that I can tell, just bothers my irrational mind.

Not trying to go on a rant here, overall very happy with the boiler, and the amount less wood we go through is easily 1/3 of what the old hardy used to burn. we were thinking about getting another one of these for the other farm (for out tenants, not us), but am wondering if I should just put in a waste oil boiler for them, as I am afraid of what issues might crop up with the wood boiler that I have to run back and forth to dink with.

I will try to get some pics of the shed and boiler tomorrow, as I know you guys like pictures. Hopefully it will make up for my long windedness.

 

[salecker]

Hi Taylorfarms
I have the same boiler.I found the same issue with the temp readings.My original controller died,which was a common issue with the original series.When i got my new controller i was able to put the probe into an extra probe well that i had put in the system when i built it.
When you talk junk i am assuming you mean ash.If so mine does that as well, when it dosn't snow for a while the area around my boiler building gets lots of grey ash on the snow.
My holes didn't line up great when i changed my nozzle.
I love the boiler because it is built like a tank.I live in a small town with no boiler/heating services so i have to keep things running.When the first controller died we were in a -30C period.I was able to run the boiler with an extension cord and an aguastat to shut it down when it reached the max temp i set on the aguastat.My wife loves it to and has no issues with starting or stoking it if i am not around.

 

[willworkforwood]

I read your post a couple of times, and cannot figure out exactly what problem you're trying to fix. Is it the amount of idling? If so, the only good solution for that would be to install your storage. A less effective and more labor intensive measure, which could help you somewhat, is to burn smaller fires. But if your problem is not the amount of idling, please explain further.

AFA the difference in controller temps to actual temps, that's the way the older controller on the EB works. I've never found it to be an issue, once I understood that it was normal for these boilers.

 

[taylorfarms]

I believe that the controller is my issue now, and it does not really affect the operability, just bugs me to have the actual temps that much different than the display temps. and I know idling does not help this, as the boiler temperature coasts higher even after the fan cuts out. it just bothers me seeing the display over 200.
I guess I am just way too picky, if flowmeter for a sprayer or NH3 applicator was kinda a variable amount off I would look for a solution not just accept it as it is, as I am here. asking questions

I am planning on ordering a new controller next week, thanks you for that info salecker

as far as the chimney goes it is clean, just seems to load up with stuff in the bottom, but I think a lot of that has to do with the very "sparky" hedge we have been burning since it has been cold. I am going to put T in the bottom of the chimney now that I know that.

I know that getting my storage hooked up would help, just a time issue, and when

 

[salecker]

It seems like i need to order a new controller too.
I got home last night after work around 9;45,i take my work clothes off in the boiler room before i go to the house.
Just as i go to leave the boiler room the boiler goes quite,i look at storage and it's got lot's of room yet for BTU's i look at the boiler and there is no sign of life on the controller,but the light is still on the boiler.I do a few quick checks and flip the switch again and it comes on for a few seconds and goes dead again.
So i removed the roof and placed a fan blowing onto the controller and after a while it starts to work again.But it was short lived.So today's project is to figure out my bushfix i used last time to run the boiler without the controller,using an augastat as the shutoff.I have gauges on my storage so that will help this time.

 

[taylorfarms]

sorry for jinxing you I guess, maybe we can get a volume discount with 2. In case mine craps out in the meantime (it was giving a random error with no fan running occasionally today), are you just wiring the fan leads to the high limit aquastat and running it that way?

 

[salecker]

WooHoo
I found the problem and it was a quick fix. Stayed in the boiler room today and ran small fires turning it on and off lots.It is back to normal,i did a happy dance when it came back to life.
So can you post a picture of the controller you have?I would like to know if you still have the original or the newer one.I was looking at my notes of my fix this morning and they relate to the older controller.
And you promised pics earlier.
Have you cleaned the tubes yet?

 

[taylorfarms]

Good to see yours was an easy fix. Yes I cleaned the tubes after last winter, we used the boiler for about two months last winter, and I cleaned them again around Thanksgiving, not really very dirty, at least not nearly as bad as when we got the boiler. I think I got the pics you want, and now I have another project, it appears that the cats that live in the boiler she'd are not doing there job, as I have some mouse chewed wires to replace. None bad enough to cause issues, just need to be fixed.

And here are the pictures I promised, hopefully I got the pictures of the controller that you want to see. I threw in pictures of the sheds because they were next on my tablet anyway

 

[taylorfarms]

Missed the picture of the fan controller

 

[salecker]

Hi Taylor
You have the old controller.The new one isn't a direct replacement,i had my electrician do the wiring.
I can let you know what i did to run it after the old controller quite,but without storage you may not be able to do the same as i did,with storage there is less chance of over heating the boiler.My fix had the boiler running wide open all the time,till you manually unplugged it.
Two days of running on mine and i have to say it is fixed.
What do you use to clean the tubes?I have a tool i made that works better than anything else i have found.But i would love to find something that works better than my tool.
Thomas

 

[heaterman]

I can tell you right now that thermal storage will turn your Econoburn into a completely different animal and reduce you fuel consumption even more.
That ash you refer too happens mostly when the boiler is coming out of "idle mode" before it gets up to full gasification temp.
500 gallons of thermal storage will make a difference you won't believe.

 

[taylorfarms]

The tool I use to clean the tubes is just a bolt welded to the end of a chunk of 3\8 roundstock, I took a small twisted wire cup brush and welded a nut inside of it to thread on to the bolt, then put a nut on with 2 fender washers the right size, the fender washers have big enough holes I can offset them a little bit to the size of the tubes, then they get double nutted on to the bolt. The washers act as a scraper and the brush cleans up well after them. I just Chuck it up in the cordless drill and go at it.

Heaterman, I can see that being the case now, when we idle more often the bottom chamber seems to load up with more Ash, the burst of air must push more down and out each time. Hopefully I can get the storage online in the next few weeks, I finished welding up fittings in the tanks the other night. Hopefully I can get some time when it is warmer to shut down and put them in. Have priorities though, and the Terra gator with the bad transmission getting fixed is more important to my bottom line than storage, as unfun as it is.

 

[salecker]

Hi Taylor
Could you post a picture of your cleaning tool?
I would like to try it.
Thanks