EKO 40 Not heating the house anymore??

  • 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.

JDEERE

New Member
Feb 11, 2017
5
9 miles from Quebec
I have a problem with my EKO 40 no longer being able to heat my house and I hoping someone here can point me in the right direction for a solution. I have had the unit for about 7 years and as of this heating season when it gets near zero outside, the house is hard to get above 65*F. I have the temp set at 180 on the panel and the gauge on top of the unit shows 167*F with 20 lb.s of pressure. Also, I have it tied into my System 200 FHW system and noted the return temperature indicates 197*F. Additionally, some of my zones seem to call for heat for days when it very cold. I have noticed an excess of creosote build up around the door and the unit seems to be in idle mode way too often. Any ideas? I have had a heating guy here who changed the System 2000 circulator and nothing changed. Can the EKO circulator be weak? It is running. Thanks for any help.
 
You should accurately measure water/pipe temps everywhere the water goes in & out of something. A good IR temp gun should do it, spray shiny (eg copper) surfaces with flat black paint first for accurate readings.
 
You should accurately measure water/pipe temps everywhere the water goes in & out of something. A good IR temp gun should do it, spray shiny (eg copper) surfaces with flat black paint first for accurate readings.

Ok, how do I use that information to suggest where the problem is?
 
Splitting the question into 2 parts. The heat generation part and the heat distribution part. My first thought was the heat distribution. You could have air in the lines. Maple's suggestion could help you trouble shoot this. When there is a significant amount of air in the lines you will get varying temperature readings along the length of the pipe perhaps even in a span of one foot. You should also take a look at your air elimination hardware.
 
Splitting the question into 2 parts. The heat generation part and the heat distribution part. My first thought was the heat distribution. You could have air in the lines. Maple's suggestion could help you trouble shoot this. When there is a significant amount of air in the lines you will get varying temperature readings along the length of the pipe perhaps even in a span of one foot. You should also take a look at your air elimination hardware.


Ok, thanks. For what it's worth, when I touch the pipes feeding the registers near the boiler they are very hot on the supply and the return side. Does this tell me anything? Also, what does my air elimination hardware look like?
 
http://www.supplyhouse.com/Air-Eliminators-310000

It indicates that heated water is getting circulated but it doesn't tell you if some of the water is being displaced by air thus reducing the volume.


Fred61, I think I am understanding the role of air in the system. I have 2 air eliminators on my system. One just above the EKO 40 and a small one over the System 2000. If I have air in my system, how does that relate to my boiler idling all the time? Is it that because there is no heat transfer at the registers (due to air) so there is no need for more heat from the boiler?
 
Fred61, I think I am understanding the role of air in the system. I have 2 air eliminators on my system. One just above the EKO 40 and a small one over the System 2000. If I have air in my system, how does that relate to my boiler idling all the time? Is it that because there is no heat transfer at the registers (due to air) so there is no need for more heat from the boiler?

Exactly! You are not taking heat away fast enough so the boiler reaches high limit.
 
Ok, thanks. For what it's worth, when I touch the pipes feeding the registers near the boiler they are very hot on the supply and the return side. Does this tell me anything? Also, what does my air elimination hardware look like?
Is the register hot?
 
What are you using for circulators? A couple years ago I had to replace a cartridge in one of my Grundfos circulators because the plastic impellers broke off. It looked like one broke and then wiped out the rest of them.
 
The baseboard are warm at best. You can barely feel any heat emanating from them.

Fred61, the new circulator on the system 2000 is a Taco, I believe. The one on the EKO 40 is a red colored Grundfos. It is running, but I have no idea if it's moving water. I have my regular plumber coming tomorrow and another guy that is the plumber all the others go to when they have questions.