EKO controller New VS Old

[easternbob]

I bought a EKO 25 late last summer (08) and since I'm building a house didn't really check it out till now. Starting to hook it up and noticed that I have the old controller. I have been reading here that the new controller seems so much better, allowing for more efficient longer burns. I don't have storage right now so lenght of burn is important.
Couple questions:
1. If you have an old controller are you happy with it?
2. If you had an old and switched to a new one is it that much better?
3. When did they start shipping out EKO's with the new controller?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Duetech]

My EKO40 has the old controller. To get length of burn the greatest help I found was the tuning of the flame and shutter position on the blower. The newer controller allows for speed reduction of the blower a.k.a. less pressure and less volume of air flow. Most units I have heard of are shipped with their setting too high and are more akin to storage settings. I don't have storage ye so we share the same boat in that regard. It is quite lengthy at times but the sticky for "Fine Tuning EKO" has a lot of information for tuning and different applications and circumstances for tuning. Basically you want a blue flame with just enough force to heat your boiler reasonably and not consume a lot of wood in the process.

Questions 1 & 2 are kind of combined. Having the newer controller would be nice because you could make adjustments in your settings more smoothly. The fan output for my boiler is so strong that even small mix adjustments tend towards the radical and a slower blower would temper that. Since the blower issue mentioned above is true for me the newer controller would make it easier to get the greatest efficiency.

The first I heard of the newer controller was on this forum I believe around early to mid 08. So there were models still in warehouses and dealerships that were not equipped with the new controller. The older unit is still a good unit and would be a wonderful back up in case something happened to the new one. I am unable to spring for the new one so I have to learn to deal with the old one. Old or new I have saved the need of other expenses with the unit I have and that is a real good thing.

 

[VeggieFarmer]

Easternbob: My EKO40 shipped in August '08 with an older controller. I upgraded in December ($252 w/ shipping from Cozy Heat) to the new one and have no regrets. Since the old controller maxed out at 176F, I didn't feel I had enough freeboard above the 160F of the Danfoss inlet-protection valve to run things efficiently. Now I run the boiler at 192F and can easily heat my storage to the 175F max of the EPDM liner. Indeed, I sometimes dial the controller down to 180F, late in a burn, if I'm in danger of overshooting.

Being able to turn down the fan to 50% speed is also excellent, both for sound (my desk is the floor just above the EKO in the basement) and for saving electricity. I never liked listening to the fan pounding away at full pressure when the fan cover was 90% closed. Beyond that, I agree with all the advantages that Eric has extolled, and I was able to install the thing without incident despite no particular electrical skills.

--Veg

 

[easternbob]

Cave2K,
Does the old style controller also turn on a pump if the boiler gets down to 40*? My boiler is in a shed and I'm trying to figure how to provide for freeze protection.
Thanks,
Bob

 

[easternbob]

Veggiefarmer,
Sounds like we bought them around the same time and we both got stuck with what was left on the shelf (as far as controller goes). The new one really does seem like the way to go. My house is very tight and I'm anticipating the 25 isn't going to have to run too hard to meet the heat load and the slower fan speed would be great.
Bob

 

[Hydronics]

Easternbob,
For freeze protection: put a clamp-on aquastat (if you can find one that closes that low) on the piping near the boiler & tie it to the circulator. You'll want to start to circ. before the underground piping freezes.
The ideal solution is to load with glycol in case you don't want to or can't burn (away from home). I did this & it only cost about $300 to fill w/ 50% mix. To me it's worth the peace of mind if something happens & I'm not burning wood, the oil boiler will take over automatically with no risk of wood boiler freezing.

 

[Duetech]

easternbob,
To be honest I have never delved in to that as I keep my secondary pump running 24/7. Though I have thought of putting the pump in the house connected to the aquastat and thermostat that runs the blower on my oil furnace my dhw sidearm heater is in series and I like hot showers.

 

[taxidermist]

Cave2K,
Does the old style controller also turn on a pump if the boiler gets down to 40*? My boiler is in a shed and I'm trying to figure how to provide for freeze protection.
Thanks,
Bob

Bob,
I put in a bypass around my danfoss valve and also wired my pump to a switch incase I had a problem with the boiler I could open the valve flip the switch and flow water from my tanks in the house to the boiler and back. I have pics in my blog at bottom of this post.

Rob

 

[easternbob]

Thanks for all the comments. Has anyone who is using an old controller put a dimmer (I realize this might not be the proper term) on their fan motor to manually turn them down to say 50%? IF this is the main difference between the controllers this might be an option.
Bob

 

[stee6043]

There is a post going on somewhere in the first few pages regarding the dimmer for the blower fan. You may want to search the first 2 or 3 pages of posts....

 

[easternbob]

Stee6043,
Thanks. I found that posting "EKO Blower/Electric Motor Question".

Anyone have any ideas on how to get the old controller to run up to the higher temp??

Bob

 

[sdrobertson]

Anyone have any ideas on how to get the old controller to run up to the higher temp??

Bob

I moved by sensor located under the top covering. You can change the location from front to back and it will make a small difference. I'm using a modulating valve to only allow 185 degree water to leave my boiler and go to storage/heat load and I placed my sensor for the boiler above the insulation so that it reads about 71c when the water is really in the 180s. You have to be very careful as if you do this, the boiler will not idle until you get way over 200 degrees as the sensor reads so low and without enough storage you risk overheating. Also its a pain to figure out where to place the sensor as it changes when your circ and low fuel status will turn on/off.

 

[barnartist]

I, like SRob, moved my sensor, but I have it pipe clamped to my hot water exit along with some insulation between to tease the controller. I would also like to buy the new controller so I could crank up my output while maintaining the low temp level-I think the new controller is capable of this. I just cant spend the near 300 bones for it right now. Im not sure why it has to be priced so high. I think Eko should give us a $100 rebate on it. That would be enough for me.

 

[taxidermist]

I am not sure but would changing the thermocoupler to a higher one work to trick the controller? I dont know much about them but may be it would work??

 

[Eric Johnson]

I think moving or insulating the temp probe would do the trick, but it's an imprecise approach that might cause the boiler to overheat if you're not careful. However, you could strap an aquastat on to your supply line that cuts the power to the blowers at, say, 190 degrees, that would essentially allow you to safely run the boiler at higher temps with the old controller and repositioned temp sensor.

I'd echo the comments made about the fan speed setting. You get more mileage out of your wood if you can run it hot and low once your house zones are satisfied. I crank them up to 80 or 90% when starting a fire or rekindling one that's died down to a few coals, and turn it down to 50% once the fire gets going good.

 

[Tony H]

Stee6043,
Thanks. I found that posting "EKO Blower/Electric Motor Question".

Anyone have any ideas on how to get the old controller to run up to the higher temp??

Bob

I don't recall the detail but I remember there were some posts about inserting a resistor in the line to adjust the top temp of the boiler.