Harman Pb105 Which setting would use least pellets

[Chris04626]

Basically im using it right now for hot water and little bit of heat at night

I have it set at 140 low and 165 high with a feed of 3

Would putting the feed higher cause it to heat quicker so it reaches its set point quicker thus maybe using less pellets overall?


Thoughts on what the best setting would be

 

[Former Farmer]

Lower your minimum setpoint. If most of your use is for hot water, the mixing valve will compensate for lower temperatures. A wider spread will require less frequent cycles.

 

[AndrewChurchill]

When I had my PB105 I set the upper limit to 180 and the minimum to 140. I also had the outdoor air temp probe installed and I let that automatically adjust the upper limit based on the outdoor air temp.

As for the feed rate I set that by putting my boiler under a heavy load by filling up my tubs with hot water. I then set the feed rate to 6 and watched the burn pot. If I saw unburned pellets falling into the ash pan I backed off the feed rate a little bit and then watched again. I left the feed rate alone once I had about an inch of ash forming between the burning pellets and the edge of the burn pot.

The only time I adjusted the feed rate after that was if I switched the brand of pellets. Most of the time my feed rate stayed between 5 and 5 1/2 in the 5 years I used the boiler.

Once you get the feed rate adjusted leave it alone and let the onboard electronics do the work for you. In my experience they did a great job.

 

[Chris04626]

Lower your minimum setpoint. If most of your use is for hot water, the mixing valve will compensate for lower temperatures. A wider spread will require less frequent cycles.

140 is as low as it goes

 

[ScotL]

When I'm using it just for hot water, I set the temperature range about the same as you have it and I leave the feed rate between 4 and 5, maybe closer to 5. My goal was to keep a wide enough range so it cycles less and keep the water temperature on the lower end of the scale.

 

[Chris04626]

I tried putting it on 140 and 175 and plugged in the outside sensor and i burned 1 bag in a day for just hot water. Not bad

 

[Former Farmer]

I tried putting it on 140 and 175 and plugged in the outside sensor and i burned 1 bag in a day for just hot water. Not bad

So, if you use $4 per bag ($200 per ton), you would be spending around $120 per month to heat your hot water.

 

[ScotL]

Yes. That seems a little high on the usage for just hot water. My PB105 usually uses about 2 bags per week during the summer for just hot water. Right now it's higher because some is being used for heat at night and early mornings.

 

[Chris04626]

I don't think its coming on on at night for heat. We do use a pretty good amount of hot water, Not sure seems i always burn more than i should be

 

[Chris04626]

What is your aquastat set for? Im wondering if this has anything to do with my burning more?

 

[ScotL]

My Boiler-mate is set to just under 120F.
I'm using more than 2 bags a week right now though.

 

[iceguy4]

best setting to save fuel? OFF The best way to heat hot water is a heat pump HW heater. (summer operation ONLY) With the use of the HW heater it eliminates the necessity of a de-humidifier ( necessary for most homes) so for all intents and purposes your hot water is free. winter use is not recommended (by me)

 

[Chris04626]

I have this on top of the PB http://www.supplyhouse.com/Honeywel...stat-100-240F-range-5F-Differential-1704000-p the oil boiler has a different one on it

I completely filled the Hopper Saturday at 4 pm, i just checked and have burned 2 bags. Used for heat Saturday night Sunday night and some today