ive come to the conclusion that this may be the best thing for me. i work 12 shifts and i fill at 5 in the morning and dont get home until 7 at night so unless im really lucky i dont get a 12 hr burn. by the time im home my water temp is between 70-100. Im trying to teach my wife to load but she just isnt comfortable with it yet so she avoids it at all cost. my question is where can i get a heat retention unit? how much do they cost? to all of you that have them are they worth it? if you have any other ideas about what i could do shoot me an idea im open for all suggestions thanks
Heat Retention Unit for Greenwood 100
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I run into a similar situation with my boiler being undersized and work hours being long. I read a few comments about heat retention kits, then started thinking that all it would take is maybe an additional aquastat (strap-on) that would kill power to the damper below a certain temp.
This would be easy for my set up because my circ pump is not at the back of the unit, it's powered elsewhere.
Have you considered a timer that kill power after a certain number of hours? I've used that trick, it works.
This would be easy for my set up because my circ pump is not at the back of the unit, it's powered elsewhere.
Have you considered a timer that kill power after a certain number of hours? I've used that trick, it works.
i know there are some that put there damper on a timer. with the right one you could only let it burn when you wanted. that may not work when it gets real cold though.
Griff did you ever get a heat retention kit? I have had one since day one and would replace it today if it quit working.
Griff I have seton type boiler & found the same problem as you describe. Last winter I installed a clock timer to give me controll of burn times.
The difference in operating the boiler was like night & day.I load it up, set the timer for 6 to 8 hrs & walk away. If I return a few hrs after it shuts down
the temp is still decent & most importantly I still have hot coals to push forward & add more wood ( no religthing). ie my cir pump is in my house
& runs on separate circuit. This was a real simple cost effective install.
Good luck
Dan
The difference in operating the boiler was like night & day.I load it up, set the timer for 6 to 8 hrs & walk away. If I return a few hrs after it shuts down
the temp is still decent & most importantly I still have hot coals to push forward & add more wood ( no religthing). ie my cir pump is in my house
& runs on separate circuit. This was a real simple cost effective install.
Good luck
Dan
Tried the same tricks. Added an aquastat, took it back out. Put it on a timer, worked well to save the coals.
Do you stuff it 'till you can't fit anymore like me? Using big hardwood rounds?
Has anyone tried to mix in coal for longevity?
Do you stuff it 'till you can't fit anymore like me? Using big hardwood rounds?
Has anyone tried to mix in coal for longevity?
I have the heat retention unit GW sold. It shuts the damper if the temp drops below 140*. It also shuts the damper if the temp does not get above 140* within a given time.( I think 30 min) Twice I have had the damper shut before the temp got up after stoking. Came out to a dead fire and about 90* water temp. For the most part it works well maintaining a good bed of coals till I can stoke again..
Doug
Doug
For anybody running the heat retention unit, It is programable and the temp settings can be changed. I have mine set to close the damper when the temp hits 195 and it will stay closed until the temp drops to 155. 40 degree differential. I believe the lock out times can be changed also. The aquastat is the primary control for the damper the heat retention kit is secondary to maintain the return temps above 140 and provides boil over protection at the high end. I have found that when I load the firebox heavy and the water temp hits 195 the damper closes and I actually conserve wood as it slow burns until the temp drops to 155. The controler is actually used in the refrigeration industry for automatic defrosting. I will post the link to the controllers programing instructions as soon as I find it in my files.
Found it: instructions mentioned in the above post:
(broken link removed to http://www.dixell.com/linea58/download/XR30C-D_GB.pdf)
(broken link removed to http://www.dixell.com/linea58/download/XR30C-D_GB.pdf)
I never did end up getting a Heat Retention Unit. i actually had to have my whole system redesigned. when we were done the only things left were the GW the pipes in the ground and the radiator in my furnace. needless to say the guy who owned the house before me didnt know what he was doing. We had relocated the pump, added 50 gal of storage, and hooked into the water heater. since this was done i have only ran into one problem and that was one of the pex pipes was not tightened enough and came loose and was dumping water onto my shop floor.
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