Hi everyone, struggling to get to grips with my Windhager pellet boiler!

[Ryo]

Where I'm really struggling is with the indoor control box, and how to get the heating to kick in when it feels too cool in the house during autumn evenings/nights, but the inside thermometer is reading quite high.

Outside temp is currently 13.0C
Inside room temperature thermostat is currently reading 19.1C but it *feels* more like 14.0C!

Room temperature set point (heating mode) is 20C; however, the heating is not coming on even when in heating mode
Setback Mode temp is 15C

There is no explanation in the manual of what Room Temperature Set Point or Setback Mode even mean, a big failing imho. I had to google those, and not 100% sure I got it right - is the RTSP your desired minimum temperature, which you'd like to keep maintained? And is the SM the minimum you're prepared for it to fall back to when out of the house or asleep?

My boiler is a Biowin XL600, & I'm based in the north of the UK.

Would appreciate any help, thanks.

 

[Bob Rohr]

So what is the actual room temperature with an accurate thermometer? What temperature do you wish the room to be?

Does the system have a room temperature control, or just the boiler reset?

Most room thermostats have a 1- 2 degree difference around setpoint. If it is set for 20C it may drop to 19 or 18 before calling heat on again. that differential is usually adjustable.

If the boiler has a reset control you can adjust the on and usually adjust the reset curve, or shift it in some cases. We would really need to see and understand the control setting parameters.

It does take some time to rev a boiler up from a cold start, in shoulder season it is helpful to have a quick start low mass emitter also. maybe just a small electric back up heater would be enough to take the edge off.

Drafts (wind chill) can make a home or room feel cooler than air temperature, air movement across your skin has a cooling effect.

 

[Ryo]

Hi Bob and thanks for reply.

I'll bring a thermometer in to check against later on, at a more normal hour (now 3.25 am here!)
Yes, there's a room temp. control inside, in my study where I am now.
I'll certainly try bumping the set temp up to 22 or 23C to create a bigger differential.

Appreciate what you say about a cold start-up; however the boiler's on for the hot water regularly throughout the day & that's working perfectly.
The water pressure's fine (1.75 bar) but I'm wondering if the radiators need bleeding, as the CH hasn't come on (not required) since end of May.
Yes, I agree about wind chill.

Do you also have a Windhager by any chance?

 

[velvetfoot]

You could try bumping up the setpoint some and see what happens.
Per Google, that boiler modulates between 18 and 60 kW, which is not small.
I think you should talk to your installer.

 

[velvetfoot]

Turn it up then.
I use an electric water heater in non heating months.
I have a buffer tank with my much smaller Windhager .
I bet you'll overshoot the setpoint because hot water distribution is like that, but why not give it a try.

 

[maple1]

Hi Bob and thanks for reply.

I'll bring a thermometer in to check against later on, at a more normal hour (now 3.25 am here!)
Yes, there's a room temp. control inside, in my study where I am now.
I'll certainly try bumping the set temp up to 22 or 23C to create a bigger differential.

Appreciate what you say about a cold start-up; however the boiler's on for the hot water regularly throughout the day & that's working perfectly.
The water pressure's fine (1.75 bar) but I'm wondering if the radiators need bleeding, as the CH hasn't come on (not required) since end of May.
Yes, I agree about wind chill.

Do you also have a Windhager by any chance?

Yes - I think I would just start by turning up RTSP one degree at a time & observing what happens with each step up. You should be able to rule out an airlock by watching what happens - circ pump & boiler firing up (zone valve opening would be the first sign, if you have zone valves) should show that it has received the signal you need heat (could be at 2 or 3 degrees above what your room stat says, depending on differentials), then if no heat comes out of your rads you could suspect an airlock. But at that point I would feel with my hands on pipes where or how far the heat is going before doing any bleeding. On my system (not a pellet boiler), when I have an airlock, my zone valves are open & circ pump is running, but the airlocked zone return pipes are cold - while their supply pipes are hot, a ways downstream from the zone valves, from convection.

If he's good & close by, your installer should be able to get the kinks out in no time - we can't see other system details from here that might also be coming into play. (Like zone valves vs. zone by circs, or whatever else...)

 

[Motl1983]

Hi Ryo,

I assume you have Windhager's MES plus control System. I think the best way to solve this problem is to make notes of outside temp, room temp, flow temperature setpoint and actual (current) value whenever you experience these Problems. Put also down on paper in what operating phase the Boiler is, it's actual temperature and it's setpoint. If a buffer tank is installed put down it's actual values and it's setpoints.

I am pretty sure that the technical department of Windhager UK will help you to find the correct parameters for both, service and operator level.

 

[heaterman]

I'm a little unclear on your system...
What type of house control actually interfaces with the Windhager to initiate a call for heat?
Do you have multiple zones in the house and if so, is there a separate pump on each zone, TRV's or zone valves and a single pump?

Also... I am not entirely sure the Windhager control found one the US spec boilers is the same as yours so we could be giving you information that makes no sense with how your boiler operates.

 

[Karl_northwind]

Yeah, the MES system is not something available in the US yet, but will be next year. that is definitely a european installer question. I was at a training a couple months ago, but was seriously jet lagged, and don't remember much of it.