Hopping up the pellet stove with guages to monitor the vital signs! HR Saranac Comb Blower example!

[Don2222]

Hello

Remember putting guages in the car before they came standard? Well why not a pellet stove?
Anyone else done this?
New touch pads will have monitors but this guage setup may be even better and works good right now!

I just got this guage in from my supplier in China. Maybe that is why the envelope is hard to read! LOL

After squeezing on the quick disconnect clips install is a simple plug and chug!
You should use wire tires to clean up the wires and keep them away from the hot spots!

I hooked this one up to the combustion blower but more guages can be added for the room blower, auger motor and ignitor.

After starting up the stove the panel lit right up to 120 vac during startup when the combustion blower on high,! The panel background lit up a nice soft blue and the voltage and current numbers popped right in!
Success at last!

After going thru the heat level settings, I saw heat levels 3,4,& 5 have the same speed. Full speed 119 vac.
Heat level 1 = 61 vac
current = 2.8 amp

Heat level 2 = 91 vac
current = 2.0 amp

Heat level 3 = 118 vac
current = 0.7 amp

Heat level 3,4 and 5 are the same 118 vac ! ! !
I never knew that! Learn something every day! LOL

See pics click to enlarge:

Pic 1 - Hudson River Saranac
Pic 2 - Control Panel set at Heat Level 1
Pic 3 - HR Saranac with guage attached to combustion blower at Heat Level 1
Pic 4 - Control Panel set at Heat Level 2
Pic 5 - HR Saranac with guage attached to combustion blower at Heat Level 2
Pic 6 - Control Panel set at Heat Level 3
Pic 7 - HR Saranac with guage attached to combustion blower at Heat Level 3

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Check your auger timing just to make sure that controller hasn't soiled its diaper.

 

[Don2222]

Hi

Check your auger timing just to make sure that controller hasn't soiled its diaper.

Smoke
I was trying to think of the best tool to check auger timing like an Autek 505 or digital oscilloscope where I can easily see the on and off time in a square wave. Do you think the rise and fall times would be steep? It would also be good if it had a USB port for a laptop so I could plug in the diameter of the auger chute to instantaneously read pounds per hour!

 

[Pelleting In NJ]

The meter readings of the volts and amps may not be correct, as the motors are speed controlled thru triacs, which chop-up the 60Hz sinewave, and if the meter is not a "true RMS" reading type, will not display an acurate value. I doubt those cheepy digital volt/current meters feature true RMS measurement capability.

 

[Tonyray]

geez.. and I thought a pellet stove was just to use to keep warm..

 

[Don2222]

The meter readings of the volts and amps may not be correct, as the motors are speed controlled thru triacs, which chop-up the 60Hz sinewave, and if the meter is not a "true RMS" reading type, will not display an acurate value. I doubt those cheepy digital volt/current meters feature true RMS measurement capability.

Yes, the AC is switched thru a triac biased by a low voltage timing circuit on the control board. The triacs do disrupt the sinewave and would effect a true RMS calculation. However the triac does not effect peak voltage so the 118 VAC at full speed is very close to line voltage. Also the current draw is not effected. Therefore it is still a helpful measurement.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

geez.. and I thought a pellet stove was just to use to keep warm..

Don is an EE who now plays with stoves for fun and profit.

 

[Tonyray]

Don is an EE who now plays with stoves for fun and profit.

Understand......
good field to be in I see if one wants..

 

[Don2222]

Don is an EE who now plays with stoves for fun and profit.

Thanks Smoke
Now the older pellet stoves with potentiometers or rheostats that control the room blowers did cut down the peak voltage and draw more current because there is more resistance in the circuit when not using triacs. In fact the high voltage AC goes right thru the rheostat!
I just happen to have an example with pics for proof! ! ! LOL
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...a-fire-convection-blower-dial-control.128498/