Low water cutoff for an EKO-60 >??

[zadwit]

Is it necessary to install a boiler low water cutoff in an EKO-60. How is it connected and what does it do when the boiiler water gets low? Also, is it better to use the built in overheat protection, the one that uses an automag and cold domestic water to cool off the boiler, or plumb in a heat "dump" load like a couple runs of baseboard heaters or a water tank whose sole purpose is to cool the boiler off if the power goes off for instance or a circulator pump fails.
I started plumbing tonight. I have the shed built, two five hundred gallons propane tanks are installed. I plan to run pipe from the EKO-60 to the propane tanks and then back to the EKO-60. (A small loop is built in at the boiler with a danfoss to provide return water protection. ) I will run from the propane tanks to the a heat exchanger and from the heat exchanger to the oil fired boiler. I will install two closely spaced "tees" on the oil fired boiler inlet or cold water return side. If the zones call for heat, the oil boiler circulator goes and sucks the hot water from the propane tanks into the oild boiler and then out to the zones. I use the heat exhcanger because the oil boiler system has glycol. The propane tanks will have water.

Also, what kind of water treatment solution should I put in the propane tnaks. They are a bit rusty on the inside....

Mark in Alaska

 

[pybyr]

I don't have the answer, but am bumping this threat because I've got the same question relative to my Econoburn 150. I haven't seen them in anyones' system sketches, but maybe that's because people are focusing on schematics of flow, not auxiliary parts and functions.

 

[BrownianHeatingTech]

Personally, I use a LWCO on every system I install. It would cut main power to the boiler, or at least the draft fan.

If you have rust in the tanks, install a strainer between them and the boiler, to protect the boiler and pump(s).

Joe

 

[Eric Johnson]

I have one on my EKO 60, but I've never seen one specced in any of the schematics provided by the mfg or dealers. But like Joe says, it's a really good idea for the reasons he cited.

Hey Joe, good to see you again.

 

[BrownianHeatingTech]

I have one on my EKO 60, but I've never seen one specced in any of the schematics provided by the mfg or dealers. But like Joe says, it's a really good idea for the reasons he cited.

The downside is that it is an electromechanical device, and can fail. Do yourself a favor and get one that has indicator lights, adjustable sensitivity, and a test button. Makes it much easier to deal with.

Hey Joe, good to see you again.

Thanks. Been silly-busy for months. Got some interesting things going. Lots of interest in waste oil (petro as well as vegetable), and should have some projects involving that in the near future. Much as I generally disapprove of combined systems, a Tarm Excel with a waste-veggie-oil burner in place of the oil burner would be an interesting thing (I've had a few folks express an interest; need to find someone who is willing to be a guinea pig on that). Using the WVO to heat the storage tank - rather than trying to cycle it on and off like a traditional oil system - will improve the efficiency and reliability. Lots of crazy stuff.

Joe

 

[pybyr]

[start quote excerpt from Joe B] Got some interesting things going. Lots of interest in waste oil (petro as well as vegetable), and should have some projects involving that in the near future. Much as I generally disapprove of combined systems, a Tarm Excel with a waste-veggie-oil burner in place of the oil burner would be an interesting thing (I've had a few folks express an interest; need to find someone who is willing to be a guinea pig on that). Using the WVO to heat the storage tank - rather than trying to cycle it on and off like a traditional oil system - will improve the efficiency and reliability. Lots of crazy stuff.

Joe[/quote]

Joe- if you haven't run across it yet, there is a YahooGroup called "altfuelfurnace" inhabited by some pretty ingenious, resourceful and helpful folks who've had considerable success adapting Beckett-type burners to burn WVO and waste oil, all at much less cost than the "official" makes of "waste" burner heads; I was seriously looking at going down that path, but where I live, with relatively few restaurants and lots of people who are into frugality or alt/renewable technologies or both, the demand for veg oil outstripped supply a year or more ago, and it wasn't worth building the system since fuel sources were iffy and/or were going to escalate in cost. When I learned about wood gasifiers, and since my wood is free for the cutting, that all eventually sent me here.

 

[BrownianHeatingTech]

Joe- if you haven't run across it yet, there is a YahooGroup called "altfuelfurnace" inhabited by some pretty ingenious, resourceful and helpful folks who've had considerable success adapting Beckett-type burners to burn WVO and waste oil, all at much less cost than the "official" makes of "waste" burner heads; I was seriously looking at going down that path, but where I live, with relatively few restaurants and lots of people who are into frugality or alt/renewable technologies or both, the demand for veg oil outstripped supply a year or more ago, and it wasn't worth building the system since fuel sources were iffy and/or were going to escalate in cost. When I learned about wood gasifiers, and since my wood is free for the cutting, that all eventually sent me here.

There are a lot of interesting things folks have done to adapt burners.

But to be able to sell and install equipment, I need it to be "official," as you put it. My insurance company would not cover me if I started "manufacturing" equipment, or buying and re-selling non-listed equipment.

Plus, much as the modified burners are interesting, they are a tinkerer's item, not a retail product. If I sell a system, it needs to function properly with only standard maintenance, not constant adjustment.

And yes, WVO is a specialized fuel, which only makes sense if you have a reliable source. Of course, these burners will burn just about anything, so you can also use other waste oils.

Joe