Did anyone here ever hear of a three way draft actuator motor for when it comes time for the draft to close on a wood boiler that it would close around 80% of the way for around a minute then close the rest of the way to prevent puff backs?
Three way damper actuator
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brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I've looked for stuff like this before, never found one...not saying that it doesn't exist somewhere out there, but I never found one.
You could make something like this though...you would have to mod your existing damper door to have a second smaller door on it, and then a second actuator too...then wire it all up so that when the first main actuator closes, that activates a common timer relay that would kill power to the second actuator after X seconds/minutes (second actuator attached to the new smaller damper door)
Or you could even just have the second actuator attached to the same door, just adjusted so that it only holds the door open a crack once the first one shuts off, until the relay times out and powers down the second actuator.
You could make something like this though...you would have to mod your existing damper door to have a second smaller door on it, and then a second actuator too...then wire it all up so that when the first main actuator closes, that activates a common timer relay that would kill power to the second actuator after X seconds/minutes (second actuator attached to the new smaller damper door)
Or you could even just have the second actuator attached to the same door, just adjusted so that it only holds the door open a crack once the first one shuts off, until the relay times out and powers down the second actuator.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Meh...make a bracket for the second actuator, and maybe an hour or two of wiring.
Good luck on your search...if you find one come back and let us know what you found!
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I even though about doing some sort of DIY damper on the actuator...something that just made it close very slowly...even looked at those lil dampers they use for soft close drawers and doors sometimes...not slow enough though...if you google "miniature pneumatic dampers" (or hydraulic) some interesting things come up...and often times this stuff can be bought pretty reasonably used, or NOS on fleabay and the like...
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Pretty standard for commercial and industrial valves, these days they are motorized, in the old days they were pneumatic. In either case they have positioners with feedback to the controller (usually a PLC or Energy Management System. In that case you just program in percent opening for one period of time and then fully closed after an internal timer times out. The problem is most home systems do not have a PLC or EMS to control the system. A smart single loop controller might be smart enough to control a valve.
I have seen primitive systems where the dampers have had segments hacked out of them to vary the flow when they damper rotates.
I have seen primitive systems where the dampers have had segments hacked out of them to vary the flow when they damper rotates.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Yup, that's what I ended up doing last time...got a cheap lil PID temp controller and used that to override the call for heat when the flue temp went over XYZ temp...and then let things go back to normal when it dropped below ZYX temp...primative, but it worked...a lil different situation than here though. This would be a good place for a controller and a stepper motor...
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