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[vinrum]

I am in the process of setting up my Heatmor to my Weil McClein Boiler.. It is a hydronic system with an Air Handler in the cellar for the first floor, and an Air Handler in the attic for the second floor...I am alittle confused on how the setup should go..I have been told to go with no heat exchanger and hook it direct to the boiler. And then a second opinion said I was crazy if I did that and said the heat exchanger in mandatory due to the oxygenated water feeding into my oil furnace..  The oil furnace has 3 circulating pump, 1 for the first floor, 1 for the second floor, and 1 for the domestic hot water.  I am a little gun shy and second guessing myself on the setup..Any help would be appreciated

[vinrum]

I meant plate exchanger, on heat exchanger sorry

[willieG]

it would be in your best interest to keep your OWB water and your indoor boiler water completely seperate adn not allowed to mix for teh reason you stated of the oxygen in your OWB sytem entering into your homes system. Also i would be thinking that your indoor system is running under pressure and your OWB will not be.

my vote is keep em seperate

[yoderheating]

 yes keep them separate. I use a flat plate that is on a loop from the pop off valve to the drain valve on a separate pump that comes on when the oil gun would have. Run your stove water through the other side of the flat plate. I use a Ranco with the probe on the outdoor furnace incoming line. I splice the power going to the oil gun and run it through the Ranco. When the water is hot it closes the wire to the new pump, when the water is cold it closes the wire to the oil gun. Works like a charm. Good luck

[vinrum]

Thanks guys for your opinions...Yoder, is going through the pop up valve and the drain ok? seeing that there only 3/4 inch?

[yoderheating]

It has always worked well for me on residential boilers. I've probably installed 10 this way and I got the idea from another dealer who has been doing it this way for years. You would be operating a very small loop so the water cycles very quickly though the flat plate and back into the boiler.  I have never crunched the numbers on how much heat I am able to produce so I really don't know the limits.  One thing you should look at is what temp the boiler is currently running at. The last one I installed I watched it run and with my system it would hit 160 easily and after running for a few minutes could reach as much as 170 but that is where it seemed to max out. This is with the furnace running at 180 with a 10 differential.
  I normally use a 1inch 40 plate heat exchanger.

[vinrum]

I just spoke the to company that sells the boilers locally..They said 90% of the boilers they install go direct to the oil furnace and no need for a plate exchanger..I was told due to the bladder system in the Heatmor, it eliminates almost all of the oxygenating..This is all new to me.  Also, I was wondering if it would be worth my wild to tap into my inch and half black pipe on the supply and return on the oil furnace rather than the boiler drain and pop up valve..

[yoderheating]

 Just make sure the outdoor furnace will withstand the pressure that the indoor boiler currently runs under. Most indoor boilers are at 15psi. Indoor boilers normally have an auto water fill. I know of a guy near me that bought a Heatmore and installed it directly to his boiler. He said that sometimes he would lose water at the furnace. I'm not really sure, I've never personally installed a Heatmore. I would just be very sure the outdoor furnace will hold the pressure the indoor boiler would put on it. If it doesn't it will lead to two problems. 1 overflowing at the outdoor furnace 2 possibility of air getting in the system. Keep us posted on how it goes and good luck.

[rosewood]

i would also say to keep them seperate ,go with a plate exchanger , i run circulator pump from owb continuiosly and piped a loop zone with circulator pump on boiler side,that runs continuiosly as well.this maintains boiler temp, turn down boiler stat to 140 and will only come on as a backup,this is the most simple way of exchange i know of , i to have hydronic heat with buderus boiler,and air handler

[juddspaintballs]

Keep them separate.  The Heatmor is a no pressure system (it says so in multiple places). 

[vinrum]

I was wondering if I could put 2 T's in my inch and half supply line and run the plate through just the supply to the oil furnace..I was going to put a shut off in the middle of the T's so all the supply water to the oil furnace has to go through the plate exchanger..Could the system be set up this way??

[vinrum]

Or could I just cut the plate right into the supply? Or would this restrict the flow to much?