Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

Outdoor Furnaces - Manufacturers with NON EPA-Certified Models Only => Shaver Furnace => Topic started by: wink on December 23, 2011, 07:35:18 PM

Title: HWT - Help
Post by: wink on December 23, 2011, 07:35:18 PM
Ok, here we go again.

I have the Shaver 165 and installed a pump at the HWT to circulate my water to the burner. I turned my t-stat on the tank down to around 100. The pump is controled with a Ranco t-stat set at 135 with a differential of 5 degree's.

Since I got the thing going, the Ranco has consitently stayed around 145 - 152 degree's. I tried running the hot water in a slop sink next to the tank and the temp went up as I ran the water.

What I am missing here.

Any help appreciated!!

Bill

Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: JBG on December 23, 2011, 08:19:40 PM
Bill, I think I am missing something also.
If I understand this you have a pump for your Hot water
heater that is controlled by a Ranco which is circulating the
water to the furnace?  Sorry if I confused the matter.



Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: wink on December 23, 2011, 08:35:28 PM
That is correct. I have a 1" T at the top of the tank where the pop-off valve was located. The P-valve is on one side the pump is plumbed off the other side. Goes down through the floor to the wood burner and returns in another line to the bottom of the HWT. There is a T there; return on one side and the drain is on the other side of the T. On the top where the 1" line comes from the T, I have a 6" nipple before it drops down to the three speed pump. On the side of the six inch nipple, I have taped the Ranco probe to the side of the nipple with HVAC tape.

I went in a little while ago and the Ranco said 140. I turned on the hot water on the nearby 'slop sink' to drain the tank a bit to see if the temp would drop. The temp in turn moved to 158 degrees. What the crap is going on??  One would think the temp would drop since I was introducing cold water to the tank.

The pump never kicked on since it is set on 135.

Help!!
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: willieG on December 23, 2011, 08:56:48 PM
is it possable ( i cant quite visualize this setup) that  the water is siphoning through the lines even though the pump is off?
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: JBG on December 23, 2011, 09:12:44 PM
It sounds to me the Ranco is not getting an accurate reading taped to the side
of the nipple.  I would bypass the Ranco and hook the pump to the Tstat on the
tank.  That is how I have my setup and it works fine.
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: willieG on December 23, 2011, 09:23:26 PM
It sounds to me the Ranco is not getting an accurate reading taped to the side
of the nipple.  I would bypass the Ranco and hook the pump to the Tstat on the
tank.  That is how I have my setup and it works fine.
now there is experience talking!
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: wink on December 24, 2011, 05:13:02 AM
JBG,

OK, answer this one for me. The tank is a 2009 Whirlpool 'energy smart' tank. I have the t-stat on that thing turned down around 95 to 100. The tank has a small green light on the top that blinks codes when there is something going on. It is currently flashing a 'high water temp' code. How is this possible.

The pump is not running and the t-stat is turned way down.
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: mikenc on December 24, 2011, 06:20:58 AM
is it possable ( i cant quite visualize this setup) that  the water is siphoning through the lines even though the pump is off?

it may be what willie stated above. or ranco is not sensing temp on nipple. I would put insulation around bulb and try that.
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: knight on December 24, 2011, 08:22:27 AM
Guys I have been a reader on this site for over a year and I purchased a shaver 290 coal series and did all the mods that I read on here and I did them when I was hooking it up this past summer and I have had zero problems.  I am extremely thankful to all the people that has posted on this site because it made it alot easier for me.  As for the hot water heater I used the original thermostat that was on it.  I just turned the breaker off on it and unwired the bottom stat and then hooked the pump to it.  Works great.  People complaint about the shaver alot on here but besides the shabby metal work on the sides I have had no problems at all  I love it.  Thanks for all the info from the forum in the past it helped me trememdously. 
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: RSI on December 24, 2011, 08:44:52 AM
Are you looking at the temperature on the display on the Ranco? Is so, I am guessing there is a delay before it is catching up. Do you have it on a steel pipe? It is probably pumping 150+ degree water but takes a few minutes for the temperature to transfer through the pipe to the probe. (this keeps cycling as it cool and reheats)
Do you have the pump on low speed? A high flow rate would make this worse.

I have no idea why it would have gotten hotter running the faucet though.

Did you turning the water heater off completely just to make sure it isn't the source of the heat?

Just thought of another question, Are you sure you have it wired correct and the pump it being controlled by the ranco?
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: wink on December 24, 2011, 10:26:33 AM
Yes I am getting the temp from the Ranco. It is taped with HVAC tape to a 6" nipple just outside the top port on the HWT; the pipe is brass.

The pump is on low speed.

Yes I have the Ranco wired correctly and the pump is controlled by the Ranco.

It truly baffles my mind why when I turn on the hot water, the temp on the Ranco goes up ten to fifteen degrees. I let around fifteen to twenty gallon of water run through. One would think this would cause the temp to fall causing the pump to kick on. Nope, the temp on the ranco goes up
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: RSI on December 24, 2011, 10:43:39 AM
Is the sensor on the pipe that goes back outside or the outlet to the house pipes?
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: JBG on December 24, 2011, 11:38:08 AM
I would disconnect power to the HWT and hook the pump to the Tstat on the tank.  I'm not familiar
with how an energy smart tank works but that would eliminate one possible problem.
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: wink on December 24, 2011, 02:50:30 PM
RSI,

The sensor is on the pipe going back out to the unit.
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: wink on December 26, 2011, 06:56:59 PM
is it possable ( i cant quite visualize this setup) that  the water is siphoning through the lines even though the pump is off?

WG,

You were right. The hot water was siphoning back through the outgoing line. After running the pump a couple of times, it has not done it again. If it does, I will install a check valve.

Thanks for all the help guys!!
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: lugnut on December 29, 2011, 08:29:18 PM

Do you have the pump on low speed? A high flow rate would make this worse.

Here we go again...this is another item that is NOT in the Shaver owner's manual...I realize there are three speeds on the pump, however now I'm reading on here that the pump should be on the low speed..Speed ONE am I to assume?  And why is this?  I believe mine is set on speed THREE.. What's the diff if it's on speed ONE, TWO or THREE?

Lugnut
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: rhugg on December 29, 2011, 09:25:00 PM
I don't know that there is a right or wrong circulator speed.  More volume/higher speed means more heat from my water to air heat exchanger.  If you have a long run with lots of elbows maybe high speed is required but  if you are getting good results from low speed then low may be better.  It seems to me that at slower speeds I take more heat out where I want it (the HE) at higher speeds I'd have a higher % of ground or piping loss.

I run my 1st floor loop at low and the upstairs at medium.  I may switch the upstairs one to low also as it heats the upstairs quickly.  Both are Taco 00R's with the check valve.  I am not heating domestic HW with them so I don't have that issue.

Maybe in the dead of winter I will rethink the settings but they haven't been pushed yet.
Title: Re: HWT - Help
Post by: RSI on December 29, 2011, 09:36:00 PM

Do you have the pump on low speed? A high flow rate would make this worse.

Here we go again...this is another item that is NOT in the Shaver owner's manual...I realize there are three speeds on the pump, however now I'm reading on here that the pump should be on the low speed..Speed ONE am I to assume?  And why is this?  I believe mine is set on speed THREE.. What's the diff if it's on speed ONE, TWO or THREE?

Lugnut

This was about a pump on a DHW loop, not the boiler water.

If you are getting a big temperature drop when the blower is running then you probably want to go to a higher speed. It might keep the water mixed better in the boiler too. Slow pump speed could let the water in the bottom of the tank get colder and cut down storage capacity.