[RE-wrenches] Forced air Furnace

Ray ray at solarray.com
Sat Sep 8 04:52:26 EDT 2018


I started recommending people use the new ECM drive circ pumps. They use 
half the power and are a direct replacement.  Have your plumber check 
out the Taco e series, or the Grundfos Alpha series of circ pumps.

Ray Walters
Remote Solar
303 505-8760

On 9/7/18 8:45 PM, David Palumbo wrote:
>
> El Sid 10W DC pumps are great but in my experience they did not have 
> the flow and head “oomph” for long runs for the zones on our second 
> and third floors with our hydronic heating system (wood boiler). In 
> our off grid house we installed El Sid’s on all 4 zones in the late 
> 1980’s. We had recurring problems with the 2^nd and 3^rd floor zones 
> (long runs) becoming air bound repeatedly after a couple of months of 
> heavy use in the winter. Basement and 1^st floor zones did not have 
> this problem. I consulted with some plumbing and heating folks and 
> ended up replacing the 2^nd and 3^rd floor zone El Sid’s with 115VAC 
> Grundfos circ pumps. Problem solved, no more air lock problems. I had 
> a hard time understanding that while the El Sid’s worked OK on the 
> longer, higher head zones but did not have the power to avoid the air 
> lock situation in our heating system. One of the plumbers explained it 
> to me twenty something years ago BUT I don’t recall his explanation 
> now. Maybe some wrench with more hydronic chops than I can explain it.
>
> Dave Palumbo
>
> Independent Power
>
> Hyde Park, VT
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for 
> Windows 10
>
> *From: *Bradley Bassett <mailto:bbassett2 at gmail.com>
> *Sent: *Friday, September 7, 2018 10:09 PM
> *To: *RE-wrenches <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> *Subject: *Re: [RE-wrenches] Forced air Furnace
>
> I have multiple ElSid pumps in my heating system which have been 
> running for just about 15 years without the slightest hitch. At 10W 
> each they are hard to beat, but they do need DC so a power supply is 
> needed. I ran them off 24VDC direct from the battery for the first 10 
> years and from a small MeanWell power supply for the last 5 years. My 
> only complaint is that when there are 4 of them running it sounds like 
> a miniature WWII bomber. No loud enough to hear outside of the utility 
> room but something to keep in mind.
>
> Brad Bassett
>
> AEE Solar
>
> Brad
>
> On Fri, Sep 7, 2018 at 7:33 AM Drake 
> <drake.chamberlin at redwoodalliance.org 
> <mailto:drake.chamberlin at redwoodalliance.org>> wrote:
>
>     Dana,
>
>     Your comments, and other comments on this list have made me see
>     the light. We are going to go with a boiler.
>
>     What is the best source of equipment for this application these days?
>
>     Many years ago, I helped install a system in Colorado using El Sid
>     pumps, with guidance from you, if you recall this ancient history.
>
>     Cheers,
>
>     Drake
>
>     Drake Chamberlin
>     /Athens Electric LLC
>     OH License 44810
>     CO License 3773
>     NABCEP Certified Solar PV
>     740-448-7328
>     /http://athens-electric.com/
>
>
>     At 07:43 PM 8/23/2018, you wrote:
>
>         Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
>         boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0068_01D43B08.DFB2A130"
>         Content-Language: en-us
>
>         Drake,
>         All the conventional units I have amp clamped over the years
>         are pushing 900-900+ watts per hour. I do not recommend them
>         ever & to date I have never found a lower wattage blower. I
>         would assume that a permanent magnet motor would fit this
>         suggestion, but I have not found one.
>         For off grid I recommend: Radiant floor heat first and hot
>         water base board second long before hot air. Air is a better
>         insulator than a heat transfer agent.
>         The new ECM (electronically commutated motors) pump motors are
>         basically at DC permanent magnet motor power draws [Taco &
>         Grundfoss] these days.
>
>         Best of luck with this one.
>
>         ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>         Dana Orzel                              Great Solar Works, Inc.
>         *C - 208.721.7003 dana at solarwork.com <mailto:dana at solarwork.com>
>         *Idaho Contractor - # 028765         Idaho PV # 028374
>         NABCEP # 051112-136 www.solarwork.biz <http://www.solarwork.biz>
>         _"Responsible Technologies for Responsible People since 1988"
>         _*P* Please consider the environment before printing this email.
>
>
>         *From:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
>         <mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org>> *On Behalf
>         Of *Drake
>         *Sent:* Thursday, August 23, 2018 2:37 PM
>         *To:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>         <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>>
>         *Subject:* [RE-wrenches] Forced air Furnace
>
>         Hello Wrenches,
>
>         What is the best choice for a propane, forced air furnace for
>         an off grid house? We would prefer one that doesn't have a
>         phantom load, although the transformer for the thermostat may
>         not be avoidable. Low blower current would be preferable. The
>         furnace AC will be powered by a Magnum 4448 PAE.
>
>         Thank you,
>
>         Drake
>
>         Drake Chamberlin
>
>         Athens Electric LLC
>
>         OH License 44810
>
>         CO License 3773
>
>         NABCEP Certified Solar PV
>
>         740-448-7328
>
>         http://athens-electric.com/
>
>
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