It's been a while since the last post because, well, you can only say things are going great so may times before people lose interest. Plus there was no major changes to discuss. We are still looking forward to the heating season to really test the Kedel out. I feel like we just bought a new sports car but can't open it up because the weather isn't cooperating.
Since my last post I have had several people ask me about the boiler and a half dozen coworkers are watching closely to see how it goes as they prepare to update their heating systems next year. A few naysayers have already converted to believers based on the limited data I have been able to share with them. It is obvious that people out there are looking at the Kedel, standing up and asking questions.
I finally had to add pellets to the hopper after a month of use. I had intentionally understated the amount of pellets in the hopper by 50 pounds when inputting the data on the control panel. I did this to create a buffer just in case I forgot to check the pellet level. There isn't much of a chance of that as I am drawn to the web site data and check it frequently. The method to my madness was that I wanted to see if the control panel would generate a warning to the user if the pellet level went low. The displayed pellet level dropped to 34.2 pounds before I spent 10 minutes to refill the hopper. No warning was generated. I will say that when I sent the suggestion to Kedel it was well recieved. I filled the hopper and once again understated the amount of pellets when I entering the poundage on the control panel. I suspect this is just like setting the time on your alarm clock back 10 minutes in case you oversleep and just end up taking advantage of knowing you can hit the snooze button one extra time. But for know, I'll say I have a buffer of 50 lbs.
I have been adjusting the fan speed on low setting for the past several days as I have been getting a 'Note' message on the display. Apparently the boiler has sensed it is not operating optimally and has been adjusting the auger speed on its own to compensate. A quick email to Kedel and they explained the solution. It was as easy as punching numbers on a number pad. A graph on the display clearly showed what was happening and each adjustment brought the oxygen levels to the desired levels and I no longer get the "Note" on the display. Kedel actually sent me an email saying that they had been watching (via the internet) and noticed that the adjustments were working. As I mentioned before, I love the ability to have techs look at my system in real time via the net.
Another change I made to the Kedel is I installed the exterior temperature sensor. Rather than putting it outside, I put it in my living room. This allows me to see the actual temperature in my home at any given time. Anyone looking at the website will see the orange line 'exterior temp' and see that it is 70 with less than 1.5 degree fluctuations. This is so much better than my old heating system. The constant temperature in the house makes it feel so much warmer.
And the last tweak I've made is to turn down the minumum power setting to 20% allowing the boiler to handle my DWH with less power.
So for now we will continue to wait for the colder weather to set in. It won't be long as the geese have been flying for a while. Although there are a few less after my hunting trip last week. I mentioned previously I am utilizing the time NOT cutting and splitting wood to do more hunting. So I guess the Kedel is good for me, bad for the geese.
Dear Telowell,
ReplyDeleteThank you for all info provided!!!
I'm on the market for the new old house and now trying to predict and add up all the possible costs before even buying the house (is it weird isn't it?)
I knew from the beginning that most likely I'll face a challenge of updating heating, DHW, and plumbing. The size most likely >1.500sqft in snowy Ohio winters - we can actually compete with Maine :)
I am leaning towards the most energy/money/heat efficient system. So far the top choices are
- all heating and DHW via hydronic open system (wet or dry) backed up by
- Kedel Boiler stove with several zones
Phone operated temp setting and outside temperature changes are quite appealing :)
Can you please give some very approximate estimation of your total cost and what should be added for professional workforce - I definitely won't be capable of DIY
Warmest regards from very wintery Cleveland - the snow is already here gggrrrrrrr
Monika
Monika,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and reading the blog. It has been an interesting experience that created a lot of anxiety in the planning stages but was well worth it in the end. I have no buyer remorse. As for my expenses, don’t think they would accurately reflect what you will be experiencing as there are so many variables. I don’t know which Kedel you are looking at or which storage solution, how much work needs to be done to your system to adapt to a new appliance, chimney condition, electrical circuits, labor costs in Cleveland, etc… I think the best way to accurately answer your question is to tell you what to expect and then you can fill in your local costs.
The Kedel itself is fairly straight forward and can be plumbed in a few hours or less by an experienced person. The additional time it takes to connect to your existing plumbing will vary depending on what you have now and what your plans are in the end. For example, I completely redesigned the flow of my heating system and cut out everything except the baseboards and domestic hot water. We used a primary/secondary loop system and installed new circulators. This process took two people two long days. Approximately 40 man-hours. I did not have to do this, I could have hooked the Kedel up to the existing plumbing but I hated the way it looked and functioned and wanted to simplify the years of retrofitting that had been done prior to our purchasing the house. This would also have drastically increased the cost of the project had I not been able to take the DIY approach with a qualified friend who knew the code assisting me. It could also probably have taken less time if I didn’t have a learning curve on soldering and pipefitting, but we won’t get into that.
So without re-doing the entire system like I did, you can have the boiler plumbed and connected to existing plumbing in a few hours. Then the unit has to be connected to the electrical service. This again depends on what is already present. Commissioning the boiler takes a few additional hours, this includes wiring, inputting new parameters, calculating pellet feed rates, and testing the system. So if I were to offer a starting point, I’d say 8 to 10 hours labor for an easy install. This will go up depending on how much wiring and plumbing needs to be done. If you are pulling an existing heating appliance (w/electricity) out, I suspect a lot of the infrastructure would already present.
Keep this in mind; no matter what unit or system you buy, they all need to be connected to a supply and return, they all need to be connected to electricity, they all need to be hooked up to the chimney and fuel supply, so these costs should be somewhat stable. The Kedel itself is pretty straight forward to install.
I hope this helps. I’m one of the first Kedel’s installed in my region of the state so I haven’t had an opportunity to speak with other owners locally to talk about their experiences. However more are starting to pop up and I’ll be able to offer insights from other owners soon. I wouldn’t hesitate to contact the folks at Kedel to ask questions either. I have found them to be straight forward. I am always a little hesitant with info provided by someone who is trying to sell me something, but I haven’t felt I’ve been misled at all with anything I’ve asked them. Feel free to contact me at tjlowell@gmail.com if you have any other specific questions. I’d love to hear about how you found the blog and heard about Kedel.