My Central Boiler CL6048 OWB Installation Thread!

[Jon B.]

Noob here - first post.

I'm in the installation phase, myself. Just bought a 5036 to heat the house (~1700sf), domestic hot water, and attached garage (~700sf). I hope the boiler is big enough! It'll have the 125k hx, the side-arm w-w hx and a 100k hx in the garage. Neither of the water-to-air exchangers will come near their rated output but I think that's OK. I have a propane, forced-air furnace and electric (105 gallon) water heater.

My trench was about 65 feet but 40 feet was pick & shovel work. We haven't seen any rain in two months, and the clay is rock-hard. I went 18 inches, as that's what the electrical code requires for unprotected wire. Since nothing else will be wired to this, I just used a 12-2 UF wire.

I'm using the ThermoPEX, too. The bend into the boiler ought to be fun. I pick up the PEX this afternoon. Basement block wall has a hole and the wire is run from a new breaker out to the boiler site.

The dealer will deliver the boiler and set it on the base. I also went with a dug perimeter trench, crushed rock, and patio block on top. Inside the house, we plan to use all 10-foot sections of PEX. The dealer hates the coiled stuff, as it doesn't like to be straightened out. I'll do the plumbing myself, as well.

One of my neighbors runs a tree service, and will let me scavenge as much wood from his burn piles as I want. It's a mile and a half from my house!

Jon

 

[OH_Varmntr]

Well all my trenching and burial work is done. Still waiting on the pump flange kit and I have to hook up power to the unit then that end is all done.

Inside the house, is a different story. Coiled PEX is a PITA to work with alone. With my wife uncoiling the PEX for me, what took me 4 hours by myself took both of us about 20 minutes to do. I learned the hard way for sure. I was quoted $1.14/ft for PEX from the Central Boiler dealer, but went to the orange depot and got Sharkbike PEX for $.57/ft. Exactly half price.

My first 100k btu airhandler is assembled, set in place, and plumbed up. Still waiting on a thermostatic valve to come it for the main supply/return lines, so until then I'm going to tackle plumbing the water heater side of the plate hx tomorrow and installing the thermostatic mixing valve for the output side of the water heater. Also waiting for my other air handler unit to come in for the attic, but all the PEX is ran so I'm at a waiting game there as well.

Will try to take some pics tomorrow of my setup.

 

[giXXer]

Noob here - first post.

I'm in the installation phase, myself. Just bought a 5036 to heat the house (~1700sf), domestic hot water, and attached garage (~700sf). I hope the boiler is big enough! It'll have the 125k hx, the side-arm w-w hx and a 100k hx in the garage. Neither of the water-to-air exchangers will come near their rated output but I think that's OK. I have a propane, forced-air furnace and electric (105 gallon) water heater.

My trench was about 65 feet but 40 feet was pick & shovel work. We haven't seen any rain in two months, and the clay is rock-hard. I went 18 inches, as that's what the electrical code requires for unprotected wire. Since nothing else will be wired to this, I just used a 12-2 UF wire.

I'm using the ThermoPEX, too. The bend into the boiler ought to be fun. I pick up the PEX this afternoon. Basement block wall has a hole and the wire is run from a new breaker out to the boiler site.

The dealer will deliver the boiler and set it on the base. I also went with a dug perimeter trench, crushed rock, and patio block on top. Inside the house, we plan to use all 10-foot sections of PEX. The dealer hates the coiled stuff, as it doesn't like to be straightened out. I'll do the plumbing myself, as well.

One of my neighbors runs a tree service, and will let me scavenge as much wood from his burn piles as I want. It's a mile and a half from my house!

Jon

The pex I used in my install has aluminum sandwiched in-between the plastic, basically an aluminum pipe with a layer of plastic on the outside and a layer on the inside. It was very easy to install because it bends pretty easy and holds it's shape. If I had to do the install again I would pay the extra for that pipe because of the ease of installation.

 

[OH_Varmntr]

First fire tonight! Water is 77 degrees and fire box is full!

 

[OH_Varmntr]

Interesting day today.

Woke up to 197* water (setpoint is 195*), but no heat coming off of my air handler hx. I have no ductwork installed right now so the air handler is open to the basement. Realized I forgot to purge air from the lines, so I shut the pump off and headed to the attic to open up the lines at the highest point. I used an elbow, drilled and tapped a 10-24 hole to accept a small socket head bolt to purge with, and installed it in the line where my future 2nd air handler will be.

Once the pump was turned back on I loosened the purge screw and the air came rushing out, followed by a trickle of hot water. All purged now and everything is receiving nice hot water. After about an hour I turned on the hot water at the kitchen sink to test the function of the mixing valve. Water warmed up and got nice and hot, but not too hot where you couldn't hold your hand under it. Really glad that works and the wife is taking a shower right now.

I wired up the 3-speed blower in the air handler on high speed and am currently using the breaker to switch it on and off since no one carries a fan center relay for a blower motor, and those who do are not open on Sundays.

Hopefully the CB dealer has a few in stock. The fan center relays and thermostats were two of those items I forgot to inquire about when I ordered everything. No biggie, I have it functioning for now.

I got to thinking today and figured I've got close to 62 hours of labor so far in installing everything. That only includes MY time, and I've had quite a bit of help.

There's a few things I wish they'd have elaborated more clearly in the instructions, and once I have a month or so run time I'll make a thread about what I've found with it.

Here she sits with the damper open heating up the water to the setpoint again. It used a bit of wood for the initial heat up from 53* well water to get to the 195* setpoint, but now it hasn't burned much of the pile I have in the box. I still have the side panel off cause I'm going to spray foam the exposed Pex lines and make sure everything is insulated before winter hits.

 

[Encore]

Nice work man. you'll love that thing

 

[STLfirewood]

My CL40 burns a lot of wood when I fire it up. Mine holds 400 gallons of water. That's a lot to heat. Also there iks no coal base to get a lot of heat from. Your install looks great. Watch running your water at that high of a temp. On a warm day when it hits 195 and the door closes the heat can creep up to 200 plus if nothing is pull heat from the water. Is there a reason you run it so high for home heating? Most people run it lower then that.

Scott

 

[DDALE]

Set temp

My CL40 burns a lot of wood when I fire it up. Mine holds 400 gallons of water. That's a lot to heat. Also there iks no coal base to get a lot of heat from. Your install looks great. Watch running your water at that high of a temp. On a warm day when it hits 195 and the door closes the heat can creep up to 200 plus if nothing is pull heat from the water. Is there a reason you run it so high for home heating? Most people run it lower then that.

Scott

I agree with you Scott keep that water at 185,which,is preset on 6048 cb.View attachment 259767

 

[owbguy]

mine is set for a 175 to 185 degree window. I have 9 full seasons with that setting. Unless you have a specific need for a higher setting, I would consider lowering your high set point.

Your photo of wood in the box is your startup fire, to get the system up to temperature. I would suggest loading firewood so it looks like spaghetti noodles in a box. Place the wood close to the door opening right in front of the damper, rather than deeper into the firebox. You can stack the wood tightly. Air entering through the damper will travel directly through the wood, and your fire will burn strong. The is a photo of mine from last season as an example (ash level was high at the time).

 

[czar800]

"I still have the side panel off cause I'm going to spray foam the exposed Pex lines and make sure everything is insulated before winter hits. "




I tryed to spray foam my line after they where hot, it didn't work out so well the foam just ran off. Had to do it when they were cold.








.

 

[OH_Varmntr]

My CL40 burns a lot of wood when I fire it up. Mine holds 400 gallons of water. That's a lot to heat. Also there iks no coal base to get a lot of heat from. Your install looks great. Watch running your water at that high of a temp. On a warm day when it hits 195 and the door closes the heat can creep up to 200 plus if nothing is pull heat from the water. Is there a reason you run it so high for home heating? Most people run it lower then that.

Scott

Just trying to pull more BTUs from my hx is all. Higher input water temps equal higher output air temp, given intake air temp is the same. I have no ductwork installed yet, so I'm blowing the hot air into the basement atmosphere like my old wood burner did. Warmer air from the hx will rise throughout the house quicker. I'm getting around to laying out ductwork for the basement and first floor of my house so I can get that going. Once that's in I'll monitor pre and post heat exchanger air temps in the ductwork and go from there. Once that's done and I'm happy with it I'll be installing ductwork in the attic for the second floor.

The thermostatic mixing valve on my hot water heater has a max temp of 200* but the hx's are rated for atleast 205*.

"I still have the side panel off cause I'm going to spray foam the exposed Pex lines and make sure everything is insulated before winter hits. "

I tryed to spray foam my line after they where hot, it didn't work out so well the foam just ran off. Had to do it when they were cold.
.

That makes sense, thanks for that!

mine is set for a 175 to 185 degree window. I have 9 full seasons with that setting. Unless you have a specific need for a higher setting, I would consider lowering your high set point.

Your photo of wood in the box is your startup fire, to get the system up to temperature. I would suggest loading firewood so it looks like spaghetti noodles in a box. Place the wood close to the door opening right in front of the damper, rather than deeper into the firebox. You can stack the wood tightly. Air entering through the damper will travel directly through the wood, and your fire will burn strong. The is a photo of mine from last season as an example (ash level was high at the time).

Yes, that is my startup fire. I lined the bottom of the box with ash noodles and log cabin stacked wood over them to get a good fire going fast. Worked great! My current box is stacked much like yours.

The digital control on my 6048 can be adjusted between 185 and 195 degrees. If 195 degrees was too high for normal operation, they wouldn't allow you to use it as a setpoint. :msp_wink:

 

[owbguy]

The digital control on my 6048 can be adjusted between 185 and 195 degrees. If 195 degrees was too high for normal operation, they wouldn't allow you to use it as a setpoint. :msp_wink:

Yep totally understand. You didn't ask for it, but I was just offering advice based on experience.

On a separate but related note, the speedometer on my minivan goes up to 160 mph but that doesn't mean I should drive it that fast. 120 mph is sufficient.

 

[STLfirewood]

The digital control on my 6048 can be adjusted between 185 and 195 degrees. If 195 degrees was too high for normal operation, they wouldn't allow you to use it as a setpoint. :msp_wink:[/QUOTE]


I run my CL40 at 195 degrees. I only run it that hot because I am using it to heat a kiln. My blower is running constant across a 235k btu exchanger. When the boiler closes the door at 195 I have seen temps creep to 198-199 with the blower and exchanger still pulling heat. I have seen it creep over 200 on warmer days when I am loading and unloading the kiln and the blower is shut off. I'm not saying your doing it wrong just becareful with that high of a setting. It's not a good feeling when you see water and steam puking out of the top.

Scott

 

[owbguy]

How's the CL6048 treating you so far?

 

[OH_Varmntr]

How's the CL6048 treating you so far?

Very well so far! Hasn't been too terribly cold around these parts lately so it hasn't really ran a lot. Considering the warm weather and not much burn time, the fire hasn't gone out in 3 weeks.

Very impressed and happy with it so far!

 

[AdamG]

Very well so far! Hasn't been too terribly cold around these parts lately so it hasn't really ran a lot. Considering the warm weather and not much burn time, the fire hasn't gone out in 3 weeks.

Very impressed and happy with it so far!

it shouldn't ever go out until the end of the season.
Seriously though, mine has been "out" to the tune of 135 before- but never really goes out. Just rake the coals out, throw in some sticks, and wha-lah- got fire again. Might have to wait 5-10 min for the kindling to catch, but I've never had a problem.
I've only lit mine twice. At the beginning of both heating seasons

Adam

 

[Jon B.]

I hope to not derail your thread...

I fired up the 5036 on Saturday morning - its maiden fire. With a water heater exchanger, a 125K BTU coil in the furnace plenum and a 100K BTU space heater in teh garage, the water stays between 174 and 188 degrees. Lots of hot domestic water! Oddly - or maybe not - the furnace fan hasn't run since the water got hot. The circulation through the coil and the hot PEX in the basement keeps the house (1700 ft^2 rambler/ranch) at 68-70 degrees. The fan thermostat is set at 66, I think.

It was 19F overnight, with yesterday's high around 28F, and it was 67F in the house at 06:00 today.

I'm liking the boiler a lot. I'll have to figure out the feeding schedule, as I over-fed it Saturday and Sunday. It burns less than I figured it would.

Good luck with your 6042.

Jon

 

[idahohay]

OH_, I read over your install with much interest as I hope to be getting mine installed in a month or so.(still building) You mentioned that after your water heater you went up to the attic heat exchanger . Since the boiler is not pressurized, what keeps the boiler from running over at the top due to the height of the second floor water? I plan to heat a second floor and was told I need a brazed plate heat exchanger to separate the boiler loop from the inside zones that will be slightly pressurized.

 

[Woodomaker]

Well I finally did it. I broke down and brought home a Central Boiler 6048 today. I'm planning on heating my attached garage and putting in a shop in the future, as well as putting in-floor heating in the master bath once we remodel it so I bought bigger than I currently need, but it's all good. :hmm3grin2orange:

I'll be pumping hot water to a heat exchanger on my water heater, then up to the attic of my 2 story house. That's where an air handler with a 100k btu exchanger will be located to handle the second floor, which is where all 4 of our bedrooms are located as well as the regular bathroom and our master. I was set up with a Taco 009 pump that can handle 30' of head, although I should be at 22' max head with my setup.

Anyways, from there it will go to another air handler with a 100k btu exchanger that will be located underneath the basement staircase, and that one will take care of the basement and first floor. After that, it's going to head back out to the OWB. Eventually I'd like to heat the attached garage, so when I get that put in, it will run through that exchanger too before returning to the OWB.

So enough of my plan. I picked up my 6048 today, with 80' of ThermoPEX underground pipe and everything except my 2nd air handler setup and the pump flange kit (on order). I've got the concrete block foundation laid out where I want it and will be leveling the ground tomorrow and setting the unit on the block.

I chose not to pour a concrete slab at this time. I'm not 100% sure this will be the permanent location, so for now it will be set on 8"x16" solid concrete blocks that are 4" thick. I've got an 80' trench to dig, and will be renting an trencher tomorrow to do that task. The neighbor is bringing down his loader to see if it will pick up the OWB.

I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. Oh, did I mention that the dealer I bought it from is also a Jonsored saw dealer and gave me a FREE chainsaw? They had a deal going on now that when you buy a Central Boiler OWB they throw in a FREE chainsaw! It's a CS2250S. 50.2ccs, 16" B&C, dealer brought it out for me full of gas and mix, and said she's already been broke in and ready to cut. Starts right up and seems very smooth from what I could tell without putting it in wood. I've got enough work to do before I can play anymore right now. :hmm3grin2orange:

Anyways, here's the only pics you get for tonight. I'll be taking many more throughout this process and will be sharing them with everyone here.

Unit on my trailer, with the little Jonsored next to it.

My Stihls with the black sheep. Back to front: 088, 028AV Super, 026, MS180, Jonsored CS2250S.

I have owned my 6048 since 2007....I also purchased dual fuel propane unit and it works great for backup. Good luck to you.

 

[OH_Varmntr]

I hope to not derail your thread...

I fired up the 5036 on Saturday morning - its maiden fire. With a water heater exchanger, a 125K BTU coil in the furnace plenum and a 100K BTU space heater in teh garage, the water stays between 174 and 188 degrees. Lots of hot domestic water! Oddly - or maybe not - the furnace fan hasn't run since the water got hot. The circulation through the coil and the hot PEX in the basement keeps the house (1700 ft^2 rambler/ranch) at 68-70 degrees. The fan thermostat is set at 66, I think.

It was 19F overnight, with yesterday's high around 28F, and it was 67F in the house at 06:00 today.

I'm liking the boiler a lot. I'll have to figure out the feeding schedule, as I over-fed it Saturday and Sunday. It burns less than I figured it would.

Good luck with your 6042.

Jon

Jon, glad to hear you like yours as well! I purchased insulation for my interior PEX for about $0.20 per foot. I like the radiant heat feel but I want to control heat with my air handlers and not have hotspots with the radiant from the tubing.

With air handler heat exchangers it's vital to keep your water temps as high as possible for max BTU outputs, expecially when using 2 heat exchangers on the same circuit as I am. I believe you are doing the same. My first air handler heat exchanger pulls almost 40 degrees from the water temp so I need to keep my water temps as high as possible.

OH_, I read over your install with much interest as I hope to be getting mine installed in a month or so.(still building) You mentioned that after your water heater you went up to the attic heat exchanger . Since the boiler is not pressurized, what keeps the boiler from running over at the top due to the height of the second floor water? I plan to heat a second floor and was told I need a brazed plate heat exchanger to separate the boiler loop from the inside zones that will be slightly pressurized.

If you need anything at all feel free to ask! I know I had a bunch of questions that were answered when I had everything and started the install. I can take pics of anything you need and try to explain anything you need so again, just ask if you need anything! :msp_smile:

My system is setup all in one loop (series loop). When running a series loop, the brazed plate hx for the domestic hot water must be the first hx the water flows through. My water comes from the boiler and passes through a thermostatic valve that sends the water back to the boiler if it's not over 155 degrees. At 155 degrees, the thermostat begins to open and allows boiler water to start flowing throught the heat exchangers. At 170 degrees (I think that's the number), the thermostat is fully open and sends all the boiler water through the heat exchangers.

From the thermostatic valve, the boiler water goes to a brazed plate hx for domestic hot water, then through a 100k btu hx in the basement then up about 30 feet to another 100k btu hx. Then it goes back to the boiler.

I'm running a Taco 009 that can handle 34 feet of head. Since it can flow 34 feet above the pump, and I'm at 30 feet in the attic, the pump's flow keeps the water from backflowing into the boiler. Even if I was at 40 feet of head, I don't believe the pump would allow backflow, it just wouldn't flow any water that high (known as pump deadheading).