Zoned forced air furnace and a OWB?

[goosegunner]

My OWB install is becoming rather confusing and complicated.

The culprit seems to be My Perfecttemp control board for electronic zone dampers in my forced air furnace.

I have 2 forced air trunks;
1 for main level
1 for finished basement
each zone has its own thermostat

The zone dampers are normally in the open position. When one zone thermostat calls for heat the perfecttemp control closes the other zone damper.

I am setting my system up Primary/ Secondary and want my thermostats to call for heat and start my secondary pump.

Has anyone set up an OWB with a zoned forced air system?

Any tips or issues?

gg

 

[Biker Dude]

Wire the thermostat outputs to a fan center that controls your circulator pump. You will probably have to put a diode in line so that each thermostat signal remains separate from the other.

 

[slinger]

I've got 4 zones on mine.

Electric heat pump unit. I have never heated with it yet

OWB is wired in as emergency heat. I put a shutoff switch (disconnect) on the electric strip heaters.

Run my t-stat on emergency heat. Any zone calls for heat the circulator pump for the OWB starts and the fan only starts on my forced air unit.

 

[goosegunner]

Thanks for the suggestions I will give them to the HVAC guy so he can come up with a solution.

gg

 

[mtfallsmikey]

I've got 4 zones on mine.

Electric heat pump unit. I have never heated with it yet

OWB is wired in as emergency heat. I put a shutoff switch (disconnect) on the electric strip heaters.

Run my t-stat on emergency heat. Any zone calls for heat the circulator pump for the OWB starts and the fan only starts on my forced air unit.

That's a splendid ideer! Probably the simplest too. Who makes the Perfecttemp control system?

 

[slinger]

Thanks for the suggestions I will give them to the HVAC guy so he can come up with a solution.

gg

I bought the heat pump and the OWB from my local Heating and Air contractor. It is a 17 SEER Carrier unit. He had trouble getting everything to work. He said that what I wanted was like "Trying to hook a tractor to a laptop"

Had to swap out the controls for a different model because the newer model control detected that the strips were not working and shut the fan down.

I originally wanted to have the heat-pump as automatic back-up but he coukdn't make it work...

So now I have to throw the switch for emergency heat or switch the t-stat to Heat for the heat pump to come on.

 

[ghitch75]

3 stage t-stat would be the best

stage-1 = owb

stage 2 = heat pump

stage 3 = strip heat

then you would need a couple of relays to control the dampers...

then if your boiler goes out your heat pump system will run as normal...

http://www.budgetheating.com/Thermostat_White_Rodgers_Programmable_Heat_Pump_p/30010.htm

 

[mtfallsmikey]

3 stage t-stat would be the best

stage-1 = owb

stage 2 = heat pump

stage 3 = strip heat

then you would need a couple of relays to control the dampers...

then if your boiler goes out your heat pump system will run as normal...

http://www.budgetheating.com/Thermostat_White_Rodgers_Programmable_Heat_Pump_p/30010.htm

In a normal application, where does the 3rd stage come in, what would it control??

 

[ghitch75]

In a normal application, where does the 3rd stage come in, what would it control??

i have used them stage 2 half the strip heat and stage 3 the other half.....then HP's with 2 stage compressors then 3rd is strip heat or gas....

 

[mtfallsmikey]

i have used them stage 2 half the strip heat and stage 3 the other half.....then HP's with 2 stage compressors then 3rd is strip heat or gas....

How about variable-speed compressors...I've never worked with them, are they staged by t-stat, line pressure,....???

 

[ghitch75]

How about variable-speed compressors...I've never worked with them, are they staged by t-stat, line pressure,....???

only 1's i'v messed with where lennox 's and the sped up and slowed down by the t-stat.....the had a high failure rate do to burn't windings...

 

[goosegunner]

Who makes the Perfecttemp control system?

I am at work until tomorrow but I think it was Research Products. But it is now Aprilaire.

gg

 

[mtfallsmikey]

only 1's i'v messed with where lennox 's and the sped up and slowed down by the t-stat.....the had a high failure rate do to burn't windings...

I assume these were modified Scroll compressors? I had a VAV fan motor here at work go down, kinda overheated, had that putrid burnt winding smell...shut it off, restarted yesterday, ran fine, but grease mented out of the bearings, amperage ok...277v, 1/2 hp. 3-speed!

On residential zoned forced air systems: Are any relief dampers installed to handle excessive static pressure?

 

[goosegunner]

Think it is solved

Going to use

An aqua-stat on the supply pipe then a time delay.

Call for heat will activate the pump

If water temp is not at desired level aquastat will stay closed, time delay will close, relay will cut power to pump. Gas furnace will function as normal.

That is as close as I can come to explaining the HVAC guys plan.

I will use the thermostats that I have and I will not be cooling my house if the boiler fire would go out.

The primary loop will continue to circulate to protect the boiler and piping to garage.

Supplies needed
Aquastat
time delay
2 relays

gg

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Good deal...you could put a SPDT switch from the cooling side of the t-stat to switch back and forth in winter/summer.