Trager Boiler Performance Deficiencies

From Cornburning

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Pre-Troubleshooting Reality Check

Before embarking on troubleshooting for insufficient heat being produced by your Traeger boiler, first question if you are asking too much. Also consider ratings of heat output might not be as high as you expect.

This is the formula to calculate how many BTUs a boiler is producing from the fuel used

Delta T x 500 x flow = BTUs

To get 130,000 BTUs per hour (as claimed from Traeger) you would need to burn 8 bu. per day if your burner gets 6800 BTUs. per pound out of the corn

6800 into 130000 = 19 lbs of corn per hr.
19 lbs x 24hr = 456 lbs of corn
56 lbs.per bu. into 456 lbs = 8 bu. per day

But you cannot get that much corn burnt in a Traeger pot. There just is not enough airflow into the burn pot to allow this much corn to burn. On a heavy burn day, the very maximum amount of corn real users have only been able to burn is 330 pounds of corn.

A more typical average reported by a user over a 45 day period was far less at 229 pounds. This is running 100% of the time minus cleaning and burn pot changes on a system defiantly out matched by the load (System required almost 100 hours to the heat loop with a 200K input Natural gas boiler to keep up to demand)

4.1 bu. x 56 lbs. = 229.6 lbs.
229.6 lbs. x 6800 btus =1561280 BTUs
24 hrs. into 1561280 = 65053 BTUs per hr.

These units are inflated as the manufacturer must use something in the neighborhood of 9000 BTU/lb (the so called UL accepted standard) to figure the capability!

If the more realistic number of BTUs/lb of corn is used, 6800 BTUs/lb, this 130,000 BTU unit is only really only 98,000 BTU. If adjusted for poor efficiency of a typical real world situation (not perfectly clean draft tubes, etc) the BTU output is lower yet.
98,000 x .70= 68,600

Problems

Scroll down until you find the problem you are experiencing and then click on the solution below it to find the possible solution.

Problem: Unit burns with a dirty lazy flame
Solution: 5, 29, 36, 40, 59, 60

Problem: Furnace burns too many pellets
Solution: 5, 14, 21, 28, 30, 31, 32, 53, 59

Problem: Shocked when touching furnace.
Solution: 16, 17, 44, 45

Problem: Furnace is up to temperature, but won’t run on thermostat.
Solution: 13, 17, 5, 10, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25

Problem: Furnace is up to temperature, but won’t run on thermostat.
Solution: 13, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25

Problem: Firepot is full of corn or pellets when burning.
Solution: 5, 20, 29, 36, 37, 40, 53, 59, 60

Problem: The circulation pump cycles on and off too much.
Solution: 9, 12, 22, 59

Problem: Furnace burns without regard to thermostat, overheats
Solution: 4, 8, 13, 14, 18, 30, 31, 33, 50

Problem: Furnace doesn’t make as much heat as it used to.
Solution: 5, 32, 5, 10, 37, 40, 53, 56, 57, 59

Problem: Circulating pump will not run at all.
Solution: 9, 12, 17, 22, 45, 56

Problem: Remote thermostat is not accurate by thermometer.
Solution: 18, 30, 31, 32, 33, 48, 54

Problem: The circulating blower runs continually.
Solution: 9, 12, 38, 53

Problem: The furnace will not heat the whole house.
Solution: 30, 32