THERMAX Efficiency Monitor

INSTALLATION & OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS THERMAX Efficiency Monitor Oil & Gas Fired Heating Equipment Efficiency Monitoring Instrument Important Safety Instructions Read and safe these instructions before using the instrument. This device is battery operated and does not pose any danger from electrical shock. It does require that you operate it near hot surfaces. 1. Always take appropriate precautions when working near hot surfaces. 2. Do not allow children to operate or install this device 3. In-Vent Products, LLC is not liable for incidental or consequential injuries or damages of any nature. Form IVP1101

Description The THERMAX Efficiency Monitor is a microprocessorcontrolled instrument for measuring and recording the efficiency of fuel usage for gas, propane, and oil fired heating appliances. It may be used on hydronic boilers, domestic water heaters, and furnaces that do not operate above 88% efficiency. Higher efficiency heaters require additional equipment to measure liquid condensate flow. The THERMAX Efficiency Monitor is the first device available to homeowners that will track and display combustion efficiency information. The homeowner can then respond to the information and make intelligent, informed decisions based on personal knowledge. These decisions can range from calling for a cleaning or changing an oil nozzle, to purchasing a new higher efficiency heater. One of the biggest cost savings may come from NOT having to purchase a new boiler or heater if it is really not going to save much over the old unit. (Note: the rest of the instructions will refer to heater but include boilers, furnaces, heaters, and other fired appliances.) Air Sensor; (Optional Combustion Air Probe Available) Connector LCD Case Flue Sensor Green LED Sensor Mount Buttons Red LED 2 Figure 1: User Interface

Installation To activate the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor, push the MENU button once. The unit runs on 3 AAA batteries that will last between one and two years under normal conditions. The heater should be off during installation to prevent contact with hot surfaces when installing the flue sensor. Mounting The THERMAX Efficiency Monitor can be mounted either vertically or horizontally. The back of the display unit has magnetic mounts for easy placement on most metal surfaces. WARNING: Make sure that the surface is not over 100 F during operation of the heater; if you can t touch it, don t mount the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor on it. Wiring A 6 position terminal block is included, with the flue sensor installed in positions 1 & 2; and the combustion air sensor installed in positions 3 & 4. Terminals 5 & 6 are provided as alarm output terminals to communicate alarm conditions or drive a remote light or buzzer. Terminals 5 & 6 are normally open (NO) dry relay contacts. A maximum of 60 VDC and 100 milliamps may be switched via terminals 5 & 6. The proper connection for the alarm terminals is shown in Figure 2. For installations drawing outside air via a duct (aka sealed combustion ), an optional combustion air sensor, part #TEM1002 is recommended, which replaces the included air sensor and is wired per Figure 3. Load 1 to 25 VDC Supply Inlet Air Sensor Probe Pin 6 5 4 3 2 1 Instrument Terminal Block Figure 2: Alarm Connection Pin 6 5 4 3 2 1 Instrument Terminal Block Figure 3: Optional Air Sensor Connection 3

Sensor Mounting for Boilers Proper mounting of the flue sensor depends on the type of heater to be monitored; various options are shown in the figures below. Warning: The exhaust flue may be very hot, do not touch with bare hands. It is important that the probe is placed as close to the heater outlet as possible to ensure accurate efficiency readings. Never put the sensor into or after the barometric damper. The barometric damper has a balance swing plate that must freely move to maintain the correct draft or air-flow for the combustion system. Optional Air Sensor Location Exhaust Flue Barometric Damper Oil Fired Boiler Flue Sensor Locations Figure 4: Oil Fired Boiler, Hydronic Barometric Damper Exhaust Flue Flue Sensor Locations Gas Fired Boiler Optional Air Sensor Location 4 Figure 5: Gas Fired Boiler, Hydronic

Sensor Mounting for Water Heaters Gas or Oil Fired Water Heaters can also be monitored by the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor. The sensor probe must be placed at an angle, under the vent hood, into the top of the exhaust flue pipe. (The objective is to place the sensor at a location that will have pure combustion gases, before air mixes in from the draft hood.) The sensor is magnetically mounted into the flue duct or to the top of the water heater. Figure 5 shows the location for the sensor probe and Figure 6 shows the angle of the sensor location. Exhaust Flue Flue Sensor Location Gas or Oil Fired Water Heater Optional Air Sensor Location FIGURE 6: GAS / OIL FIRED WATER HEATER Exhaust Duct Position Flue Sensor under hood and angled down into vent pipe. Exhaust Draft Hood Gas or Oil Fired Water Heater (top section) 5

Operation After installation, activate the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor by pressing the MENU button one time. The green active LED will flash every ten seconds to let you know that the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor is actively monitoring your heater. If the red alarm LED flashes, the fault or alarm message will be displayed on the LCD. Sophisticated software algorithms will continuously monitor the heater activity, then measure, calculate, and save the combustion efficiency of the heater during operation. Hitting any of the four buttons on the face of the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor will activate the backlit LCD display and allow the user to scroll through the options in the menu structure. The first menu displays the latest efficiency measurement that was recorded as the Current Efficiency. The second menu allows you to scroll through all the prior data that was recorded. The THERMAX Efficiency Monitor saves data each day and shifts the data from 1 day ago to 2 days ago at the end of the day. On the 8 th day a weekly average is calculated and stored in the 1 week ago location. That data is then shifted to the 2 weeks ago location at the end of the 2 nd week until the full 26 weeks of data has been logged. At the end of the 27 th week, the first week data will be pushed out of the memory and lost forever, unless you wish to write it down for future reference. The functions of the buttons are shown below: MENU Menu Button MENU - Steps thru the menu structure of the instrument 1) Current Efficiency, last measured value 2) Efficiency Data Logged, 7 days & 26 weeks 3) Fuel Choice Selection a) Oil #2 (default) b) Oil #5 c) Oil #6 d) Natural Gas 6 e) Propane

4. Minimum Efficiency, set alarm level 50 to 99% 5. Set O2%, flue gas oxygen setting 0.1 to 9.9% 6. Burner On Cycle, the typical time that your burner is firing. Range from 1 to 10 or more minutes, default is 08 minutes. 7. Flue Temp #1 thru #10, these are the measured flue gas temperatures that were used to calculate the efficiency of the heater. 8. Enter Password/00. Use arrows to increase the password value then press ENTER to select that password feature. a. Password = 10; displays the firmware version in the microcontroller b. Password = 124, then push MENU once will display CLEAR THERMAX, Hit ENTER. If you hit ENTER the efficiency and temperature values will be erased from the memory, and the settings replaced by default values. c. Password = 124, then push MENU twice will display Power Down, Hit ENTER. If you hit ENTER, the device will go into a deep sleep mode with minimal battery current draw and wait for you to push MENU to reactive the monitoring function. Up Arrow - Increases the value or moves to the next selection Down Arrow - Decreases the value or moves to the next selection ENTER Clear Alarm ENTER Clear Alarm - Enters the change in value or selection made - And clears the active fault or alarm condition 7

Set-Up To ensure accurate measurements, you must set three menu parameters: 1) Choose the fuel used in the heater. (Home heating oil is typically Oil #2 ) 2) Minimum Efficiency Alarm Limit. If the heater efficiency falls below this level the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor will flash the red Alarm LED and show the Service Heater warning. 3) The approximate oxygen % in the flue gas. The default value is 5.0%. Type of Heater Typical Oxygen Setting Oil Fired Boiler 5.0% Oil Fired Water Heater 5.0% Gas Fired Boiler 6.5% Gas Fired Water Heater 6.5% Oil Fired Hot Air Furnace 5.0% Gas Fired Hot Air Furnace 6.5% The oxygen percentage in the flue gas indicates the ratio of air-to-fuel mixture in the burner flame. To get the exact value for your burner, check the manual for your heater, or check with your service person. The better option is to use one of the values in the table and keep an eye on the efficiency over time to see if it changes significantly. If you plan to make major efficiency improvements you will need a combustion analyzer to ensure proper burner settings, detail steps for systematic efficiency improvements are listed on our website, www.in-vent.net. 8 Set the Minimum Efficiency to some value about 5% below the expected heater efficiency, and then monitor the display values to see if the actual measured efficiency is close to the expected value. Often the expected efficiency is listed on the side of the heater. For example; if the expected heater efficiency is 85%, set the minimum efficiency for 82% and the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor will flash the red Alarm LED if the measured efficiency ever falls below 82% for more than 10 consecutive measurements.

Service and Troubleshooting After Installation and set-up, the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor requires no maintenance and will provide years of trouble free operation. The unit may be moved to other fired appliances without shutting down, the microprocessor knows when to calculate efficiency and when to standby. To remove the unit from an appliance, make sure that the appliance is off and pull the sensing probe out from the flue vent location; be careful not to touch the end as it may be very hot! Place the sensor on a noncombustible surface for 10 minutes or more to allow it to cool down before handling or storage. If you wish to store the device for an extended period of time, you have two options: 1. Use Password =124 as described above to put THERMAX into a deep sleep mode. This is the preferred method for up to 6 weeks of down time. 2. You may open the case and remove the batteries, but manually record any important data prior to removing the batteries as there is a chance that it will not be restored on power-up. Battery Replacement (3xAAA) The batteries will last between one and two years under normal usage. When they need to be replaced, the red Alarm LED light will flash in time with an audible intermittent beep ; pushing any button will display the Low Battery message on the LCD. Battery replacement requires the removal of four small black screws from the back of the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor case as shown in the drawing. Once the back cover has been removed, carefully remove and discard the three AAA alkaline batteries. Install three new batteries of any type; alkaline, NiCad, or lithium AAA, being careful not to touch the circuit board on components on the circuit board. Touching the circuit board can damage the components through static discharge. Replace the back cover, being careful to properly align the side groove to the connector plate. Warning: only replace the batteries when the Low Battery message is displayed. Removing the batteries at any other time may erase stored efficiency data. 9

10 Warnings and Faults Warnings and faults are accompanied by the flashing the red Alarm LED on the front panel of the instrument. If at any time the red light on the front panel blinks continuously, a sensor is not operating properly and needs to be checked. The display will indicate the type of fault and which sensor to check. Low Battery This warning will be displayed when the batteries need to be changed. See the section above for the battery change procedure. This fault can not be cleared; new batteries must be installed and it will clear automatically. Danger High Temperature with audible buzzer alarm This warning will be displayed when the flue temperature exceeds 971 F. This indicates a hazardous operating condition for the heater. At this temperature a flue or house fire could be ignited, the heater must be shut down and serviced by a professional. To clear this alarm press the ENTER/CLEAR ALARM button twice. Service Heater This warning will be displayed if the efficiency measured is below the Minimum Efficiency value entered during the set-up procedure. FlueSensOpen Indicates that the Flue Sensor wires are not connected properly, or the Flue Sensor has failed. Check the wire connection and ensure that the terminal block is seated fully into the connector port. If the wiring is good, replace the sensor: Part # TEM 1001. FlueSensShort Is displayed when the Flue Sensor has failed or the wires connecting the sensor to the terminal block have crossed and made contact with each other. Check the wires near the terminal block to make sure that they are not in contact. If the wiring is good, replace the sensor: Part # TEM 1001. AirSensOpen Indicates that the Air Sensor wires are not connected properly, or the Air Sensor has failed. Check the wire connection and ensure that the terminal block is seated fully into the connector port. If the wiring is good, replace the sensor: Part # TEM 1003: standard air sensor; Part # TEM 1002: optional cumbstion air probe AirSensShort Is displayed when the Air Sensor has failed or the wires connecting the sensor to the terminal block have crossed and made contact with each other. Check the wires near the terminal block to make sure that they are not in contact. If the wiring is good, replace the sensor: Part # TEM 1003: standard air sensor; Part # TEM 1002: optional combustion air probe AmbOverTemp This warning will be displayed if the location is too hot for the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor display. The plastic housing and electronics are in danger of failure and the unit must be moved to a cooler mounting location to prevent damage to the internals.

The Science of Efficiency Measurements Oxygen % measured in the flue gas exhaust The oxygen percentage measured in the flue gas allows the calculation of the amount of excess air in the flue. Excess air is needed to support the combustion mechanics of the burner, but not used in combustion process. It helps create turbulence and makes sure that enough oxygen is always available to burn all the fuel. Air that is used in combustion gets converted into the products of combustion. Oxygen from the air is combined with carbon to form CO 2 (carbon dioxide) by the reaction C + O 2 = CO 2. The carbon comes from the fuel and the O 2 from the air. Air is 79% Nitrogen as N 2 and most of the nitrogen just passes through and heats up during the combustion process. Some N 2 gets converted to Nitrogen Oxide (NO), a pollutant that contributes to smog. Inlet air temperature Changes in inlet air temperature directly impact the flame temperature and the flue temperature. Colder air has a higher density, therefore a volume of cold air has more mass than the same volume of hot air, and it will contain more oxygen and nitrogen. This will cool the flame and cause an error in the efficiency reading if an inlet sensor is not used. If you use outside air for combustion you should purchase the optional air sensor to prevent large swings in efficiency reading with changes in outside air temperature. Condensing Some heaters are considered high-efficiency but do not exceed the 88.3% limit for non-condensing equipment. Others are labeled as condensing boilers or heaters. Condensing equipment will produce liquid water, with various levels of acidity, which needs to be drained from the bottom of the boiler. This can occur any time that the return water temperature is below 140 F in a water heating device, or if the heat exchanger surface area is large enough in an air heating furnace. The THERMAX Efficiency Monitor is not configured to measure the efficiency gain from the condensed liquid formed in condensing equipment. It will report an efficiency that is below the actual efficiency of the heater. See our website for more educational information on heating appliance efficiency. We are efficiency experts and are available for consultation on many topics in this field. www.in-vent.net 11

THERMAX Efficiency Monitor Parts List Item Part No. Description 1 TEM1000 Control Display Unit 2 TEM1001 Flue Sensor 3 TEM1002 Air Sensor Probe (optional) (not shown) 4 TEM1003 Air Sensor (std) 5 TEM1004 Probe Connector (6 pin) 6 TEM1005 Silicone Probe Holder w/mag. mount 2 4 5 1 6 1 Year Limited Warranty This 1 year limited warranty applies to repair or replacement of product found to be defective in material or workmanship. The warranty does not apply to damage resulting from commercial, abusive, unreasonable use or supplemental damage. In-Vent Products, LLC is not liable for incidental or consequential damages of any nature. Notes on Instrument Accuracy Accuracy of the THERMAX Efficiency Monitor varies somewhat with equipment and conditions, but for most installations is approximately ±1.4%. You may purchase an extended inlet air sensor when drawing combustion air from outside the building. Mount the combustion air sensor on the Boiler s combustion air duct or near the inlet air port to the burner (See Figures 4, 5, & 6). Connect the two wires to locations 3 & 4 on the terminal block (See Figure 3). This must be used when the heater has an outside air duct that supplies the air used for combustion, if the user requires efficiency accuracy greater than ±1.4 %. The combustion air temperature sensor is not necessary for heaters that use room air for combustion unless the air supply temperature swings more than 30 F during operation.