Posted by Joe Howell on October 18, 2001 at 10:30:44:
What is the recommended cycle time for a residential steam heating system. I installed a Honeywell progammable thermostat and set the cycle time setting for 1 which is recommended in their literature. However, I notice that the thermostat response time is very slow.
Am I correct in saying that the cycle time setting is based on the temperature on/off offset from the setpoint. In other words, the lower the cycle time the higher the temperature on/off offset. also, does the 1 represent 1 cycle per hour.
Is it more energy efficient for a steam service to cycle more or less in an hour's time. My thinking is, it takes a lot of energy to heat the system (pipes, etc)every time the cycle starts, so it would be more energy efficient to cycle less in an an hour's time. Furthermore, since there is a cut-in and cut-out boiler pressure, the fuel is not being used at all times during the cycle, so one could use a longer cycle time.
To simplfy even more, Which is better:
1. Few cycles, longer cycle times
2. More cycles, shorter cycle times
Thanks in advance for any response.
-Joe