Best Of
Re: No water in the boiler
If you managed to lose enough water to cause the boiler to shut down in a week — the question isn't how and why, the question is where. You have a very significant leak somewhere. It might be in the boiler on the steam side, it might be below the boiler water line, or it might be in a wet return. A broken steam line is unlikely, but it has happened.
But there's a big leak.
Don't try to run the boiler until you find it.
As to why it might not run now, @leonz may have hit it: you may have a low water cutoff with a manual reset. Which is probably a good thing, as it may have prevented you from running the boiler dry, which never good and can be catastrophic.
Re: No water in the boiler
Speaking as a novice here:
Is there a manual reset on your low water cut off switch that you are not aware of?
Is your heating system a one pipe system or two pipe system?
Your boiler may very well have a hole in the steam chest.
Its best to call a steam licensed plumber to look at your boiler as you should not run it.
leonz
Re: Utica Hot water boiler Model UH15B096FE
The boiler block, breeching and draft hood contain the flue gases. The access panels have nothing to do with it, they merely cover the insulation over the block.
Flue gases may spill from the draft hood or burner opening in abnormal draft conditions, so a good carbon monoxide detector in the boiler room is essential.
bburd
Re: Boiler ID and clean out question:
That is an older style of boiler and can be thoroughly cleaned using the two access doors on the front. The flue passages are horizontal, not vertical as in modern pin style boilers.
The design dates from the coal burning era, when the flues had to be brushed down much more frequently than they do when firing oil.
bburd
Re: Circulator noise when hot?
"circulator on return, expansion on supply" "noise only when hot"
Equals cavitation. There are other potential problems — but the overall bottom line is that most of your pressure loss in the system is between the expansion tank and the inlet to the pump — so the pressure at the inlet to the pump is a lot less than the "system" pressure, and when the water is hot, it boils — cavitates — at that low pressure.
All the above suggestions are good — but move the expansion tank to the inlet of the pump and live happily ever after.
Re: Downspout drains underground under brick patio — no backup, but no water at exit either
I would also suspect a break underground. I think you're on the right track with the borescope
Re: Utica Hot water boiler Model UH15B096FE
All homes should have at least 1 if not more low level CO Detector(s).
pecmsg
Re: Hydronic w/ radiant addition - design question
If you have 150 square feet and a heat loss of 7,000 BTU/hr, that's almost 50 BTU/hr per square foot. That sounds enormous for new construction. How are you arriving at the 7K number?
Before doing anything I would get an accurate heat loss estimate. Everything else flows from that.
Just as a back-of-the-envelope estimate, a room that is 150 square feet, 15x10, exposed on three walls plus floor and ceiling, would have 150 square feet of floor, 150 square feet of ceiling, and 320 square feet of walls. If the whole thing was insulated to R13— a 2x4 wall filled with fiberglass, which is far below code in most of the US today — at an outdoor temperature of -30F the heat loss would be about 4700 BTU/hr.
I suspect where you are doesn't get as cold as -30F, and I hope you have more than R13 in your walls, ceilings and floors.
Re: Replacing old richardson & boynton automatic bleeder
But you aren't looking for a "bleeder" — you are looking for a steam radiator vent. Quite a different critter.
Re: Replacing old richardson & boynton automatic bleeder
Guess its time to retire that one mut be a really old original.
Angle valves like that are widely available. They make fixed orifice valves (like Gorton) and adjustable valves like Vent Rite, Hoffman and there are others.