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@LRCCBJ unfortunately, it appears he had it installed 4 years ago so that argument isn't so simple…

good find!

Sorry for the rant but I couldn't sleep.

I feel for you. Similar circumstance with an ex.

Repeat after me:

No, sorry, I'm unable to help you with that.

I feel ya Ed! I know the kind..run everything to failure...Pleasure first...They're extremely lucky to have you, but Stop feeling obligated. I had to tell my super handy father in law's (80) neighbors to "PLEASE CALL SOMEONE ELSE...HE'S RETIRED MANY YEARS NOW!"

Opa just can't say no himself and works for FREE for neighbors and most took full advantage of him. Don't feel funny..time they put some Whoopie $$$ in to the important stuff, like Their heat....especially in the winter! (Ed Holohan). Mad Dog

This guy isn't my relative but is my Girl Friends relative. So, I've got sucked into looking at his steamer ….again. I hate doing anything for this guy because it's like pulling teeth to get money out of him even for parts.

46 year old Dunkirk boiler oil fired Beckett AF with a tankless. In the past 8 years or so I have replaced the gauge glass and gg valves 1 trip, cleaned out a plugged pigtail 1 trip, replace the pressure control 1 trip and he tried to replace the cad cell control himself after he screwed up the wiring, I had to go fix that.

Now his house is falling apart. They fix nothing unless it breaks completely. They had mold issues because the roof leaked so bad, but they waited 10 years too late to fix that.

It's actually a rugged little boiler and if it had any maintenance, it would probably run forever but like many he buys oil from the cheapest place in town with no service dept. I have bitched him out for that already.

So you get the idea. They are constantly going on trips to FLA, cruises etc they both work so they got some money coming in, have 2 new cars and a huge flat screen TV…..you got the picture?

got a 550 underground tank and the boiler piping is all wrong, no header and no Hartford but the thing runs as quiet as a mouse and heats well…..go figure. Piping all covered in asbestos

Back when I was actually working, I said "lets rip this out and go to gas your going to have to deal with the oil tank someday, it will cost more the longer you wait". He said " the gas is in the street, but my wife is scared of gas.

Get this, when she needs gas put in her car, she has him take it to the gas station and fill it she won't do it.

So now it's Christmas and the outdoor temp here is 9 degrees. The wife has cats (which I am allergic to and can't stand) so they went to FLA…again for Xmas and to go on a cruise for their 40th anniversary. She has a woman that goes over to feed the cats and checks the boiler.

Today there calling me because there is no heat and the boiler is flooded. T stat set at 70 but the house was 48. The cat survived.

I never had this issue before. I checked the hand valve that feeds the boiler thinking the cat lady over filled it or didn't close the globe valve tight, but it was shut tight.

So I said well either the tankless coil has a hole in it or the hand valve is leaking by. So I started draining. There was so much water in the system the burner was off on pressure.

No place to drain water in the basement so I lugged 25 gallons up the cellar stairs before the water showed up in the sight glass. But the sight glass filled up fast, I drained again, and it filled up fast, I drained it again and it filled some but started to slow down. So, now I am scratching my head.

So the burner came on when the pressure dropped. Since they are not home anyhow, I valved off the tankless. Watched it run for a while and left.

Then after I got home and was trying to get to sleep I figured part of it out.

I suspect the two returns that drop down and ty together before going in the boiler are filled with sludge. When I drained the boiler to the sight glass level, and it refilled a couple of times it was water in the over filled returns seeping through the sludge. The returns are overhead.

But that does not explain the original flooding. Have to go back tomorrow and check. If it is gaining water the hand valve is leaking by because I shut the tankless off.

If it's the tankless is the issue I will suggest abandoning it, I am sure the bolts will never come out and that's not a winter job on a 46 yo boiler. Cap the tankless pipes and put in an electric water heater to get by till summer……..But summer of what year??

I am not going to do a tankless coil, a water heater or the boiler…..I'm done.

Sorry for the rant but I couldn't sleep.