Best Of
Re: Weil-Mclain Gold Oil Boiler Water Loss
It is not normal. In fact, it's way too much.
Leaking steam is often invisible — but is a water loss just the same. If you have visible damage near some valves, those valves are losing a lot of water. The good news is that it is usually very simple to retighten the packing on them, or replace the packing, and stop the leak —since the leak is, most often, around the valve stem.
Other leaks can be in any piping which is below the water line of the boiler — called wet returns — particularly if any of it is beneath a floor or hidden in chases or the like.
In any event, you need to find the leaks and fix them. Anything more than a gallon a month is worth chasing after.
Re: Hoffman 75 failing?
Similar to me. I'd hoped it was limited to rad vents, guess not. It's not like I have a case on the truck and I can just grab another. 🙁
Re: can the wrong nozzle size cause damper to blow off on oil-fired boiler?
Not by itself. However, the nozzle angle and pattern change may have affected how the ignition electrodes interact with the spray pattern, and without adjusting that — and all the other associated adjustments, using test instruments, that could be a problem.
Re: Steam system questions
Yes the water level does not pulse/jump as the boiler is running……..just stays steady at all times. Knowing that a skimming would be beneficial, I'm probably going to do it once we get a slightly warmer day here. I looked online and it seems pretty straightforward. Understand that once you get the water to start draining out the skim port to keep it at a really slow pace to get any contaminants off the top level.
I'll keep an eye on the pressure gauge to see if that number moves……..if it doesn't move at all I'll look into replacing it.
geemalar
Re: Smith 19A FA2003-59
I used to keep a coil of 5/8 in the van. Sure it was maybe too big for some applications but it worked in so many places where the seals were gone. I hated seeing jobs where the gaskets were replaced with gobs of furnace cement. If it seals you're good. But of course you often have to do as the lead says. Unless of course it's dangerous of a violation.
Grallert
Re: Steam condensate
How does water get into the pit? Is condensate from the system dumped directly into the pit (VERY bad idea) or is it taking water from the condensate receiver (grey tank with the pump on it)?
How does makeup water get into the system? What controls that?
What controls when water is transferred from the receiver to the boiler?
There are a number of ways this could happen. I really need to know more about the system…
I might add that if actual steam is appearing in there, you have at least one bad trap on the system…
On a Happy Note
I received this message this morning from someone who got help from this site:
mustela12:27AMit’s 20°f. It’s 10pm. I spent the day at the hospital 2 hrs away w my 85 yr old mom in the ER. I get home and it’s 50° inside and dropping.I try a couple things w the boiler that worked the last time. Nuthin. Called two different 24 hr service companies. No one returns my call. I google some more.I find a brief message you posted in Nov ‘23 in response to a guy having problem similar to mine. Check the condensate trap for blockage.I don’t even know how or why this would affect the pressure switch (and I found the manual pdf so I have a lot of reading to do!) but IT WORKED.Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Two hrs later no one’s returned my calls (yeah I bet it’s that kind of night) but that’s OK cuz we’re good!Did I say Thank You?
Ironman
Re: Lochinvar NKC150 hot water for only 30 seconds
Is the boiler firing during a call for domestic hot water? On the screen what is the temperature target. its the temperature in parenthesis
pedmec
Re: Main air vent possibly failed - Vent Rite 77 replacement
On cycles where the pipes are already warm the larger main venting will help the mains fill faster saving you fuel. This is true up to a point. Can't vent any faster than the open pipe.
