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question

ed wallace
ed wallace Member Posts: 1,612
in THE MAIN WALL
yes boiler would work with a plugged pigtail

Comments

  • brad_22
    brad_22 Member Posts: 4
    question re pressuretrol

    Would a steam boiler fire if the pressuretrol pigtail is clogged?
    Thanks.................
  • Norm Harvey
    Norm Harvey Member Posts: 684


    Ed Wallace !

    Back from the dead?!
    Is this the Boston area Ed Wallace? You've been missed.

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  • Maynard
    Maynard Member Posts: 74
    Pigtail

    Yes And No. If Boiler Goes Off On Pressure...It Will Take A Long Time To Come Back On If At All. If Pigtail Is 100% Clogged...Pop Safety May Open.
  • ed wallace
    ed wallace Member Posts: 1,612
    back from the dead

    yes norm this is the ed wallace from boston glad to hear i have been missed
  • bill nye_3
    bill nye_3 Member Posts: 307
    Might

    It might then again it might not. Depends, if it stuck open or stuck closed. Seen it happen both ways
  • Brad White_2
    Brad White_2 Member Posts: 188
    You bet you have been missed, Ed

    Please write me off line and let me know what you are up to!

    Brad
  • Brad White_2
    Brad White_2 Member Posts: 188
    Fire Away

    The Pressuretrol is a break-on-rise device, an operational high (and low) limit. If the pigtail is plugged, there is no upper limit from that control.

    I am starting to see the merits of individual pigtails...
  • Steamhead (in transit)
    Steamhead (in transit) Member Posts: 6,688
    I have too

    the boiler is cold, burner won't fire but there's pressure on the gauge! Water level in sight glass is OK. Remove the gauge and the burner fires- the pigtail got plugged while the pressure was up. Oh yes, if the pressure was more than 2 pounds, it's too high to begin with.

    If that pigtail is steel, replace it with a brass one which is much less likely to clog.

    Hey Ed- welcome back!

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  • Mitch_5
    Mitch_5 Member Posts: 102
    Depends

    If pressure is built up between the clog and the switch it will not fire. If there is no pressure it will fire and over fire.

    Erratic firing is usually a sign of a clogged pig tail.

    Mitch S.

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  • JK_3
    JK_3 Member Posts: 240
    I saw one today

    I had a service call today that stumped me for a moment. the boiler fired on call but did not cut out untill 8 psi. would fire again at 5 psi. pressuretrol set to .5 and 1 diff. after scratching my head and doing several different tests i found that the guage on the unit was off by about 2.5 lbs on the low side and 3.5 on the high side, the pressuretrol was off by .5 on the low side and 1 on the high side and the pigtail was letting presure out easier then it was letting it in. what was really happening was the boiler would fire on call,cut out at about 2.5 (setting=1.5, guage reads 8) and fire again at 1 (setting =.5, guage reads 5). it was a very long moment that really took about 1.5 hrs to figure out. I am having a hard time convincing the cust. that all three could be bad since the system "worked fine last year".

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