when to drain boiler?

jmg1979

Thanks for the replies. The previous home owner (and others I know w/ steam heat) told me to just run off a little water a few times a week, until the water coming out of the boiler is clear, and no longer rusty. Are you guys telling me I DO NOT need to do this? And if I still should be doing it....when is the best time? When the boiler is running or idle? These are really the only questions I have. Thanks very much.

jmg1979

when to drain boiler

Hi - I've recently purchased my first home, and it has steam heat. I know that I am supposed to drain my boiler a few times a week to run off the sludge water that has built up, and then refill the water level so that it reads about 3/4 full in the glass water gague. My question is this -- when is the proper time to go through the drain/fill process? Should I be doing it while the boiler is idle, or when the unit has kicked on? Also....I've noticed that when the unit has kicked on, the water level in the glass gague rises pretty much up to the top of the gague. Is this normal, or do i have too much water in the system?

Thank you very much.

Timco

You need to read a book like 'the lost art of steam heating' or ' we've got steam heat' both avaail from this website in the online store. Blow down a hot boiler, and the water rising in the glass is called priming or surging and it means the boiler needs a good cleaning.(inside)

Tim

John_173

Please buy those books!

Just an semi-literate homeowner here, but PLEASE buy at least We Got Steam Heat. (I'd say you really need The Lost Art, too.) I'd suggest searching here on the Wall (daily lurks will become a behavior pattern) and spending some time in the Library (look under Resources above). You've come to a great, if addictive, place. I'd also suggest you go to Find A Pro (again under Resources) and see who is within reasonable distance of you.

You don't need or want to drain your boiler periodically. You do need to blow down the low water cut off / auto feed occassionally. Too much fresh water will kill your boiler. A fouled LWCO could cause safety issues.

Water will move up & down some in the sight glass while the boiler is steaming. Foaming & surging is indicative of a boiler that needs cleaning - perhaps it was never properly cleaned. I'd suggest a pro do that cleaning for you.

You'll get better responses from others here.

Good luck. Enjoy the steam.

Steamhead (in transit)

What type of

low water cut-off do you have?

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