Homeowner Questions

David Nadle

Shut off or disconnect the autofeed. You may end your heating cycle on a low water condition (80 minutes is a long time!) but at least you won't overfill.

One thing that might help you in the interim is to put very fast vents on the last radiators on each main. Gorton D's or wide open varivents.

NShak

Overfilling Boiler

Greetings all.

I have 1-pipe system with a Peg-C boiler in my 2 story dutch colonial. My system is constantly overfilled. The glass gauge will be 1/2 to 2/3rds filled on a cold start. But after one heating cycle, the gauge will be totally overfilled. There's not a lot of surge happening, but the gauge will nearly empty during a heating cycle (I've sat a watched it). The electric/automatic water feeder is not turning on and the water-feeder bypass is secure w/o a leak. I can't see how it could be overfilling from the wet return alone. One of the baseboards actually spits a good amount of water out (required a collection pain despite being maximally pitched) on every cycle.


QUESTIONS:
Any ideas why my system is overfilling & how I can fix it? Do I have to drain it down after every cycle?

David Nadle

The water's gotta come from somewhere.

How can you tell the autofeed's not coming on? Is there a meter?

How long is a heating cycle? What's the cut-out pressure set to? If your pressure is set too high or the pigtail is clogged you may steam for so long that the water level hits the autofeed cut in level. I would start by looking at your pressuretrol settings. The cut-out should be 1.5 psi or lower. My PEG-C came with a steel pigtail and it plugged up during its first season. I'd look there next.

Robert O'Brien

Buried returns?

Tankless coil or Indirect?Feeder and manual feed tested by breaking unions?

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NShak

Overfilled Boiler (cont)

Yesterday, the pigtail was changed because it was totally clogged. The pressuretrol (which now actually measures a pressure w/ the new pigtail!) has always been set to cut-in 0.5 w/ a 1 psi differential. (Actually, when we bought the house last year, I found the pressuretrol set at cut-in 2 psi and differential of 1!!! After reading Dan's book, I turned it down ASAP!)

I drained the boiler yesterday... cut out all the power and let it sit for almost an hour. Then I opened the rear spigot and no water came out, thus the bypass line (around the auto water feeder) does not appear to be leaking into the boiler.

When the burner/boiler is running, I sit there and listen for the auto-feeder to turn on (makes a very clear & audible click). Still haven't heard it... maybe I need to wait it out longer.

Unfortunately, this system does not have any main air vents in the basement (two 2 inch mains run about 40 feet down the length of the basement). So my system vents in/out through the radiators and baseboards... Not good for efficiency. Takes about 60-80 minutes for the thermostat to reach temp (with all radiators warm). Any faster settings, and the family room will stay cold.

Still trying to find someone willing to tap my mains and gets some Gorton vents at each end.

I have a ton more questions about my system. I've learned enough to know that I have clear issues, but haven't learned enough to fix them- that's where the friendly folks on The Wall have been great to me! But for now I think if I can keep my boiler filled to a proper level, that may help in terms of efficiency and maybe keeping wet-steam/water out of my system.

Thanks again.

NShak

I'm going to turn off the auto-feed tonight and watch things for a few days. Will let you know how it goes.

Agree with the vents.... Would you let someone tap your mains in the winter?

Or should I play it safe, suck it up, and do them in the spring; just in case we have a complication?

David Nadle

Wise to wait

Try the vents first. Before you replace them, measure the time from steam established (the riser from the boiler gets hot) to when the last takeoff on each main gets hot. Repeat after you replace the vents to quantify the improvement.

The better way to add main vents is to cut out a section and add a tee. If you're going to hire someone the extra cost of doing it right might be minimal. You should ask. Even if you tap you will get some cutting oil in the system and might have to skim. So I would wait. The guys you want to hire are in their busy season now anyway.

klaus

If you're going

to add vents to the mains I see no reason to wait. I would do it now and see how the system reacts, if it were mine.

We commonly drill a hole and weld on a weld-o-let. This is basically a 1/2 coupling designed especially for this. Then you just screw the vent into it. It'll take a good welder longer to set-up the equipment than to make the welds. Cutting and threading in a T would likely take much longer but if you can't find a welder that would be an option.

I've heard of some just drilling and tapping the pipe (main) itself but I'd advise against that.