all of a sudden hammer?????

J Heritage

Piping should all be pitched. It will drain back by itself. Psi is way to high

T_3

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my post.

I am a 3rd year plumbing apprentice and installed this boiler myself my first steamer. I have done extensive research on the site and believe i have done everything correctly.

after install i have

skimmed
insulated
checked pitch
checked rad vents

every thing checked out ok.

it work for a month kicking but steam in ten minutes. now two days ago i awoke at 3 am to bad hammer. i went downstairs and can hear a wave of water being pushed down the main. then when a little pressure builds its starts to bang bad. I do not understand how it was fine for a month and now i have issues.


Do you think i could have sediment build up in the main?

do I not have enough head pressure from the condesate returns to push the water back through my hartford loop? is it backing up into the steam mains?

I ran condensate at 1" because that was the original installers size. i never had hammer before so i figured it would work.I drop though to a 2x1 tee and run a 2" manifold back to the boiler for a hartford loop should it be smaller?

I ran it last night and it raised the temp 10 degress without a hitch after i removed about 1.5 gallons of water. i could still hear the wave but no banging this time.

please help

Steamhead (in transit)

Something changed

now we have to find out what it was. If you had to remove water, maybe the feeder is leaking.

Can you post some pics of the boiler? Also, is this a one-pipe or two-pipe system?

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T_3

Its is a single pipe steam system with no auto feeder...

I am really stumped on this one?

I will work on pics

http://forums.invision.net/Attachment.cfm?IMG_0648.JPG&CFApp=2&Attachment_ID=35443

Steamhead (in transit)

Maybe

the manual feed valve is leaking?

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T_3

bad water hammer attn steamhead

if you wouldnt ming can you search for a post titled:

First ever boiler install.

author: ryan in the search option i have photos there

your help is much appreciated.

J Heritage

Agreed The only way additional water can get in the system with a manual feed is if the valve is leaking. Add a union after the fill valve and seperate the pipes then look for a drip. watch it for at least 5 to 10 min after the risidual water drips out it should stop compleatly.
Unless you have been adding water to the boiler. Then maby you are trapping water up in the system. Are all your radiator valves fully open.

T_3

yeah all valves are open. I actually have just recently skimmed again because water became very dirty. I had the water filled 3/4 on the sight glass not realizing it because the water was dirty. i remember the boiler running at about 3.5 to 4 psi that day too. maybe i did push to much water into the main.if so could i break a union and shop vac it out?

gerry gill

why so much pressure?



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T_3

water hammer because of pressure?

it should run at 1 pound should it ? would this be because i have old air vents will new ones help? It never ran at pressure until that day.gauge never moved.

I have presurtrol set at 2 psi and a 1 differential is this to high?


so i am thinking the high pressure must have forced the condesate lines to back into the steam mains and give me hammer does this make sense?

T_3

water leaving the boiler

now i have just arrived home went downstairs to play with the boiler and after a few minutes of running about two inches of water leave the boiler sight glass. This never happend before please please help.

Mark Custis

Please wait

Let the unit cycle. Only change one thing at a time so you know what worked. I'll be here until I fall to the turkey gods.

gerry gill

hmmm, stating to sound

like it needs skimming again..we have some boilers that we had to skim six times.

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Steamhead (in transit)

I think you're right, Gerry

flush and skim again.

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T_3

thanks

I will try to skim again after work I do see a skinny cloud of oil in my condesate water...

one more thought could the air vents be letting the air out to fast and its taking the water with it?

What about the boiler cleaner??

i am stressed why does it work for a month then all of a sudden problems...aaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

clammy

lower your pressure

turn your pressuretrol down to 1 psi cut out 1/2 cut in sounds like your pressure is to high and water is stacking back up into your rads and if that's the case your most likely bringing back alot of crude back to your boiler .Clean the pig tail on the pressuretrol and lower the settings and skim the boiler for at a 1/2 or so .pipe your skim tapping to a buckett and get a little pump to pump the water to a sink or drain this way your skimming is not interupted by buckett emptying ever 2 minutes .peace and good luck clammy

T_3

hammer

You guys are probably right. I changed the air vents from $3 home depot ones to $20 plumbing supply house and got no hammer boiler ran for forty five mins with great heat production. however I did ask my boss to come by and he noticed when the boiler got up to temp he saw about one inch to one and a half inches of oily water..

thanks guys