Water Gauge on Boiler

BRIANJ

Homeowner here who has had a similar problem with my Peerless boiler. I presume when you say water gauge you mean sight glass. Before you do anything check that the valves at the top and bottom of the sight glass are open. If this clears the sight glass you're done.

If you're handy and very careful you can clear up the problem.

Let the boiler cool off to room temperature and drain. Close the top and bottom valves on the sight glass. Remove the two brass bars that protect the glass and carefully unscrew the fittings at the top and bottom of the tube. Remove the sight glass.

If there is crud in the bottom valve, you will probably have to remove the valve to clean the port properly. Have a bucket handy to catch any remaining water and crud. A bottle brush works well to clean the port. You may want to repeat the same procedure on the top port just to be sure it's clear.

You say the boiler was cleaned last year. Do you mean skimed? This process will remove oils and some dirt from the manufacturing process but will not remove all the crud from the bottom of the boiler. If you have an old system and the problem occurs again you should call in a pro to clean the returns.

Just my $0.02.

Travis Escarfullery

Water Gauge on Boiler

I've been having a problem with the water gauge on my Peerless Boiler. The gauge remains full and I can't drain it. I know the boiler is not flooded because when I remove a bucket of water the low water warning comes on. I'm thinking It's sludge build up and its not allowing water flow in and out the the gauge? I had the Boiler cleaned last year, so I'm a little stumped. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Travis

bill_71

either that or one of the valves is closed off....take the glass out and spin out the valves, they can be cleaned but for the cost of new harware it might be worth it to just go out and buy all new before taking anything apart...this of course is speculation on how old the existing parts and pieces are

Travis Escarfullery

The unit is new. It's only 4 years old. Is it difficult to clean out the valves or is this something a pro should handle?

Brad White_203

Are you sure that

it is not a liquid-filled gauge?

Some are filled with mineral oil or glycerin as a dampener to avoid shock. There usually is a small bubble of air near the top for expansion.

Does the gauge respond reliably to pressure? Go to zero when the boiler is off and cold?
I have to ask.