Do Gas Boiler Need Servicing

Mitch_6

to have properly trained, licensed and insured people do the work. If done by code then the costs should be close.

If done wrong how much more will the costs be.

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Stewy_2

Gas Boiler

Just installed a new Durkirk NG boiler, do I need to have a pro come in and service/adjust it or is it good out of the box?

JohnNY

Repost from months ago.

Do boilers need maintenance?

You could start here:

• Burner tubes
In most gas boilers, fuel flows into tubes, mixes with air and is burned to heat the water contained in what is called the heat exchanger.
When dirt and dust build up on those burner tubes efficiency declines because complete combustion of the air/fuel mixture is hampered. As a result of rising levels of unburned fuel after the combustion process has taken place, carbon monoxide begins to rise proportionately.
The heat exchanger may also become coated with carbon brought on by the burning impurities creating far greater carbon monoxide risks.

• Low water cut offs
There are two basic types of low water cut off devices: the float-type (most often used is the McDonnel-Miller model # 67) and probe-type (yours would probably be the PS-800 series also by McDonnel-Miller). The float type should be blown down (flushed) weekly. It is made to last for ten years. After that, get a new one. Bad things can happen when they fail.
The probe type should be disconnected from the boiler and cleaned and inspected annually. It is made to last fifteen years.
M-M #67: http://www.mcdonnellmiller.com/pdf/install_instr/MM-815C.pdf
If you think you’ve been maintaining your boiler because every week or so you push down on that lever that lets out that dirty cruddy water, you’re wrong. You haven’t done much of anything for the boiler at all. That valve is there to maintain the low water cut off to which it is directly connected.
Fresh water corrodes a boiler. Every time you flush it out, you’re creating the need to add more fresh water. If that new water doesn’t boil right away, it does bad things to the cast iron and steel that contain it.

• Flue and chimney
Flu piping and chimneys need to be looked at by someone who knows how a problem presents itself. Surface rust and discoloration are signs of something going wrong.
The causes are often one or a combination of the following: inadequate intake (or make-up) air for combustion, a collapsed or compromised chimney, or a serious issue inside the boiler.
The grey flue piping should connect to the boiler, its lowest point, and continue upward from there to the connection to the chimney. There it should be sealed to the bricks without gaps or holes in the penetration.

• Skimming
Newer boilers need to be skimmed to get rid of the oil that lies on top of the water which prevents steam from rising and moving toward the pipes and radiators.
Every boiler contains an installation package naming a very specific connection factory-installed in the boiler called a skim port or surface blow-off location where the skimming procedure is best performed. It is the installer’s duty to screw a pipe and valve into that connection to allow for the safe and effective removal of oils from the boiler water.
If this is not done, efficiency, boiler longevity and system balance suffer.
In the boilers I see, about one in four has any provision for skimming installed.
Our installations include a new valve and follow-up skimming service after 2 weeks of use when the oils have collected and are easily removed.

• Pressure
Steam heating systems operate on the principle that steam pressure created in the boiler moves the gas (the steam) to areas of low pressure throughout the building. Areas of low pressure are created by adding air vents in places like the ends of radiators and piping runs. It doesn’t take a lot of pressure to do this, little more than just enough to be different from one end to the other of the system. That being the case, having the boiler run long enough to make more pressure than is necessary is nothing but an expensive waste of fuel and money.
A trained boiler mechanic and technician knows how to set the pressure regulating device, found on every steam boiler, properly.
The device is mounted on a curled length of pipe called a pigtail which protects it from the hot steam in the boiler. The pigtail should be made of brass (yellow metal in color). If yours is made of steel (black in color) have it replaced or at least flushed clean. They inevitably clog and fail.

• A word on Water Feeders
Increasing occurrences of having to add water to a steam boiler is NOT a reason to buy an automatic water feeder.
If your boiler is less than 400,000 BTUs (your boiler is probably less than 400,000 BTUs) and you’re adding water more than about every two weeks, you’ve got a problem that needs to be identified and repaired. Adding a water feeder is like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound.
Water feeders have their place and their people.
I happen to be a fan of the Hydrolevel VXT model. There are countless benefits to their digital display (in number of gallons fed) and their flexibility made possible by their settable flow rate options (how much water per feed cycle) and its lockout feature which effectively prevents things like flooding a house while the family’s away.
http://www.hydrolevel.com/pages/products04b.html


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Jamie Hall

Service

I'm a building superintendent, not a burner guy, and I feel perfectly competent to install a heating boiler (and yes, before people scream, I have the plumbing and steamfitter's and electrician's licenses).

That being said, I wouldn't turn it on -- or even hook it up to power -- before I had a competent professional burner guy, knowledgeable in gas, come in and check the burner installation and associated controls, and set it up and adjust it. No way...

Mitch_6

Did you install the boiler.

Did you read the installation manual. It tells you what you need to know. First part usually has wording to the effect of should be 1) Installed 2) Serviced 3) Repaired by a competent individual failure to do so may cause serious injury, property damage or death.

Now you have my opinion.

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Stewy_2

the gas co.

came in and inspected it as did the town and made sure everything was A.O.K. I was just curious if a brand new boiler needs tune up. It appears that my chimney has a lot more smoke coming from it then that of my neighbors and a 400.00 gas bill after only one month with a brand new boiler was a bit of a shock (oil was cheaper to run at 3.50 a gal in a weil mclain made in 1988)

Ted Robinson

what about cleaning the fire-side?

After how many hours of operation should the combustion-side of the boiler be mechanically cleaned?
1 / 2 years? 500 hr of operation? or 5K hours? once every 5 yrs?

Unknown

As one who

has worked for a gas company and have over 50 years in the industry it needs to be serviced at least annually. There should be a COMBUSTION TEST DONE AT TIME OF INSTALLATION.

Mitch_6

Ok lets get some answers

Who sized the boiler?

Who installed the boiler?

Who wired the boiler?

Who inspected the flue before the boiler went in?

In Massachusetts you must be a licensed gas fitter or plumber to install the gas and supervise the installation of a liner if needed, a licensed plumber to attach the water and a licensed electrician to wire it. Those individuals are responsible for there own permits. What state are you in and what are the regulations regarding gas fired equipment. Any old oil tanks and associated piping must be properly removed.

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Jim_64

boiler

How much does it cost in Mass. to install a boiler ? with a lic plumber ,a lic elect. ,a gas fitter all pulling permits ?

Unknown

Less than a funeral I bet!

Mitch_6

To clarify my statement

The costs to be close are getting prices for the properly licensed people that to work of similar quality and giving a product / service of the same level.

in example when we change a boiler, "all" near piping, controlls, pumps, auto feed, expansion and ect. are changed. We also install isolation valves on pumps, zone feeds and other parts of the system. It can add $500.00 or more to a push pull job but is worth it in the long run.

I myself know how to wire a boiler from the control side as well if not better than a licensed electrician. However they are fully up to code on the safety and load end of the system, they can wire faster and neater than me and will make sure everything is safe from the house service to the service switch.

What gets me is how people will save a buck to put there family at risk.

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Edward A. (Ed) Carey_3

Stew, read this

Stew,

The gas company techs are there to help the gas company sell gas. Some of them may be very well trained, some of them may not. Do not simply think that since the gas company checked a gas boiler, and then it must be right.

You should not have a lot more "smoke" as you called it coming from your chimney. It is probably vapor, not smoke. That problem must be identified and corrected.

It may be a premature leak in the boiler; it may be exhaust gas condensing the chimney, etc. Whatever, that must be corrected.

If you did the install yourself, or if it was done by a friend with limited knowledge, then so be it. However you still need to have a properly trained tech inspect the boiler, and assure that it is properly installed and safe.

That properly trained person should take the I&O manual and have it in hand. That properly trained person should check your installation and compare it page by page to the I&O requirements and the codes and standards referenced therein.

That person should know and understand the I&O manual and the codes & standard requirements. That person must assure that everything that is required in that manual was done on your install.

They may tell you things you don’t care to hear. They may tell you things that are still needed that may cost you more money than if you had someone else do the original install, However if they do anything less it is putting you and your family at risk.

Remember, that chances are no one here giving you advice is going to make a penny from the work you have done. The advice is because we have all seen what can happen when things go wrong, and although we don’t actually know you, we still care enough about you not to want it to happen to you.

Good Luck,

Ed Carey