Water sight glass level & conflicting answers!

sreja

im not an expert so definitely defer to future replies from more knowledgable people, but let me give you my understanding:

1) there are 2 different issues at play here -- one is how much water in general should be in the site glass, and the other is how much BOUNCE in water level is normal.

2) as for Bounce -- the consensus seems to be that if the water level is bouncing around too much more than an inch while running, it *may* indicate dirty water. i would take this with a grain of salt but it is a clue.

3) as for general water level -- i'm not clear on what a good level would be. you dont want it up to the very top of site glass, and you dont want it too close to bottom if its going to trigger a shutoff or fill on low water; and the level will change as it sends steam out vs when it shuts down, so i dont worry about this too much.

In other words -- dont worry about the CHANGE in water height when system is off (when it will be HIGH) vs when system is running (when it will be LOW); the 1 inch thing you are talking about worrying about is a fast bounce that occurs every second or so when running.

donald@donaldluckenbill.com

Water sight glass level & conflicting answers!

hi All. I am currently reading the Lost Art of Steam Heating by Dan H. On my current chapter, Dan speaks about the water sight glass. When in operation/t-stat calling for heat, he details how it should be at the bottom of the glass.
But others have said that the water level should only move about 1 - 1 1/2 inch the most.

I just want to understand what is the norm?
Per Dan, if the water level moves towards the bottom, wouldnt this be surging which may indicate we need more skimming?

Thanks All

Big Ed_4

Water Level

Water level generally should be 1/3 from the bottom. If using a hot water coil , raise near the top during the summer and drop it in heating season.

Bouncing could be caused by dirty water or improper near boiler piping. To check. Shut off the lower valve on the gauge glass, open the bottom pet cock on the GG. Run the boiler. If only dry steam comes out water is fine. Water and wet steam boiler water need cleaning/skimming....

JasonB

The sight glass when not running should be at the level the manufacturer calls for. They all have a normal water level and a minimum operating water level. This does this vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and different models from the same manufacturer