Water rising in steam boiler

Ted Robinson

I had that happen twice.
Once was a defective ball valve on the boiler add-water control.
The second time was due to a leaking domestic hot water coil withini the boiler.

AGH_Waltham

Rising water in steam boiler

I just moved into a home with a steam heating system. The boiler is a Burnham (gas) and was installed in 2002. The water intake is manually controlled.
My concern is that the water level in the gauge rises about 1 inch a day. I drain some of the water to a level about mid-way on the gauge, and 2-3 days later the gauge is filled to the top and the pipes begin to make noise. When the water is at an appropriate level, the heating works well and quietly. The system already flooded once.
I called in a repair technician who said that the problem was due to a lot of sediment, and the system needed to be flushed. He performed that task on Monday, but the rising water persists.
I would appreciate any thoughts on what may be causing this, especially since I sometimes travel for business and am away for longer than 2-3 days at a time. Thanks very much.

Supply House Rick

rising water

i don't see how sediment could cause the constant accumulation of extra water in your boiler.

if the make up water feed is shut off, and still the boiler waterline rises; then the extra water could be coming from a domestic hot water coil inside the boiler, if you have one.

make sure that the water feed valve is really shut, it could be leaking like a dripping tap.-nbc

AGH_Waltham

Rising water in steam boiler

Thanks very much for the feedback. It will help me focus on what to discuss with the repair technician. I will also check the owner's manual to see if there is a hot water coil inside the boiler.

Kool Rod

If you're new to steam heating I would highly recommend that you get the book "We Got Steam Heat!"

http://www.heatinghelp.com/shopcart/product.cfm?category=2-109

It's written for the homeowner and tells you everything you need to know about your steam system; the components and what they do and how they should operate.

- Rod

Dale

valves leak

With no domestic coil you must have a leaking inlet valve, water valves today are really cheap and since most are usually open for most uses persons don't notice. What I do is to put 2 cheap 1/2" valves in series on the fill line, a ball valve first then a globe valve where I can change the washer next. Make sure both valves are well above the normal boiler water line. You might want to see what your street water pressure is and if it's over 60# to have a water pressure regulator installed.