Semi EMERGENCY-Need help please.

HenryT

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Single pipe gas steam boiler. Night time set back 3 degrees. Woke up this morning and the t-stat was at recovery where it normally is but the current temperature is 6 degrees below where I set it for night time. I went downstairs and checked the following:

-Water in site glass at half way

-low water cut off light is on

-pilot light is good to go.

Question is, why my boiler not firing up? It worked last night and the issue must've occurred b/w bedtime and this AM.

Please HELP. It is 20 degrees outside.

Thanks in advance.</span>

nicholas bonham-carter

low water light on

there should be a reset button on that LWCO. if you reset it, the boiler should start.

next task is to find out why the LWCO detected low water to begin with.--nbc 

Jamie Hall

Manual reset

LWCOs are really nice to have in some ways -- they let you know that there is a problem somewhere.  On the other hand... they can make things chilly.



Your situation is a little odd in that when you came down you found the water in the glass where it belonged.  Do you also have an autofill, perhaps with a time delay on it?  If so, the question is where did the water go -- fast enough to trip the LWCO -- and then allow the autofill to work.  Could be slow condensate return for some reason, or could be (but unlikely to be, since you don't mention puddles...) a good size leak.  On the other hand, if you don't have an autofill, something must have happened to trip the LWCO -- and then the water level came back.



Or... the LWCO has a problem itself and there never was a water level problem; the LWCO just thought there was.  Either way, the situation needs some observation.



In the meantime, I hope nbc's advice got you going again.

Steamhead

I bet

the sight glass fittings are plugged, and water is trapped in the glass so it does not show he true level in the boiler. Clean them out and check again. 

HenryT

Thanks ALL.



Fellow wallies, thank you very much for chiming in. If the low water cut off light is green, that indicates low water? I thought it was always green, but I can be wrong.

I will try to reset it and see if it works. If that works, why would it go bad?

Jamie-there are no puddles and I do have an autofill that works. It is 24v with 1-2 minute delay.-there are no puddles and I do have an autofill that works. It is 24v with 1-2 minute delay.

Steamhead-what is meant by sight glass fittings? Are you referring to the dirt inside the tube? Should I shut off both valves(top and bottom) and clean out the tube via the nut all the way on the bottom? Is this what you are referring to when you says its plugged? Sorry, I'm trying to understand you the best way I can.what is meant by sight glass fittings? Are you referring to the dirt inside the tube? Should I shut off both valves(top and bottom) and clean out the tube via the nut all the way on the bottom? Is this what you are referring to when you says its plugged? Sorry, I'm trying to understand you the best way I can.

Thanks again.

David Nadle

Confusing

I think when you said the LWCO "light was on," everyone thought you were talking about the red light. Now it doesn't sound like a water level problem.



It could be your damper or rollout switch is open. You might try a jumper across TT to rule out the thermostat, then across each safety switch to see if the boiler fires up. Obviously it's not safe to run the boiler if the safety switches, or the things they protect, are a problem.

HenryT

Thanks

yeah, the light was green this AM.

As for the T-Stat- is this something i can do?  what am i suppose to do exactly?

Vent damper? how can i resent this? i think there is a toggle switch on the damper. will switching this ON and OFF help me out>?

Jamie Hall

I would like to respectfully

suggest that if it is a burner or safety switch problem, that you get your fuel supplier or burner tech in to play with it, unless you are very comfortable with these things?

jpf321

when my boiler wouldn't fire

the reason i found this place is b/c i was having a problem with my boiler not firing .. it was due to the pressuretrol not reseting ... i manually pushed up on the little tab by the gauge and let it go and then it clicked on. you could also try adjusting the pressuretrol using a screwdriver .. up and down and see if any internal clicking occurs signalling a reset...if you get fired up, i would look closely at your pressure control devices for a solution.

HenryT

Thanks Jamie

Sorry to beat a dead horse.

I cant tell if im comfortable to playing around with the safety switch until i know what needs to be done.

where is it and what do i need to do if you dont mind me asking.

why does this switch shut down my boiler?

Thanks so much

jpf321

as above

as i wrote above that you may have missed .. check your pressure controls .. it's the only thing you haven't ruled out yet .. you have t-stat, water lever, pressure, low-fuel and a few others that are SUPPOSED to shut down the boiler .. i suspect your pressure controller is not clicking back on..even after low pressure. you need to play with it a bit to see if it clicks back on .. then investigate a solution once you determine if it's the problem.

David Nadle

Read your manual

That on-off switch you have might be a "hold-open" switch. You can lock it open while you try to figure out your problem. But if the damper is not opening all the way the saftey switch won't make. The rollout swtich opens if you have something like a blocked flue and hot combustion products spill out the front of your boiler.



These switches might have reset buttons on them, You can try that first.



In the manual for your boiler there is probably a diagram showing the location of safety switches and a schematic. You need a jumper wire, preferably one with alligator clips on the ends, to jump across each switch, one at a time. If the boiler starts, you know that switch is open. There should be a set of terminals "TT" on the boiler where the thermostat wires connect. I would start by jumping across those. If it turns out to be the thermostat you'll be back in business, although I wouldn't leave it connected while you're out shopping for a new thermostat.

HenryT

Figured it out.

I did everything as suggested when i went hom last night, but nothing.

so what i did next is looked around the vent damper and the flue area and pressed a button at the bottom of the flue that was hidding on the inner side.

upon pressing this button, the boiler fired up again.

Can someoneplease tell me what that button is and why it needed to be resetted?

Thanks