water level

scamppy

I am new to steam heat and need t know how much water I should be seeing in the site glass. It doesn't come up halfway as seems to be reccommended. I had it serviced , in June right after I moved in. Now that I have to run the heat I want to know how often I have to check it, add water etc, I have ordered the books and read all the manuals left by the previous owners but can't a definite read on where the water line should be. How much water can I add at one time?

Burnham v83

vxt-120 water feeder

Honeywell L404 Pressuretrol

Cycleguard LWCO

BobC

water level

The water should be about half way up the glass. the water feeder will feed water automatically when it gets down to a predetermined level.



There should be a manual feed valve on the feeder or next to it. You don't want to feed cold water into a steaming boiler, feed the water while the boiler is just warm, at the start of a heating cycle is ideal. just open up the feed valve and feed the water in - try to do it without opening up the valve all the way. When the water gets half way up the glass, close the valve. the level does not have to be exact.



One important thing to remember is you always want to run the boiler after feeding water to drive off any oxygen in the water. Dissolved oxygen attacks the cast iron in the boiler.



Bob

Rod

Water Level

Hi- Look in the installation manual for a diagram on piping. There should be a measurement from the floor to the boiler waterline. Measure up from the floor and mark the line on the glass sight tube with a magic marker. This is the waterline when the boiler is turned off and is normally about half way up the sight glass. When the boiler is in operation the water level will drop lower but should still be visible in the sight glass.



Generally steam boilers don't use much water. Check the water level in the sight glass at a regular interval and keep a rough track of how much water the boiler normally uses. (The vxt meter will also do this and it;s a good idea to keep track of the readings)  If it suddenly starts using a lot more water this is usually a sign that there is a leak somewhere in the system.  I would check it regularly until you get a "feel" for how the boiler is doing. Normally at least once a week or twice a week is a good idea during heating season



Adding "new" water- You mentioned you have a VXT 120 waterfeeder. This will make sure your boiler maintains the minimum amount of water. Use the manual feed to bring the water up to the proper level in the sight glass. This is best done when the boiler has cooled and isn't running.

It is very important, after you have added "new" water, to start the burner and bring the boiler water to the boil as this drives off excess oxygen in the new water. This excess oxygen can be very corrosive to your boiler and over time shorten the boiler's life span.

You said you've ordered the books so I'm assuming this is "We Got Steam heat!" etc. This is a very good book to start out with and will bring your knowledge of steam heating light years ahead in just a few evenings reading.

When it gets cold you'll really appreciate the comfort of steam heating,

- Rod

scamppy

thanks

thanks for your quick answers...I'll try your suggestiions.