Pressuretrol Question

Hal

Peerless oil fired boiler.

Honeywell PA404A pressuretrol.

Differential set to 1.



The problem:

<strong>The boiler does not start until the cut-in is cranked up to 5 or so.</strong>



Thanks in advance for any replies.

nicholas bonham-carter

pressuretrol problem

could the waterline  accidentally be high enough to pre-pressurize the pressuretrol?

otherwise, it must be faulty. consider replacing it with a vaporstat/low-pressure gauge. set to maintain from 2-8 ounces.--nbc

Jamie Hall

That baby

is seriously out of whack.  You may be able to adjust it.  Might be better to replace it.

Hal

I was afraid of that...

Thanks for the prompt replies.



If the settings appear to be correct, what adjustment are you suggesting?

I am electrically and mechanically competent.



I am prepared to replace it as soon as necessary, but would consider a fix that is within my competence level until I can get a reliable professional to replace it.



Hal

crash2009

Pressuretrol

Here are a couple threads that may be of interest to you. 

Replacement might be more reliable and safer. 

1 is how they work http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/133195/How-does-pressuretol-work

2 is how to test http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/132867/How-do-you-test-Pressuretrol

Hal

Thanks...

I'll get it replaced.



Thanks to all.

sphen

clog

the pigtail leading to the pressuretrol could be clogged up no? i would check that first before replacing the pressuretrol - seems to me it is a pretty simple unit and there isnt much to go bad?

jpf321

i 2nd that ..

unscrew pressuretrol from pigtail (curly pipe) and unscrew curly pipe from boiler .. be gentle .. the last thing you need is the curly pipe breaking off and getting stuck in the boiler .. even force, no jerkiness .. once pigtail removed .. clean by any means necessary ... pipe cleaners bottle brushes, etc.



before you unscrew the pigtail, you could try blowing in the pigtail .. blow hard .. once you clear the water in the pigtail through blowing, it should blow freely .. if not .. continue unscrewing and cleaning

Hal

I can do that.

I will reply with results.

Hal

Problem apparently solved.

Well that seemed to work.



In fact I didn't have to remove the pigtail:

There is a horizontal fitting that comes from the boiler to a tee that the pigtail is mounted on. That horizontal pipe is fitted with a clean-out cap.

With the boiler off and the pressure presumably at or near zero, removing the clean-out cap resulted in a slight release of pressure evident as a little bubbling hiss.



I used a piece of stiff wire to poke through the clog that was in the horizontal fitting to the boiler. The clog appeared to be in the horizontal fitting and close to the boiler. I did not remove or clean the pigtail itself. The clog looked like gloppy black paint (oil, right?)



I recapped the clean-out, and reset the cut-in to 2.5, then called for heat.

Voila! The boiler started. Thanks for the help. We appear to be back to normal.



sphen and jpf321, please name a charity and I will make a donation.



Hal

jpf321

thanks...after working on their stream heat last spring

thanks...after working on their stream heat last spring I got to know a few of these guys really well. I know they could use a splash of green every now and again.



it says send donations to Larchmont, NY...

http://www.franciscanfriars.com/contacts/index.htm

(...there's brother mariano next to the tall redhead in the texas picture.)



but first let's make sure you run a few days before calling your system fixed.

Hal

A Good Cause

It's done.



Merry Christmas to you and yours.



And thanks again.