New Crown Boiler = New Clanks and Issues

Eric51

Just had a new crown installed last month (bought the house a year ago - old slant fin was on its last leg) = As I can tell the guys did a good job. Pressure looks good, hartford loop, 2 vents (one in the main and one in the return of my 2 pipe system). Few things going on however



1. My upstairs main bedroom is the first of the header and suddenly getting new clanking... everytime it starts it ticks, ticks, ticks, ticks = can hear it through the wall. Dead man installed that piping years ago and all pitching the right way. Recently I shimmed the radiator in that room to better pitch to the return = seemed like it helped and then ticking returned. (Note this is actually close to the air vent at the end of the return = please keep that in mind).



2. Gurgling at another radiator = it appears someone replaced that line with copper some time ago and pitched it to the radiator = think that just needs to be adjusted.



3. When ramping up the system a degree or two the system does fine (bit of clanking still in the main bedroom radiator). But going 3 to 5 and the return vent (close to the main bedroom return - above) starts spitting water, and old valves start hissing - could this be because my thermostat cycles so much? Rather than going straight to 5 it will take breaks and then come back on. I assume a lot of condensation happening? (I replaced my old mercury switch with a Lux last year = I may have bought the wrong one). Also - is there the need for valves? Some of mine are broke and the installer is giving me big numbers to replace them. Why can't we just put back in 90s?



4. Finally and probably most important to the above = my return is getting super hot = feels like steam passing a trap and I think I know where. I have a small bathroom radiator that will not heat right away (is in the middle of the main) = the pipe going to it is hot as all can be for some time and all other radiators before and after are hot. Seems to me that small radiator must have some air pressure in it to not let the steam in? Then when the steam finally does pressure through the return gets hot as all can be - as if the steam came through too = commonly when this happens the vent then starts spitting (above) Could it be that the air finally comes through = mixes with the hot condensate (and potentially steam) and cranks the whole system? I should note it appears someone remodeled and the trap is actually on its side rather than parallel to the floor like all the other traps in the system. Assume need new trap(s).



Also - recently had the asbestos abated = I am about 2/3 through installing the new pipe insulation.



Also Dan's steam book just arrived = trying to educate myself there too.



Sorry for the ramble = appreciate the input.



Thank you,

Eric

Jamie Hall

No harm to rambling...

I am going to assume, for the moment, that your new boiler's near boiler piping is all correct.  Proceeding from there...



The clanking in the radiator you describe as "tick, tick, tick".  That sounds to me like expansion.  This may be very difficult to resolve.  Check and see if the riser is touching anything anywhere -- particularly where it comes up through the floor or the wall.  If it is, it might be possible to shift the whole thing so it doesn't, or slip something slippery (believe it or not, a bit from a plastic milk bottle might work!) in where there is contact.  If the ticking is later, when the radiator itself is starting to heat, then it is the radiator expanding (the riser will probably stop just about the same time the radiator starts to get hot), and this can be a bear.  You might try -- again -- slipping something slippery under each foot.  The place I supervise has several radiators which do this; a couple of been able to fix, but others... filed under "incurable, endurable".



The gurgling may well be a pitch problem.  In my experience, copper is much more prone to this than iron.



On item 3, I have two thoughts (it really is two items).  First, on the "break and then comes back on" could be one of two things: first, the thermostat may be set improperly for steam: I'm not familiar with the Lux, but if it has a cycles per hour setting it should be set to 1; most come set to 3 to 5 and have to be adjusted.  Second, it might be simply that the boiler reaches its cutout pressure.  This would happen on longer heating calls (by the bye -- I don't recommend using more than a 3 degree setback with steam).  You comment on spitting vents in relation to this also suggests a pressure thing.  But the spitting vents suggest that it is possible that the cutout pressure is too high: it should not be more than 1.5 psi, and preferably less, for almost all residential systems.  You should check that.



On valves -- unless they are leaking, I'd just leave 'em be so long as the radiator is delivering enough heat.



Item 4 -- bad trap.  Fix it before it takes others with it!

Eric51

New Crown Boiler = New Clanks and Issues

Thanks Jamie!



The tick tick tick - appreciate the insight. It didn't do this last year so a new one for me. It has good space at the top where it comes through so I assume it all points back to the new spray foam I had done this spring. Most likely not letting it move as it needs to at the bottom. (all other risers were spray foamed however and seem to be okay. Assume it is because this is such a long run. It is also louder toward the bottom. You are right - as radiator gets hot all this stops. Think I may need to dig out that spray foam...?



#3 I will look into the settings again but upon check it doesn't seem I can change the cycling = the installer took a look at the Lux however and said = get a Honeywell



Pressure otherwise is set at: 1.5



Some pictures attached of the system. All new pipe around boiler.



One pic of the spray foam around the "ticking" pipe. (BTW - i used wood shims as only thing I could hammer under the radiator (tight) = better to use rubber/plastic?



Thanks,

Eric

Eric51

pics

pics

Jamie Hall

I'll bet

that somewhere in the shimming/foaming process some bit of pipe got in contact with some bit of framing.  Tiresome of it.  And longer runs are more susceptible, naturally, as they move more.  That the radiator is now "tight" very much suggests that something metal is contacting something hard -- like framing -- somewhere, and that would do it.



Good luck!