autofeeder

rcrit

I'm still getting used to my new boiler, a Slantfin Intrepid TR-40 with a Carlin EZ-gas burner. It has a float-style LWCO and an automatic water feeder, both of which are also new to me.



Last night was the first really cold night here in Baltimore with temps down into the mid-teens. The boiler performed fine, we were as toasty as one can be in a leaky old house. It was nice to see the rads hot all the way across and some vents closing on steam (never saw that with my old boiler).



I checked the boiler this morning and the water level is high, maybe an inch higher than it was when I checked it last night. I noticed that the water feeder, which had been at 0 since install time, has bumped to 1 (IIRC the units are in gallons).



I plan to turn the boiler off for a bit during lunch and drain out some of the excess water, is there anything else I should check?

nicholas bonham-carter

things to check with new boiler

yes:

1.check that the boiler was piped as the installation manual specifies.

2.check the pressure, and verify that it is under 2 psi[may need a better gauge than the one supplied].

3.check that the boiler was properly cleaned and skimmed.

4.check how to turn off the auto/over-feed during the early weeks of a new boiler. [check its value on ebay as well].--nbc

Jamie Hall

This may not be a problem

You should also check where the water level should be on the glass, per the manufacturer's specifications.  Further, I might point out that it is simply not possible to add water without the water level after adding being higher than before -- and if the water level is between one third and two thirds up the glass, it shouldn't affect the boiler at all.



It is not uncommon for a new install to use some water right at the beginning; for reference, a couple of years ago we installed a new WM 580.  In the first three months, it used 4 gallons.  Since then it hasn't used a drop -- like zero zip nada.  (Except for what is lost when the LWCO is blown down).  This is on a vapour system running at 0 to 6 ounces, and the vents never see steam, though.



So it is likely to be quite normal...



If you do turn off the auto-feeder, as nbc suggests you might, be sure and keep a very careful eye on the water level manually!  Even if you don't, and you suspect it may be over-feeding, some auto feeders have a time delay setting, to compensate for the normal delay in condensate return; you could try playing with that.

rcrit

checklist

1. Yes, boiler was installed properly by respected member of the wall

2. Have never seen pressure over .5 psi on 1-3 gauge

3. May have issue here. It wasn't skimmed at install but I skimmed for a few hours and while all the oil may not be gone I removed a considerable amount of it.

4. I dunno, belt and suspenders. I check my boiler enough that it may be overkill but who knows.

rcrit

water level

My installer set the water level to half-way in the glass and I've kept it that way after each skim (ballparking, of course).



I would get some surging in the sight glass but it was within an acceptable range (3/4 of an inch or so) and considering it could use more skimming I figured I was in fairly decent shape until I could commit a full day to cleaning.



But this morning was different. While firing the water level was at the top of the sight glass. At least it wasn't making the truly horrible sounds my old boiler would make when in this situation.



I turned off the boiler for 20 minutes and checked the level and it was maybe 3/4 of an inch high in the sight glass. I drained about a quart out of the boiler and brought it more or less back to halfway.



I'm less worried about losing a little bit of water (I lost some due to a loose radiator shutoff). Heck, I'm VERY used to losing water, I've just never seen water gain.



I may pester my installer but given the time of year I'm sure they're very busy with out-of-heat calls.

Jamie Hall

What may have happened...

is that the auto feeder, if it is one of the newer electronic sort, finally decided to feed water -- and fed too much.  As I noted in my previous post, the newer ones have adjustments; one is a time delay on feeding, to allow condensate to return, and the other is an adjustment for the amount to feed at one time.  You may well need to fiddle with both of these so that the feeder will play nice with your system.  Your installer probably left the manual for the feeder around somewhere; take a look throught it and see if those adjustments are available.



I am slighly puzzled by your comment that the water was nearly at the top of the glass while firing, but only 3/4 inch above the bottom after 20 minutes off.  That's the opposite of what usually happens... and then draining a quart or so brought it back to about half way up?  I am badly confused... how can you raise the water level by draining a quart?

rcrit

water level

Sorry for the confusion.



While firing the water level was nearly at the top of the sight glass. This is what caught my attention.



When quiet (off), the level was still high but not that scary high. Surging must have accounted for the difference. This is when I drained a quart, leaving the level at halfway up the sight glass.

Steamhead

Skim it again, Rob

that should cure the surging. It's not unusual for a new boiler to wash a lot of oil and dirt from the pipes into the boiler- the questions are if, when and how much.