High Pressure, new Gorton #2s

steamnut

Hi, I have a couple of questions. Due to incredibly loud hissing from radiator vents, I installed two brand new main vents- Gorton #2. I also installed a new low pressure gauge 0-3 PSI. I noticed no difference in my radiator vent hissing and in fact did not even hear any air escaping from the 2 main Gorton #2 vents. Should I? Part 2, is that my new low pressure gauge maxed out past the 3 psi. I do have a new pressurterol set at 0.5 and 1 so that is disappointing. Just looking for some feedback on ideas. I am looking into purchasing a vaporstat, but should that solve all of these problems?

Thank you for reading.

Rod

High Pressure

Hi-  It would seem you have a high pressure problem. What pressure does the 0 -30 PSI gauge read?  Is the 0-30 PSI gauge on the same pigtail as the 0-3 PSI gauge?  You may have a clogged pigtail and/or a clogged pressuretrol so I would check that first or if you don't feel comfortable doing that get a pro to check them for you. A residential steam system should run at 2 PSI or less.

- Rod

crash2009

Got a couple questions for you

1-when the boiler is off, What is the psi reading of the gauge?

2-when the boiler is on, What is the psi reading of the gauge?

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

HI!



My 0-30 pressure gauge is attached right to the boiler and at max reaches 5. My 0-3 PSI

gauge is on a tee off of my pigtail and pressuretrol, it goes well past the 3 at max. Both read 0 when the boiler is off and both creep up to the max slowly over about 15 minutes. I'll check the pigtail. I'm thinking it is less likely it's clogged if both gauges read high and one is not attached to the pigtail though.

Jamie Hall

I might add

that the Gortons -- like many other vents -- won't function properly over 3 psi, and may be damaged at anything much over 5.



If your 0 - 3 psi gauge is going over 3, and your pressuretrol isn't cutting out the boiler at its setting of 1.5, there is something seriously wrong with either the pressuretrol or the pigtail going to it.  Since this is a safety device...

Rod

High Pressure Problem

If both gauges have separate boiler ports and both are reading high and return to zero when the burner is off,  that would suggest your pressuretrol is the source of the problem. Has it operated properly in the past? Try adjusting it down. Use the actual gauge pressure as a guide for the settings  rather that the slide settings on the front of the pressuretrol. The high pressure (5 PSI) may have trashed your vents so you will need to check them for operation after you get your pressure down and under control.

- Rod

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

Oh Gosh, I hope it didn't ruin the vents- they're brand new!!! As for the pressuretrol- it was just replaced this oct by a heating man, who when I pointed out that the gauge was still at 5 said "those are inaccurate anyway" and left. lovely. SO this is all to say that I had a pressure issue with the old pressuretrol and now with the new one. The same guy said he looked in the pigtail and it was clear. I did see him take it off, but I didn't look in it myself. Since that time, I started trying to do as much by myself as I can. I can check the pigtail, and what I am looking for is that it is clear of any debris? And if it is, then do people think that a vaporstat would solve the problem?

crash2009

Now that

we have zero'd in on the pressuretrol, can you show us a picture of the pressuretrol and pigtail, and how it connects to the boiler? 

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

I'd be happy to. I am attaching two photos.

crash2009

Pressuretrol

If the 0-3psi gauge is working (and you said it was), the problem is NOT a plugged pigtail or plugged hole.  Have you tried to adjust the pressuretrol?  Turn the screw on top of the pressuretrol (I forget which direction) so the indicator goes down.



Also, inside the pressuretrol, there is a white wheel.  That one should be adjusted all the way to the right.  You will see some numbers on the wheel.  You want to be able to see the 1.  Shut off the electrical breaker to the boiler before you go inside there. 

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

HI! Yes, I ve actually delved inside the pressuretrol, and indeed the white wheel is set to 1 and the bar on the front is set to 0.5 but I do have a little room to decrease a hair. At one point I had unscrewed it so much the screw came out!- not the desired end point I realize. I know this all sounds so improbable that all the pieces are in place and the pressure is still so high, which is why I had thought maybe a vaporstat would take care of it...... I do thank everyone for their brainstorming and comments, I so want to figure this thing out!

crash2009

There is one other thing

Have you removed the pressuretrol from the pigtail.  Sometimes the diaphram gets plugged.

Abracadabra

test the Gortons?

Did you check the Gorotn to make sure they were good?







I've installed 21 Gorton #2s this season and I ran into 4 bad ones where it seemed that the thing was shut. Trying banging it loose but no go. Had to return them to the supply house.

Long Beach Ed

Pressuretrol

That pressuretrol was inaccurate junk when it was new.  Put in a new one.  Find a mercury one if you can. 

Klaas

Is the wiring right?

A plugged pressuretrol doesn't seem likely if it's only a few months old, and clearly the pigtail is fine since the gauge is seeing pressure.  My next thought would be to check that things are wired right.  Could be the pressuretrol is breaking the circuit just like it's supposed to but either the wires aren't connected right inside the pressuretrol or there's some other parallel path such that the current telling the boiler to keep firing isn't actually cut off when the pressuretrol triggers.  And probably the person who replaced the pressuretrol just wired it like the old one...

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

Thank you all for your very helpful thoughts and comments. The wiring seems like a good place to check out. That seems a little over my head though (other than screwing in the red and black wires inside the pressuretrol) I may have someone come take a peek. I'll also look in the pigtail and connection myself and see if that turns something up. Thank you agin.

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

annnnd look into a vaporstat......

nicholas bonham-carter

Inaccurate pressuretrol

When our new boiler was only 2days old, I tried repeatedly to lower the pressure on the peerless-supplied h/w pressuretrol, with no success. In fact it allowed the pressure to rise up to 10 psi!

I immediately got a vaporstat, and 15 oz gauge, and have been happy ever since.

I think there is a point of disconnection reached by turning the adjustment screw lower, which allows the cutoff to be infinity.--NBC

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

good to know!! Thanks so much for the info.

BobC

Check the switch and the wiring

You can check the pressuretrols electrical operation by using a screwdriver to lift the silver lever so it actuates the microswitch - that lever is just above the screw that holds the front cover on. You should hear a small click and the boiler would turn off if were running. This does nothing to check the diaphragm or spring balance but it does tell you your wiring and that switch are good or bad.



Bob

Hap_Hazzard

That's what I'm thinking.

If you're getting > 3 psi on a gauge on the same pigtail as the pressuretrol, then the pressuretrol has to be either wired wrong or way out of adjustment. The position of the rocker can be adjusted with an Allen wrench, but normally doesn't need to be. Since it's new I'd suspect the wiring, so definitely test it manually as Bob suggests. If you can't make it cut out by raising the rocker until you hear a click, then it isn't wired right. If you don't hear a click, take the microswitch out and test it. (If someone installed a low-voltage switch on a 120 system the contacts could have welded themselves shut.) Make sure you can't fire the boiler while the switch is disconnected. If you can then something is bypassing the switch. If everything checks out electrically then try adjusting the rocker with an Allen wrench.

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

Ok, I hate to be slow, but just to review: I should fire up the boiler, then lift the metal lever (the rocker) on the front of the pressuretrol up to a higher psi readings and if wired correctly it should click and the boiler shut off. If it does not click and shut off then I should investigate the microswitch. The microswitch is the wires as they connect to the contacts?

BobC

Use a screwdriver to move the silver rocker arm up

By moving that silver rocker arm up you will be simulating the pressure diaphragm in the base of the pressuretrol tripping that microswitch. If the boiler is on it should shut down, if the boiler were off you would hear the switch click and that switch would be open at that point (open switch shuts boiler down, those wires are wired in series with the gas valve or oil burner).



Don't try to move the tab that shows the differential on the face of the pressuretrol.



Bob

Dave in QCA

amazingly inaccurate

As Nicholas B-C said, pressuretrols tend to be very inaccurate.  Before I purchased my vaporstat, which allows me to control at 8 oz., I measured the operation of my pressuretrol.  It was WAY off.  The scale on the front means almost nothing.  



To set for 2 psi., I ran the boiler until the pressure had climbed to 2 psi.  During that time I set the differential as low as it would go.  Then when the pressure was at 2 psi, I adjusted the setting screw slowly until the boiler shut off.  Then I observed it to see if, and at what pressure the boiler restarted.  The switch tripped back on at about 1 psi.  I repeated the operation to make sure that it would function the same way repeatedly.  It did.



According to the scale on the front, it was WAY off.  Seems to me that the calibration of the scale is only accurate within plus or minus 2 or 3 pounds.  

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I have a few things to try out when I get home from work tonight. To be cont......

steamnut

high pressure, new Gorton #2s- update

Hi All,

Who took the time to throw some suggestions out there. I just wanted to give an update and thanks. SO I tried turning the pressuretrol down with the boiler on and had no success getting it to cut out earlier than 5 psi ..... I also took the pigtail off and it was hopelessly clogged- so I installed a new one. BUT the pressure still wouldn't cut out until 5 psi. UNTIL........ wait for it, I installed a vaporstat and I now have a cut out at 1 psi! WOOOHOOO my experience would say that the pressuretrols are not reliable! and the vaporsat is the way to go. Thank you all again for your time and comments.

malex

Think you are confused

BobC is not telling you to turn down the pressure while the boiler the is running but rather manually activate the pressuretrol while the boiler is running to see if mechanically the switch works.



With the cover off, follow the pigtail straight up where it enters the ptrol. The diaphragm at the base of the ptrol is connected to the rocker switch via a small rod. Gently insert a flathead screwdriver under the rocker where it is connected to the rod and use it as a lever to move the rocker up (gently). The ptrol should cut out the boiler as you are simulating high pressure. If not, you have a problem with the ptrol.