KABOOM!!!

vaporvac

Hello everyone,

I'm  replacing my boiler in the next couple of weeks, but am wondering what's causing the loud kaboom in my basement that shakes the whole (very large) house.  The service guy said my burners were shot and possibly unsafe and would cause the whooshing sound that happens when the boiler lights.  Could they be causing the kaboom as well,as gas builds up. I've shut down the system and am having some of them replaced just to get me through to the boiler replacement as it's currently freezing here in Cincinnati and I can't be that long with no heat.

It's just that I'd really like to keep any further expense on the current boiler down.  Has anyone either heard of this or had experience with it and if so will replacing the burners fix it, until the new boiler is installed, hopefully within the next two weeks. Thanks for any input.                    

Colleen

P.S. Please see my upcoming post where I enquire about the new boiler type and install.

Long Beach Ed

Yep

It stinks when you have to replace something then rip it out in two weeks.  But the Laws of Exploding Gasses really don't care about your personal economics. 



I don't think you have a choice.  Your burners are shot, they are failing to light and gas is probably building up in them until enough of it gets to the pilot to ignite, as you say. 



For safety sake,  bite the bullet, replace all the burners and sleep soundly for the next two weeks knowing that your boiler isn't going to blast off through the ceiling .  I don't see you having much other choice unless you have a qualified guy who can come up with an alternative.



By the way, I'm sure you see the danger in do-it-yourself gas piping experiments...  I did know a guy who was killed like this.  The boiler door flew off and bisected him with cast iron.



You don't have innocent kids in that house, do you?

gerry gill

ive seen (heard)

kabooms when the pilots were weak or dirty and allowed a split second delay before the ignition of the main burners gas which resulted in a hard light off...also bad condition burner tubes can do similar.

vaporvac

Oh well!

thank you LBE,

I am replacing the burners tomorrow.  I just want to be certain that something else couln't be causing the kaboom that I should deal with at the same time.  sounds like it is the burners,though.   Anyone else?  CTD

kcopp

gee...

can you get a couple/ few electric radiators?

vaporvac

No more Kaboom!

Wow!  Just a few new burners with cleaned pilot lights have transformed the system...and no more kaboom!  The main difference is that the boiler now heats up lightning fast and bringst the house to temperature from a deep set-back lickety-split.  The vacuum also went deeper for some reason (thoughts?) and kept the radiators warm for HOURS without relighting.  Makes me realize not only how bad it was, but how good it can and will be with a new boiler.

Thanks for all the input on this post.  It seemed to get really bad, really quickly.  I never realized it could be so dangerous. I always thought the inefficiency was the worst that happens with a leaky boiler.



Colleen

Dave in QCA

better vacuum

My guess on the reason that you made better vacuum is because you also made better steam.  If you had a better steam condition in you system and radiators, it would pull a deeper vacuum because the more steam and the less air that is in the system when the boiler shuts off, the deeper the vacuum will be.