Air intake issue

maz_oregon

Hello all,

I have a Smith GT-150 boiler (installed 5 years ago). The installers had to come out yearly because the boiler went into lockout with an air switch open error. They disconnected the air intake where it connected to the boiler and emptied out a good amount of water that had collected there. It turns out that a contractor friend looked at it this year, and tells me they piped in the concentric vent kit improperly. The branch for the wye fitting inside ties in below the vent. The manual says the air intake branch needs to go in at the top or the side to prevent rain water etc. from getting into the intake.

My question is- could the water in the intake have caused any damage to other components in the boiler (heat exchanger, blower, etc.)? The boiler is in lockout now for an ignition failure and they are installing a new gas valve for me, saying this will solve the problem.

How can I be sure the water in the air intake over the last 5 years hasn't caused any other damage to the boiler?



Thanks in advance for your help-

Mark Eatherton

Possibly...

In reviewing the online information, this appears to be a Gianonni heat exchanger, coupled to an EBM Pabst blower assembly, and it appears to be a solid connection between the combustion air pipe and the blower, so yes, it is possible, that you could have aspirated water into the blower/boiler. A close inspection of the very bottom of the blower assembly would show any signs of liquid. Annual cleaning inspection, if properly done, would see inside the burner assembly, and any signs of corrosion should be noted and corrected.



I know that the Lochinvar boilers I use, which use the same blower/heat exchanger assembly, have a 1/4" relief hole drilled into the bottom of the intake air pipe, which would alleviate the possibility of water getting into the blower. Yours may have the same hole, but would require a close inspection to see if it is there.



ME