Lochinvar Knight Wall Mount Cleaning

Vinny_5

Hello all, I had my natural gas Knight Wall Mounted WHN155 tuned up today and my tech mentioned that the Knight floor units are much easier to work on than the wall mounted Knights.  I watched him disassemble it and it did indeed seem to be very awkward at times. I have searched and can't find a tutorial video on how to clean the wall mounted Knights, but there are a couple of tutorials on how to clean the floor mounted Knights, and they do seem very tech friendly to clean.  On a good note, my heat exchanger and burner were remarkably clean, and the combustion alalysis was fine.  I was curious if any Lochinvar guys on this forum have any videos of the tune up for the Knight wall mount?

Thanks,

Vinny.       

Steve Whitbeck

WHN

Are you on natural gas or propane?

I started installing the new fire tube boilers two years ago and have yet had to clean one.

Most of the manufacturers of the fire tube boilers say they don't need to be cleaned for 5 years.

They should be serviced yearly though.

The drain lines need to be cleaned and the combustion settings need to be checked.

Vinny_5

Steve, thanks for the reply...

Yes, it's a natural gas wall hung fire tube Knight, and the exchanger was very clean inside.  Really, only the ignitor showed some signs of use and that was cleaned off easily. I thought I may see some mineral deposits in the exchanger, but I guess having the softened water is helping control that.   What I did fail to ask or have him check is the neutralizer.  How long does that last and does it need to be replaced/refilled every so often? 

Thanks.  

ColoradoDave

Fire Tube Cleaning

I don't have a whole lot of experience with the Lochinvar Firetube boiler, but I have alot of experience with Triangle Tube.  TT says you don't have to clean the heat exchanger unless you've got a combustion analysis out of whack and can't get it back in line with the recommended settings.

All modcons however, should have the condescent trap cleaned / checked annually, especially Buderus GB142's.

The neutralizer will probably last at least 2 or 3 years depending on the unit and how much it's working.  We used to install them with unions so we could take the neutralizer out and give it a shake or check the approximate weight annually because they were white PVC.. but that was before the NeutraPal (which is a clear case) which uses Vinyl tubing and quick connect cinch rings.

In my experience, most of the condensing boilers when running low temperature applications (

Vinny_5

Thanks Dave---

The condensate trap was removed, cleaned, and primed during the tune up.  I did some more research on this forum after my last post, and found out that I can use limestone or marble chips in the neutralizer, and it should be replaced every year since the boiler is used all year round for my indirect as well.  So I went to Lowe's and for less than $5, I bought a bag of marble chips that weighs about 30-40 pounds and got rid of the 14 month old muddy/rust colored stones that were in the neutralizer.  I also cleaned out the condensate pump as well while I was at it. I was thinking now after seeing how clean the fire tube exchanger and burner were after over a year's worth of daily service that maybe it doesn't have to be dissambled every year, and only the other things on the maintenence list needs to be done annually.  Thanks for the help, Vinny.

 

Gerry Alder

PH

Could just PH test condensate before and after the neutralizer to see how well its working.

I am gonna start testing condensate PH now that you stirred the thought in me to see how well old neutralizers work . One problem in this area the neutralizers rarely get installed.

Vinny_5

Good idea...

My condensate drains into a copper line, then runs under my slab foundation, and then into my septic tank, so a neutralizer was a must in my situation, and my installer agreed 100%.  I just tried buying a ph kit at Lowe's and they didn't have any in stock.  I am also curious to check entering/exiting ph levels as well and see if it changes as the months go by.  

tim smith

Re vertical ft boilers

We just had to clean heat x on theb1st TT we installed 7 yrs ago. That is the first one we have see w/ combustion off. Numbers came right back in line after flushing out good. Great time between major tunes.

tim smith

Re vertical ft boilers

We just had to clean heat x on theb1st TT we installed 7 yrs ago. That is the first one we have see w/ combustion off. Numbers came right back in line after flushing out good. Great time between major tunes.

ColoradoDave

PH Testing / Annual Checkups

I just use PH test strips sold in the PetSmart fish department.

It's part of our annual inspection routine.  We check the PH before flushing the condescent trap.  We typically use the NeutralPal Neutralizer because it's got a clear case you can see through and quick connect rings for the vinyl tubing.

I try to flush as much of the granualized media as possible to avoid clogging the drain line.

A previous poster said something to the effect of "not usually installed around here"... the NeutralPal costs about $60, I think, and it's well worth having one on the truck if that's the case.  Nothing would be worse than a customer with a rotted out cast iron drain or a problematic septic because one wasn't installed for the minimal cost.

Vinny_5

Good idea Dave

I'm going to get some ph strips next time I go by the fish store or maybe even at Walmart's pet isle. When I disconnected the neutralizer and tipped it to drain, I was suprised at how brownish/orange the water was. The nice thing about my contractor was once he gave me my final quote and noticed the condensate would have to go into copper piping, he didn't charge me any extra for the Lochinvar neutralizer.  The last thing I need is for that pipe to deteriorate in the slab when it could have been easily prevented.  

Thanks.

Vinny_5

Just did the ph test....

The strip on the left is the water directly from the boiler, and the strip on the right is just after the neutralizer. Seems like the marble chips are doing a fine job!

ColoradoDave

Thanks Vinny

Thanks for posting the comparison picture Vinny....  I never thought to check the PH on what was coming OUT of the boiler... I've always looked for neutral coming out of the neutralizer.

In your example, I'd consider replacing all the media in the neutralizer when you change one shade down in the neutral area... that way you're ahead of the curve on protecting that in slab piping.



P.S... Good for you to be taking an active interest in the maintenance of your system.  Too many customers only take notice when it doesn't work and the bill is handed to them. 

Vinny_5

Thanks Dave

I will be on top of that from now on for sure. I have always been interested in how things tick and am pretty handy and prefer to do a lot of repair work myself, especially on cars and the house...I just got power/computer back up after 5 days without power and hot water and heat.  Makes you appreciate what out ancestors endured and how spoiled we have become over time. 

Take care, Vinny.