Always Something

Jettster

This morning, our house was freezing. Went down and checked the boiler and it was empty. I checked it before I went to bed and it was fine. Filled it and sent for heat, the main valve, again, wasn't holding up. I replaced it again, hoping that it was the issue, and it seemed to work fine. Went to work, came home, boiler was empty again!



Here's the kicker, after I refilled it, I hung around again to watch the cycle. To me, it sounds like the steam is escaping from the boiler and out of the exhaust. Ugh.



Here's a quick video to hear the sound. The boiler isn't firing at the moment, this is after it gets pressurized...



<a href="http://s290.photobucket.com/user/terryejett/media/Mobile%20Uploads/61819CF1-2759-47AC-A65F-0A41DDF61D11.mp4.html">http://s290.photobucket.com/user/terryejett/media/Mobile%20Uploads/61819CF1-2759-47AC-A65F-0A41DDF61D11.mp4.html</a>





Ideas? Am I screwed?

Jamie Hall

Well now...

I really can't hear it.  But then, I'm elderly and my wife and kids insist that I'm deaf!



However, if the steam is going out the exhaust, the surest way to find it is to look at the chimney when the boiler is operating.  Wisps of white smoke are OK, particularly if it is humid.  However if you see a reasonably solid cloud of white smoke, that's not OK.



You can sometimes confirm a leak from the water side to the fire side of a boiler by overfilling it and looking in the firebox to see if you see water in there.



Now.  By "the boiler was empty" do you mean empty empty?  Or do you mean shut off on the low water cutoff, perhaps with no water showing in the glass?  If you mean empty empty, you have major trouble on your hands and, honestly, I wouldn't try to fire the boiler again until I found out where the water was going.  If there's any chance the boiler was fired when it was dry, it needs a full inspection by a really good pro.   If it was off on the low water cutoff, you might have a serious leak in a wet return, instead of a leak in the boiler.



You'd notice a leak that size in a steam line in the house.  Believe me, you'd notice it.

ChrisJ

Pressure

It's hard to see but is the 30 PSI gauge reading 5 PSI in that video?

Jettster

Yup

I meant, the low water cut off kicks in, water returns to the boiler, fills it up, and the cycle starts again. I hear steam from the back of the boiler up into the exhaust. It didn't make that sound yesterday.



I'm stressed as we have a 4 year old and twins on the way.

Jettster

5psi

Yes it's reading 5psi

Jettster

Stop Leak

Anyone use this? We're just trying to get through this season without having to pull and replace. Obviously, we'll do it if we have to, but we will most likely be short-selling our house in the spring.