Filling up my boiler almost every day

mcp1

I was at work & my pilot went out & my wife couldn't get it lit,so she had a boiler guy come by. He got it lit by depressing the roll off switch. And while he was their he cleaned out the boiler & reccomended that we change out the thermal coupling. Ever since he left I have to fill my boiler daily. Could cleaning out the system make that happen? Also 2 days after he left I added 3 more main vents (gorton #2) to my one loop system. I don't see water anywhere except for a little coming from an old valve stem on one of the radiators. Any thoughts on how I'm losing so much water?

nicholas bonham-carter

What sort of boiler, and what sort of cleaning was done?
it's possible that a strong acidic cleaner put into the boiler water could dissolve some calcium which had been sealing some pinholes, but I doubt that any competent tech would have put something so strong in. perhaps a fireside cleaning could dislodge some Kibbles and Bits plugging up a rust hole.--NBC

Fred

Do you see a lot of steam coming out of the chimney when the boiler is running? It is possible that cleaning opened up a rust hole in the boiler block somewhere above the water line. When you say you are filling it every day, how much water are you adding daily?

Ray_Landry

Stack switch prob tripped due to steam leak....

KC_Jones

This is how I found the leak in my boiler. Steam leaking and condensing in the jacket insulation and then dripping on the pilot. I would suggest you look at the chimney also.

mcp1

My boiler is a Weil Mclain. I don't see any rust on the stack. Should I put some stop leak in the boiler?

KC_Jones

Have you looked at the chimney from the outside? You aren't looking for rust you want to look while the boiler is firing and watch it for a while. If you see steam coming out the chimney in excess amounts that is the the leak.

mcp1

Yes, I just checked and I do have steam venting from my chimney. What could this mean? Does that mean I have a cracked block? Any solution & how bad is this typically?

KC_Jones

If it is excessive then that means the block has a hole in it or a crack or both hard to say. Mine did this last year and I managed to baby it through the winter until warmer weather and I was taking on make up water about every other day or so. You can get some steam out of the chimney as a product of combustion, but a large amount usually means a leak. If it's leaking it means time for a new boiler.

mcp1

Do you think stop leak could be a bandaid at least for now?

Jamie Hall

No. And it is likely to cause other problems. Just keep a really close eye on the water level -- this is when an automatic feeder can be really handy -- and make plans to replace the boiler when it warms up. Find a really good contractor (can we help?) and get all your ducks in a row.

KC_Jones

I agree with Jamie the stop leak can cause other issues and if the leak is above the water line the stop leak basically wouldn't get there anyway.

mcp1

I plan on replacing the boiler in the spring. What type of problems could the stop leak cause?

KC_Jones

One thing is if your wet return piping has any amount of crud laying in it (very common) the stop leak could help to completely block the return pipe and now you start filling the system with water and take even more water out of the boiler. And as I said it most likely won't stop the leak anyway. I think on steam people get confused by the work leak. You don't have what sounds like a water leak you have a steam leak. Leak stop type products stay in the water and will stop leaks they encounter in the water. With a steam leak, that is above the water so it most likely won't do anything.

nicholas bonham-carter

Now is the time to measure your radiators for their total EDR, so the new boiler can be sized properly.
There is an EDR chart here somewhere in the library/museum, with different sizes of radiators on it.
Is this one-pipe or two-pipe?--NBC

mcp1

One pipe system, how do I measure the radiators for their EDR, and what is EDR?

Fred

EDR stands for Equalivent Direct Radiation. It is measured in sq. Ft. and the square feet of radiation for varying types, styles and sizes of radiators can be measured using charts that are available on this site or through one of Dan's books. You match the radiator type the size and the style with those charts and calculate the sq. ft of radiation per radiator, total all the radiators up and match that number to the Net Sq. ft. of a boiler's output. That allows you to size the boiler to your specific home.

KC_Jones

https://heatinghelp.com/systems-help-center/how-they-rated-radiators/

mcp1

How should I measure the radiators? Should I measure from the legs up plus the width?

Fred

Total heigth from the floor to the top, from side to side, the width and the number of columns or tubes depending on style. Using the EDR charts, select the radiator that comes closest to your size. They are usually right on or maybe a 1" off but you just want to be as accurate as you can.

KC_Jones

Here are a few sizing charts to look at. When I sized mine I did it a couple times from various sources and averaged them out. I have noticed slight variations in some sizing documents. If you have anything not covered in any of these post a picture here and someone can usually help.

http://www.smithfieldsupply.com/company_info/forms/radiatorest.pdf
http://www.columbiaheatingsupply.com/page_images/Sizing Cast Iron Radiator Heating Capacity Guide.pdf
http://www.weil-mclain.com/en/multimedia-library/pdf/weil-mclain-pdf/other-downloads/boiler_replacement_guide.pdf
http://www.usboiler.net/sizing-obsolete-radiation.html

mcp1

Thanks KC