Water Hammer after plumbers started up the house that was winterized

j a_2

Bill

j a_2

This is bill<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/FileUpload/fe/bd7194e4d1a0b0a6ede9cea3ad9457.jpg" /><img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/FileUpload/fe/bd7194e4d1a0b0a6ede9cea3ad9457.jpg" /><img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/FileUpload/fe/bd7194e4d1a0b0a6ede9cea3ad9457.jpg" /><img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5021738/uploads/FileUpload/fe/bd7194e4d1a0b0a6ede9cea3ad9457.jpg" />

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Previous work

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MBCottage

@nicholas bonham-carter, @Fred
The vent on the nice wall is in the garage it's the 5psi vent that apparently was the first sign they did something wrong, This vent has always hissed... but what you see is what happened when I was on the way. They also replaced a few valves inside (what they had on the truck I guess) Those spewed rusty water and made a mess in the house, ruined furniture, maple floors, rugs and plaster walls. The plumber told the heating guy they did not over fill the boiler. Hmmm. All was working, heating and quiet in December. I had the heat running since September @50 degrees We came back for 3 weeks in November. Turned it up, and even went through the snow storm. Worked fine.
I did check the water level this morning and had to add about 3/4" to the site glass. The plumber has not returned any of my calls since last Thursday. I have someone coming from Manchester. Claims to know steam. Charging me a $98.00 trip charge! He's late!

Fred

Keep us posted on what he finds. What actually happened, they only know and aren't likely to tell. Maybe your insurance company can persue that for you. It could have been anything from over filling the boiler to trying to change a valve without turning the power to the boiler off and it started producing steam while they had a valve off. If you had to add water this morning, either something is leaking or one of the wet returns may, in fact, be clogged from whatever they might have done. If so, that would help explain the continuing water hammer.

icesailor

@MBCottage:

I am a licensed Massachusetts Master Plumber and Journeyman Plumber. (and a whole tirbe of licenses I gave up when I retired

I'm not licensed in New Hampshire, but in Massachusetts and as far as I know, New Hampshire, there is no part of your problem that requires a licensed Plumber. Heating is not considered "Plumbing". In Massachusetts, replacing the water fill valve is considered "Maintenance".

I'm retired. In my career, I've drained and turned back on a lot of houses. Thousands. You have to pump out a steam boiler to drain it. Its not a hydronic wet water system. When the new person went to turn the water back on, he probably didn't have any experience with steam systems and grossly over filled the system.

If there is any anti-freeze in the heating system, you will be able to smell it. Guaranteed. That photo you posted of a leaking steam vent. Give the wall behind it a sniff. If it has a sweet smell, they will have to purge and flush your system.

Ships happens.

MBCottage

@icesailor @Fred @Steamhead @JUGHNE @nicholas bonham-carter Thank you. The Manchester guy didn't show up. I have someone else coming from Quincy now. I believe they know what to do. The wall was shellacked back in the 40's or 50's. It was definitely hot and high pressure. (That goes all the way to the ceiling.) That new vent continues to spew as late as last night. When they winterized the house, the had a compressor to blow everything out. Either way, I expect to have the system purged and flushed as I don't know what these guys did or didn't do.
I am grateful to everyone who has helped me understand "what is and what isn't " I feel I have been mentored well on this site. I will keep on smiling and hopefully this saga will come to an end soon!
Linda

icesailor

With all the open air vents on a steam system, I'm at a loss to understand how they can blow out to winterize a steam boiler without pumping it out.

j a_2

icesailor said:

@MBCottage:

I am a licensed Massachusetts Master Plumber and Journeyman Plumber. (and a whole tirbe of licenses I gave up when I retired

I'm not licensed in New Hampshire, but in Massachusetts and as far as I know, New Hampshire, there is no part of your problem that requires a licensed Plumber. Heating is not considered "Plumbing". In Massachusetts, replacing the water fill valve is considered "Maintenance".

I'm retired. In my career, I've drained and turned back on a lot of houses. Thousands. You have to pump out a steam boiler to drain it. Its not a hydronic wet water system. When the new person went to turn the water back on, he probably didn't have any experience with steam systems and grossly over filled the system.

If there is any anti-freeze in the heating system, you will be able to smell it. Guaranteed. That photo you posted of a leaking steam vent. Give the wall behind it a sniff. If it has a sweet smell, they will have to purge and flush your system.

Ships happens.

I this case no it does not sound like a lic. is required,,,,However fyi towns/cities round these parts are starting to require a mechanical permit, for a lot of things that used to fall under plumbing/and gas work…Not quite sure but maybe someone knows if you are insured on out of state work, maybe it depends on your policy, not sure

MBCottage

Hello all, well it's been a week since my nightmare started. I found a "steam man" we have narrowed several things down. System WAS flooded. The 5psi vent installed (by the plumbers) was actually the wrong size. Pig tail was clogged. New vents installed, a few radiators were re pitched. Pipes were checked for correct pitch. All good there. Boiler was cleaned. A new nozzel was installed.
Tomorrow, new low water sensing cut off, new pressuretrol,
pigtail and gauge. Skimming the system (for real)
And adding another vent to the system for the two radiators not heating (farthest away)
Right now, water hammer 98% gone. I have the weekend to monitor the system before I depart again... leaving the house running.
***
If anyone knows of a unit I can install to notify me if there is a failure either water and or temp sensing (without a monthly contract). Please advise. I have wifi on and anything with a transponder would be great.
Paws crossed my boiler worries gone for now!
Linda

Fred

Glad to hear it!

vaporvac

Glad you found someone. if you're happy with his work you should give him a shout-out and encourage him to advertise here. There aren't enough good ones that we know about.

I have a Honeywell wi-fi stat and it notifies me by email if the temp is above or below whatever I set it for. It was their cheapest wi-fi model. I also think there are some sort of camera monitors, but I don't know about them. You can also have them install a secondary probe LWCO as an additional safety since you're often away.

Don_197

For your remote alarming......first decided EXACTLY what condition/s you want to be alerted about.......then psot if back here.....you'll get a lot of help that way 8-)

Abracadabra

MBCottage said:

...
If anyone knows of a unit I can install to notify me if there is a failure either water and or temp sensing (without a monthly contract). Please advise. I have wifi on and anything with a transponder would be great.
Paws crossed my boiler worries gone for now!
Linda

I'm hooked on these sensors. http://wirelesstag.net/ Been setting them up for customers to track temperature mostly, but they also have water sensors. No monthly contracts

icesailor

Telephone dialers can be a PITA. If they call out, they can latch up and you can't remotely disconnect them.

These have been around for years. They work really well, It acts like a telephone. As long as it is warm and above the set temperature, if you dial the number of the house that the alarm is connected to, you get a ring on the line. If the temperature is below the set point, it is the same as picking up the phone. You will get a busy signal. You just plug one end into any standard live telephone jack and put the other end on a table.

Any time you want to check the status of the house, you just call it up. If no answer, everything is OK. If you get a busy signal, it isn't. The heat is off and the house is cold.

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Controls-THP208-Phone-In-Monitoring/dp/B0046A9OWU/ref=pd_sim_hi_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KTCDA0JG0HTJF0H8RW7

This one is the best I've used. I had a customer who used one for years and called "home" every night to check on his heat during the winter.

http://www.mitcomfg.com/catalogmaster.htm?seq=98&v=2

j a_2

vaporvac said:

Glad you found someone. if you're happy with his work you should give him a shout-out and encourage him to advertise here. There aren't enough good ones that we know about.

I have a Honeywell wi-fi stat and it notifies me by email if the temp is above or below whatever I set it for. It was their cheapest wi-fi model. I also think there are some sort of camera monitors, but I don't know about them. You can also have them install a secondary probe LWCO as an additional safety since you're often away.

We do advertise under steam

j a_2

Personally, I don’t like the idea of draining a steam boiler when your away for extended periods of time….Its bad enough that most leaks I see are on the cast iron above the water line…Due to the chemical/air make up….I would much rather see it treated and preserved with propylene glycol filled to the top….Drain and skim upon reactivating……Just my thinking

SWEI

What about using an aquastat to keep the boiler at a low temp?

MBCottage

Mr. Phinney, if you think it best, and that's a possibility next December, I definitely know who to trust with that!
Linda

j a_2

Thanks. for your trust, glad to help and advise anytime…Your at the top of our list….