Water Level in Gauge Glass

Jeff_H

Hi everyone,

Attached is a picture of the gauge glass on my boiler (one pipe steam heat).

Is the water level too high. If so, how do I lower it?

Thanks!

Jamie Hall

That's fine. Anywhere from 1/4 from the top to 1/4 from the bottom when the boiler is off is just fine.

If you ever did have to drain some, there's sure to be a drain on there somewhere, but without seeing the whole setup I couldn't say where.

ChrisJ

If that's a Burnham the proper water level is 3/4 of the way up the glass.

nicholas bonham-carter

The water appears to have a green tint. Are you using chemicals?--NBC

ChrisJ

nicholas bonham-carter said:

The water appears to have a green tint. Are you using chemicals?--NBC

I see no green tint there NBC?

nicholas bonham-carter

It must be my phone display.--NBC

Jeff_H

Thank you all. It is a Burnham IN6.

NBC - the water is clear now (I had actually just had it skimmed - it was installed in July and still had some oil showing up in the gauge glass).

ChrisJ

Jeff_H said:

Thank you all. It is a Burnham IN6.

NBC - the water is clear now (I had actually just had it skimmed - it was installed in July and still had some oil showing up in the gauge glass).

3/4 of the way up is where you want to be when the boiler is off. Make sure it's been off for 10-20 minutes before checking it.

I usually add to my system when it's a 1/2" low or so but I'm super anal.

Fred

If you have the owner's manual, check it for the placement of that "Lowest permissable Water level" tag also. Where it is placed now is wrong. It should be on the panel, somewhere around mid way up the glass. Not an issue if you know where the water level should be, but a big issue for anyone who isn't familiar with that boiler.

JUGHNE

That low water tag looks to be a factory install with screws or rivets. "The lowest point is somewhere below the glass that you really can't see" now how does that work??

Fred

I think it is drilled and installed by the installer. I have a Burnham and the tag is placed at just above the middle of the glass. If I were to let the water get as low as the tag in this picture, i'm pretty sure there'd be a UFO seen in the neighborhood on a cold winter day. That tag has to go somewhere above the LWCO probe.

JUGHNE

So check out this Dunkirk

Fred

LOL ! I guess that would be permissable if it never runs.

JUGHNE

I know, with the LWCO operating, what is the sense to even have that sticker there. The actual water level has the sticker and also a dimple in the jacket.

FWIIW, I don't think the factory would want the installer to determine the water level in their boiler. And if I were the installer I would not want the responsibility of doing so. It seems that the physical dimensions of the block and amount of heat applied would set the water line.

Fred

JUGHNE said:

I know, with the LWCO operating, what is the sense to even have that sticker there. The actual water level has the sticker and also a dimple in the jacket.

FWIIW, I don't think the factory would want the installer to determine the water level in their boiler. And if I were the installer I would not want the responsibility of doing so. It seems that the physical dimensions of the block and amount of heat applied would set the water line.

I'm not sure. I know my Burnham has several demples in the panel where one could drill for the various plates. I assummed some of those panels were interchangable with different boiler models and depending on which model you had, you drill for the plate accordingly. In no case would there be a sticker at or below the bottom of the sight glass. If there is a need for a plate anywhere on the sight glass, it should read " Normal Water Level" and be done with it.

Fred

Putting the tag that says "Lowest Permissable Water level" below the bottom of the sight glass is not right and I know you know that. Some things are just not worth auguing about. Who else on this site would consider a water level below the sight glass, where you can't even see the water level, permissable for normal operation. I can not imagine any boiler manufacturer being willing to accept liability for tagging a "Permissible Water Level" at a point below the bottom of the sight glass where it isn't easily visable to the homeowner.

nicholas bonham-carter

Why not consult the manual, and find the proper waterline height/dimension from the boiler base, and check the label height?--NBC

Jamie Hall

Couple of thoughts here... first, @nicholas bonham-carter has the right idea: find the manual and check it.

Second... the water level should be within the gauge glass. That's what the gauge glass is for. Exactly where in the gauge glass is considerably less important; there are very few applications where the water level is so critical that one has to really be fanatical about it.

Third, at least one of the low water cutoffs on the boiler should trip while the water is within the glass...

Fred

nicholas bonham-carter said:

Why not consult the manual, and find the proper waterline height/dimension from the boiler base, and check the label height?--NBC

I did for my boiler, a Burnham, and it shows it at just above half way up the sight glass and about 2" below the Normal water level and an inch or so above the MM67 LWCO, but my boiler is 33 years old. I also went out and looked at the I & O Manual for the new Burnham IN boilers and it shows them at about an inch, maybe 3/4" above the bottom of the sight glass. i didn't find any that suggest anywhere below the sight glass.

Jeff_H

Thank you all for your help.

Something I noticed is that from the time that I raised the question (about three weeks ago), the water level in the gauge glass (I have been checking it when the boiler is not running) has gone done. When I first posted, it was about two-thirds up the glass. Now it is just over half way up the glass. The good news is I don't see any water leaking from the boiler. Should this be of concern?

Thanks again.

Jamie Hall

Probably not. Might be minor losses through vents, that sort of thing. The actual water usage by a boiler is somewhat variable -- a gallon a month seems pretty normal; a gallon a week is perhaps a little high but... meh... a gallon a day? That's a problem.