disconnect the auto feeder?

matthew_rogers

i learned from a phrase from richard tretheway "the autofeeder fixes the symptoms but not the problem"

i have fixed the leeks and will redo all the pipes in the spring
but until then... the darn auto feeder keeps overfilling the one-pipe steam boiler.

just had a thought of disconnecting it.

the LWCO is working fine. the machine short cycles a lot due to piping probs.

i stand to loose some vapor at the steam radiator vents and main vents... but i've got my eye
on this puppy 20 times a day to manage the water hammer. "I" AM the auto feeder at this point.

any thoughts?

matthew_rogers

Hatterasguy said:

Personally, I am of the opinion that a proper auto feeder and a proper water meter is far superior and far less risky than the manual method.

i agree. when i am leaving the house i am turning the system off as well to avoid the chance of water hammer when no on eis there to flip the power switch off.

its a nuisance for now but i want my water to remain constant to i only have to deal with pressure and the increased volume of the expanded water during heating.

as it is the water vaporizes up into the upper floors and then it auto feeds. then the condensate overflows my sight glass. every day.

Jamie Hall

I'm with @Hatterasguy on this one. Yes, I check Cedric once or twice a day. No, even in this weather Cedric does not need any water. I still have the auto-feeder on there and running, as the last thing I want is to go sleep for the night, have a problem and have the LWCO decide to shut off the heat when it's 20 below outside.

Keep an eye on it, surely. Don't depend on it -- but don't depend on any mechanical gadget. It does no harm, and might just be really handy!

matthew_rogers

Jamie Hall said:

I'm with @Hatterasguy on this one. ...
Keep an eye on it, surely. Don't depend on it -- but don't depend on any mechanical gadget. It does no harm, and might just be really handy!

thank you, sir

Fred

How old/new is the boiler? Has any piping work been done since it was last skimmed? Is there a lot of bouce in the water in the sight glass? What settings do you have on the Pressuretrol? Cut-out should be .5 PSI, differential set at 1 PSI for a cut-out pressure around 1.5 PSI. Is the water slow to return to the boiler?
It sounds like either the auto water feeder is letting water leak past that valve or 2) pressure is too high, pushing water out through the returns or 3) the boiler needs a good skim to stabalize the water level in the boiler or 4) the wet returns need to be flushed out if water is slow to return.
Check the water feeder and make sure it is working properly. You can turn if off and watch to see if the boiler still over fills during the next 2 or 3 heat cycles.
If the Pressuretrol is set correctly, make sure the pig-tail (looped pipe it is mounted on) is not clogged. If clogged the Pressuretrol can't see the pressure and may let the pressure get high.
If there is a lot of bounce in the water or the top half of the sight glass is wet, it needs to be skimmed to get the oils off the surface of the boiler water.
Some of us don't have auto water feeders. We manually add water, if needed. If you decide to turn yours off, make sure your Low water Cut-off is functioning properly. The best thing to do is figure out the source of the problem and fix it. Obviously the water is in the system or it wouldn't be overfilled.

matthew_rogers

Fred said:

....Some of us don't have auto water feeders. ....

your comment is fantastic. its the perfect list for the newbie... and thanks to men and comments like yours i have graduated from newbie to grand-newbie

i have done ALL possible tweaks to the existing system during its complete pipe rust failure below the slab back in December. all repairs done, all systems cleaned fixed improved, pressure set as low as possible (but maybe it COULD stand to get a little lower than .5 as you suggested i check the pressure!)...

the system has knucklehead plumbing from years ago and i going to be the man to remove and fix it all... opening all the walls .... a big job i'm excited to tackle.

this issue with the feeder right now is my attempts and managing an imperfect non-leaking system until my system rebuild. you may recall we discussed reservoir tanks yesterday. before that i have brainstormed dropping my steam header as well as false water lines and relocating the horizontal returns.

I hope your list of trouble shooting questions goes in the heating help book of great replies. it was a good quick systems check! thanks again for all your brainstorming

matthew_rogers

Hatterasguy said:

I designed and implemented a copper and brass tube that sits parallel and adjacent to the sight glass. A new LWCO probe is installed in this parallel tube exactly 2" up from the bottom of the sight glass. This position is 5" below the nominal waterline and offers almost 6 gallons of usable capacity between itself and the nominal waterline ....Problems....ELIMINATED

woah! that sounds amazing.
i'm trying to visualize it. and will do some sketches to try to sort it out. was that your idea and or based on insights from books or photos.... id LOVE to hunt down that rabbit trail if you have any photos of your system or suggestion of where i might try.

further Q: does that mean your LWCO has a backup LWCO in function? I recently seen backup flowtrols; and that was cool to learn that was a possibility.

Fred

Thanks @matthew_rogers . Don't try to turn the Pressuretrol down below .5 PSI. That the link on the bottom of that adjusting screw will drop loose.

matthew_rogers

Fred said:

Don't try to turn the Pressuretrol down below .5 PSI. That the link on the bottom of that adjusting screw will drop loose.

thank you, sir

matthew_rogers

Hatterasguy said:

The LWCO is simply connected to the new probe location. The existing probe remains in place but is not utilized.

i have worked up a few crude drawings on my end.

and it seems like you have two LWCOs when im done drawing.
since they are expensive... i have been prowling local cragslist for them ...even for identical old boilers as mine so i can play and scavenge parts. i have a float LWCO and i have not been inside a "probe" type but ive seen them. (small black rectangle)

am i right you have double cut offs... and why couldnt you have just relocated the original LWCO?

what am i not thinking of?