Circulator Pump is non function Bell + Gossett118844

Forrest_2016

Today I installed the auto fill valve, it seem to snug in nice, I ran both 4 + 5 valves to clear out the pipe beforehand. So now I have the water off and not sure what is next.

JUGHNE

Check the air pressure in your tank again...should still be 12 PSI...it may vary a little with basement temperature.

What are the readings on the pressure gauge?
Is there also a temp gauge built in....what does that indicate?

Forrest_2016

Pressure steady at 12 PSI on the tank. A word about the tank, when I spun it on I noticed it looked like the neck was bent, I could straighten it out easy enough by nudging the tank a bit, but does this mean the tank has lost it's structural integrity?

The gauge has temp and pressure. I remember I taped on it when I started doing this work to see if it was stuck. The pressure now reads around 2.5lbs and the heat is on 100. Gauge starts at 0 degrees so this could be stuck.

JUGHNE

Did it register anything when it was firing with water in it?

Forrest_2016

I don't know Jug, I never looked at it when it was running.

Firecontrol933

I would change the expansion tank. You should never get water out of this type of tank's air vent. By pressurizing it with no water pressure in the system or with the tank removed you could very easily have expanded the bladder tight against the inside wall of the tank thus sealing the leak.

Forrest_2016

I think it might be a good idea too Firecontrol933, thanks.

JUGHNE

That is a good point that Firecontrol makes. It looks like you have no isolation valves. Remember that in the future having to change any component in the water side you have to drain the system. The real challenge of that is bleeding air out of the system. So maybe you want a new pressure & temp gauge also. They are not very accurate, the pressure scale shows more numbers than you need. It is just something you get familiar with and learn how to interpret.

Keep the power and gas off for the next item:

So whatever you do, FIWM I would close the little cap on the air vent to protect it from junk, then start to fill the boiler up to the 12 PSI. You can fast fill using the water valve above the new auto fill. Once you have at least 12 PSI in the system, stop and test the Pressure Relief Valve on the right rear of the top of the boiler. What is the pressure rating of the PRV??? Open and close it several times to flush it out, it should close and seal without much dribble after closing. If it does not open freely and reseal then you need a new PRV. This is the single most important safety device to prevent explosion. It MUST work correctly.

Forrest_2016

Pressure rating on the Pressure Relief valve says 30 PSI. I ordered a new expansion tank, should be here Thursday.
Thanks

Forrest_2016

I installed the new expansion tank today, it had 12 PSI already in the tank. So I guess I'm ready to fill the system, I have not bought a new pressure/temp gauge. Little nervous about going forward.

JUGHNE

Once you fill a cast iron boiler with new water you should fire it up to a high temp to cook off new oxygen that is in the fresh water. If you feel uncomfortable about this and feel you have met your limitations perhaps seek a professional person.

Your boiler system needs cleaned and checked out by someone with a combustion analyzer.

You implied having spare time. You could go to "Main Site" and check out system help for hot water heating systems. It is back to the home page. You should learn about your heating system even if you hire pros to do work for you.

Forrest_2016

Thanks Jughe,
Today I opened valve 5 (the one above the auto fill) valve 4 is closed and it started to leak out the back flow preventer, so I closed the valve.

I have gone back to the main page but haven't found much to help me. I watch a lot of youtube videos and I have learned a lot as well as from this forum.
I do think a pro should come in and give everything a look. Part of my approach here is to at least get the parts I need at a good price, I don't think a plumber is going to be looking for the best deal on parts in order to get the job done. And of course I'd like to get as far as I can.
Thanks

JUGHNE

As someone mentioned above, the back flow preventer (BFP)should be in the water line before valve #5 and your new pressure regulator valve. Then there should be a valve before the BFP to allow you to service that device without shutting down the entire house.

The BFP is to keep boiler water from getting into your house water. It is probably doing its job because water from #5 flowed thru the new reg valve backwards.

You could try filling the boiler using your new reg valve only. This would let you check for leaks and also flush the pressure relief valve on the top right rear of the boiler........then if the boiler will hold the 12 PSI of water and you don't want to fire the boiler you could drain the system down and get an additional flushing of the boiler. Then leave the boiler dry until you get the pro. Pro's may not be happy to install new parts that you have on hand. If your BFP will not stop leaking, then a Pro could replace it and locate it in the correct location with a new valve before it.

I recommend a book from the "Store" above called "Pumping Away", it is one of the basic study guides for hot water boilers such as yours.