American Standard Boiler Help

Oscarmeyer28

Hi names Trevor new here. I just bought a house with what I believe is a 1960's boiler. I know little about it but I'm a quick learner and have a basic idea of how it works. Looking for all the info I can get....start up, maintenance ect....

There are no bleeders on the registers.
The propane plaque is screwed to the boiler the other one was on the wall behind it. I have natural gas in my house so idk what to think.

The honeywell seems to be in the correct rang? The expansion tank is connected to the water supply valve. Which is on off there is no pressure regulator set at 12psi. I have to manually add water to raise boiler pressure. I set it at 12psi I live in a ranch home is that good?

You can see the return line with a vale and a bleed I believe I can purge the air using this route. Not sure if I need to keep the supply water on and raise the pressure to 20 and then purge or what's is a good way?

There is a picture of the pump its set at 3 speed don't know if that's good or bad? I can change it. I turned the thermostat on for a minute that's why my gauge is showing 100 degrees and 13 psi. I'm just looking for some help I know I wrote a lot hopefully its not to much or if one person just wants to give me there 2 cents whatever. Thanks for the help

nicholas bonham-carter

The boiler rating plate says it is for natural gas.
From what I can see, the Honeywell aquastat temperature may be set too low, as a minimum of 130 deg is needed to avoid condensation in the boiler sections from the byproducts of combustion. It looks as though the gas shutoff valve is partially closed.
I would suggest you have a hydronics pro service the boiler, and explain what you can do ongoing to keep the system in good condition. The burner probably needs a good cleaning, and the transformer electrical box needs reattaching.
The type of baseboard emitters you have will not benefit from the later installation of a modcon condensing boiler, which may be a blessing in disguise. There seem to be only 2 wires going up to the thermostat, so you will not easily be able to install a smart thermostat without pulling some more wire.--NBC

Oscarmeyer28

I don't want to mess anything up and I'm sure it's going to be recommend I have someone else do it...... Is there anyway I could take it apart and clean it? Does the owners manual have this info in it? I know how to use tools and troubleshoot. Does anyone have a copy of the owners manual? If its something that is really hard and I must have someone come out I will. I just hate paying outrages fees for stupid stuff. I was quoted once for a furnace instillation 3x more than what I had a qualified buddy do it for. He's moved away now though.

nicholas bonham-carter

Taking it apart-easy; putting it back together, and looking for tell-tale signs of trouble-not so easy.
A competent pro will be able to show you what to do in the future, and answer any questions about the pump speed. Since you are a quick learner, he won't have to spend extra time explaining things to you over and over.
This is the start of winter, and you may not have time to bumble through and teach yourself before the snow flies.
There are some excellent books for sale here from the store, which you can keep for future reference. Some of the books give advice to pros on how to run their businesses, and in reading them, you will see where those "outrageous fees" come from.--NBC

Oscarmeyer28

Hey I had someone come out and look at it they fixed my over heating issue by replacing the high temp limit switches.... But it didn't make a banging noise when they came. I explained how when I start the boiler it heats up runs fine. After it shuts off cools some(45mins) the boiler kicks back on and when it starts to heat up it makes a banging noise like bad. The tempature gauge was 140 and the pressure was jumping between 14 and 21 pounds. He said probably air and that an air scoopight solve my problem.... What do you think worth trying or could it be something else?

billtwocase

Three things I would do to start, is drain and flush the expansion tank, check the pressure gauge for accuracy, and add cleaner to the boiler. The pump on 2 or 3 speed should be fine. A couple of things to check, the circulator direction of flow, and I don't see whether or not you have a flowcheck

Zman

I should be noted that boilers don't last forever and the newer boilers are more efficient that their predecessors.
50 years is a long lifetime for a boiler. Don't be surprised if it needs replacement in the near future.

Oscarmeyer28

Yeah I just want to make it through the winter. I will be replacing next year. I flushed it and the motor is on 2 for now I turned down the temperature of when the motor kicks on. I went from 180 down to 140. It solved the banging problem the motor just runs sooner and longer than before. You think that will be OK for the duration of the winter? Its quiet and it keeps the registers a little quieter since its 140 degree water instead of 180 hiting it when they are cold. (Off for awhile)

Zman

You boiler and flue will be damage by condensate if the returning water is less that ~140. The flue gas contains vapor that is pretty acidic, when it gets too cool it turns to liquid and corrodes stuff.
I would not run the boiler <160 degrees.