too much fresh water into boiler

matrixapartments

I have a condensate pump that is suppose to have a small tank within it. What size condensate tank should I have for a 12 2 bedroom unit 2 story building? there is a new Wiel Mclean #7 SECTION STEAM LGB BOILE The boiler is constantly calling for additional fresh water. When it first cycles on the knocking is very strong. It has overflowed through the boiler main vent, fills radiators and has to be drained often. what might be causing the introduction of so much water?

Fred

Clearly there is something preventing condensate from returning to the boiler. Either the wet returns are clogged, causing water to back up into the mains and radiators or there is a valve somewhere on the return(s) or the condensate tank that is closed. All the water is out in the system and the boiler reaches a low water condition and requires added water. That, I am sure is also the cause for the loud water hammer you hear in the system. Post some pictures of the boiler, the piping around it and the condensate tank/pump as well as the wet returns. Is the condensate pump installed backwards??? Is this a one pipe or two pipe system?

Jamie Hall

And may I ask... why is there a condensate pump at all?

I presume that on low water there is an automatic feed? Where does that feed? The boiler or the condensate tank?

I am rather firmly convinced that if, for some reason, you need a condensate receiver and a pump, that the combination should be configured as a boiler feed pump, not as a condensate pump (others may differ). That is: there should be two level controls on the boiler (at least) with the upper one activating the boiler feed pump, which draws water from the condensate receiver. (Other level controls should cut off the boiler in the event of low water levels). Make up feed water -- which should be minimal in a properly functioning system -- should be into the receiver, and controlled by a float or other level control on the receiver. With that arrangement, variations in condensate return will not overfill the boiler (though you may get puddles on the floor from the receiver's overflow!).

If the system is configured as a condensate pump instead -- with the pump activated by high water in the receiver -- you will, sooner or later, overfill the boiler. Pretty durn near guaranteed.

matrixapartments

It is a 2 pipe system, i will post some pictures Friday when I return to the building. There is an automatic fresh water feed that goes to the boiler not the condensate pump. There is a low water cutoff for the boiler. The rest of your suggestions, Jamie, I have to figure out when looking at the boiler. Thanks, for the feed back Fred and Jamie

Jamie Hall

matrixapartments said:

It is a 2 pipe system, i will post some pictures Friday when I return to the building. There is an automatic fresh water feed that goes to the boiler not the condensate pump. There is a low water cutoff for the boiler. The rest of your suggestions, Jamie, I have to figure out when looking at the boiler. Thanks, for the feed back Fred and Jamie

A combination of an automatic water feed into the boiler plus a condensate pump plus possible slow returns is pretty much lethal.

I'd suggest seeing if you can reconfigure the controls and piping so that you have the boiler water level controlling what will become a boiler feed pump (same pump, different control) and an automatic feed into the condensate receiver rather than into the boiler directly.

Steamhead

Sounds like you need a Steam Man. Where are you located?

JUGHNE

I had a similar problem on a 2 pipe system. Slow return and overfill, boiler flooded, steam main full of water all producing the hammers of hell.

The piping was trying to return most of the condensate by gravity dumping that into the pumped discharge of the cond pump. This only allowed 24" of drop to that water level.

Thinking the "Pros from the City" had plumbed this correctly was the biggest obstacle in rectifying the problem.

I actually now have all the condensate going into the pump.
Also the lack of good cond draining allowed some F&T traps to sludge up.
It is the smallest pump possible and still keeps up.
So my problem and perhaps yours was built into the piping.
We look forward to your pictures.

jamesgriffeth_1

what is the best way to clean out condensate lines ?