pigtail removal ideas?

mitch101

To remove & clean this pigtail, should I rotate the pigtail with the pressuretrol still attached? I'm afraid of water inside the pigtail getting inside the pressuretrol when it's inverted. I'd like to keep it upright through the whole process. It's too close to the face of the boiler to be simply unscrewed off the pigtail.

I know to not touch the two screws on the mounting plate under the pressuretrol. Would the hex nut directly underneath that plate allow one to remove just the pressuretrol? Then the pigtail could be rotated and clear the gauge without removing it. The lwco is easy to remove if that gets in the way... I'm really stymied here!

Fred

You can rotate the pigtail with the Pressuretrol on it. It is exposed to water/moisture when the boiler is running so that is not a concern. Yes, that hex fitting on the bottom of the Pressuretrol is to turn the Pressuretrol off. If you take it off, you can blow into the pigtail or use a wire or pipe cleaner to clear the pigtail if it the crud is soft enough. That way you don't have to take the pigtail off. Once cleaned, prime the pigtail with a little water.

ChrisJ

Fred said:

You can rotate the pigtail with the Pressuretrol on it. It is exposed to water/moisture when the boiler is running so that is not a concern. Yes, that hex fitting on the bottom of the Pressuretrol is to turn the Pressuretrol off. If you take it off, you can blow into the pigtail or use a wire or pipe cleaner to clear the pigtail if it the crud is soft enough. That way you don't have to take the pigtail off. Once cleaned, prime the pigtail with a little water.

From the looks of it, it's going to hit the pressure gauge, gauge glass and LWCO doing it that way.


If it was mine, I'd buy a new brass pigtail before hand, and then bend that one to make it so I can spin the Pressuretrol off.

Next, remove the pigtail and pipe it so you won't have to do it that way again. Perhaps run some 1/4" brass fittings out from the boiler.

EBEBRATT-Ed

What @ChrisJ said with some changes. You have 2 options.
1. Buy a replacement pigtail the same as the one you have. Also get a 1/4" brass union and a 1/4" x 2" brass nipple.

Shut the power off and disconnect the wiring to the pressure control. Cut the old pigtail with a hacksaw and remove the piece from the boiler and from the pressure control. Install the 1/4" nipple and union on the boiler and put the pigtail on the other half of the union. reconnect the wiring.

OR

2. disconnect wiring and remove the pressure control and pigtail . Remove any other devices that are in the way of removing the pigtail and pressure control. re install the pigtail after cleaning with the union and nipple as above. Then you won't have to go through that ordeal again.

mitch101

Many thanks to all. Replacing the pigtail sounds the best option, with either cutting or bending then removing the old one. I like the idea of a brass union, making this easier next time. That dumb, required 0-30psi gauge can stay put, and I'll add an actually useful 0-3psi gauge on a T next to the pressuretrol.

A lot of smart people here on heatinghelp -- THANKS!

helpmeheatit

I know this is old, but I’m hoping a new comment will bump it to new status. I have basically the same exact situation, but with the pressuretrol off I’d have room to rotate the pigtail.

I’m getting a pressure reading at the 0-30 gauge of 5+ (I shut it down at that point) so I’m hoping it’s just a clogged pigtail, from what I’m reading it seems like this is a good start anyway. I’m relatively handy, but I’m no plumber and I’m pretty boiler ignorant so nothing is obvious to me lol. 

So here’s my questions:

In this scenario, can I in fact loosen the hex nut under the pressuretrol to remove it? 

Any reason I CAN’T or SHOULDN’T clean out the pigtail without removing it from the boiler? (with a pipe cleaner or similar as suggested) 

Im assuming that it’s okay to remove the pressuretrol (assuming that’s what the hex nut is for), and then rotate the pigtail until it’s off the boiler?  (then clean it out and replace it) 


Again, I know NOTHING about boilers, so I really, really appreciate the help. Thanks guys for your input! 

Fred

Yes, you can take the Pressuretrol off of the pigtail by turning the hex fitting, under the Pressuretrol but the entire Pressuretrol will rotate when you turn the hex fitting. If you don't have the clearance you may have to cut the pigtail and replace it with a new one and nipple that will give you the clearance you need for the future removal and cleaning. Once off, if you can blow into the pigtail, it is clear. If you can't blow into it, it may be too clogged to clear without taking it off of the boiler.

Gordo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57p64_py5QY

Gordo

@helpmeheatit : You're welcome! Please start a new thread and let us know how it worked out for you.

helpmeheatit

Ok, I think I can do this. I think I have room to rotate the pressuretrol. First I’m assuming I have to open it up and remove the wires, right? (After turning off the breaker) 

Thanks for your help so far! 

ethicalpaul

Yes, you will probably have to disconnect the wires. Don't worry about which is which, as long as you put the same two wires back on the two terminals. The order doesn't matter.