Triangle Tube Challenger never stops heating?

jacobpatton

We've got a Triangle Tube Challenger combi boiler & water heater, and now that it's getting warmer and the thermostat has shut off, I've noticed that our radiators are still warm. Is there any way to turn off the TT's heating entirely?

In case it's any help, I've also noticed that the boiler cranks up every two minutes, displaying 1, 5, 8, 1 in sequence.

thanks in advance!

Ironman

There should be no heat in the rad's if the thermostat is off. Something's wrong in the system that needs to be corrected.

If you post some pics of the boiler, its near piping, and controls, we may be able to spot something.

kcopp

I am guessing there is ghost flow. Probably no flow check. Every time hot water is made it heats up the block and heated starts flowing out I bet....
The numbers are just telling you what cycle the boiler is at. 1 is prepurge, 8 is a preheat for the hot water... are you sure it is a 5?

jacobpatton

Ironman and kcopp, thanks for your quick replies. It's taken me a few days to get to the boiler — I've got two little kids at home and no shortage of distractions.

kcopp, the readout is actually 1, 2, 8, and it goes through that cycle every two minutes. The indicator light next to the radiator icon is unlit, so that's good news, right?

Here's a photo of the bottom of the setup. Should I post a picture of any other part of the boiler hookup?

kcopp

Yikes.
Looks like that is buried behind a wall.
Also looks like that needs service from the looks of the condensate trap.
I am wondering why there is an aquastat on the piping.?
I think there may be a wiring issue now.....
Can we see more down inside?
What is there for radiators?
Where are you located?

jacobpatton

Yep, it's behind a partition wall in the kitchen. I set it up that way (with the plumber's blessing) so that we'd have more usable space in our small house. The shutoff valves are all easily accessible all the time, but as you see, the main device is normally behind a cabinet I've taken down from the wall.

Here's a link to a Google Photo album of more shots of the boiler & its connections. I'm not really sure what parts you want to see, kcopp, so do let me know if I can point a camera elsewhere on the device.

The boiler feeds the hot water system & radiators on two floors of our 1400 sq. ft. house.

I'm in Washington, DC, and the system was installed by (and recently serviced by) Stevens Plumbing. As far as I can tell from the TT website, they're the only qualified plumbers for this setup within 100 miles

Thanks again for all your help.

Ironman

That's a mess. You've got a serious leak that's rotting your piping and should be fixed immediately.

I can see no logical reason for the strap-on aquastat being used to control the secondary circulator.

You really need a COMPETENT tech to look at it.

I'd recommend that you contact Dan Foley of Foley Mechanical in Lorton. He's on the contractor locator on this site.

kcopp

I seriously think you need to pull out the strap-on aquastat and wire the zone circulator up to a taco sr501 relay. That should be wired in to the boiler aquastat from the end switch on the relay. if there isn't a flow check on the system then one should be added.