Williamson Gas furnace LWCO issues

ToniC

I have a Williamson gas boiler with 2 zones (hot water). The low water cutoff control yellow warning light stays on all the time, as does the green light. The water is not low but the light stays on and the shut off only happens if we remove the actual control. We switched out and installed another but the green and yellow light stays on just the same.
The gas company red tagged the unit but said there is no danger. What can I do to get the light off?

HVACNUT

Can you post a pick of the boiler and LWCO location? What model LWCO?

nicholas bonham-carter

If the LWCO is not working, there certainly could be a problem. Dry-firing with subsequent refilling equals explosion in the worst case!
When you replaced the LWCO, did you replace the probe as well? There could be a wiring problem in the safety circuit-is it low voltage or 120V?--NBC

ToniC

The LWCO is an after-market added to the Williamson boiler due to Connecticut's kooky regulations. The probe is inserted in the main pipe that rises out of the boiler, over the pressure gauge. The unit is the SAFGARD Model 1100, from the Hydrolevel Co.
The boiler was installed in 2008.

Jamie Hall

Hmm. Well, I'd say a regulation which requires a LWCO isn't that kooky, but too each their own explosion. That said, does the LWCO have good access to the actual water level? And is it well and properly grounded? You might post a picture of the setup.

lchmb

sounds like the probe is not grounding with the boiler. Did they use thread tape on the probe when they installed it? Have you tried pulling and cleaning the probe? I wouldnt do away with it, a safety device is only good if it's there..

ToniC

Hi All, passed your info to the heating guy and we also called the manufacturer of the Safgard 1100, Hydrolevel Co of New Haven, Ct.
He suggested that the ground was not working properly. We attached another ground wire to the main pipe coming out of the furnace, connected it and the yellow Low light turned off. Looks like the ground wire may be faulty but this new ground made it work well. Thank you to everyone for the advice and comments!!!!!Much appreciated!! And I learned a lot!
Toni

lchmb

although it is working at this point, I would still suggest pulling the probe, cleaning it off, clean the threads..apply a small amount of pipe dope (no tape) and reinstall it.