is there anything with the header and equalizer?

Joseph_4

Hi,
I have a customer whose steam boiler started leaking after 5 years. The leak is in the lower back right corner. The manufacturers said not covered under warranty cuz they can tell it had a tilted water line. could the header above and the equalizer cause this? would love to hear from anyone who really understands near boiler piping
thanks
Joe
HHI Services LLC

Danny Scully

Did you install this boiler?

AnthraciteEnergetics

Tilted pipes, but that doesnt necessarily affect performance, they look to be tilted the right way.

Is a tilted water line caused by the boiler itself not being level? I would imagine up to an inch out of level from one end/side to the other wouldnt hurt as long as it is kept full of water and the controls/LWCO all work even with the tilt. I've seen some bad ones, where they were bssically hanging from the steam mains.

acwagner

If that boiler manufacture requires both supply tappings to be used for that sized boiler but only one is used, then you could get an tilted water line favoring the side with the tapping.

STEAM DOCTOR

@Joseph. Hard to tell from picture. Which way is boiler tilted? What is model of boiler? What size is the boiler Riser and header

STEAM DOCTOR

@acwagner really depends on size of boiler, and size of riser. Steam would have to be moving at a significant speed to cause the non Riser side of the boiler to partially dry fire

Joseph_4

I did install it,, The size header is 2.5 inches which was used. as per instructions. Only one tapping required by manufacturer.
Size of Boiler is 150 btu input
Joe

Joseph_4

When I got there, wouldn't fire cuz out on low water. Manufacturer also said probe on left said might have gotten gunk on it and wasn't responding. Hydrolevel who makes LWCO says inspect every 5 yrs. This is the 5th yr season. When I do maintenance for others never really found gunk on them just discoloration. Most people don't do the maintenance
Joe

MilanD

Depending on the system, those probes can gunk up quickly. Also, with old wet returns, the muck makes it's way to the bottom of the boiler in a hurry. I like yearly inspection of all those safety devices, at the beginning of the season.

gerry gill

i agree that the use of one riser will slant the water, however if the manufacturer's manual allows one riser to be used on that size boiler then it shouldn't slant enough to cause an issue.

Was returning condensate perhaps an issue?