Once again.....another defective Honeywell Vaporstat

Mad Dog_2

These puppies ain't cheap! Right out off the box. NOT COOL,
MAD DOG

Gordo

Sorry to hear that, MD. No, you are right, it is not cool.
Do you have a test rig to check them before mounting?

Mad Dog_2

No I don't. But I'm ready to purchase or make one. I've had greater than 50% of them fail to adjust properly and outright fail within 6 months! Also, GG told me Chris J made a replacement with dwyer air instruments, I finally have a little time to deal with these problems. Any advice or help is welcome boys. A really Mad Dog

Gordo

I've shown one of my designs for a portable pressuretrol test rig on my YouTube channel. One design, which I keep in our shop, uses a 3" Ward cap as a stable base. I used the Ward cap because it started out relatively flat on the bottom and needed but a little grinding to make it stable. I used a 3" x 1" bushing, then a 1" x 1/4" bushing in that. The rest is piped in with 1/4" nipples and fittings, the only special one being a 1/4" cross tee. Adding mip x barbed fittings, a 1/4" latex hose, a squeeze bulb ("Air-Flo") and the proper range gauge and you're all set... to discover the wonderful world of inaccurate pressure controls.

Gordo

Not all issues are caused by Honeywell. Some issues occur after the fact. Recently I tested, for boiler insurance purposes, the manual reset pressuretrols on a set of side by side boilers at a local church. They were put in by others in 2001 or so.

The one control on one of the boilers operated at about the proper range, but would not lock out, but instead automatically reset.

Hmmm.

Checked it out and found a tiny tab catch had been bent. Ok. Error caught.

Checked the next control on the twin boiler. SAME FAULT! So the conclusion I reached was that they were not defective controls but they had been sabotaged!

Check all pressure controls. Assume nothing.

Mad Dog_2

Thank you so much Gordo. Will do. Mad Dog

ratio

Gordo said:

So the conclusion I reached was that they were not defective controls but they had been sabotaged!

Never attribute to sabotage what can be more easily be explained by lazy maintenance guys (who maybe ought not be touching things).

Gordo

@ratio : If there was only one boiler and only one control, then yeah, you could say it was just one of these things.

But both controls, side by side, with the same exact bent tab so the safety control would reset automatically. It was clearly a deliberate by-passing of safety controls. Maybe it was a tech during the warranty period who was tired of the no heat call backs. Not sure. Doesn't really matter.

I replaced both controls.

Mad Dog_2

So simple. Thanks. I have to say, I always go outta my way to,buy American & from small suppliers, but I needed the V Stat asap and was told 4-6 weeks. Supplyhouse.com got it to me next day. I installed 3 weeks ago. Worked two weeks and failed. When I called yesterday, they were super nice and said a new one in the way. Keeping my fingers crossed. THanks again fellas Mad Dog

Gordo

So far, I too have found Suppyhouse.com has been great to deal with.

I think with all of these issues with the current crop of V-stats, from here on out adding pressure snubbers is indicated.

MarkS

Mad Dog said:

Also, GG told me Chris J made a replacement with dwyer air instruments

That was me. Here's the link: DIY Vaporstat Alternative

Mad Dog_2

Wow. Cool man. Thank you so much. Mad Dog